Introduction
The police are entrusted to enforce the law and ensure the safety of citizens. However, in the United States, policing has been marked by straining relationships with people, especially from minority communities. Police officers have killed many people under controversial circumstances. The political climate regarding policing in the country changed dramatically following the August 2014 tragic event in Ferguson (Walker, 2018). Several similar events have been witnessed, including the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 (Dolly, 2022). There has been an increasing demand for police reforms that foster a good working relationship with the police. The police are increasingly expected to act in a lawful and legitimate manner to reduce crime while serving the community’s needs.
The core principle of any democratic society is that the police should account for all their actions. According to Walker (2018), the new conversations in the matter integrate several principles, practices, and policies that offer a roadmap for reforming the police in future. There are no certainties that any of the proposals will guarantee a better future due to a lack of evidence. The focus of this paper is to discuss a single practice in each of the three areas. Specifically, the selected best practices include the use of force reporting policy, provision of all the necessary training to gain standards of professionalism, and principle of greater openness and transparency in police departments. Although there have been crises and a clash between the law enforcement officers and the public, if the suggested reforms are implemented, it will stir reconciliation and foster good working relationships.
Policy: Use of Force
The use of excessive, lethal and non-lethal force remains a central concern. Worse still, there has been a trend in which minority groups are disproportionately falling victims and even dying from such vices. For instance, a Chauvin, a police officer, knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes despite the pleas that he was unable to breathe (Subramanian & Arzy, 2021). The incident led many states to reevaluate and clarify the kind of force that the police officers are authorized to use in various circumstances. Remarkably, the police were advised to use force as a last resort upon exhausting all the nonviolent options.
Moreover, Colorado banned apprehension of suspects of nonviolent or minor offences using deadly force, and five states now prohibit shooting to prevent escape (Subramanian & Arzy, 2021). These measures are intended to ensure minimal or total avoidance of injuries and fatal incidences by the police. Thus, it is now upon police officers to think of all alternatives they have in handling citizens, suspects, or criminals before they decide to apply force.
The other trend in regards to this policy is the recommendation for police officers to post statistics on the use of force online. Traditionally, the persons responsible for the administrative data have ensured that such information remains classified, with only a few people having access (Dolly, 2022). There are potential risks to making the reform because emotions can easily move the public without understanding the circumstances that led to an increase of such data where the police had to use force. Moreover, it is vital for police administrators to apply prudence when posting such information to ensure that the public understands aspects such as relativity, percentage, and probabilities when analyzing the data. Essentially, there is a need to strike a balance between the openness to the people about such information and enabling the police to do their work without fear.
Standardization of the data collection process and reporting of the use of force needs more clarification in this policy. The intention of such documentation is to check the discretion of the police officer (Walker, 2018). Notably, the definition and constituents of the phrase “use of force” varies significantly within the law enforcement departments (Dolly, 2022). Moreover, reporting formats are often restrictive such that important details about the use of force is omitted. Without a proper universal reporting style, the challenges are bound to escalate.
One of the strengths of the use of force policy is that it instils discipline to the police due to the restrictions. Furthermore, it prompts the police to think critically before deciding on the best course of action. The policy increases transparency with the public due to the need to share information online. Notably, the reform will shift power to the policed populations, which is reparative to the minorities (Simonson, 2020). Resultantly, it may restore trust and avoid most of the strikes and boycotts from the public following random video clips of police using force.
However, there are some drawbacks to implementing the policy, such as the difficulty in standardizing the mode of collecting data and reporting. The other disadvantage is that the officers may fail to file a complete and accurate report (Walker, 2018). The entire reform is at the discretion of the police, to be honest, yet they may be tempted to live out parts that implicate them. Worse still, the officers understand the language that they can use to justify their use of force and avoid further scrutiny.
The success of the police is limited and may create more challenges in the future. For example, if the police agency is required to give their report, which will implicate them before the justice department and the public, they will try to conceal and omit facts. The reports and online statistics may not be the actual representation of incidences but a cover-up to appear good. The only suggestion to make the strategy work in the future is to have a separate watchdog to oversee if the information being provided is accurate. Otherwise, the vices will continue, and the reform gives a platform for incongruent and inconsistent data, creating a lack of accountability.
Practice: Police Training for Professionalism
Improper training of law enforcement officers is one of the primary causes of the national police crisis. Particularly, the instructions that police receive under-emphasize de-escalation techniques while highlighting self-protection, development of technical skills and using firearms. In addition, the teachings overestimate the danger of being exposed to a black suspect relative to other ethnic groups (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2018). As a result, the police are often ready to use any means to protect themselves because their thinking is based on these assumptions. The United States police need an implicit bias training.
The police need a wide range of training regarding the use of force issue. For example, the police who knelt on Floyd’s neck showed unprofessionalism in handling a suspect. The officer training should be informative on less lethal weapons such as rubber bullets, tear gas, and paper sprays instead of bullets (Subramanian & Arzy, 2021). The police should avoid neck restraints and manhandling suspects and instead use handcuffs. Other training should involve social and communication skills to achieve friendly conversations with the citizens. The training should make an effort to end the modern-day discrimination. Furthermore, it will ensure that African Americans restore their trust in the police.
There is no denying that the work of police officers is often stressful, especially in the United States, where citizens have access to guns. The police put their lives at risk every time they go to handle a crime scene. In turn, it is vital for the police to get training on stress management so that they do not displace their anger and frustrations on innocent people. Other skills such as emotional intelligence and behavioral psychology should be mandatory in enhancing reformation of the police officers.
Professional training reform may be effective in ending the police crisis in the short-term, but more measures are needed for permanent impact. Evidence suggests that the racial biases in the country are ingrained in the society, so it is impossible to alleviate them through training alone (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2018). To break the habit of police having a bias against the black community, it is necessary to integrate a reinforcement strategy of rewards and punishment. The ultimate goal is for the officers to be able to recognize their unconscious biases and not act on them when handling a crime scene with potential suspects.
The advantage of training reforms is that it increases the competencies and skills of the police, making them to behave professionally. For example, during the training, the officers are taught different tactics, de-escalation techniques, handling people with disability, understanding cultural differences, and anti-bias mechanism (Walker, 2018). The implication is that the dignity of the police profession will be restored. Moreover, the police will be proud due to the positive image and branding that they receive. The other strength of training is that it is result oriented and easy to assess its successes. When employees are well trained, they improve work quality and create innovative ideas to help solve problems.
Regarding the drawbacks, training can be expensive, especially if it is done for all police agencies. The government may not be able to offer a high level of training unless it comes with a good budgeting strategy so that other sectors are not deprived of resources. When staff receive training, they often expect a pay rise because of the achievement, which maybe is hard for the government to achieve. In addition, training may be disadvantageous because it is time-consuming, and the police need to be at work.
Training reforms have high chances of success when done strategically from the managers to the junior officers. There is evidence that training increases competencies and professionalism for the law enforcement agencies. It is important that the training happens on an ongoing basis because humans have a tendency to forget. Moreover, the police officer should be encouraged to continuously look for opportunities to learn through reading quality materials, attending relevant workshops and mentorship programs. Thus, training reform may have a few challenges but has the potential to endure the challenges of an undetermined future if done progressively.
Principle: Greater Openness and Transparency in Police Departments
The principle of openness and transparency is intended to ensure that the public gain additional insights into the activities that the police are doing and builds good relationships. One of the way of practicing the principle is through the use of monitoring teams reports. For example, California recently established OpenJustice initiative, which is intended to implement transparency in all their data (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2018).
In addition, the principle can be implemented through external and independent oversight. A different agency is employed to oversee all the activities of the police to establish whether they are acting appropriately.
The other way of integrating the principle in police reforms is through allowing external review. The department of justice agency now relies more on open information that they receive through media sources rather than getting the data from the police alone (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2018). For example, if there is a mass shooting and the police file a report of ten casualties and a credible media source gives a different statistic, then they decide which source is telling the truth and clarifies the same to the public. The media companies serve as informal reviewers as they can follow up on a story, critic and discuss the actions of the police even when the case is ongoing.
One of the strengths of this principle is that it promotes trust with the public. The police become ready to be asked questions about their actions and decisions. In so doing, they accept the consequences for their actions and enhance the integrity of their profession. The drawback of the principle is that it can potentially create chaos because the public has not been trained to handle classified information. The secrecy of the police officer is a fundamental aspect of its effectiveness in enhancing safety to the citizens.
Reforms practices that focus on enhancing openness and transparency can succeed despite the unprecedented future, but only when limited. There is evidence that the police agencies that have worked on the principle by instituting external reforms are have a positive result (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2018). People are longing for the police to be more accountable in their dealings, given that they have been given significant authority. Particularly, openness and transparency allow the voice of community members to act as watchdogs and add value to the police agencies (Dungca & Abelson, 2021). However, the police should be keen and ensure that they retain some classified information. The data that is given should be necessary and limited to what is beneficial to the public.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the police are experiencing a crisis that has made them be under scrutiny and pressure from the public to make reforms. The citizens have lost their trust in the police and now perceive them as enemies of the society. Such division is dangerous both to the people and the police officers. A key demand is for enhancement of accountability and transparency, equal treatment to all, and professionalism. To achieve this goal, it is vital to implement policies, practices and principles that are evidence-based and proven to improve the services of law enforcement agencies. Walker (2018) suggest many best practices, each having strengths and weaknesses. However, more research is needed to understand the most effective implementation strategy and prioritization of the most effective approaches.
References
Dolly, C. (2022). Determinants of police department change: An institutional theory approach (29167203) [Master’s thesis]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Dungca, N., & Abelson, J. (2021). When communities try to hold police accountable, law enforcement fights back. The Washington Post.
Simonson, J. (2020). Police reform through a power lens. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Subramanian, R., & Arzy, L. (2021). State policing reforms since George Floyd’s murder. Brennan Center for Justice.
Walker, S. (2018). Not dead yet: the national police crisis, a new conversation about policing, and the prospects for accountability-related police reform. University of Illinois Law Review., 1777-1842.
United States Commission on Civil Rights. (2018). Police use of force: An examination of modern policing practices : Briefing before the United States Commission on civil rights, held in Washington, DC (Briefing Report 1).