My father is a big supporter of policemen. He retired from the court system in our home state and has seen both sides of the criminal justice system through his work in the courts and in juvenile corrections. We’ve had some differences of opinion about the reactions people have to all of the reports about police brutality in the United States. Our discussions, though sometimes robust in nature always end up in the same place. We know something needs to be done, no one deserves to be hurt on either side of the argument, there are systemic problems, not all precincts are the same and we both believe police training is a huge problem.
Living in Atlanta and traveling to various other states has given me a broader view when it comes to the concerns of citizens and police. Police officers want to go home at the end of the day just like everyone else. Citizens want to live and be treated humanely even if they have committed a crime. They also want to be treated as if they were innocent until PROVEN guilty and not the reverse. Unfortunately, in the court of social media, citizens and police alike are usually deemed guilty before any of the facts come out. This makes for a tough time proving to non-believers that police brutality is a thing and for other non-believers that not all people of color or those living in poverty are always criminals and guilty no matter what.
Policemen and women are a great asset when they are doing their job well. They are a great liability when they are not. The same can be said regarding law-abiding citizens vs non-law abiding citizens. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch and create the tension, fear, and lack of trust we see too often today. How did this happen? Why do people think this is new? Is it increasing or is it just more visible today than before? How do we fix it? The answers to these questions can be both simple and complex. It is not new and yes it is far more visible now than ever. As to whether or not it is increasing, one would have to turn to the experts who follow this type of data to gain a true view that is not skewed by all of the social media and news clicks and likes.
The last question is the most important. How do we fix it? There is certainly one thing my father and I both agree on one thing that matters significantly. Police training is a problem. There may be general standards for training but the training itself is not uniform. In some areas it’s would not even be considered adequate in intensity. Additionally, ongoing, extensive mental health needs should be addressed regularly across all police divisions and not just when an officer experiences something traumatic. Without the uniform and badge, we are still looking at humans. Humans have flaws. Traumatic events, fears, life issues, and upbringing impact us all differently. These people take their whole lives with them when they go to work each day just as the rest of us do. Rotating police officers and truly implementing community policing initiatives matter too. Imagine being a police officer in the worst area of a city. Imagine being that same officer and working that beat year after year. Eventually, you may become desensitized to many of the things in that community. Once desensitized, one may stop caring and look at numbers instead of people or look at situations instead of workable issues. The entire training and behavioral health components of policing would benefit greatly from a full overhaul. Wherever training programs are good, states need to pull from that training and ensure their own training programs are up to par. No doctor could be a doctor without the right training and the same can be said for the police officers we need to help us stay safe.
When advocating for our blue lives, black lives, white lives, brown lives etc. remember we are all one race, the human race. Just as minorities deserve to live and be treated humanely, police deserve the same. We all fight the same battles. We have bills to pay, families to feed, fears, hopes, dreams and goals. It would be great if we could remember that and advocate for one another instead of against each other. The causes are the same but they just have a different shade from time to time.
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