Badger Club discusses building trust with police | Guest Opinion

Gallup’s last “Confidence in Institutions” poll of public opinion in 2019 revealed that the American people had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the police. Fifty-three percent, as a matter of fact. Only the military, at 73 percent, scored higher.

Of course, this was before Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin placed his left knee on the neck of George Floyd — and held it there long enough to crush the life out of the man — before much of the country was consumed by virulent anti-police demonstrations.

Policing is one of the most delicate and demanding jobs on the planet. Even when done well it can generate friction and criticism. When done badly, as was most assuredly the case in Minneapolis, it can ignite a firestorm of anger and protest. Indeed, millions of Americans are demanding sweeping changes, some calling for the defunding and dismantling of the institution itself.

I will talk about these issues and ideas for reform in an online presentation by the Columbia Basin Badger Club on Thursday, July 16 at noon. You can register for the free Zoom presentation at columbiabasinbadgers.com.

From the beginning, the paramilitary-bureaucratic nature of policing has produced a workplace culture that effectively insulates and isolates police officers from the communities they serve.

This has produced a fertile breeding ground for racism, sexism, homophobia, brutality and corruption — along with a legacy of community distrust, especially in police relations with Blacks, Latinos, poor people and young people.

Caring, competent police officers are able to overcome these obstacles and forge mutually trusting and respectful relationships with the people they serve (even among those they arrest). But why should our cops be forced to succeed in spite of the system, rather than because of it?

Excellent ideas for reform are currently circulating: Create a national database of “bad” cops, outlaw all (or certain) chokeholds, mandate intervention when an officer witnesses another using unnecessary or excessive force, add more body cameras, improve and expand de-escalation training, shift certain responsibilities (for dealing with the mentally ill, for example) to other social service experts, build a more diversified workforce.

All are worthy of thoughtful implementation. But none can accomplish what’s most urgently needed: the creation of a new people’s police, a “partners-in-policing” system of public safety and accountability.

Imagine civic leaders, community activists, police administrators, rank and file officers and subject-matter experts coming together to build, from the ground up, an effective new public safety model. A system whose top priorities are (1) the protection and preservation of human life, (2) a binding community-police joint-powers agreement, and (3) a demonstrated allegiance to the Constitution of the United States.

It won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But happen it will. And when we put it all together? We’ll be asking ourselves, why did we wait so long?

This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Badger Club discusses building trust with police | Guest Opinion."