What is happening out in our streets??? After a life has been
lost from police use of force, I think we all have questions… Racism? Abuse of
power? Was the shot justified to protect the police officer and bystanders?
What did the victim do?
Regardless of how a person answers those questions, I think we
all suffer when those sworn to protect and serve our communities take a life.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar made an excellent point when he said:
“The problem is that we’re not all on the same page about what
we’re outraged over and what changes we want to take place. Police critics will
claim this is another example of systemic police racism. Police defenders will
claim that this was just one bad apple. We will hear the same calls for more
oversight, the same protests that civilians are interfering in matters they
couldn’t possibly understand.” (
As a society we need to change the relationship between the
police and the communities they serve. We need to trust each other. We need to
get on the same page.
Community oriented policing may be a strategy for rebuilding
trust and changing the relationship. The five key principles of community
oriented policing emphasize change in organizational mission and increased stakeholder
engagement. They are as follows:
§ Adopt
community service as the organization’s philosophy.
§ Make an
institutional commitment to community policing that is internalized throughout
the organization.
§ Emphasize
decentralized models of policing that are tailored to the needs of communities rather
than an approach for the entire jurisdiction.
§ Empower citizens
to partner with police on issues of crime and more broadly defined social
problems.
§ Use problem-solving
approaches that involve police personnel working with community members. (NCCP)
Community oriented policing includes both internal and
external strategies for building trust. Some examples of each:
Internal
§ Institute
culture-changing policies, programs, and training to solidify the department’s
core values and ethical principles.
§ Develop a
comprehensive recruiting plan; recruit and hire people with a service
orientation.
§ Provide
continuous training in ethics, integrity, and discretion to every officer from
the time he or she enters the police academy through the time of retirement.
External
§ Institute
some form of community oriented policing program to better engage the
community.
§ Develop a
citizen’s police academy.
§ Hold
workshops on subjects of interest to the community.
§ Conduct a
community survey to gauge and enhance public perception.
§ Proactively
involve the public. (NCCP)
Rebuilding
trust won’t happen overnight. The relationship between the police and the
people within communities that have experienced questionable use of force that
resulted in the loss of life will take time to heal. But maybe, if the police
and the community can commit to work together to build safer communities and
implement the strategies of community oriented policing, we can heal together.
