Rogue Cops:
How should we deal
with them? © 2016
Thanks to cellphone cameras, Americans have had front-row seats to trigger-happy and abusive police officers who were shooting or brutalizing people under questionable circumstances. CBS News reported recently that there have been 975 police shootings in 2015, yet only 18 officers were charged and none were convicted.
Most of the people on the wrong end of rogue cops have been black. However, Whites, Hispanics, females, and others have also been on the wrong end of poorly trained police officers. This is a broader issue than some may think, and left unchecked, all Americans could, on any given day, be a target of rogue cops. Only a hopeless cynic or a bigoted mind could deny there’s a problem. We’re not saying all police officers are rogues, we’re saying there’s a problem with wrong cops.
After these highly publicized deadly police shootings, it can be tempting to jump on the outrage bandwagon. It also can be tempting to be disruptive, to riot, or to loot. But that’s not the best way or the smart way to deal with rogue cops. In situations involving rogue cops, our goal should be fundamental changes not short-term changes that are tied to what happened to a Tamir, Eric, Freddie, or whomever. Rogue cop behavior can be changed by lawsuits, federal oversight, and perhaps more importantly, voting.
The vote is a powerful and under utilized tool.
When we vote, we can put people in positions who are sensitive to our concerns. When we vote, that also means we will be in the pool of people selected to serve on grand juries. Grand Juries are chosen from lists of people who vote. When we don't vote, we don't appear on the active voter lists of available people who can serve on grand juries.
When we vote, we can put in place Civilian Police Review Boards. These boards can monitor the training and behavior of police officers as well as implement new training. The review boards would have citizen representation. They also could be empowered to implement more psychological testing for police officers.
Citizen Review Boards could update police applications to include the following questions that could screen for police recruits with a racial bias. Specific questions might be: a) Have you ever been a member of a group with a history of racial bias? b) Have you ever been recruited by a group with a history of racial bias? c) Are you friends with someone who is a member of a group with a history of racial bias? d) Do you have relatives who are members in a group with a history of racial bias? Review boards also could require police body cameras.
Given the close relationship between police departments and prosecutors, the vote is a good way to keep prosecutors honest. When the evidence is clear, and when prosecutors ignore that evidence and refuses to charge police officers, the vote can be used to remove them from office. Or, in the short term, a special prosecutor could be assigned if there’s no faith in the objectivity of a prosecutor.
The vote is no panacea, but it is the best tool to use in response to chants of, “No justice, No Peace.” The power of the vote was learned during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. Unfortunately, this lesson has been ignored because it didn’t appear macho or confrontational enough.
Take the City of Ferguson. Blacks made up 70 percent of the city, but Whites controlled the city government: mayor, prosecutor, council, etc. The mayor hired the police chief and oversaw the composition of the police department. What if the people in Ferguson had voted? It's been said that those who don't know their history are certainly bound to repeat it. Some of us, too many of us, don't know our history, and we are repeating it.
Summary
Our goal should be to make sure rogue police officers are held accountable for lawless actions just like everybody else. When they receive long prison sentences for their actions, and when they are subject to capital punishment for their actions, just like other person who committed a similar crime, then our goals will have been met.
It is important to state that unchecked, excessive police brutality isn’t just a threat to Blacks. Left unchecked, Whites, Hispanics, females, gays, immigrants, and students will also find they are victims of excessive police brutality.
It is in the best interest of good police officers to partner with the community and put some distance between themselves and bad police officers. By partnering with the community, good police officers could help to change the perception of police officers. And that’s a win-win situation.
How should we deal
with them? © 2016
Thanks to cellphone cameras, Americans have had front-row seats to trigger-happy and abusive police officers who were shooting or brutalizing people under questionable circumstances. CBS News reported recently that there have been 975 police shootings in 2015, yet only 18 officers were charged and none were convicted.
Most of the people on the wrong end of rogue cops have been black. However, Whites, Hispanics, females, and others have also been on the wrong end of poorly trained police officers. This is a broader issue than some may think, and left unchecked, all Americans could, on any given day, be a target of rogue cops. Only a hopeless cynic or a bigoted mind could deny there’s a problem. We’re not saying all police officers are rogues, we’re saying there’s a problem with wrong cops.
After these highly publicized deadly police shootings, it can be tempting to jump on the outrage bandwagon. It also can be tempting to be disruptive, to riot, or to loot. But that’s not the best way or the smart way to deal with rogue cops. In situations involving rogue cops, our goal should be fundamental changes not short-term changes that are tied to what happened to a Tamir, Eric, Freddie, or whomever. Rogue cop behavior can be changed by lawsuits, federal oversight, and perhaps more importantly, voting.
The vote is a powerful and under utilized tool.
When we vote, we can put people in positions who are sensitive to our concerns. When we vote, that also means we will be in the pool of people selected to serve on grand juries. Grand Juries are chosen from lists of people who vote. When we don't vote, we don't appear on the active voter lists of available people who can serve on grand juries.
When we vote, we can put in place Civilian Police Review Boards. These boards can monitor the training and behavior of police officers as well as implement new training. The review boards would have citizen representation. They also could be empowered to implement more psychological testing for police officers.
Citizen Review Boards could update police applications to include the following questions that could screen for police recruits with a racial bias. Specific questions might be: a) Have you ever been a member of a group with a history of racial bias? b) Have you ever been recruited by a group with a history of racial bias? c) Are you friends with someone who is a member of a group with a history of racial bias? d) Do you have relatives who are members in a group with a history of racial bias? Review boards also could require police body cameras.
Given the close relationship between police departments and prosecutors, the vote is a good way to keep prosecutors honest. When the evidence is clear, and when prosecutors ignore that evidence and refuses to charge police officers, the vote can be used to remove them from office. Or, in the short term, a special prosecutor could be assigned if there’s no faith in the objectivity of a prosecutor.
The vote is no panacea, but it is the best tool to use in response to chants of, “No justice, No Peace.” The power of the vote was learned during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. Unfortunately, this lesson has been ignored because it didn’t appear macho or confrontational enough.
Take the City of Ferguson. Blacks made up 70 percent of the city, but Whites controlled the city government: mayor, prosecutor, council, etc. The mayor hired the police chief and oversaw the composition of the police department. What if the people in Ferguson had voted? It's been said that those who don't know their history are certainly bound to repeat it. Some of us, too many of us, don't know our history, and we are repeating it.
Summary
Our goal should be to make sure rogue police officers are held accountable for lawless actions just like everybody else. When they receive long prison sentences for their actions, and when they are subject to capital punishment for their actions, just like other person who committed a similar crime, then our goals will have been met.
It is important to state that unchecked, excessive police brutality isn’t just a threat to Blacks. Left unchecked, Whites, Hispanics, females, gays, immigrants, and students will also find they are victims of excessive police brutality.
It is in the best interest of good police officers to partner with the community and put some distance between themselves and bad police officers. By partnering with the community, good police officers could help to change the perception of police officers. And that’s a win-win situation.