Clearly this week we’ve been confronted with the death of another black man at the hands of the police. Some of you may know that I spent a few years in law enforcement. I’ve not been shy in saying that significant reform needs to occur.
I live in Michigan. We regulate doctors, dentist, lawyers, and CPA’s. We regulate a plethora of other professions. The regulations specify the behaviors that can subject these professions from state review and sanction. We do that to protect the people.
If we regulated who could police our communities with the same zeal we would take giants steps in removing habitual bad actors from police work. If we are to move forward and create the kind of trust necessary between the public and the police change must be driven at the state level.
Every Chief of police will tell you that they are capable of cleaning their own house. Many of them actually believe that. Unfortunately it’s just not true. If it were police departments wouldn’t continue to recycle known bad actors.
Part of the change must be annual psychological evaluations so that departments can act quickly to address officers who are temperamentally not suited for police work.
Any officer who receives three citizens complaints in an 18 month period that are found to be valued should be placed on probation. That probationary period should be for 18 months. Any subsequent citizen complaints that are substantiated during that 18 month probationary period should result in that officer be terminated.
State law should prohibit any former police officer terminated for cause from being hired by any other police agency within the state.
Police training should include 60 hours of diversity and conflict resolution training.
Implementing these basic reforms would significantly reduce the number of death by cops that we are seeing in America.
The states will tell you they don’t want to interfere with how local municipalities manage their departments. That’s just not acceptable. We need to build a culture of accountability. We can never penetrate the thin blue line if we are always willing to look the other way.
What do you think???
THINK!!
EYES WIDE OPEN!!!