OF COPS, BABIES AND BATHWATER

How to root out racist cops without hurting the morale of the many good officers

 

By Eli B. Silverman and John A. Eterno

 

New York Daily News

June 26, 2020

 

Law enforcement agencies are agents of the executive branch of government.  They work for mayors, governors and the president. As such, these organizations and their leadership are political, and political priorities frequently result in policing modifications.

Cities like New York, Seattle, Atlanta and Minneapolis elected mayors who campaigned on police reform and community partnerships. Minneapolis has decided to dismantle its police department. Seattle has abandoned a precinct within a six-block area. Atlanta has fired a police officer without any due process.

Here in New York City, the NYPD has decided to disband a very effective program at the precinct level in which plainclothes officers aggressively fight crime. These anti-crime units were instrumental in the city’s historic, huge 24-year decrease in crime.

While reforms are welcome by many who worry only about policing abuses and racism, little thought is being devoted to the impact on the local police who engage with the community. In order for the police to be effective, they cannot be browbeaten by elected officials who are primarily and often prematurely guided by the prevailing winds.

Yes, it is true that racist police practices must be addressed. We have been loud voices over the years in opposing NYPD quotas and overuse of stop-and-frisk. This is the conundrum of policing; officers must enforce the law while at the same time obeying it. This is not an easy task, nor is it meant to be. The dilemma is compounded in the current environment as many police will be afraid to do their jobs as they were taught for fear of being second-guessed. They will be over-cautious in doing their jobs.

How do we go forward? Most importantly, we need to support the vast number of righteous and hard-working officers — many of whom are black and Latino. Most of these officers have gone through a tedious hiring process. This includes psychological testing, physicals, medical examinations and character background checks. This varies by department, but most are handpicked. Are mistakes made? Of course. This is the nature of hiring human beings.

Many are calling for widespread defunding of police departments. This will have a deleterious effect on departments. It takes money to fund high-quality de-escalation training, to compensate professionals, to monitor and supervise problematic officers, and to purchase needed equipment.

 

At the same time, the cloak of policing needs to be removed. Police need to be transparent in their operations and records of problematic officers. This too will be expensive. For example, it means body cameras for all officers, footage from which should be accessible to the public. We also need to put more teeth into civilian complaint mechanisms throughout the country in order to ensure their effectiveness.

Local police departments all need to adhere to significant national standards regarding hiring, selection, use of force and other features. This can be achieved by extending the practice of national accreditation to professional organizations like the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Individual officers, just like physicians or lawyers, should be licensed to practice. And, when necessary, licensing should be removed.

Beyond all this, we must focus on democratic values, not vigilantism. This means officers working with communities.

However, it must be understood in the end that policing is not an innocuous game. It inevitably involves the use of force. People and police will get hurt and die. Even when police actions are questionable and subsequently reviewable, the public must support due process of both the alleged criminal and, just as important, the police. We cannot abandon the thin blue line admirably supported by the bulk of the public especially after significant reforms are implemented.

Thus far, the executive branch, at many federal state and local levels has failed to calm the public, unite people and draw up viable practical solutions. We need to move on.

Eterno is a professor at Molloy College in Rockville Center and a retired NYPD captain. Silverman is professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. They are co-authors of “The Crime Numbers Game.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: Eli Silverman is a personal friend.