It's a Mad World

When most people think of police misconduct, they have an image of an innocent man killed by an officer on the streets. Given recent events (Ferguson) and the media’s insatiable appetite for these stories, its difficult to not think in this way. Most of us do not encounter the police in such a way though.

Many of us will only ever encounter an officer during a traffic stop; 44% of our police encounters are during traffic stops. This in itself is not a bad thing (better to have an America of speeders than of murders). The shear number of people that this represents though is outstanding. In its most recent report, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that this represents:

• 41 Billion People being ticketed a year (or 20.6% of drivers)
• $6.2 Billion in ticket income per year
• $300,000 in ticket income per officer

That 44% just got a lot bigger didn’t it?

To put it plainly, the police collect a shit ton of money from ticket tickets……so where does all this money go? Well, it generally goes to a few places:

1. General Funds for the State, Municipality or County
2. Funding for EMS Services
3. Police Operating Cost

So officers have incentive to give tickets to either fund their department or their township. While some State’s have legislation that caps traffic revenue, some townships will make more than 80% of their income from traffic tickets. Of course this pressure to bring in revenue can cause issue.

Not every traffic stop is handled justly. We have talked about issues of racism, excessive force, and overall misconduct/misuse of power in street policing, and these same issues exist in traffic policing. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics:

• Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over
• White drivers are less likely to be ticketed than black and Hispanic drivers
• 1% of drivers (several billion people) who are pulled over have physical force used against them
• About half of these people (above) do not believe the force was warranted

These numbers are indicative of issues with the police on a national scale, and are echoed in the places where tensions have reached their peak. In Ferguson, the unofficial center of America’s troubles with the police, 85% of traffic stops and 90% of tickets are from black residents. These numbers are so stark that the Justice Department concluded “The Ferguson Police Department was routinely violating the constitutional rights of its black residents.”

So whats the point of talking about traffic stops? When you have all these dramatic events (killings, beatings, framing, ect, ect) why bother talking about traffic tickets? Why talk about such a mundane part of policing?

Well the fact that traffic stops are such a mundane part of policing is what makes them important.

We all know that most police officers will never wrongly kill or beat a man during his career; this is why we make such a big deal every time it happens. Almost all police officer will be involved in a traffic stop at some point though. If you look at the thing that the majority of police officer do the majority of the time, and in that you can see the most widespread issues.

If traffic stops are a good indicator of general police behavior, then we can potentially say that we have a problems with racism and excessive use of force in the police. We have a problem with police being incentivized to deal out punishment to civilians. We may have a lot of problems with how our justice system is structured and we generally treat people who break the law.

If we have so many issues with the smallest, simplest piece of our justice system, then how hopeful can we be for the rest of it?

The point I am trying to make is that our issue with policing is not simple; it is complicated and it manifest itself in many different ways. To say that we just need to do “this” or “that” or whatever and our problems will be solved is a bit naive.

Reform takes time. It takes a lot of time.

Reform take effort. It takes a lot of effort.

To reform a system from the bottom up takes a lot of effort.

Things will not change simply because somebody says that they need to…

Acts and cases of police brutality are not just occurring in the United States but in countries all around the world. Are those countries handling these acts of violence better than the United States is? How can we learn preventative measures from countries such as Germany, South Africa, and Canada?

Similar to the United States, investigations into police brutality often come to nothing, in spite of the multitude of cases reported each year. The major problem in Germany is how those acts of violence are handled in its aftermath. Udo Behrendes, head of the Police in Cologne said, “We will never be able to rid ourselves of this problem completely…but we can get more professional”. Behrendes was put in charge of some of the most violent police departments in Germany. Through the cleansing process, a different self-perception among the police officers was brought out –professionalism is no longer defined by being the stronger one but rather by acting as a conflict manager. In Germany today, “fundamental and human rights” are an integral part of police training. However, according to Amnesty International’s Alexander Bosch there is a significant discrepancy between theory and practice. Udo Behrendes believe that police brutality can be changed more so through prevention rather than reaction. Behrendes and his task force implement numerous measures that included intensive discussions about the self-perception of the police officers, as well as hands-on trainings.

An article published through the Times Media Group in South Africa, criticized the United States government for their lack of action regarding police brutality cases. In comparison to an act of violence by American police after a prankster was pushed down and injured by police, the journalist stated that “In South Africa those officers would have been suspended, investigated and possibly criminally charged”. Unlike the United States, when South African officers are caught on camera abusing people, the government is willing to indict.

In Canada, there have been numerous incidents where the police have been caught on video in their lies and in their abuse of civilians. These cases prove two realities, according to a journalist at the Huffington Post, “First, that the proliferation of cellphone cameras is increasingly catching those meant to serve and protect us in acts of violence and brutality against us. Second, catching the police red-handed has not stopped police abuse of power.” If videos, lawsuits, inquests, inquiries, and public outcries have done nothing to break the ‘blue code of silence’ then what should citizens and ethically conscious police officers do?

Dyanoosh Youssefi, a professor and lawyer in Toronto Canada, believes that the police culture will only change through the political power of engaged citizens. Citizens must make their voices heard by police service boards, police chiefs, and politicians. She says that it is also important that police education includes extensive training and focus on the diminution of conflict though peaceful, rather than violent, means.

Clearly other countries are attempting to handle the problem of police brutality just like our United States government. What we can take from the tactics of Germany, South Africa, and Canada is that through training to handle situations as peaceful as possible and indicting police officers that committed a violent act of crime can help lessen the rates of police brutality in America.

Another aspect that we must take into consideration is the majority of United States citizens’ negative outlook on the police. Through mass media influences, brutality cases, and public outcries, the law enforcement firmly believes that the populations they serve have primarily negative perceptions of them. But these officers are usually family members, friends, and loved ones; they are a whole person that the average citizen does not take into account. How can we, as Americans, change our perceptions of the law enforcement?

The positive aspects of the law enforcement profession are well known to those who serve in it. However, officers can be affected when public perceptions and conversations are skewed in the media. It is critical to understand that to promote positive community norms, agencies must work proactively with the media and use the tools of social science (including the Social Norms Theory and “Thin Blue Line”). Through the positive affirmation given by the public support of the police departments, the law enforcement community can change the perceptions and the reporting of the media.

America: The Land of the Free. A place where you have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and property. The nation founded upon freedom and, in some ways, rebellion.

It’s no secret that we Americans value our rights and our freedom above all else. Many are horrified by the idea of allowing our government to interfere with our lives, even if it may be in our best interest to do so.

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz illustrated this ideal rather well last week in a speech directed towards the NRA, explaining why he is the best candidate to represent their goals. Cruz cited his efforts in defeating gun control following the shooting in Newtown, CT, that saw 20 children and 6 adults dead. Ignoring the fact that crushing the grassroots efforts of a broken community is a questionable reason to vote for a candidate, Cruz made it clear in his speech that he subscribes to the logic of thousands of other Americans: No one, not even the government, can take away the rights of law abiding citizens.

Although we’d like to think we live a life free of regulation, we actually do live a more controlled society than many would think. The automotive industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States, but we encounter these regulations every day without the blink of an eye.

Let’s paint a picture, shall we? The year is 1921. There were 13,000 automotive deaths in the past twelve months. Of all the automotive accidents this year, 25% were fatal. If you were to compare these same values to today, the contrast is astonishing. Though 42,000 people lost their lives in car accidents in 2003, only 1.5% of accidents were fatal. So what exactly has been done over the past 80 years to make driving a car so much safer?

A car collides with a tree circa 1920

By far the biggest contributor to the decrease in fatalities is the safety standards set by the US Department of Transportation. Before an automobile can hit the market, it must meet an exhausting list of 595 safety standards, regarding features ranging from Airbag on-off switches to windshield wipers. Included on this list are standards for seatbelts, which became mandatory in most states in the 1980s.

Aside from actual modifications to the cars themselves, there are external regulations as well. One of these key regulations is the introduction of a mandatory license to drive. In 1903, Massachusetts was the first state to require a car-owner to take a test in order to become a licensed driver. The trend caught on with the rest of the nation the late 1920s and early 1930s. Now, there are driver education classes for teenagers coming of driving age to further ensure that the people on our roads know what they are doing.

Similar to the beginnings of the driver’s license, speed limit signs first became a reality in 1901 in Connecticut, before becoming popularized in the late 1940s. Today, speeding laws are enforced by police officers, as driving at excessive speeds is punishable by law.

The crumpling mechanics of modern cars, designed to protect the driver, can be seen above.

It was an 80 year effort of trial and error, but the United States was able to decrease its vehicle fatality rate from 25% to 1.5%, which is pretty incredible.

Obviously, as is the case with any rule, there are still people who ignore driving laws. However, just because some people choose not to follow the law, we do not just eliminate all driving regulations, because they work. In fact, they work so well that the majority of vehicle fatalities occur only when these laws are being violated. Considering the fact that guns are on track to surpass cars as the leading killer of Americans this year, maybe it’s time to regulate this industry a little more too.

So how exactly do gun laws and automotive laws relate? Well, it’s easy to see how some of the strategies instituted with auto regulations can be copied for gun laws. Guns can be designed to be safer, and the unsafe ones can be made illegal. Background checks really aren’t all that different from having to get a driver’s license. There can be mandatory safety classes. There’s honestly so much we could be doing to make guns safer, yet we choose not to because we care more about freedom than safety.

There will always be rule breakers, but people breaking rules is not a rationale to not have a rule in the first place. And neither is the fear of having something taken away. Regulation can work, and will work. It just needs time.

Police brutality in America is a growing concern among its citizens. Many Americans feel that they are not receiving the protection they want and do not feel safe in the hands of the police.

A Crowd of Protestors Unsatisfied with the Law Enforcement

A coalition of national civil and human rights organizations and leaders concerned about police abuse praises the announcement by Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. debuting the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. The initiative will enroll a team of criminal justice researchers to “study racial bias in law enforcement in five U.S. cities and will focus on training to reduce bias and ensure fairness in law enforcement”.

There remains a continuous demand for the use of police officer body-worn cameras nationally. National organizations advocating against police brutality have commended the White House’s recent announcement of testing of body-worn cameras by the U.S. Border Patrol.In December of last year, President Barack Obama announced a proposal to spend $75 million on body cameras for 50,00 police officers nationwide. He hoped that this would be a solution to the prevalent distrust of the law enforcement. However, this proposal was in part proved ineffective through the Eric Garner case. When the New York City police officers that were involved in the incident knew that they were being videotaped, they remained undeterred. And even though the event was vividly captured by a cellphone video, the police still suffered no criminal consequences.

Some police officers have the mentality, as shown by the Eric Garner case, that it does not matter whether they are recorded or not and that what they are doing is right and they will not be punished for it. Clearly having the police departments simply just wear body cameras will not be enough to end the police brutality among American Law Enforcement.

Police Body Cameras Simply Aren’t Enough 

Law enforcement and elected officials told a presidential task force this past January “that police need better training to improve community relations and defuse the sorts of deadly, racially charged confrontations that have divided the nation for months”. Budget constraints however, have made this request more difficult to carry out.

Andrew Peralta, president of the National Latino Peace Officer Association, said “ an officer needs training on dealing with community members in nonthreatening ways and using better communication skills.”

Samuel Walker, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, said that “training to change even the smallest police behaviors can have a positive effect — such as stopping police from using harsh or derogatory language when talking with the public or outright racial profiling”.

Police Training in Community Relations

Other analysts said changing hiring practices could help more unbiased law enforcement, and that departments should strive to have officers from all communities, both cultural and racial.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has created a community action manual aimed at fighting police abuse. ACLU has provided a detailed plan for organizing strategies to control the police. Some of these community goals include: improved training, equal employment opportunity, certification and licensing of police officers, and a civilian review board that monitors police activity.

The largest problem facing the enactment of these resolutions such as body cameras and additional training involves the cost. According to the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Richard Beary, the state of Florida right now authorizes $67 per officer per year in training –there just isn’t much money to give officers better training in community relations. A study by the National Criminal Justice Association found hat the Justice Department grants to local police forces had dropped 43 percent since 2010.

With any change, there remain some drawbacks. Budget cuts in the Justice Department leaves little room for funding reforms however, whatever money is being granted to Police Departments needs to be used for funding reforms that will help curb or lessen police brutality rates. Our law enforcement is meant for protection and if we begin to fear the police then who will we be able to count on for safety?

We as Americans are given freedom and protection of our rights under the Constitution. I personally feel free when I feel safe, and having these types of reforms will make a safer nation and therefore a freer one.