Frustration with American policing has never been more palpable, with protests and rallies taking place in more cities and towns everyday. However, as I stood among the crowd at a local rally in San Francisco, I unfortunately realized that no one was asking for measurable changes to be made. For the record, I do believe there is purpose in showing your frustration with government. But I have learned from history not to expect the government to change its ways due to some frustrated citizens (especially when those citizens are minorities or not affluent enough to be political donors). So as we continue to display our frustration with this American government, I think it is only practical that we push for measurable change as well. Change that we can hold our local leaders accountable for. The following changes are what I have called my Mayor (London Breed) and asked for:
1.) Demilitarize the Police
A gun should not be a part of a police officers uniform, it should be a tool that they use as an absolute last resort. The majority of American police officers never fire their weapon in the line of duty (even if only looking at police departments with +100 officers, the majority of officers have never fired their weapon). This should make it clear that not all officers need to carry guns. Police officers could still have access to guns and some could still carry guns. Officers who are doing anti-terrorism patrols or guarding large crowds could have guns on them but these officers would not be looking to stop and arrest anyone. Normal patrol officers could also have access to guns, they just wouldn’t carry them. Maybe they have guns locked in their car and need to get approval from a superior to access them. No matter what this situation will look like, IT’S TIME TO DEMAND LESS OFFICERS CARRY GUNS.
The handguns we typically see police officers carrying are just the surface of the militarization of American police. The 1033 program (among others) allows for excess DoD gear to be transferred to local law enforcement agencies. IT NEEDS TO BE ILLEGAL FOR LOCAL POLICE TO OBTAIN MILITARY GEAR.
2.) Actual Transparency
Mayors and Police Chiefs often talk about being more transparent while not actually implementing policies to back up their words. WE MUST DEMAND THAT IT BECOME A LAW THAT ALL BODY-CAM/DASH-CAM/WITNESS VIDEO BE RELEASED PUBLICLY WITHIN 24 HOURS OF ANY POLICE SHOOTING. THE PUBLIC MUST ALSO ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO THE COMPLAINT HISTORY OF ANY PUBLIC LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.
3.) Build Trust
Even if the changes I am suggesting get enacted, it cannot be certain that public trust in the police will be restored. As long as the police are just “the people with guns who come to lock you up”, it will inevitably be hard to trust them. Thus, LOCAL POLICE AGENCIES MUST ENACT MORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT SHOW THE HUMAN SIDE OF POLICE OFFICERS. These programs should send officers (without guns or handcuffs) to homeless camps and low-income neighborhoods to hand out needed supplies such as food, water, and information on other resources.
With all of this said, please continue to show your frustration in the streets, but also, take the time to call your Mayor and demand some measurable change.
