Podcast Summary
A Black Police Lieutenant's Perspective on Racism and Police Reform: Edwin Raymond highlights the need for police reform and better training to avoid unnecessary shooting of unarmed civilians. Officers should be trained to differentiate between criminals and innocent people based on their actions, not their skin color.
Edwin Raymond, a Black police lieutenant from New York City, shares his experience of being an officer and the complexities he faces while dealing with crime and racial profiling. Growing up, he was often harassed by the police and struggled to understand why cops couldn't differentiate between him and criminals who lived near him. However, meeting a family friend who was a cop helped him see a different side of law enforcement, and he decided to join the police force. While on duty, Raymond was once held at gunpoint by a Black suspect, but he showed tremendous restraint and dealt with the situation calmly. He highlights the need for police reform and better training to avoid unnecessary shooting of unarmed civilians.
The Factors Behind High Rates of Fatal Police Shootings in the U.S.: The prevalence of guns, lack of standardization in police forces, and substance-use or mental health issues in 911 calls contribute to the high rate of fatal police shootings in the U.S. Efforts are needed to make American policing more effective and equitable.
The U.S. has triple the rate of fatal police shootings compared to other wealthy democracies due to various factors such as the prevalence of guns, lack of standardization in police forces, and the demand side of 911 calls being substance-use or mental health issues. American life happening in cars also affects police encounters. The high incarceration rate in the U.S. requires a lot of policing, with nearly 700,000 full-time law enforcement officers. Even though crime has fallen sharply over the past few decades in the U.S., there are still many challenges that remain in making American policing more effective and equitable.
The Impact of the War on Drugs on Law Enforcement and Car Searches in America: With the increase of cars in American society came an increase in criminal activity involving vehicles, leading to a merge of crime-fighting with traffic-law enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court created an exception for automobiles in regards to probable cause and warrantless searches.
The history of the war on drugs in America led to a significant change in law enforcement, specifically in regards to the Fourth Amendment and the search and seizure of cars. As cars became more prevalent, they were involved in more accidents and criminal activity, leading to the need for traffic regulations and the merger of crime-fighting with traffic-law enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to create an exception for automobiles in regards to probable cause and warrantless searches was a significant development in law enforcement practices.
Discretionary Policing and Systemic Racism in American Society: The normalization of discretionary policing, particularly traffic stops, has led to disproportionate violence and fatalities towards Black Americans. Diversifying police departments is not enough, systemic change in policing is necessary to address racial divide and gain trust.
Discretionary policing has become normalized in American society, leading to the expansion of policing into other domains such as schools. The traffic stop has become the most common encounter between individuals and police, and unfortunately, it's also the site of a lot of police violence and shootings. Black Americans are disproportionately affected by this violence and are five times more likely to be arrested and fatally shot by police. Despite efforts to diversify police departments, there is still a significant racial divide in confidence towards the police, with just 27% of Black adults having confidence in the police, highlighting the need for systemic change in policing.
The History and Controversies Surrounding Policing of Minorities: Policing in America has a long history of racism and institutionalized bias that disproportionately affects minority communities. While technology could improve policing, it is crucial to establish accountability and standardization within the culture of law enforcement.
The racial history of policing is a deep and brutal history, extending back to slavery. The N.Y.P.D. is accused of using an illegal quota system to arrest people, disproportionately targeting minorities. While the N.Y.P.D. denies using quotas, a previous settlement reveals that the department issued nearly a million summonses that had no legal basis. Traffic policing becomes institutionalized as a practice during the war on drugs, but some argue that traffic enforcement should not be handled by police, and that technology could be utilized to reduce human interaction. However, police reform focusing on technology and modernization requires more standardization and accountability within a culture that offers a lot of variance from place to place due to states' rights.
The Need for Uniformity in Policing Practices: The lack of standardization in policing practices in the US highlights the need for federal standards and accountability in law enforcement. The UK's centralized setup and national police academy serve as an example for achieving uniformity and well-trained police forces.
The lack of standardization in policing practices in the US, which is primarily due to the decentralized setup and a large number of law-enforcement agencies, highlights the importance of accountability and uniformity in law enforcement. The UK, on the other hand, has a national police academy for training, minimum training requirements, standard operating practices, and a well-trained police force. Federal standards in the US, particularly regarding the use of force, can help clarify the discretionary nature of law enforcement, which has been a contentious issue. Joe Biden's proposal of establishing a national police oversight commission during his first 100 days as president underscores the need for federal standards in policing.
The Differences in Decision-making Processes Between UK and US Police: UK police use a model-led approach to assess risks and threats, while US police rely on individual protocols with a higher level of force due to the heavily armed nature of society. However, the US model needs reconsideration to reduce fatal police shootings.
The decision-making process for police officers in the UK involves assessing risks and threats to maximize the safety of police officers, minimize the risk to civilians, and recover evidence. This process is led by a tactical firearms commander and is based on a national decision-making model. In contrast, police officers in the US rely on their individual protocols and the decision to use force is rarely run up the chain of command. The heavily armed nature of US society means that police officers often have to assume that people are carrying guns, leading to a higher level of force used in confrontations. However, other countries with similar levels of gun ownership have lower rates of fatal police shootings, suggesting that the US policing model needs to be reconsidered.
Challenges of Effective Policing in the United States and the UK Model: The prevalence of guns and cars, decentralized police forces, and cultural factors make policing challenging in the US. The UK model prioritizes accountability, public safety, and minimizing force to maintain trust. Equipping officers with the right tools and legislative changes can improve policing in the US.
The prevalence of guns and cars, as well as the decentralization of police forces, make effective policing challenging in the United States. In contrast, the origins of modern policing in the United Kingdom focused on policing by the consent of the people and minimizing the use of force, as demonstrated by Robert Peel's principles. While mistakes and missteps occur, the U.K. police service approaches law enforcement in a way that doesn't feel like a police force but still prioritizes public safety and accountability. To successfully police a country full of guns like the United States, there needs to be a focus on equipping officers with the right tools and reevaluating the cultural and legislative factors that enable gun violence.
Rethinking Policing Success and Incentives: To maintain respect and prevent excessive surveillance, UK policing emphasizes securing public cooperation. Incentivizing prevention efforts and reevaluating traditional metrics for success can help reduce over-policing and improve relationships with marginalized communities.
The Peelian Principles, which underpin UK policing, emphasize the importance of securing public cooperation to maintain respect and prevent the need for excessive surveillance. However, achieving this can be challenging, particularly in the context of improving relationships with marginalized communities. In the US, traditional metrics for policing, such as arrest numbers, have led to over-policing and neglect of prevention efforts. Police commanders are often incentivized to prioritize arrests, even if crime rates drop without excessive arrests. This highlights the need to reconsider how policing success is measured and incentivized, and to prioritize prevention rather than just arrests.
The Problems with Outcome Obsession and Broken Windows Policing: Focusing solely on numbers, such as arrest quotas, in policing may not lead to a decrease in crime. Instead, deploying officers strategically to high-crime areas at the right times may be more effective. Aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses may also have negative consequences.
The use of arrest quotas and aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses, like those in Broken Windows policing, may not necessarily lead to a decrease in crime and may even have negative consequences such as creating more victims and unnecessary incarcerations. Outcome obsession in policing may also be problematic, as it prioritizes measuring arrests and other easily quantifiable metrics rather than focusing on what actually works in preventing crimes, such as deploying officers to high-crime areas at the right times.
The Problems with Police Quotas and Importance of Community-Oriented Policing: Police quotas can lead to overzealous policing and a culture of competition, while community-oriented and preventative policing can improve law enforcement's effectiveness and perception.
Police quotas for arrests and tickets create a culture of overzealous cops who compete with each other to get the most arrests, leading to bad policing. Despite what is taught at police academy, the message once on the job is to not let anyone talk negatively to a cop, as it can lead to disrespect and eventual loss of everything. The difference between successful rebranding of firefighters and policing is that firefighters have expanded their duties and accepted mandates beyond fires, while policing is still primarily seen as arresting people. A shift in mindset towards community-oriented and preventative policing may help improve the perception and effectiveness of law enforcement.
The Need for Divestment from Traditional Policing to Better Address Social Issues: Police officers are often expected to handle situations beyond their training, putting both officers and citizens at risk. Divesting funds from traditional policing and reallocating them to specialized agencies can better address social issues.
Police officers often have to respond to situations that they were never trained for, such as dealing with emotionally disturbed persons or mental health issues when they could benefit from having a mental health expert present. This is due to the fact that police officers are expected to be a Swiss Army Knife of social ills, which can put both officers and citizens in danger. Deinstitutionalization has been a success in the realm of intellectual and developmental disabilities, but its identification with homelessness and other social issues has given it a negative connotation. The public wants the police to be present to protect them, but also wants other services like mental health to be properly funded. To solve this, funds can be divested from traditional policing and reallocated to create agencies or support existing agencies for certain issues that do not require law enforcement presence.
Rethinking Police Response to Behavioral Challenges: The Need for Alternatives to 911 for Mental Health Crises: Police officers and society must recognize the importance of addressing mental health challenges as a key part of keeping everyone safe. Alternatives to traditional police response can help reduce unnecessary harm and improve outcomes.
The mission of the police should be to keep everyone safe, including those experiencing behavioral challenges. Most Chicagoans and police officers would like to see non-police responses to mental-health challenges, funded by Medicaid and other vehicles. Studies show that a high percentage of people shot and killed by police officers had a serious mental illness, indicating a societal failure. Crisis teams are being created to deal with mental health issues as an alternative to calling 911. The purpose of police should be to minimize injustice, which includes theft and reckless behavior resulting in death.
The Philanthropic Approach: How Empathy and Respect Are Key to Effective Policing.: Police officers should treat citizens with dignity and respect, applying tactics such as listening and demonstrating good motivation. This approach not only improves perception of police, but can also help prevent crimes like drink driving. Ultimately, the mission of policing is to work towards having 'less victims.'
Police officers should approach their work as philanthropic and with empathy towards citizens. Understanding the background of individuals and treating them with dignity and respect can have a profound impact. Simple tactics, such as demonstrating good motivation and listening, can improve perception of police and deter offenses like drink driving. The mission of policing can be summarized in two words: 'less victims.'
