Policing - The Good & The Bad

Two more terrible incidents of black men being shot and there are many, too many more that happen on a pretty regular basis. Hands up, you get shot. When your handcuffed, you get shot. You get put on the ground with a foot on your neck and you get shot. What should black men do? What should parents tell their sons to do?

There are good cops and we all know it. There are great cops and we know it. But how can this continue to happen? What is the culture that allows it to happen? The other reality is that when people do speak up, or when they do protest, or when anger spills over onto the street, agitators and thugs get blamed. Protesters are marginalized and spoken down to by people in power.

I worked for many years supporting people with disabilities. When system problems occurred, regulators and government officials were quick to implement mandates. They ranged from training to reporting policies and procedures. They also became universal requirements for all providers. Some of this was good and needed and some of it was overkill and stupid. What strikes me though is that when we know we have a national problem of black men being shot and killed by those in authority, it seems like a national solution is necessary. I wonder why there isn't a push for every police agency in the country to immediately provide training and retraining on use of force and racial and minority interactions. Every police agency, within a reasonable period, needs to retrain current officers on these issues, tactics and relationships.

We have to pay attention to this. We have to do something. An approach mandating training/retraining could save some lives.

In Charlotte, NC, I listened today to the police chief state unequivocally that the victim in the police shooting had a gun and the officer who shoot him felt endangered. When pressed about videos of the incident, the police chief stated that the portions he had viewed did not show a gun but there was more to be reviewed. Where then did the facts come from? Witness and police accounts I would presume but can't he or the mayor understand the questions raised by such strong statements knowing that there is more video to be reviewed. In addition, a position is being taken that the video evidence can't or won't be released because it is part of an investigation. It is also an opportunity for transparency.

None of this started tonight. There is a long history that people have experienced. People are angry and frustrated and officials believe a show of force will quell the anger. Police and protesters confront each other and we all wait and hope for de-escalation. I have respect for all of them, the good police, trying to keep a city safe and keeping peace - and the protesters angry and hurting. People want justice, transparency and accountability.