I wrote this post because I'm passionate about social justice. I'm a critic of local law enforcement and I believe we can change that. As a community, it is important to understand how much power we have. We have the right to change something we feel is not beneficial to our citizens. Lately, there has been many issues with LEA's (Law Enforcement Agency) all around the country! There have incidents in Baltimore and in Ferguson where lethal force has been used in non-threatening situations. There is a system that has been around since the 1980's called Community Oriented Policing. I wrote a little informational/promotional peice on it. I really hope that this can help you inform you and shape your attitude towards police departments.
Could
you imagine a community where you didn’t have fear of your local law
enforcement? Could you imagine not having to constantly defend your local law
enforcement agency? Wouldn’t all of this be nice? We could all live in harmony in
our perfect community. Unfortunately, all across the U.S. there are mixed
opinions about our local law enforcement agencies. For example, there are
people who fear and hate the police. Then there are people who are in total
support of their community’s police and they are persistent in their support them.
But there is a system that could eliminate this view of the police as whole and
it’s practiced in only a few towns and cities. It’s called Community Oriented
Policing and I whole-heartedly support it. However, in order for me to effect
explain my support for Community Oriented Policing, its essential that I define
what Community Orienting Policing is.
Community Oriented Policing was introduced into society
around the 1980’s. This system included a law enforcement agency becoming focused
more on the needs of the community. Police authority stemmed from community
support, the law, and professionalism. An agency would build an intimate
relationship with community by use of foot patrol. For example, policemen would
get out of their cars to walk and talk with different people in the
community. Essentially, community oriented
policing involved a delivery of police services that were specifically for
their region or neighborhood. The needs
of the community drove the police department’s mission and purpose. This system
is based on an idea that promotes partnership with the community, intradepartmental
organizational skills within the department, problem-solving techniques, and
proactive police behavior towards public safety issues within the community.
My younger brother
is an intelligent black man who is the typical 20 year old. He hangs out with hs buddies and he drives like most 20 year olds would drive. However, I
always tell him that he needs to be careful when he’s out with friends or when
he’s driving. I tell my brother this because his appearance and his associates
alone have gained an unnecessary target on their backs. From a community perspective,
there are discrepancies within our law enforcement agencies. For instance, they
are focusing on the wrong people at the wrong times. Also, they are constantly
using lethal tactics to “stop” or “subdue” the accused. On the other hand, from
a policemen’s perspective, a few things contribute to them not being able to
perform their job properly. One issue being the media. We can all agree that
the media does plant a seed in us that plays apart in how we feel about police;
consequently, this causes the community to not work well with their law enforcement
agency. These are only a few of the obvious issues that I think a community
oriented policing system can resolve.
Now that I’ve defined the concept of a Community Oriented
Policing system and the apparent issues we have without having a system in place,
it’s time to focus on the benefits of incorporating this type of policing into
our communities nationwide. In regards to the community, nationally, there
seems to be no line of trust between the community and the police. If there is,
the line is as thin as a strand of hair. With the implementation of a Community
Oriented Policing system in place, we can start to build a line of trust and
communication between the two. A police force that is active in the community
by casually talking to neighbors and participating in and organizing community
events would help. Wouldn’t you feel safer and more comfortable with someone
the more that you saw and interacted with them? That’s how we build
relationships. The community will began to rely on police and even initiate communicate
with them in regards to a crime. It builds a sense that we must all look out
for each other and our law enforcement agency is here to help and not to rule with an
iron first. Furthermore, a law enforcement
agency must also have an structure that compliments their mission to serve the
community. For instance, the Tallahassee Police Department has the responsibility
to know what the needs of the community are so they apply the appropriate duties
to the appropriate officers. In addition, TPD also has to hire people that are
mentally and physically up for the job. They need to have decent people in the
different levels of authority who are able to make conscious and effective decisions
that concern the community. The department also needs to maintain a good system
of communication where everyone talks to each other and play an important role
in the decision making. Think of it as this, you wouldn’t want a Publix grocery
manager to hire unfriendly cashiers who aren’t knowledgeable about the products
within their store? Shopping will definitely not be a pleasure!
In
my overall opinion, community oriented policing has many benefits. I believe
our citizen’s involvement will drastically increase and improve. An important piece
of our community is our youth. Directing and shaping our youth’s ideas about a
policeman will also assist in future community involvement. Currently, it seems
like there is a cycle of how we portray our police departments and it needs to
be broken with our youth and discontinued with our adults. In addition, Community
Oriented Policing can also encourage our citizens to become educated with the
local laws. Not only this, the public
will be informed at how well our law enforcement agency is doing their job and they
won’t have to hear it from the media. However, this can’t happen overnight. Some
police departments can’t implement a community-based program because of
funding. Police departments need funding to properly train their officers. They
also need funding to organize events that are community based. According to
WhiteHouse.gov, there has been funding available for this but it’s not enough.
It’s up to the citizens of a community to really step up and speak out in regards
to change. Ultimately, a law enforcement agency is effective ran and built on quality
services, a positive perception, and community involvement.
****I encourage you to 'Follow' and 'Like' the 'Officer Tommy Norman' page on Facebook to get a visual of what community oriented policing should look like.
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| This post was dedicated to my young, black, intelligent little brother. |
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