I really do think that there is definitely something going for community
policing. It won't solve all of our problems, but it seems to me like a
necessary part of the solution. Here's why:
I was biking home from school (ironically, while mentally rehearsing a
speech on Police Brutality that I was going to give at one of the 'Let
Ralph Debate' Rallies), and I was flagged down by a man standing in the
road. He was standing over a very drunk and very bloody man who was
laying in the street, making sure that no one hit him. He asked me if I
could go call 911 to get someone out to help the man. I biked away to the
nearest phone and called. When I got back, the a police officer was
already there and he was frisking and threatening the man who had flagged
me over, while the bloody man was laying in the street.
Why? Because what the officer saw was a young black man standing over a
bleeding white man in the street. The officer was white. I am white. I am
sure that if man had gone to call and I had stayed in the street, I would
have gotten different treatment. Indeed after I got back and complained,
the officer stopped frisking the young man and started helping the
bleeding man.
Why would community policing help this situation? I look like (and am) a
short haired white college student. while I don't know if he lived in the
suburbs surrounded by white neighbors, it really doesn't matter because the
media has done a nice job of presenting us favorably. He saw me,
identified a stereotype, made one of those famous cop split-second
decisions and decided that I wasn't going to pull out a gun.
He saw the other man, identified a stereotype, and made a split second
decision. He decided that he would rather frisk the man than risk being
shot.
A small minority of college students beat people up in the street. By the
same token, a small minority of young black men beat people up in the
street. If the officer had lived in the community (I am assuming that he
didn't), he would have been much more likely to see that man, and
decide that he looked like a typical resident of the community. When you
live in a community, the people in the neighborhood eventually become your
basis for what a regular person looks like (assuming that you get out
and don't watch too much T.V.)
Living in the community doesn't necessarily make you a less violent
person. It does mean that you will be less afraid of typical members of
that community. Which means you (if you are an officer) are less likely to
intimidate them, or get spooked and shoot them.
There are other ways to achieve the same effect. Getting the police to
participate in community activities when they are not acting as officers
can't do any harm. AND MORE TRAINING TO DEAL WITH MORE SITUATIONS!! When
the officers are better trained, they are more confident. This is usually
a plus to all people involved.
But we have to train them to do what we want them to do. For ISAG the
cops got lots of new toys to beat and shoot people with, and they got
trained to deal with riots. Looking at it from that angle, the result is
hardly surprising.
-Ben Marzinski
Ward 6
On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Russell Wayne Peterson wrote:
> I don't think it is fair to say, "just because you don't live in the city
> you don't care about the city." I may not agree with everything our police
> department is doing, but to say you need to live in a neighborhood to offer
> due care is bunk. That does a disservice to those who serve us in uniform.
> In fact, there are many people who live in my neighborhood who care less
> than the people who don't live here!
>
> Russ Peterson
> Ward 9
> Standish
>
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