Policing reform is usually tied to body cameras and oversight—how the police behave. Not enough attention is paid to who the police are—and the abusive systems that attract them in the first place.
I live in Victoria Australia, 40 years ago we had the police service, the officers wore light navy blue trousers and sky blue shirts, few carried guns, it changed to the police force they wear black and carry enough arms to start a small war and swagger around like they're in a bad Bgrade western from the 50s, they wonder why public respect is in the toilet
In 2022, Biden signed an executive order (EO 14074) to create the U.S. National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), which launched in 2023 and gathered accusations of misconduct against four thousand federal police officers. On Trump's Inauguration Day, he revoked the order, and the database was closed yesterday. It can no longer be queried.
I still believe the vast majority of police are good people doing a tough job. The officers I know certainly are, though being white and fairly privileged, my interactions with police have never been frightening. What’s sad in the US is that we can’t have this discussion, because it’s all or nothing, and everything has become political. Either all police are good or they’re all bad, which is, of course, absurd. Your suggestions, which have proven successful elsewhere, are spot on.
Yes, whenever I critique systems of power, it's usually a minority who do disproportionate damage. There are plenty of people in all positions of power who are drawn to public service. But many aren't and they do immense damage.
Wow! Such good ideas here Brian. Need you in congress. We have total incompetents who never move the needle on police reform.
I live in Victoria Australia, 40 years ago we had the police service, the officers wore light navy blue trousers and sky blue shirts, few carried guns, it changed to the police force they wear black and carry enough arms to start a small war and swagger around like they're in a bad Bgrade western from the 50s, they wonder why public respect is in the toilet
In 2022, Biden signed an executive order (EO 14074) to create the U.S. National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), which launched in 2023 and gathered accusations of misconduct against four thousand federal police officers. On Trump's Inauguration Day, he revoked the order, and the database was closed yesterday. It can no longer be queried.
https://bjs.ojp.gov/national-law-enforcement-accountability-database
When I read that, I remembered this article you wrote.
I still believe the vast majority of police are good people doing a tough job. The officers I know certainly are, though being white and fairly privileged, my interactions with police have never been frightening. What’s sad in the US is that we can’t have this discussion, because it’s all or nothing, and everything has become political. Either all police are good or they’re all bad, which is, of course, absurd. Your suggestions, which have proven successful elsewhere, are spot on.
Yes, whenever I critique systems of power, it's usually a minority who do disproportionate damage. There are plenty of people in all positions of power who are drawn to public service. But many aren't and they do immense damage.