In a report released by the Heritage Foundation, there are positive indications that many of our leaders are starting to take note of the pressure and danger our police officers must face on a daily basis. A group including retired LEOs, police advocates and lawyers met in 2017 to discuss the current situation. This meeting resulted in the publication of ” Policing in America: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future.”
A False Narrative
Police across the country have been getting a lot of attention for incidences involving minorities and “marginalized” people. While no doubt, much of it is well-deserved, the report noted that perhaps it was time that law enforcement “re-branded” itself. In other words, while the inevitable rough spots are going to occur, law enforcement needs to work to re-establish their reputation as being the “good guys” so when something does happen, it is not an immediate black-eye on the rest of law enforcement.
Another issue LEOs are dealing with is the constant litany of claims of racism that seem to never quite add up. The problem with the majority of reports claiming systemic racism fail to take into account that the number of minorities involved in contact with the police tends to go up in areas where the number of crimes being reported is highest in minority communities.
Money Plays Its Role
Leaders of the law enforcement community understand something that most political leaders and economic development leaders seem to have no comprehension of. They fail to realize that in order for their communities to grow, they need to be able to offer interested parties a safe community to build their businesses in and for their employees to live in. When political leaders bow to the pressure from anti-police activists to cut law enforcement budgets, doing so will have a direct impact on everyone’s quality of life and the health of every community.
No Credit Given
There is an old adage that goes, “When we do good, no one remembers. But, when we do bad, no one forgets.” Never has this been truer than in the world of law enforcement. Rather than looking at the many things police officers are doing that are successfully reducing crime such as “stop and frisk” reducing the number of guns on the street, all the activists see, is police officers violating a person’s civil liberties. This despite the fact an LEO must follow very strict guidelines in order to “stop and frisk.” Even though overall crime rates in the U.S. are steadily declining, law enforcement still doesn’t get any credit for their hard work and dedication.
The Need for More Technology
Sufficient funding to invest in new technologies and science to help predict and solve crime could help reduce repeat offenders and put the guilty where they belong. New technologies could help improve how physical evidence is processed.
Bring in the Feds
Many of those in attendance also stated their wish that the Department of Justice stop being such a political organization and become more involved in helping law enforcement succeed all the way down to the cop on the beat. In doing so, perhaps more attention and money might become available for training and equipment.