The Truth About Police Use of Force: Part 3

Who’s The Winner?

 The answer to this question is simple: no one wins when any life is taken. I have given death notifications to the next of kin of cops killed in the line of duty. I have sat in the room with families whose loved ones were killed by law enforcement. I have also sat with cops immediately after they were forced to take someone's life. I can promise you this: none of these cops felt like winners. They were happy to be alive, but none were celebrating victory. There were plenty of losers and zero winners in every one of the above scenarios. 

 I would be lying if I said I've never seen another cop excessively use force during my career. I would also be lying if I said that all cops are good and do the jobs for the right reason. But, what I can honestly say is this: those who did abuse people and those who didn't serve for the right reasons didn't last. They were swiftly dealt with. I can also say that I never met a cop who couldn't wait to kill someone, who took the job to get a "confirmed kill." I have said that some of the stereotypes that law enforcement has been stamped with were earned at one time (I cover this more in part 4). But, I will also say that it is asinine for anyone to think there are cops all over the nation running around just looking to kill someone.

Do Cops Need More Training?

This has been the magic question and one debated for years. The short answer is yes. Training should be continuous and constantly evolving. I was fortunate; I came from an agency that prioritized training. But not all agencies have that luxury. In our nation, law enforcement is very diverse. We have agencies with over thirty thousand sworn officers and also have agencies with two. You have some with massive training budgets and some with literally none. There is no such thing as being too trained, too prepared. The answer will always be yes: do cops need more training? But there are two things that, in my opinion, are contributing to the use of force incidents that could be prevented and have nothing to do with cops' lack of training.

 We must first look at everything we are asking cops to do that has nothing to do with their job description. Historically, when society doesn't know what to do with a problem, the answer seems always to be "give it to the cops." No one can argue that we have a mental health crisis in our country. We lack the resources and facilities to address this crisis. So, what do we do? We give it to the cops. In the last ten or so years, throughout the nation, homelessness has exploded. It has risen at a rate that we, as a nation, weren't prepared for. There seem to be very few solutions for this significant problem. So, again, what do we do? We give it to the cops. 

 We ask young men and women, who in some areas are paid below the poverty level, to fix the problems we either can't fix or do not want to deal with. Cops should have training (and most do) in dealing with persons with mental illness. But, they will never be equipped to handle it at the level we have come to expect from them. We cannot make them an M.D. or a Ph.D. in eight to forty hours of training. However blunt or harsh this may sound, it needs to be said: we have to stop ignoring these issues until someone is dead. We ignore the homeless, mental health, and drug addiction crisis until something tragic happens. We pass them on to the cops and never think about them again. Then, when a cop has to use deadly force because they were put in a situation that wasn't theirs to handle or trained to handle it, we want to persecute them. We have to do better.

 Secondly, cops are not the only ones who need more training. Law enforcement and coaching football are the only professions in which every person in America instantly becomes an expert when perceived mistakes are made. People who have never been cops, never been through any training cops go through, or are the least bit educated about what a cop's training or procedure dictates become instant experts. How many times have we heard, "They should have shot him in the leg." or "They should have used pepper spray on that man with a knife instead of shooting him."? Cops get the "Monday morning quarterback treatment" more than any quarterback in history. We don't tell roofers how to roof, and we don't tell mechanics how to mechanic. Why? Because we aren't roofers and mechanics, we haven't been trained to be one, and we do not possess the experience. Yes, I know in some ways that these comparisons are like apples and oranges. But, in some ways, they aren't. 

 Saying this, I feel like there is a solid argument to be made that cops aren't the only ones who need training. Citizens should be taught (properly) how to interact with law enforcement and what lawful orders are. If people understood the dangers of a "routine traffic stop" and how many cops get killed each year in that same scenario, maybe citizens would see things differently. If citizens are put in "shoot, don't shoot" training situations, like cops, they may see things differently. There is too much misinformation that is causing non-compliance to lawful orders, which leads to preventable tragedy. If cops will be "Monday morning quarterbacked" every time they do something, the people criticizing them should at least know a little about their job. When coaches are criticized, a lot of the people doing it at least played pee-wee football at one time. Cops are being tried in the media and the court of public opinion by people with zero idea what it's like to be them.

 I am fully aware of the "hornet's nest" this could cause. If not done correctly or led by the wrong people, it could have a reverse effect and cause even worse problems. But, if done correctly and civilians are trained by the same types of trainers who are training cops, it could save lives. I would love to see politicians and community leaders take a hard look at this instead of jumping on television and demanding the head of some young cop every time there is a shooting. 

I am not suggesting, in any way, that citizens do not have a right to question the actions of law enforcement officers. Again, I am also not saying that cops are always right. My mission isn't to convince people to be "sheep." I have two adult children. I didn't raise them to be sheep, and I do not think anyone else should. I taught them there is a time and place for everything. I also taught them there is also a proper way to handle any grievance. The time and place aren't on the side of the road during the initial interaction with a cop. More use-of-force incidents happen during initial interaction than in any other scenario. The reason is the initial thing on a cop's mind is making the scene safe. Once you comply with his initial orders (put your hands on the steering wheel, stay in the car, get out of the car, etc.) and the officer has deemed the situation safe and begins the investigation, question whatever you think you need to. Feel free to ask for a supervisor or immediately go to internal affairs and file a complaint after the incident. But yelling, cursing, and refusing to do the things they ask during initial interaction will only increase the chance of unnecessary violence and people getting hurt or killed.

 In closing, I again think law enforcement shares the responsibility. We must take a look at how we approach people, how we talk to them, and have some degree of empathy. Interaction with the police, even during "routine traffic stops," is scary for most people. They do not know what it is like to be us, but we also do not know their story or what they are currently going through. Departments must also look honestly at themselves and how they handle complaints. If we expect citizens to comply with every order, we must listen when they feel they have been treated poorly. 

 In part 4, I will address the aftermath of use-of-force incidents and the recruiting and retention problems it has caused.