Be it resolved: this godforsaken Nation needs it reform its police system. Too many people are dying. The challenge for law enforcement agencies is to minimize use-of-force without jeopardizing public safety. Some have called for “defunding” the police, which mostly means delegating a bunch of police work to civilians, such as social workers. I think that would be a mistake. Law enforcement is about enforcing laws, which means to compel compliance with laws, typically through warnings, citations or arrests. While it’s a great idea to have social workers accompany cops on some calls, e.g., responding to mentally impaired or homeless individuals, it’s not a social worker’s job to enforce laws. That’s what the police do.
Still, the “defund the police” people have a point: a lot of illegal activity is minor and does not require an armed response. So why not have a two-tier police system, in which armed police are dispatched to serious crimes or possibly dangerous situations, and unarmed police respond to the rest? Hell, the Brits have unarmed police - why can’t we?
Here’s what the division of labor might look like:
Of course, having unarmed police is only part of the solution to the problem of excessive force and lack of community trust. Other police reforms are necessary, such as banning choke holds or other maneuvers that impair breathing in all but exceptional circumstances. If that means some suspects manage to escape arrest, so be it. Hopefully, most will have been ID’d and the law will catch up with them sooner or later.
Not perfect…but moving in the right direction.