REFORM THE POLICE – BEFORE THE POLICE DEFORMS AMERICA.

 

Madame,

The recent seemingly endless spate of unjustifiable Police killings of black men & boys has fueled irremediable pain, humiliation, and boiling anger amongst the African American population – shame & outrage among many white Americans. The World – Africa – Europe… looks on in stupefied horror.

…Freddie Gray – Jonathan Ferrell – James Boyd – Eric Garner – Michael Brown (age18) – Tamir Rice (age12) – Jerame Reid – Walter Scott…

None of the deceased were armed, violent, or engaged in serious crime – yet mostly died of multiple shots.

In 2013, 461 « justifiable homicides » were registered. Evidently the Police were rarely prosecuted.

In addition to the grieving families, the overwhelming sense of injustice, the image of your country, your President, your office of Attorney General, the Police & Courts is indelibly tarnished.

As an ex-Police Officer (Lieut. equiv) working principally in serious crime & riot control I respectfully submit the following recommendations:

PRIORITY – ACTION – TIMING

PRIORITY

• Re-structure & Reform the Police & introduce a new Code of Conduct.

ACTION

• Create a panel of THE WISE – composed of very senior men & women of all races to oversee the Police of the Police at a federal and state level.
• Re-structure the Police from the top down to reflect more accurately the profile of the population – including more senior African Americans, women & men – a virtually all white Police force in a predominantly black area such as Ferguson is both provocative & stupidly wrong.
• Reform & re-training in human & civil rights is a must. OK, not every cop is bad, but a rotten apple contaminates the others – especially when it comes from the top. My impression is that the body of reference today for the Police is to be found in  the crime novels of James Ellroy, where the cops are racist, misogynist, testosterone-fueled, alcoholic, corrupt, violent & trigger happy.

CODE OF CONDUCT

I remember to this day my 3 month training in the London Metropolitan Police. The Policeman’s duty was defined as:

• To protect the population and gain their respect.
• To prevent, where possible, the commission of a criminal action or offense.
• To apprehend the perpetrator of such an act, with minimum force.
• To investigate & interrogate fully – without inflicting violence or humiliation.
• The Policeman’s role IS NOT that of Judge, Jailer – or, God forbid, Executioner.
• The law INNOCENT UNTIL PROVED GUILTY is  sacred & inviolable.

 

 THE AMERICAN POLICE JUDGED GUILTY UNTIL PROVED INNOCENT