In current times, there are few issues more pressing than the police brutality taking place specifically toward people of color. The current police and justice system must be reformed for the health and safety of our country's citizens. In writing this policy brief about policing in America, I focused on “unbundling” the police system to allow for more productive distribution of funds and resources. I chose to include this essay in my ePortfolio because not only is this a very pressing issue, but my proposed reforms show a great deal about my strategic way of thinking based on values of equality and social justice. This essay was written out of a strong desire for change and improvement in society, and a hope for a better future.
Policing in America Policy Brief
October 21, 2020
Over the past several months, the public has protested for police reform following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Police brutality, however, has taken place for decades. Statistics show that nine out of ten calls police officers receive are nonviolent encounters, and yet, 1004 individuals have been shot and killed by the police in the past year. Of these shootings, Black individuals are shot at more than twice the rate of white Americans despite representing only thirteen percent of the U.S. population (Earley). The role of the police must be “unbundled” to efficiently prevent crime and avoid violence. The role of the police is too broad, and so “unbundling” would involve redistributing the tasks regarding traffic violations and mental health situations to other agencies as well as investing in community industries to prevent crime.
The police spend disproportionate amounts of time handling minor traffic violations of which their job is not fit to handle, often causing violent interactions. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the most common reason for contact with the police is being a driver in a traffic stop (“Bureau of Justice”). Over 50 million people interact with police officers each year and over half of those interactions are traffic violations or car accidents (Earley). There is no need for these interactions to involve the heavy-duty weaponry and force that the cops wield. In order to make a traffic stop, the law states that an officer must have a reasonable suspicion that one has broken the law (“Traffic Stop”). These suspicions, however, are very loosely articulated and open the opportunity for an uneven power dynamic. Once pulled over, violence is more likely to take place because of such power in the hands of the police. Misinterpretations of circumstances and hasty judgment calls on the cops’ part occur often and cause them to quickly use the force. New policy should create a role for non-police personnel to be in charge of monitoring traffic violations and incidents. Including such a role would reduce the undertaking of police officers and allow for less militarized encounters.
The presence of policemen in mental health-related calls may escalate the issues because they are not the appropriate professionals for the job. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, people with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police when stopped compared to other citizens and at least one in four fatal encounters with police involves someone with mental illness ("Survey: Police”). At the same time, a survey conducted by the Mental Illness Policy Organization showed that officers claimed calls involving mental health take significantly longer than calls for theft, domestic disputes, traffic, or other calls ("Survey: Police”). Although training in mental health awareness and intervention has become more widespread across police academies, interactions with these individuals often escalate to violence because of the police presence. An individual with special needs explained his experience with police:
You’re already feeling scared, you’re already feeling escalated, your heart rate’s up, you’re stressed. And this officer arrives on scene...if you’re already feeling really elevated [and] fearful, and then there is a further trigger to continue to escalate that fear and anxiety, it’s a lot harder to really compose yourself in a way that police generally want us to compose ourselves when interacting with us. (“Survey: Police”)
A team of social workers with formal mental health training and who are prepared to protect both the individual and themselves would be more capable of helping an individual with mental illness. The police should play a supporting role in these calls if there is a need for more serious protection, but they should not be the only responders.
“Unbundling” the police would allow for financial investment in community funds and the common good to prevent crime. The Center for Popular Democracy Action estimated that the nationwide police budget is $100 billion dollars per year. In most cities, this police budget is significantly greater than spending on other services and departments (Adamczyk). While the crime rates in these cities have been on a downward trend, there are more beneficial investments than the police budget. Greater funding toward education, housing, health care, recreation, businesses, and jobs would help communities who are in need prevent crime. By boosting their social standing and increasing community activities, it keeps citizens off the streets. Reinvesting portions of the police budget would be more productive and promote the common good.
“Unbundling” is important because it allows the police to focus on fewer responsibilities and accomplish the central goals of law enforcement. In lieu of “unbundling,” some argue that the police should be “professionalized.” “Professionalizing” the police would mean ensuring that officers are well-paid, receive high-level training, and are held accountable for their actions (Johnson and Gagliano). While increased training for police officers is generally necessary, the system is too corrupt for that to solve the age-old issues. The lack of professionalism and subsequent violence in policing is because their wide job description promotes efficiency in handling more calls over humanity. “Unbundling,” however, would allow the police to return to their central institutional goal of preventing crime. The best way to “professionalize” the police is to narrow their scope so they can effectively do their jobs, while professionals in other fields can do the same for society.
The many events involving police brutality over the past few decades emphasises the need for systematic reform. The responsibilities of police officers are too extensive which prevents them from effectively handling each situation, and therefore resulting in violence. Redistributing tasks, such as mental health related calls and traffic violations, to other professionals would allow for more individualized interactions. Meanwhile, investing money in other industries could lower the need for crime and law enforcement altogether. Safety for its citizens should be the nation’s first priority and to do so requires significant police reform.
Works Cited
Adamczyk, Alicia. “What It Actually Means to 'Defund the Police'.” CNBC, CNBC, 15 June
2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/06/15/what-it-actually-means-to-defund-the-police.html.
“Bureau of Justice Statistics.” Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Office of Justice Programs,
www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?tid=702. Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.
Earley, Pete. “Mental Illness is a Health Issue, Not a Police Issue.” The Washington Post, 15
June 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/15/mental-illness-is-health-issue-not-police-issue/. Accessed 16 Oct.2020.
Johnson, Jason C., and James A. Gagliano. “Defunding the Police Isn't the Answer.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/opinions/defunding-police-is-not-the-answer-johnson-gagliano/index.html.
"Survey: Police needlessly overburdened by mentally ill abandoned by mental health system.”
Mental Illness Policy Org. https://mentalillnesspolicy.org/crimjust/homelandsecuritymentalillness.html. Accessed 17
Oct. 2020.
Thompson, Derek. “Unbundle the Police.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 June 2020,
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/unbundle-police/612913/?utm_source=share.
“Traffic Stop.” Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School,
www.law.cornell.edu/wex/traffic_stop.
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