Police Brutality

We all suffer from the repercussions of poorly trained police officers. These men and women are there are here to protect its citizens and yet mistakes are clearly being made and often times there is an abuse of power. This happened with the case of Floyd and many others.

In no shape or form is law enforcement an easy job. People must respect and acknowledge the risk and danger each officer faces. They put their lives on the line to protect citizens. This is a demanding position without doubt. However does the difficulty of the job justify harsher measures and mistakes like with Floyd. Each mistake is extremely costly. The police are dealing with lives at what cost? How do we put a price tag on a life?

The police protect law and order in our society. What happens though when there is abuse of power? This is a thin line which I think police officers should avoid. I think cops should be more humble and compassionate. Any kind of abuse should be reprimanded and dealt with accordingly.

I am an activist who protested this administration in the Women’s March in New York City, legally and peacefully. I am a caucasian female. I know law enforcement transcends gender and race, however why is it that most white male police officers target certain people? This seems to be happening more often. It's like a predominantly white fraternity which blames and picks on the weaker person. Is this our reality?

Also, has Covid-19 exacerbated this current problem in society? With more robberies and people afflicted by unemployment, how are cops responding? Why are certain petty crimes the focus of attention? Can something be done about more serious problems and so on?

As I see things have deteriorated drastically within law enforcement. This has become a broken system. At one point in my life, I wanted to become a lawyer and then I realized that practicing law is not what it once was. Please don’t get me wrong. I still believe in the law and protecting innocent citizens. I am just not sure how effective and truthful some of the people working in the system are themselves. I am not a lawyer but I understand my basic rights in this country and I am willing to fight for them.

Furthermore, mental health should not only be handled solely by the police department. There should be a division and funds specially allocated to handling people with these sort of problems. Psychologists and experts should work hand in hand to solve disorders and issues of this magnitude. Instead of stigmatizing criminals as depraved and looking down on these problems, maybe more should be done within the criminal justice system to provide more treatment. Police officers are not working alone.

One way of repairing a broken system could possibly mean hiring more psychologists and well trained mental health experts who can assist or coach officers. There is a way to improve without defunding the police.

What would defunding actually mean? Are we ready to do away with the police? I am not advocating we do this. Simply raising our standards and repairing a system that needs work will do. The police are there to protect you from harm. They must work inside the parameters of the law. This truly is a difficult job. The more trained experts we have, the better the system.

So is this a matter of better training and being more prepared? Yes, I believe so. We do not live in a bubble so why should the people we are trusting to protect us? More coaching, more training more knowledge of law enforcement and psychology might actually do officers some good. Crime is disturbing. This is the challenge they face. With the Coronavirus pandemic and after 9/11, we are living in a more disturbed time where the help of law enforcement has become more complicated than ever. We need more compassion and humility.