An Impossible Job
On her first night as a reserve police officer in Washington DC’s poverty-wracked Seventh District, Rosa Brooks’ training officer told her, “Everyone around here would be happy to kill you….
They Make House Calls
Recently I was asked why I became a police officer and what advice I would give to a person considering joining a police department. Here’s what I wrote: Like pretty…
We’ve Heard it Before
Calls for major police reform are nothing new. From Theodore Roosevelt’s efforts to reform the New York City Police Department in the late 1890’s, to President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on…
Repair the Net
Sustainable police reform won’t be easy and it won’t happen by cutting funding for police departments, says the former chief of the San Diego Police Department. “It’s not about defunding…
Is There a Problem, Officer?
Completed my virtual presentation for the annual conference of the International Association of Emergency Managers on Wednesday. The talk went pretty well, though doing it virtually was a little strange….
We Know What to Do
It’s not about racist cops. There are racists in every occupation. But the vast majority of them work for organizations that do not tolerate racist behavior and do not hesitate…
It’s Not What You Think
Recently, two Cleveland men who had been wrongly imprisoned for more than 30 years were freed when a key witness against them recanted his earlier testimony. News accounts of the…
Life is Unfair
During my so-called career I spent more than twelve years as a law enforcement officer, including nine years as a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. Law enforcement is a remarkably…
It’s Not About a Kid Who Lied
In 1975, when 12-year-old Edward Vernon told police he couldn’t identify suspects in a daylight murder that he claimed to have witnessed, angry detectives threatened to arrest his parents unless…
Police Power
The most powerful position in any police department is patrol officer. While chiefs and deputy chiefs and commanders can set policy, decide budget priorities, discipline members, and apportion resources, it…
“Can’t have no bad apples…”
While the large-scale demonstrations against police killings of unarmed men have ebbed, the underlying causes of the protests remain. Too many Americans, especially persons of color, remain suspicious and distrustful…
You Can’t Handle the Truth
Saw a social media post that stated, “Unless You’re Willing to Pick Up a Badge and Protect Your City, I Suggest You Stop Criticizing Those Who Are and be Thankful…
The cubs were in charge
When I was a sergeant in a big-city police department, having joined the department after serving four years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, I…