Could have taken any of these excellent questions as my last, but let's go with this one. The police must commit themselves, demonstrably, to a philosophy of true (not cosmetic, PR oriented versions) of community policing. Demilitarize (while maintaining a carefully selected, highly trained, self-disciplined crew of… Read more

Quick, selective reply: for-profit prisons are unconscionable. Read more

Kids growing up in an African American or Latino community who see only white cops and who, for whatever reasons, find themselves in an antagonistic relationship with the cops as they become young men and women are not likely to be inclined toward a career in law enforcement. We have years of work ahead of us, trying… Read more

I believe fear is behind many if not most acts of excessive force and poor judgment by police officers. Fear causes us to misperceive, to act impulsively maybe even recklessly. We need more honesty in our conversations on race and police use of force, on community policing and paramilitarism. Read more

Deter it, over time. Especially if it's the product of smart laws and a responsible, effective regulatory system. Read more

There's some good training out there, not enough. I've always believed that the community (that should be communities, plural) should be intimately involved in the training of police officers. And while we're on the subject, they should also be involved in police policymaking, program development, crisis intervention,… Read more

Which direction? Read more

Yes, and sisterhood too (though to a lesser degree, I believe). Every occupation (teaching, medicine, law, blue collar) produces its own workplace culture, none stronger than you'll find in policing. Danger, or the perception of danger, is a big part of that. So's authority. I remember my first days on the job, about… Read more

Racial profiling in Seattle, as with many other cities, was of the type that I'd label structural or institutional discrimination. While I occasionally had to deal with (that is to say fire) cops who engaged in individual racism, the real problem was tied to disproportionate arrests of street dealers. A real problem,… Read more

Yes. To all. The drug war has cost this country well over a trillion dollars. It's resulted in the incarceration of tens of millions of low-level, nonviolent drug offenders — overwhelmingly young people, poor people, people of color. It's severely damaged the relationship between the police and those communities that… Read more

Fascinating. Cops need to know that "snitching" off fellow officers who engage in racism or excessive force or corruption or sexual harassment (up through and including sexual assaults) is, or should be, part of their job description...a condition of employment. Read more

One of the least effective is one of the most important: crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, interpersonal communication skills. Read more

Touché Read more

Tasers (and pepper spray and a variety of other weapons) were developed as a "less lethal" alternative to lethal force. Law enforcement agencies, many of them, adopted Tasers in the wake of a "tragic incident" in their communities. Police officers (and their trainers) will tell you that if your life is at stake a… Read more

Can't speak to the German experience. Police in the UK have generally been unarmed throughout their history. They face fewer firearms, by far, than is the case for U.S. police. Read more

You tell me. Read more

About the same, I'd say. Policing has been getting increasingly safer (notice I'm not saying safe), and crime has been dropping...even as the institution is becoming more militaristic. Read more

Whatever reasons they give are explanations, too often defensive and self-serving. There is no excuse, in 2014, for an agency being so utterly underrepresented, racially, as is the case in Ferguson. Read more

Absolutely. SWAT should be reserved for active shooter/barricaded armed and dangerous suspects/hostage situations. Think Columbine, Sandy Hook, the McDonald's Massacre (to cite one close to home for me). Read more

There are roughly 18K police agencies in the country, all with different (though often similar) policies. Some do track, some don't. Read more