In Trump vs. Harris, the police shouldn’t take sides

If the steps we recommend are implemented, America can promote a fairer and less violent policing system consistent with our democratic values.

David Cooper and Noble Wray
| Opinion contributors

Years before a deputy killed sonya massey in Illinois, after calling 911 for help, the sheriff’s office failed to police misconduct within its ranks, a new CBS News investigation shows.

Why did the Springfield woman have to die in her own kitchen in July? That Sangamon County deputy couldn’t have done anything but shoot Massey in the face? The deputy was fired and charged in her death, which the sheriff claimed was carried out by “a dishonest person who acted outside the scope of his authority.“But CBS News’ review of court records dating back to 2007 disputes that claim.

It seems questionable use of deadly force happens on a national scale far too often. We know the names of the victims, don’t we? Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others. We know that this problem of police brutality will not be solved by putting bad cops in jail. It can only be fixed by major changes and improvements in our policing system.

We are senior police leaders. We come from two generations of policing, two 30-year police careers, and two racial experiences. We have a singular mission today: to help our nation develop a police system that is fair, impartial, supports our nation’s sacred values, and protects us all.

Violence hurts both community officers and police officers

Deaths caused by police violence affect not only the loved ones of the deceased, but also the police officers responsible for the deaths.

Compared to the use of deadly force by the police in other rich democracieswe are the deadliest. In the last decade, our the police killed over 10,000 citizens.

Many of those who died were armed with a gunbut many were not. And far too many were in the midst of a mental health crisis or were young and black.

We as a nation can do better. We are a smart, tech-oriented and creative nation. We should be able to significantly reduce the number of citizens who are shot and killed by police each year.

Across Europe, the number of people killed annually by police has varied from zero to less than 50. The European Union standard is absolute necessity.

Many of these deaths in America occur because of a The Supreme Court’s 1989 decision in Graham v. Connor. The court used the words “objective reasonableness” to justify the use of force by the police. However, it does not help the police and encourages them through policy to hold back and set a reasonable rule about how force should be used.

We are also concerned about the role of statutory unions in matters of critical public policy outside of bargaining over wages, hours, and working conditions. National Fraternal Order of Police endorsed former President Donald Trump for re-election. The Policing Leaders for Community Safety the organization, which has retired official members, supports Vice President Kamala Harris.

We believe that police unions must stay out of politics and supporting political candidates. Far too often, what they propose or oppose works against needed change.

The police must function as protectors, not as an occupying force

Unless community leaders call on the police to develop strong interactive community-based policing strategies, there will be little progress. What we have before us is a huge system consisting of approx 17,000 federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies with 600,000 local police.

But the enormity of the problem should not prevent us from making the right decisions. Lives matter.

We have come to understand that the major problem in policing is how force is trained and used. This confusion was never more apparent than afterwards The 2014 killing of Michael Brown by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri and six years later when George Floyd is dead in Minneapolis police custody.

The problems we face are one of the results that occurred after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when our nation’s police force became more militarized.

In a free society, the police must function more as guardians than warriors—that is, to be helpers and protectors rather than members of an occupying force.

If the following seven steps we recommend are implemented, it will promote a fairer and less violent policing system consistent with our democratic values:

Education. Hire only four-year college graduates and screen them for their emotional intelligence and commitment to public service.
Respecting. All officers are required to act with respect to all people at all times. Train them to manage conflict, reduce violence and embrace everyone’s right to life.
Relative. Train officers to practice respectful behaviors and intervene when a colleague is about to make a mistake.
Representing. Hire women and people of color who reflect the community served. Make sure all officers understand the ugly history of racism and policing in our nation ‒ and how it affects policing even today.
The training. It requires at least one year of initial recruit training and requires trainee officers to be closely supervised during their first two years of employment.
Use of force. Change the police standard for lethal force to absolute necessity.
Innovating and legislating. Challenge our nation’s technology leaders to develop less lethal ways for police to apprehend dangerous criminals. Support sane gun legislation.

The police need to understand, as we did years ago, that policing is a calling and requires service above self. A free society should be policed by men and women who are honest and trustworthy models of our national values. We should not accept less.

David Cooper began his police career in 1960 in Edina, Minnesota after a tour with the Marines. He also headed the police departments in Burnsville, Minn., 1969-72, and Madison, Wis., 1972-1993. Noble Wray worked with David in Madison and went on to serve as department head from 2004-2014. He has consulted and taught policing in over 400 agencies across the country, focusing on implicit bias.