In the United States, police reform has recently been a hot topic of discussion. While some efforts have been to reform the police force at the national level, much of the responsibility for change lies with individual police departments. One of the most frequent complaints is that police officers use too much force, which can include employing physical force when it is unnecessary and using lethal force when it is not justified. People of colour are frequently the victims of excessive force. Police reforms like increased transparency, enhanced training, good police-public relations and increased diversity in policing are needed to ensure that police are accountable for their actions.
One police reform needed is for police departments to increase their openness and transparency. Police departments can improve transparency by releasing information often to the public. For example, departments could release data on the number and types of complaints filed against officers and the outcomes of those complaints. Information for using force by police, including details on when and why force got used, may require departments. Therefore, it would help with cases like when a black army vet got wrongly accused of having to spend sixteen months in solitary confinement (Trent). Another way to increase transparency would be to give the public more access to police department policies and procedures. For example, departments could make their policies and procedures available online or provide regular briefings to the public on changes or updates to departmental guidelines. Accountability can be increased in several ways as well. One way would be to require police departments to investigate all misconduct complaints, regardless of whether citizens or other officers file them. Departments could also be required to keep records of all complaints and to make those records available to the public.
Additionally, police departments can increase openness and transparency by establishing self-governing analysis panels to scrutinize grievances of police misbehaviour. These panels could be composed of civilians and have the power to recommend disciplinary action against officers found to have engaged in misconduct. Requiring all officers to wear body cameras would help increase transparency and accountability and make it easier to hold officers liable for their activities. When officers know they are getting recorded, they are less likely to use excessive force or engage in other misconduct.
Furthermore, Police Academies should provide police officers with improved training techniques. Several factors determine how much training is required, such as the type of law enforcement officers training and the specific duties they will perform. Most police academies in the United States use an aggressive model of training, which focuses on instilling discipline and obedience in recruits. In “Yes, We Mean Abolish the Police the article argues that police officers need better training to prevent them from using excessive force. The author cites several examples where police officers have used excessive force, sometimes resulting in death. The article argues that better training would help officers to de-escalate situations and prevent the use of excessive force (Kaba). Practical training decreases the use of force by preparing officers for the realities of the police job. The number of training hours for police officers needs to get increased to prepare them for the realities of police work properly; this would free up more community-oriented policing and less time for the military training model.
Additionally, it would give the cops more time to devote to their tasks. Officers should participate in training more frequently to increase the quality of the instruction. Quality training can get raised by ensuring that instructors have expertise and knowledge. Training should also be more realistic, incorporating simulation exercises—focus training on de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution. Encourage officers to seek out additional training opportunities on their own.
Another reform needed for police departments would be the police trying to have better relationships with individuals in society. One way that police departments could improve relations with the public is by engaging with youth in programs like sports leagues or after-school clubs. Better interactions would allow officers to connect with young people positively and build trust between the police and the community. Another way to improve relations would be for the police to participate in local festivals and community meetings. Therefore, good relations would allow police officers to interact with people from all walks of life and show that they are approachable and interested in hearing what the public has to say. Having more police officers on foot patrol in high-crime areas would allow the police to get to know the residents and develop trust with them, which is another way the police may have better interactions with members of society. The police would also be able to gather information about potential crimes and help to prevent them from happening. The police could improve their relationships with the public by being more transparent and releasing more information about police shootings and other controversial incidents. The police could also hold more community meetings to hear public concerns and explain their actions to address them. It is essential for police to build trust with the public because it can help prevent crime. If people feel they can trust the police, they are more likely to cooperate with them and report crime when it happens.
Another police reform required would be putting in place penalties that are way stricter than the existing ones for police officers involved in misconduct. One of the most critical police reforms that are needed is to put in place penalties more stringent for police officers who are engaged in wrongdoing (Trent). There are currently several sanctions for police misconduct, but they are sometimes not severe enough to prevent police officers from committing a lot of mischiefs. The need for harsher penalties gets driven by the need to prevent police personnel from misbehaving in the first place. The police are often unaccountable for their actions.
In many cases, there is little or no oversight of police conduct. Officers can act with impunity, knowing they are unlikely to be punished for their actions. If police officers knew that they would face severe penalties if caught engaging in misconduct, they would be less likely to do it. Additionally, stricter penalties would send the public a message that police misconduct is not tolerated or have to rely on abolishing policing departments(Kaba). Some may argue that stricter penalties for police misconduct would make it more difficult for police officers to do their jobs. However, this is not necessarily true since Stricter penalties would only get imposed on police officers who engage in misconduct. Police officers who do their jobs properly would not have anything to worry about since they get to do what is needed. Stricter penalties for police officers who engage in misconduct are needed; Stricter penalties would help deter police officers from engaging in misconduct and would also send a message to the public that police misconduct is unacceptable.
The final police reform would be increasing diversity in policing departments. One way police reform could increase diversity is by increasing the number of women and people of colour in police departments. The article supports increasing variety in policing departments because it argues that the under-policing of black America results from the lack of diversity in these departments. The author writes, “the most fundamental change that could help reduce police violence would be to increase the diversity of America’s police forces” (Leovy). She argues that if there were more black officers, there would be less police violence against black Americans because these officers would be more likely to empathize with and understand the experiences of black citizens. It could be accomplished through various means, such as recruitment drives explicitly targeting these groups or increasing the sum of law majors from the societies they oblige. Another way police reform could lead to increased diversity is by changing the culture of police departments to be more inclusive and welcoming of people from all backgrounds. It could involve instituting sensitivity training, changing hiring practices, and increasing accountability for officers who engage in discriminatory or harassing behaviour. Ultimately, the goal of police reform should be to create departments that better reflect the communities they serve. By increasing the diversity of police departments, we can help ensure that everyone receives fair and equitable treatment from the police, regardless of their race, gender, or identity. The police are often reluctant to change. Despite the calls for reform, many police departments have resisted change. Resistance is often due to a lack of understanding of the problem or a fear of worsening the situation.
In conclusion, police reform has to be present in the modern world. The current system is not working and is resulting in the deaths of innocent people. Only by making the police more accountable, better trained, and more responsive to the community’s needs will we be able to improve the situation. the police are often unaccountable for their actions. Since there is frequently little to no oversight of police behaviour, officers are free to behave without consequence and fear repercussions. The police are often used as a tool of social control rather than as a force for good. In many communities, the police get seen as an occupying force rather than protectors.
Works Cited
Trent, Sydney. “A Black Army Vet Spent 16 Months in Solitary. Then a Jury Heard the Evidence against Him.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 June 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/13/solitary-confinement-andrew-johnson-san-jose-jail/.
Kaba, Mariame. “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 June 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/opinion/sunday/floyd-abolish-defund-police.html.
Leovy, Jill. “The Underpolicing of Black America.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 23 Jan. 2015, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-underpolicing-of-black-america-1422049080.
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