A Broken Windows strategy for reforming the police
Police reform has recently been a hot topic and though much has centered around funding, racism and excessive use of force, as I’ve paid more attention to the actions of the police in New York City, I believe that the issues are deeper and more cultural to enact real and meaningful change. In particular, I’ve witnessed a lot of low-level actions that create an impression of moral superiority and that a different set of rules apply including by not limited to:
Not wearing masks in public (generally in groups in certain areas of the City — not often when it’s just one or two officers on their own)
Turning on their lights to make illegal turns and running red lights in non-emergency situations
Smoking cigars in uniform and on duty in groups
Setting up unnecessary roadblocks in front of precincts on an ad-hoc basis for no apparent reason
Witnessing these low-level, minor actions that display a lack of professionalism & a separate reality from that of “civilians” has me thinking that that it will be impossible to stop police brutality when a culture exists that allows for a different set of rules to apply when people wear their uniforms. This requires building a completely new force built upon the stated values of Coutesy, Professionalism & Respect.
It’s gotten me thinking that doing so will require a Broken Windows approach. Broken Windows policing has proven to be controversial and widely rejected but in discussions regarding police reform, I think the principle needs to apply. If we believe that more crime occurs when low-level offenses are tolerated then we must also consider that more police brutality will occur when we allow the police to get away with minor infractions, like flouting traffic rules, implementing their own transportation plans, defying public health guidelines and smoking while on duty.
Cultural change is always the hardest to implement, but in thinking about it, there are some new policies that would go a long way to helping:
Eliminate placard parking —Nothing says “I’m better than you” than putting a laminated card on your dashboard and parking illegally. I’ve never understood why any public official can park their private vehicle on a separate set of rules. Unless this was collectively bargained, this should not be a right for anyone. Maybe if more police took mass transit to work their community policing would be better
Ticket cops who break traffic laws - It’s not that hard to match someone to a vehicle they are using for the day. Rental car companies can do it. If a police vehicle trips a speed or Red Light camera, the officer at the wheel should pay out of his or her salary unless tied to a 911 or other call requiring that they use their sirens
Reduce the carrying of fire arms - I’m arguing that all police should be disarmed. There is a place for anti-terrorist police to carry machine guns and police should never be outgunned in any hostile situation. But does that mean all officers need to be packing a loaded semi-automatic pistol at all times when on duty? Surely there should be a way to reduce this and we know through extensive academic research that the presence of firearms increases the incidence of ALL violence
Allow for citizen complaints on 311 — Many years ago, the City created the Civilian Compliant Review Board (CCRB) to create a venue for receipt of police complaints. At the time, it was great because it created something that didn’t exist before, but the CCRB process has become highly cumbersome, political and does little to enact meaningful change. On the other hand, 311 has enabled the receipt of complaints with much lower friction and flexibility if reporters want to remain anonymous or don’t want to provide as much information. Doing so may not not result in as much discipline, but will allow citizens and public officials to receive transparency to identify behaviors of concern and create a metrics-based approach to understand the frequency of issues by geography, in the same way that CompStat has allowed the police to use data to identify and mass forces to address hotspots. But if you want to make a police complaint on 311, you are routed to the CCRB and I think we can do better. 311 doesn’t have to exist solely for complaints, it may also be a vehicle to report police doing the right thing and recognize those offers who go above and beyond the call
Mandate the use of body cameras at all times - It just so happens that disputed events involving brutality seem to not be recorded because the police “forgot to turn on their cameras.” If every surveillance camera can be kept on at all times with some memory kept and the declining cost of storage, it makes sense to me that body cameras should not have an on/off switch. If a police officer is on duty, the camera should be on at all times. This would dissuade a lot of bade behavior