Law enforcement

Cooler heads need to prevail in law enforcement debate

This moment we face is like no other in American policing. There has never been a moment in my career when the collective gaze and consciousness has been as fixed on policing as it is right now. We are experiencing what is arguably the most difficult and challenging time in American policing history.

Community policing, police legitimacy, police reform, culture change, use of force, de-escalation, militarization, Black Lives Matter, fair and impartial policing, constitutional policing, blue courage, unconscious bias, de-policing, the Ferguson effect, body-worn cameras, citizen oversight, policy change, warrior vs. guardian— are just a few of the buzzwords we hear constantly.

But what do all these words mean to us in law enforcement and to society? This is the increasingly complex moment in which, we, both law enforcement and communities, collectively find ourselves.