The whole argument with race baiting and police brutality is a very hard topic to discuss because so often we believe that you cannot stand with both sides. You are either with the police or you are against it. That does not always have to be the case. I believe that the police, when they do their job correctly, can be a huge positive in our society. It is hard because a new or uneducated officer makes a major mistake and that mistake is broadcast nationally and that sets back all of the efforts that the police do to protect us. They put their lives on the line every day to attempt to ensure safety for all of us.
To fix a problem the first step is to recognize the existence of the problem. And there most definitely is a problem with our police system. No one wants to be a police officer right now because of all the negative thoughts about them so there is a shortage of qualified applicants. They also are not paid very well so people may not want this as a long term career because there is not a lot of money in the profession over time. The solution to this is to get people through the police training academy as quickly as possible so that they may get out into the workforce so that they can fill up these understaffed units. The problem with this is these new officers lack real training because they were being rushed. Because of this they do not know how to correctly handle a delicate situation so they are often times trigger happy when they shouldn't be. This then creates a larger divide because it continues to happen more and more.
We must get officers the training that they need so that they may handle these hard situations correctly. As we do this we must also get these officers in the community away from their job so that when they are sent to handle a situation, they are comfortable around the people they are around. The people will then be comfortable with them because they recognize them as a part of the community. This has to be more desirable of a job so that people who truly want to be there are there.
I agree with you, and brought up something similar in my own post about not being able to stand on both sides. Especially since standing for black lives isn't even about choosing a side. You bring up a lot of important points here about the job itself. And I like that you follow them with valid solutions. I referenced you in my own post in regards to the getting them involved in the community. I think that would be one of the most effective things to do. Give faces names rather stereotypes. Great stuff here
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that society should not make us feel like we need to choose sides, whether we side with the cops or those of minority. I think a big part of the problem is the news and media do not want to show the good that cops do and what minorities in different communities do that are positive. We live in a society where everything is portrayed negative and we don't see the good that the cops do or other people. I believe if the media would show the positives we would be able to begin to trust one another.
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