Perhaps this is why the police are losing support

Another day, another coffee and this time we were talking about the police. My friend and I, highly-educated, professional, middle-class and middle-aged, were talking about something in the news this morning. Calls to "de-fund" the police. Neither of us supported removing police funding, Both of us supported re-directing police funds or re-prioritizing, for example to more visible policing and to less militarized weaponry. What was interesting was that we both distrust the police and that should be concerning.

Policing can only function with the consent of those policed, and so police forces require society's trust. When society no longer trusts the police, escalating conflict and violence are inevitable. Both my friend and I, exactly the demographic on whom the police should be able to rely, have had negative experiences and it is hard to believe we are alone in this. In a time of Black Lives Matter, and George Floyd inter alia, this is worrying.

In my case, one example was a completely bogus traffic stop. I was the third car in a group of five or six leaving an intersection when the traffic signal changed to green, and I was pulled over and ticketed for speeding. ($250 fine and three points which led to increased insurance premiums for three years.) If the officer was truly interested in speeding or safety, he should have pulled over the first car whom we were all following, or all the cars in the group. Instead, he picked one at random and inflated the speed by about 10mph. If you have ever been to traffic court, you will know you are guilty as charged as soon as your case is called.

A second example was also a moving violation. I was visiting a new city and came up on my intended street before I expected it. There were no other cars in sight, but I slowed down, signaled and then turned left. A concealed police car then appeared, the officer was aggressive and condescending, conducted a field sobriety test (perhaps my coffee and donuts had been Irish coffee and rum-butter filled?) and wrote me a ticket for turning from the right-hand lane.

When I was college, I visited New York and experienced "stop and frisk". No reason, just being that age on the street and again the officer was aggressive and condescending. On another occasion, I was at a bar when it was raided for underage drinkers and the officers were being clearly provocative, looking to incite arrestable responses. 

As a principal, I called the police on several occasions and each time, I felt they were impatient, uninterested, did not want to spend time of understanding or resolving the issues. In fact, the main reason I had for calling the police was to have the incident documented, per our attorney's advice, and not for police assistance.

My friend had had largely the same experiences, but he went one better. A few years ago, he and his wife were enjoying a quite anniversary dinner. Nearby, the local university basketball team had won the division title and the supporters were on the street singing, chanting, celebrating. There was no violence, no looting, no destruction, however the police decided to close down the festivities and several blocks before moving in, beating people and arresting hundreds. 

My friend and his wife, unaware of any of this, left the restaurant, walked into this crowd, and were attacked by the police. Both were detained and spent the night in jail, but were never arrested or charged and he was later treated in the ER for two blows to the head and concussion. Some years later, he along with many others received a large settlement from the city, but nothing happened to the police officers or commanders. In fact, he was able to prove the police had lied in their reports, but again, the city paid up and nothing happened to the officers or commanders.

We both support the concept of the police, the need for police and the value of the police. At the same time, we both doubt the police and if asked to judge, would likely come down on the side against the police. That should be of concern. If the police lose the middle-aged and middle-class, they lose legitimacy.

Further readin

Quota: Cops Must Write Tickets or Face Discipline