American law enforcement is under assault. While seemingly every action taken by law enforcement of late is under intense public and media scrutiny, presumptions have taken precedence over objective analysis and broad conclusions have replaced reasonable assumptions.
These presumptions undermine the public’s faith in law enforcement and the ability of law enforcement to effectively maintain safe and secure communities.
Given what is at stake, it is especially disconcerting to see the willingness of some elected officials to tacitly support presumptions of police misconduct absent the existence of indisputable supporting evidence.
The ongoing case in Baltimore offers an example. The in-custody death of Freddie Gray led to days of protests and riots that resulted in untold destruction. Despite the many questions that still remain concerning exactly what transpired between Baltimore police officers and Gray, public and private declarations have all but condemned the officers involved.
While trying to remain balanced in his remarks concerning the Baltimore riots, President Obama condemned the rioters but also spoke of a “slow-rolling crisis” loosely centered on police interactions with young African-Americans. He additionally stated that law enforcement officials must admit that “there are some police who aren’t doing the right thing.”
Obama is certainly correct in stating that law enforcement officials and organizations representing police interests should acknowledge that some officers have, and will, engage in misconduct. And when legitimate misconduct, or outright criminal behavior, on the part of a law enforcement officer comes to light it should be the entire law enforcement community that leads the condemnation.
But to solicit that concession within the context of remarks centered on the incident in Baltimore, Obama was tacitly, albeit probably unintentionally, condemning the actions of the Baltimore police department even before a decision to charge the involved officers was made.
“A handful of recent incidents, fewer than a dozen, have wrongfully come to define the hundreds of millions of interactions cops have every year,” said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton.
Fortunately, some of law enforcement’s most vocal critics have perhaps come to see the imprudence of their hasty criticisms.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a longtime and outspoken critic of law enforcement, drew the ire of New York’s finest last year after referring to an attack by protestors on two police officers as being “alleged.” The attack on the officers was caught on tape.
Those comments came amid his effusive praise for the protests against law enforcement as having been “peaceful.”
That incident, coupled with many others, led countless officers to turn their backs on the mayor during the funeral of two of their fallen brothers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
But more recently, in the wake of yet another slain New York police officer, de Blasio offered much more complimentary remarks toward the New York Police Department.
De Blasio referred to Officer Brian Moore, shot and killed last week, as “the best of New York City,” and as a young man whose “bravery was matched by his compassion.”
The change in tone from de Blasio elicited the praise of Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.
“We are gratified by Mayor de Blasio’s strong support for his police officers in these troubled times,” said Lynch.
Also speaking at Moore’s funeral, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton sought to add context to the ongoing debate over criticisms of law enforcement.
“What is lost in the shouting and the rhetoric is the context of what we do. A handful of recent incidents, fewer than a dozen, have wrongfully come to define the hundreds of millions of interactions cops have every year,” Bratton stated.
The heated rhetoric and presumptions of guilt and misconduct against law enforcement officers nationwide has strained the vitally important relationship between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. It also emboldens those seeking to defy the rule of law and who welcome any opportunity to challenge law enforcement.
The relationship between law enforcement and the public, predicated upon trust and mutual respect, undergirds our collective efforts at maintaining stable and lawful communities.
Community leaders, elected officials and the unexpressed voice of an observant public must recognize that all stakeholders within a community are affected by that relationship.
Better communication, empathy and an understanding of shared responsibility will go a long way toward preventing the rush to judgment and condemnation that so often results in destructive consequences.
No less than the safety and security of our communities depends upon it.