Open Letter to Our Nation’s Police Leaders - from former Madison, WI Chief of Police David Couper
Retired from the force, Chief Couper is now serving his community as an Episcopal priest ...
http://improvingpolice.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/open-letter-to-our-nations-police-chiefs/
But let’s look at one more thing (and this comes out of the ’
69 President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice and the
Kerner Commission Report a few years later): police departments in a multi-cultural society must reflect the communities they serve. And let me add: It is wrong to have a police force 90% white in a community that is predominately of color. Period. No exceptions.
...
A number of years ago while teaching a police leadership course in a large midwest city, an old grizzled sergeant came up to me during a break, and in response to my comments about the necessity of diversity in policing said, “I know what you’re saying. I am a night shift sergeant and all night long my officers and I go to disturbance calls primarily in the black community. We are all white. We can’t keep doing this. It’s wrong and it’s dangerous — for them and for me and my men. Things have to change.”
We need a “stand down” in policing today. It’s been well over a decade since 9/11 — the day fear took over America and its police and increased militarization was our response.
It’s time to get back to basics and those basics are what we once called community-oriented policing. Let’s dust off those important values and get back to building trust and building it together with those whom we are privilege to serve and to lead.
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