I frequently write about law enforcement. I agree that most police officers and sheriffs are dedicated and believe in the oath they take when they finish their training. I also believe that having one ‘bad cop’ in any police department is one too many.

I was raised in Los Angeles, California. Until I was a junior in high school I believed that all members of the LAPD were excellent in the performance of their jobs. Then I became friends with young black men my own age.

I attended Catholic schools until the fall of 1962; I had led a sheltered life. My new friends told me stories which were almost unbelievable. They were harassed in their own communities, and treated more harshly when they walked or drove through predominately white areas. I was told stories of beatings, and even shootings; few of which ever made the evening news.

Nothing has changed with the exception of the fact that nearly everyone has a camera today, and the truth is more difficult to hide.

Law enforcement must adopt a ‘no tolerance’ policy.

A new report revealed that between 2011 and 2015, 319 officers in the New York Police Department should have been fired, but their supervisors refused to dismiss them. Their offenses involved lying, cheating, stealing, and assault. Instead of serving New York City’s residents, they were intentionally abusing them. A loophole called “dismisal probation” allowed them to remain on the force.

At least fifty employees lied on official reports, under oath, or during an internal affairs investigation. Thirty-eight were found guilty by a police tribunal of excessive force, getting into a fight, or firing their gun unnecessarily. Fifty-seven were guilty of driving under the influence. Seventy-one were guilty of ticket-fixing. One officer threatened a citizen’s life. Another sexually harassed and sexually assaulted a fellow officer.

Twelve worked in city schools. Two of those officers sexually harassed and sexually assaulted students. Another sold prescription drugs to an undercover officer.

All of these officers continue to be members of the NYPD.

For me, too much has changed. I no longer trust law enforcement. Maybe I read too much, and maybe things have changed in ways I don’t see. The truth is that the ‘boys in blue’ are nearly non-existent today. I watch videos where police arrive at the scene of a protest by Americans who are demanding change, in military vehicles carrying military firearms and wearing military uniforms. I fear that we are becoming a police state. Instead of expanding community relations, our law enforcement officers are creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust.

As for the 319 criminals in the NYPD who remain in uniform, this is unforgivable. In any normal job, these individuals would have been dismissed.

As I previously stated, relations will only deteriorate until all police departments adopt a zero tolerance program. Grown men do not change. Serious violations of the rules will be repeated.

Law enforcement must return to being a public service organization whose purpose is to ‘protect and serve’ our nation’s people.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

Photo courtesy of Nea Moose

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