Police Reform In America

Police Reform in America Citizens all around the nation envisage our police to protect and serve, to stand up for the innocent and do the right thing without the excessive use of force. The goal for police officers is to de-escalate situations and to bring justice among us. Police in America have had a serious problem with allegations of police brutality and racial profiling throughout American history. However, when it comes to the subject matter of police reform, many are in agreement that our country is long overdue for it, but exactly how can we, as a nation, go about changing one of the most unbending structures in America? Police brutality has been an issue for a long time in America, and to iron out this issue police should be required

It has no quick fixes. No one single solution will solve the problem. Instead, it must be tackled from dozens of different angles, but as part of one comprehensive plan. There are many of examples, past and present, that show there is a deep flaw in the way the criminal justice system exists and operates. There comes a point where the justice system is going to need to rebuild itself and reform for the better or greater good of America. Instead of accepting any one person into the police academy with a high school diploma, requiring our officers to obtain a four year college degree in criminal justice could help tarnish the poor decision making these officers make when in a high stress environment. Some of the most known cases of police brutality in America, like the violence suffered by Rodney King, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Dillon Mcgee could have all been dealt with in a better way if our cops were better educated. “Studies have proven that requiring police officers to earn a four-year degree in fact, would radically improve virtually every metric essential to good policing” (Shaun King). This quote is indeed backing the idea of cops obtaining a four year degree with studies proving the fact. “...Benefits of cops obtaining a four year degree could include: Better skilled with independent decision-making and problem solving, Improved adaptability, Fewer on the job injuries and

Police academy is pretty much the nerve center for every cop, that’s when each individual is molded to fit the slogan “To Serve and To Protect”. Each cop is suppose to learn to use force as the last option, to approach each situation with a mature mentality, to de escalate any out of control circumstances. “Are you familiar with the work of William J. Lewinski? Unless you are a cop, that name probably doesn’t ring a bell… he is the father, architect and chief defender of the modern police brutality epidemic… he has trained tens of thousands of police officers to shoot first and ask questions later” (Shaun King). Records show that Lewinski has been called to testify on behalf of police officers who have used lethal force. His answers were robotic and predictable. Maybe police reform in America starts with stage 1, training, it needs to be done the right way. We need to be able to give these “soon to be” officers the proper changing them while molding them to protect and serve. That should start with Lewinski, he needs to be removed from any form of training officers. Officers need to be trained to use force as the last means of engagement. American police officers must move in this direction. The training they receive is violent and unethical. One step in the right direction would be to guarantee that every officer in America has at least three other