Racial disparity
in the criminal justice system has become a major area of concern all over the United States.This article in particular details the systemic racism that is occurring in the Chicago Police Department today. Unlike
most stories relating to this subject, this article
talks about how the surrounding community acknowledges that this is a serious problem
and citizens have taken to the streets to protest the unfairness that is happening in their community.
A report was issued after an investigation of the Chicago Police Department, which included several recommendations which would help institute positive change. One recommendations was a call to change the clauses within police unions to put an end to the ‘code of silence’ that is occurring in many different departments today. This includes lying in police reports and anonymous citizens’ complaints which specifically target minorities (Davey &
Smith, 2016) .
The article concludes by posing the question of what can be done to eradicate
racism in the Chicago Police Department. In order to institute change, institutions with power must be the ones to step forward and break the cycle of discrimination in the criminal justice system.
A report was issued after an investigation of the Chicago Police Department, which included several recommendations which would help institute positive change. One recommendations was a call to change the clauses within police unions to put an end to the ‘code of silence’ that is occurring in many different departments today. This includes lying in police reports and anonymous citizens’ complaints
Davey, M., & Smith, M. (2016, April 13). Chicago Police Dept. Plagued by Systemic
Racism, Task Force Finds. The New
York Times. Retrieved from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/us/chicago-police-dept-plagued-by-systemic-racism-task-force-finds.html?emc=edit_na_20160413&nlid=68725809&ref=cta
Through my previous research I have found that there are several important components to ending racism in police departments. The first of these has been talked about a lot by the media. The first option is to make body cameras mandatory. This may hold police more accountable for their actions on the job because all their actions and encounters will be on camera. However, this option is not enough because we have found that video evidence is not enough to prevent police officers from killing unarmed black people, and is certainly not enough to even indict an officer. This was demonstrated most publicly in the Eric Garner case.
ReplyDeleteThe next option is to spend more money on police training. Police Departments are often massively underfunded, and cannot afford to correctly train police officers. Most training funding is spent on how to handle violent situations. This results in many non-violent interactions turning violent. Training police on how to deescalate situations would be a very effective way to curb police violence. Finally, better data collection systems about interactions between police and civilians could reveal trends in officers and departments allowing us to focus on areas and officers in need of retraining or other options.
I have written several articles about police misconduct. My take on this is that we need a reconsideration of what we consider "normal" policing. We need to re-examine use of force at every level. We need to reconsider systems of accountability. We need to champion good policing and call out the violators of this. A recent article in the NYTimes showcased how faulty video footage from the vantage point of video cameras can be. This is a good cautionary note to those who think body cameras are a magic bullet.
ReplyDeletePolice violence is partly an issue of social control. As a native Chicagoan who also went to grad school in Chicago the use of violence against racial minorities helps to "keep them in their place".
ReplyDelete