Police Reform in the United States

Police reform in the United States is a much-debated issue that is known to evoke the sentiments of the masses. Many incidents regarding the excessive use of violence by the police in the United States have resulted in a restrained relationship between the citizens and the police force of the country. Incidents such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s killings by the police force witnessed a global-level protest against police brutality and led to legislators in 31 states proposing over 400 police reforms.

Some suggestions were made regarding police forces training in human interaction skills, while others suggested they should be completely defunded. Moreover, a section of people wanted to abolish traditional law enforcement.

Read below this comprehensive article to learn about Police Reform in the United States, including reforms at individual, state, and federal levels in depth.

Police Reform in the United States at the Individual Level

The police reform in the United States at the individual level emphasizes certain specific goals. Specific goals coming under the police reform in the United States system include lowering the criminal intent, limiting or saving immunity for law enforcement officers, training to handle sensitive matters, mediation training, and preventing conflicts.

It also deals with the laws related to the legal frameworks and provides power to the administration of the US Department of Justice for matters such as ‘pattern of practice’.

Engaging in Procedural Justice

The concept of procedural justice focuses on the way the police and other legal organizations interact with the public and how those communication methods shape the public’s views of the police. Additionally, it also evaluated the willingness of the people to obey the law and tested the crime rates of the authorities.

Procedural justice is based on four main principles:

• The first principle deals with treating people with dignity and respect. Providing the citizens with a voice or an opinion during the encounters and conveying their actual motives.
• Next, it provides the community with the required trust and confidence as an honest, unbiased, and lawful authority.
• The community should feel obligated to the authorities to follow the laws.
• The community should be comfortable sharing common interests with authorities and trusting the values of the police.

Multiple studies show that procedural justice can improve the perception of the police force among citizens. It has also been seen in this research that there is an association between “seen police legitimacy” and “citizens willingness” to follow the law.

Studies by various universities have noted that in places where police forces are respectful towards the people, the citizens obey the law and are respectful towards the police force. So, it has been proposed that improving public perception through “procedural “methods” could convince people to comply with the law, ease the tension between law enforcement and the people, and most importantly, improve the safety of the community they serve.

Expanding Officer Training

Police reform in the United States is a constant process aimed at reforming the law enforcement systems. One of the main reforms includes the adjustment of the law enforcement training systems.

There are more than 18,000 police agencies in the United States. But for the police officers, no national standards are present for the training, so the procedures and timescale can vary across the country.

According to research, it is found that United States police officers spend at least 21 weeks training before they are qualified to go on patrol. A survey of 300 law enforcement agencies showed that the majority of the recruitment training focused on firearm usage. A trainee police officer spends around 58 hours training with firearms, whereas only 10 hours of their entire training process are dedicated to communication skills, and not even 8 hours are dedicated to de-escalation training. A police recruitment training is 650 hours or a month long. And they spend less than half a day teaching these young officers communication skills.

Therefore, one of the proposals by the legislators is expanding or altering the officer’s training. It would now include a new syllabus that will teach the police officers important communication skills, de-escalation techniques, and implicit bias techniques.

De-Escalation Training

Unlike the traditional police training that focused on quick decision-making, de-escalation training focuses on verbal and nonverbal communication techniques that will reduce the threat and the possibility of either police officers or citizens getting injured.

The most common techniques taught to the officers for de-escalation are as follows:

• The officer should speak calmly and use the correct words while communicating with people.
• The body language of the officers should be calm, relaxed, and in control.
• They have to make a connection with people and be empathetic towards the situations they are going through.

Many researchers, along with officers, have come forward and suggested that there is no particular definition of de-escalation training. Engel et al. (2020) observed that the multiple definitions and limited research quality create a challenge in understanding the effectiveness of de-escalation.

The difference in de-escalation training between different police recruitment agencies can create an obstacle to understanding police behavior based on de-escalation training.

Implicit Bias Training

Black and Latino people, especially men, are disproportionately subjected to incidents of police brutality. Not just that, they are more likely imprisoned, stopped and trafficked, and treated with little to no respect by the police officers.

This kind of bias is called implicit bias, and “Implicit Bias Training” is designed to reduce these biases. Implicit bias training can help the general public through the following:

• It can recognize the mental shortcuts that can lead to good judgments.
• The bias can reduce the gaps in attitudes and behaviors.
• The training can also help in educating others about addressing the required bias.

Implicit bias training provides police officer trainees with an overview of what implicit bias is and where it originates from.

An evaluation of the New York City Police Department’s implicit bias training noted that officers who took the training had better awareness and understanding about their implicit bias. It also increased their understanding and knowledge of racial discrimination. Whitefield (2019) found out that police officers found the implicit training useful; they also acknowledged the limitations of the training’s study.

Police Reform in the United States at the Departmental Level

The reform at the departmental level is required to change the scenario of the public sector organization or the system to improve the quality and structure of the current legal systems.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances is a nodal agency of the government that is specifically designed for administrative reforms. The main aim of this reform policy is to improve both the effectiveness and accountability of police reform in the United States.

Altering Stop-and-Frisk Tactics

The stop-and-frisk tactic of the police involves identifying someone who has a suspicion of a crime, is committing a crime, or is involved in a conspiracy to commit a particular crime. The main aim of this tactic is to enforce the low level of misconduct among the people.

Some of the recommended reforms to stop and frisk tactics include the following:

• Better selection of police personnel
• External oversight
• Clear administrative policies
• Enhanced supervision
• Improved training of the officers

Stop and Frisk is mostly conducted on people of color, and it has caused an issue of “overpolicing” in communities of color. According to data from a survey that took place in New York between 2006 and 2013, it has been seen that only 14 people out of every 10,000 stops own a gun, and still, 1,200 out of 10,000 ended up with a fine, seizure, and arrest for owning illegal weapons.

In a survey conducted with 500 people who reside in highly patrolled areas, it was found that at least 74% were frisked at least once and about 64% were searched.

Implementing Body-Worn Cameras

The concept of body-worn cameras is useful for law enforcement agencies. It can help in documenting evidence, training the officers, resolving the complaint quickly, and improving the overall performance of the police department.

Some of the changes expected after the body-worn camera program include the following:

• Initiation of various research model policies
• Counting the periodic reviews of body-worn protocols
• It can also collect the statistical data for review.

One study found that about 47% of the law enforcement agencies use body-worn cameras, and about 86% of them have a fully comprehensive body-worn camera.

The effectiveness of body-worn cameras is still debatable. Over 70 studies have been conducted, and none of them agree on the effectiveness of body-worn cameras; some show positive effects, some show negative effects, and some show no effects at all.

Diversifying the Police Force

The police force in the United States is mostly composed of white men. Many researchers have stated that recruiting members of various races, genders, and sexual orientations is an important part of enforcing police reform in the United States.

Some of the benefits include:

• Better policing for the communities
• It can tackle the crime easily.
• There is a holistic environment for the minority residents.

By analyzing over 3 million patrol assignments in Chicago by Ba et al. (2021), it has been seen that black and Hispanic police officers, as well as female officers, use less force than white male police officers, especially against people of color.

But it is important that police departments create an inclusive organizational culture before hiring diverse people into the force.

Utilizing Co-Responder Teams

The police not only enforce the law, but they’re also in charge of responding to mental and physical health issues, homelessness, and substance misuse. And the police do not have appropriate training for such cases, which is why many have proposed a “co-responder model.” The co-responder team consists of emergency services, medics, crisis workers, etc.

The benefits of the co-response teams include the following:

• It can lead to de-escalation of the situation.
• It can reduce the need for hospitalization or emergency medical services.
• It can lead to better streamlining of the services.

Puntis et al. (2018) found out that a co-responder team not only reduces the chances of a person’s detention by the police but also helps citizens feel less distressed and criminalized. But researchers are still debating which model of co-responder team works best.

Investing in Police Deflection and Diversion

The reform suggests a reduction in police response to behavioral health issues. The Police Deflection and Diversion Program allows officers to refer individuals to treatment or services.

The reform is new and does not have any data that we can look at to analyze its effectiveness.

Creating Civilian Oversight Boards

Another police reform in the United States that is being suggested over and over again is the creation of “Civilian Oversight Boards.” The Board will be composed of members of the community who will analyze and conduct an external review of police actions.

These boards are classified into four categories, namely:

• In-House Review: Civilians are hired by the police force for the internal affairs unit.
• External Supervision: The civilians review the investigation by the department’s internal affairs unit.
• External Investigatory: Civilians directly investigate and interrogate the people involved in a complaint.
• Auditors: Auditors are civilians who are granted access to all police records for review.

Around 80% of 50 of the USA’s largest police departments have a Civilian Oversight Board. But the board is rarely seen in smaller police departments. In Illinois, the Chicago Police Department has a “Civilian Office of Police Accountability,” which is in charge of investigating patterns of misconduct among officers as well as recommending policies for the betterment of policing duties.

Police Reform in the United States at the State Level

The state-level police reform in the United States are designed to improve the quality of the laws followed to maintain law and order at the state level. They can be divided into two categories:

• Regulatory reforms
• Structural Reforms

Updating Use of Force Statutes and Conduct Standards

Every state has different guidance and rules regarding the use of force by police. While the majority of states have statutes regarding police use of force, many of them have not been updated or amended since the 1970s. And in states that do not have statutes, the judicial ruling allows for the use of violence.

The Supreme Court of the country has provided guidelines regarding the use of force:

• It depends on the severity of the crime.
• Whether the suspect is an immediate threat
• Whether the suspect was resisting the arrest.

According to Stoughton et al. (2020), 36 states have statutes for the use of deadly and non-deadly force, and 6 states have only one for deadly force. And in some states, statutes are interpreted by using the 4th Amendment, which can lead to confusion among officers.

Decertifying Police Officers

Every state requires the certification of police officers according to the standards and training commission. Many states allow for the decertification of police if caught in an act of misconduct, whereas some states allow decertification if the police officer is found guilty of a felony or serious misdemeanor.

Between the 1960s and 2010s, around 30,000 police officers were decertified, and more than 15,000 were from Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia.

The issue with decertification is that it has been seen that officers who are decertified are still hired in other jurisdictions. It has also been noted that these officers are more likely to commit misconduct again. Some states, such as New York, Florida, and California, have maintained a police officer registry that is updated annually and is available to the general public.

Police Reform in the United States at the Federal Level

The federal government reforms are reforms brought about by legislation at the federal level. Budget reforms, criminal justice reforms, and a lot more work on creating a harmonious, cooperative society.

Establishing Consent Decrees

A consent decree is a federal court order that suggests the police departments make changes in policies or procedures. It is enforced by using the court monitor that supervises all affected departments.

This is only used for departments that are unable to handle their cases of misconduct. Goh (202) analyzed over 962 police agencies between 2000 and 2016 and found that the consent decree itself is useless, but the surveillance of court monitors and investigations does decrease the number of killings. Goh also noted that these reforms change depending on the police department they are implemented in.

Alpert et al. (2017) also saw that once the consent decree came to an end, the police departments would lack accountability for their actions.

Demilitarizing the Police

Due to the Federal 1033 program, police forces in the US have access to military-grade weapons. Between 2006 and 2014, the US Department of Defense supplied military-grade weapons and equipment worth $1.5 billion to local police departments.

By 2014, 80% of counties in the United States had received military equipment. And the program to stop this supply of military equipment to the police is called “Demilitarization of the Police.”

Lowande (2020) noted that recalling weapons obtained through the 1033 program did not impact the officers safety; on the contrary, the police have been more brutal due to the military-grade weapons. The militarization seems to have a psychological impact on the officers, making them think lethal force is an acceptable response.

Defunding or Reallocating Police Funds

Defunding the police has been the most popular slogan during the “Black Lives Matter” protests. There are two camps in this debate:

• People who want to reallocate the police fund to other social service agencies
• People who want to completely defund the police.

According to inflation-adjusted data collected by The Urban Institute between 1977 and 2019, state and local governments have increased spending from $44 billion to $123 billion on the police budget, an increase of approximately 179%. The New York Council approved $1 billion for the NYPD in 2020 alone.

Camden, New Jersey, dismantled its entire police department, built it back up with a “community-focused approach,” and required the police officers to take a psychological evaluation before rejoining. But in 2021, news outlets report a huge jump in the city’s police budget.

While the effect defunding will have is yet to be seen, researchers suggest considering a few factors before defunding, such as reallocating the money to mental and physical in the United States

Police Misconduct Facts and Incidents in the United States

Here are some of the few cases where the US police witnessed misconduct and brutality.

• A 12-year-old boy named Tamir Rice was killed by a white policeman, Timothy Loehmann, in Cleveland, Ohio.
• A 43-year-old African-American man, Eric Garner, was choked to death by a white police officer who intentionally locked Garner in an illegal chokehold.
• According to a report, the US police kill more than 1,000 people each year.
• The US police are known to kill three times more in comparison to the Canadian police force.
• Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Brooklyn Center.

Conclusion – Police reform in the United States

While all these reforms are indeed needed, implementing them is not an easy job. Due to the varying size of departments and varying community characteristics, implementing these reforms will be a challenging task. The most important task at hand is repairing the relationship between the police and the citizens. If the police force fails to win the public over, none of these reforms will work. In the above article, we have discussed about the police reform in the United States implemented at different levels of the hierarchy in detail.

FAQs on Police Reform in the United States at Different Levels

1. What is police reform in the United States?

It is an ongoing process that focuses on reforming the law and order system in the United States of America.

2. Mention some of the police reform in the United States.

Some of the police reform in the United States are as follows:

• Hiring, training, and promotions
• Defund the police.
• Federal reform efforts
• Research reports

3. What is a major problem that the US is facing today in terms of law and order?

The United States of America is facing recruitment and retention of police officers as one of the biggest challenges these days. Due to this, proper law and order cannot be maintained in the states, and there is an urgent need for law reforms and developmental policies in the interest of public safety.