Monday, August 18, 2014

Lessons from Ferguson

   Lessons from Ferguson, in the spirit of the old adage that those who refuse to heed history are likely to repeat it.
   One, Don't overmilitarize your response to public protest. Don't use rubber bullets and tear gas unless necessary. This lesson is getting lots of attention.
   Two, Body cams on officers deter police overreach, making police officers more accountable for what they do. Their use in Rialto, Calif, is getting attention in the wake of the Ferguson uprising. It is said that in the first year after Rialto's police placed cameras on their officers, to record incidents, the use of force by officers declined 60 percent and complaints against police fell 88 percent. If we are serious about reducing police abuse, the body cams should be on all officers.
   Three, Where there are guns, there is a chance they will be abused. Now, not everyone who picks up a gun will abuse its power, but sometimes it can be hard to tell who will. A person might be law-abiding gun-toter year in and year out, before using the weapon in a way he or she shouldn't. Finding a way to change this might be difficult, though, for it would seem we cannot fail to arm our peace officers.

No comments:

Post a Comment