Police Reform Efforts: Gone But Not Forgotten
Let’s face it folks, for now the police have won; not the war on crime, nor for a compensation system reflecting the realities of their profession, or even creation of a mission statement freeing them from janitorial duties in the mess that is the lack of an answer for resolving homelessness.
The “victory” for law enforcement defeat or watering down of measures designed to establish accountability and civilian control over what has become a militarized force.
The dominant narrative in this arena has shifted from focusing on injustices primarily impacting minorities to protecting police from “defunding.” The victimizers have become the victims, a sure sign that the status quo has prevailed. In practical terms, this neuters reform as an issue in the electoral arena for the coming year.
Like all significant shifts in history, it’s the little things that tell the story. Here are few of them.
A San Diego Police Officer is no longer with the force after being suspended for mocking a roadside memorial for 25-year-old Leonardo Hurtado Ibarra. Former officer Jonathan Lucas was no snarkmeister; he was one of the officers who shot and killed a wanted robbery suspect who appeared to be reaching for a weapon.
I wish I could say this sort of thing was an outlier, but the SDPD’s institutional history says otherwise. The sharing of laughing and crying emojis over the image tells a story of just how entitled too many in law enforcement feel. After promises of a transparent investigation by Chief of Police David Nisleit more than a year ago, the department won’t go beyond saying the offending officer “is no longer with us.”
Former officer Lucas could easily be patrolling the street in just about any California city, even as Governor Gavin Newsom considers signing virtually toothless legislation creating a path for decertifying law enforcement officers for serious misconduct.
Although the Golden State is one of just four states without some sort of process for weeding out unworthy officers, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins barely got this legislation over the finish line. The oversight mechanism made up of mostly political appointees from law enforcement would need a supermajority assent to take action. Attempts for input from families of victims were mostly waved off.
In Los Angeles, lack of civilian control has led to an atmosphere in which criminal gangs exist within the County Sheriff’s Department. Eighteen such groups (some of which no longer exist) have been identified.Their conduct is so blatant that the County of LA keeps a list of cop/gang lawsuits. Litigation related to these cases has cost taxpayers just over $100 million over the past 30 years.
A Rand Corporation report released on Sept. 10 found that hundreds of LASO deputies — about 16% of the 1,608 rank-and-file employees and supervisors responding to a voluntary survey — admitted to having been invited to join one of several cliques within the department.
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva responded to the report by attacking the media, never a good sign.
The LAPD (different agency, same racism) are investigating a Valentine's Day message passed around with a photo of George Floyd with the words “You take my breath away.”
You remember George Floyd, right? A bipartisan police reform bill prompted by his death collapsed yesterday. Although the House passed legislation in March banning chokeholds, limiting qualified immunity for law enforcement creating national standards for policing, discussions in the Senate were brought to a standstill as proposed compromises were rejected by Republicans.
Republican Senator Tim Scott, after months of promising to keep the rhetoric to a minimum, responded to the end of negotiations by bringing out a couple of the GOP’s tired tropes:
“Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table,” Scott said in a statement.
Democrats rejected a deal “because they could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement,” said Scott, using a catchphrase of progressives from which most Democrats in Congress have disassociated themselves. “Once again, the Left let their misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation.”
Via the Guardian:
{Democratic congresswoman Karen] Bass said the negotiations with Scott had negatively affected the police reform bill to the point that the legislation would not have made a meaningful impact.
“We accepted significant compromises, knowing that they would be a tough sell to our community, but still believing that we would be moving the needle forward on this issue,” Bass said in a formal statement.
“But every time, more was demanded to the point that there would be no progress made in the bill that we were left discussing.”
Despite public pressure at every level, law enforcement groups and their Republican surrogates have been unrelenting in their efforts to quash and/or co opt reforms.
If proposals, like shifting some responsibilities to mental health professionals, seem to have lots of public support, the “defund the police/bad guys are coming to rape yor mama” card gets played.
On more complicated matters, like how much protection officers need from lawsuits arising from their actions, the response has been to grind down proposals and draw out negotiations.
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Law enforcement has some natural barriers making it resistant to change. These shouldn’t been seen as excuses; they are facts on the ground.
Lots of jurisdictions; few nationally accepted standards
A codependent relationship with the rest of the judicial system to the point where it is in the vested interest of prosecutors and court officials to protect officers.
A historical connection to racism; now even the facts of that history are being challenged under the banner of attacking Critical Race Theory.
A deepening acceptance of authoritarianism as a means to combat change.
The dismantling of a social safety net in the US has meant police are the first option when it comes to dealing with mental illness.
The festishization of guns. Compare our crime statistics to other countries, and get back to me with your excuses why this isn’t the case. I’ll be waiting.
One big problem in creating reforms is the lack of understanding of law enforcement as an institution. It’s not the [insert name of city] police department, the prosecutors, the prison operators, and politicians who enable them are all connected. It’s important to keep this perspective in mind.
The State legislature may craft some excellent reforms, the governor may sign them; but if the police and prosecutors agree to look the other way, then the problem isn’t solved.
Consider this: San Diego County’s Jail system has the same (or more depending on the count) number of deaths this year as the infamous Rikers Island in New York.
https://twitter.com/objkshn/status/1440141905921077251?s=20
We have an election for County Sheriff (who oversees the jails) and County District Attorney next year. I’d be willing to bet that a change made at the ballot box might be worthwhile.
Stay tuned.
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