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Police Reform

By TChris, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Wed May 03, 2006 at 04:46:19 PM EST
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by TChris

The latest entry in the American Constitution Society's series of white papers is Police Reform: A Job Half Done (pdf) by Richard Jerome, a former Deputy Associate Attorney General who now provides legal and consulting services that include police and civil rights issues. The paper examines the need for police reform (shining a spotlight on racial profiling), explores the federal response to police misconduct, and questions whether the Justice Department's enforcement efforts have weakened in recent years. It concludes with an overview of policies that law enforcement agencies should implement to help officers comply with professional standards.

Readers who have followed TalkLeft's coverage of the Taser controversy might be interested in this snippet from the paper:

While Tasers may substitute for other types of force, it appears that at least in the first year or so that Tasers are distributed to patrol officers, the total number of force incidents often goes up, suggesting that Tasers can become the "option of first resort" in encounters. Tasers certainly should not be used in situations that could have been resolved using means other than force. If providing officers with Tasers results in decreasing their use of communication skills to resolve incidents, the community will be ill-served.

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    Police Reform | 1 comment (1 topical)
    Re: Police Reform (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Wed May 03, 2006 at 09:00:59 PM EST
    They are treating the suspected criminal like an animal. Animals are often abused at slaughterhouses with stun guns by lazy mean a$$ed workers, some of whom are poorly trained. They find it easier to shock an animal to get it to move rather than think about resolving the behavior problem. With humans, contempt adds an extra zing to the mix.

    Police Reform | 1 comment (1 topical)