Cops urged to step in when colleagues step out of line

They carry a heavy burden. But, tethered to sworn oaths, familial bonds, and even fear, some officers within police forces across the world opt for secrecy and inaction when members of their squads openly act outside of policy. God forbid those acts end with the death of a civilian. By that time, it is usually too late.

Two law-enforcement experts from the US believe this is perhaps the biggest issue arising from the monumental May 20, 2020 killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which sparked widespread unrest and protests across the country.

The experts are Dr Shon Barnes, chief of the Seattle Police Department in Washington, a nationally recognised leader in crime reduction and community-police relations; and attorney Marcia K. Thompson, assistant professor of criminal justice at Aurora University in Illinois. Both were featured guests of the inaugural Honourable Oliver F. Clarke Memorial Lecture, held last week.

This year’s lecture was on ‘Civilian Oversight and Law Enforcement’, and was put on by the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA), whose mandate has been to improve policing through effective oversight for a safer Jamaica.

Held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, the function was attended by several police officers and divisional commanders, some of whom offered their own thoughts on the positions advanced by the speakers from overseas.

“It was a good lecture. Some of the points are applicable. But we have to also understand and appreciate the uniqueness of our situation in Jamaica. Jamaica is quite different from almost anywhere else in the world,” offered one senior divisional commander, whose officers battle some of the toughest gangs and organised criminals in St Catherine which, from January 1 to March 22 this year recorded 30 murders – 12 in St Catherine North and 18 in St Catherine South – and 10 and 18 shootings, respectively.

According to Barnes, Floyd’s death underscored that police forces cannot solve cultural and economic issues and that knee-jerk reactions that target the police, residents, and communities, whenever there are controversial issues surrounding police operations, are not the way to go. Most importantly, the act of police personnel standing aside and doing nothing while their colleagues do wrong is most abominable.

“We are learning now that empowering police officers to step in when others are going down the wrong path is the way to go. That is the key. If there is a panacea, it is that. Most police officers are not alone on some of these calls when they are chasing people in the middle of the night... . Most hostile calls require two people,” offered Barnes, one of two senior sleuths called in to review Floyd’s death and the actions of the police.

“So who is going to say ‘This is not appropriate, we need to stop it’? So, we [in the US] are training officers for that now and implementing policies called ‘Duties to Intervene’,” explained Barnes, noting that such training goes to the psychology of why policemen and women opt not to say anything. Among the challenges, he said, are that police personnel do not intervene when they are in a rush or when no one else is intervening. Cops, he continued, also don’t intervene when there is an authority figure among them and that person does not intervene.

Otarah Byfield-Nugent, CEO of the PCOA, explained that such intervention by police in Jamaica will be particularly difficult due to the local “squaddie” mentality. She is, however, confident the JCF, and particularly its leadership, has been making serious strides in bolstering such acts of professionalism.

“First of all we see the JCF having and enforcing that mandate right across the board, and the commissioner in his weekly instructions to his officers, reinforces the importance of being professional, the importance of standing up for integrity, and being accountable and responsible. I think that is the beginning. We are starting to create that story of where we want to be,” she offered.

“It will take its time, of course, but I think that as the JCF seeks to transform and show people some level of legitimacy and credibility it will help to shape that narrative of where we want to go. A big part of that transformation starts at the leadership,” she posited.

Thompson, in her presentation, reflected on the ‘Culture of Trauma” as one of her points, noting some citizens’ apprehension and sometimes fear of interacting with the police due to past experiences. Such interactions, local experts have cited, are at the root of a broken trust between citizens of communities in West Kingston, for example, where there have been security operations to apprehend wanted individuals who have been identified as criminals but who residents revere as heroes in their space.

It is often lost on common citizens, however, the psychological trauma members of the police forces bear, having been labelled outcasts by those they swore to serve and protect. Nonetheless, policemen and women must serve and protect; not abuse citizens, and if that is done within the confines of the law and sworn oaths, officers have nothing to fear.

“If we stick within the boundaries of what the laws are and they do their jobs right they should feel comfortable. When cases get kicked out because of what officers have done outside of those boundaries, those are the things we need to focus on. So we have to encourage officers to make sure their part in what they have to do is done phenomenally.”

As a result, the experts said that while there was resentment toward body cameras being worn, even by some residents of communities overseas, they have seen over time where body cameras worn by cops have come in handy not only in court, but also with regard to promoting positive interactions with the public, and also for policy interventions internally.

The lecture was also a partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), The RJRGLEANER Communications Group and the Ministry of National Security.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com