Police reform is just the start

The nature of a police officer’s job involves risk. But too often when one feels threatened, he or she shoots first and asks questions later. This has resulted in numerous unwarranted deaths, particularly for Black people and other minorities. In addition, more than half of the deaths resulting from police violence went unreported between 1980 and 2018, according to a report in The Lancet.

Police stop and attack the dignity of minorities at a disproportionate rate. They often enforce laws that would never be enforced in white neighborhoods. The problem doesn’t just involve a few “bad apples,” either. It is institutional and systemic, and is ingrained in the law enforcement culture.

Officers are shielded from accountability by department policies and a biased court system. Prosecutors rarely charge even the worst cops. In the past, especially, officers have been given nearly blanket immunity by the courts. This is tantamount to being given a license to kill. This power must be closely restrained and police must be held accountable when they misuse it.

In 2018 and 2019 in Las Vegas, more than 4,500 misconduct complaints were received by Metro’s Internal Affairs Bureau. Less than 10% reportedly received disciplinary action.

Billions of dollars have been funneled into the “War on Crime,” the “War on Drugs” and our prison system rather than dealing with the underlying causes. Reforms are needed in police policies and our biased court system, but we must also clearly define how tax dollars should be used to address these issues.

Darryl Cornelius, Las Vegas