Lessons from ‘The Wire;’ six needed police reforms
These past weeks, our nation has convulsed in reaction to the killing of George Floyd, a national tragedy that underscores what Americans of color have experienced for generations: the callous disregard for our lives at the hands of those expected to protect and serve us.
It’s incumbent upon us all to channel our heartache into tangible action. Making a lasting difference calls for transforming the relationships between law enforcement and communities of color, and implementing neighborhood policing strategies that shift police culture.
As a native Brooklynite, I yearn to see such changes implemented in my hometown, New York City. For years, I have worked with Brooklyn-based nonprofit NYC Together, which engages youth and officers to reimagine solutions to community problems, lessening the need for traditional law enforcement interventions.
I learned that an effective neighborhood policing model engages members of diverse communities in substantive collaboration — as opposed to just hosting superficial events like basketball games and turkey giveaways that merely serve as window dressing — to combat the systemic conditions that inflame tensions.
If the NYPD, the nation’s largest police department, can prove itself capable of reform, it could serve as a model for other departments nationwide. That is why I am calling upon Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea to demonstrate leadership by enacting the following steps immediately:
1. Overhaul CompStat, the NYPD’s crime tracking mechanism. CompStat drives police culture. Top-ranking executives measure the competency of commanders by looking at crime incidents in seven- and 28-day periods, and “evaluate” their leadership abilities based on their performance. This forces commanders to think week-to-week instead of creating long-term strategies that address core public safety issues. Consequently, high-ranking police brass fail to invest in community-oriented solutions, and rely heavily on punitive measures that adversely impact communities of color. Additionally, CompStat propels and safeguards bad practices like stopand-frisk, and police quota culture.
2. Eliminate plainclothes units. They tend to operate in a manner that escalates tension and further diminishes fair and legitimate policing. As detailed in The Intercept, plainclothes officers comprise 6% of the whole department but 31% of fatal NYPD shootings.
3. Create an independent body to investigate “use of force” incidents at the time they occur. Currently, executives lead “use of force” investigations within their own commands. Therefore, such procedures cannot be fair and impartial. Following unsubstantiated use of force, an independent body must conduct an investigation with complete transparency and accountability, and implement appropriate punishment without hesitation.
4. Reimagine the duties of civilians within the department tasked with community-building. The NYPD suffers from a lack of innovative thinking, partly because too many civilians within the department only maintain community relations with people who naturally gravitate to it. The NYPD needs to recognize the value in those they don’t conventionally see as partners, like the formerly incarcerated community, and others who can uniquely contribute to a public safety agenda.
5. Implement ongoing trauma-centered training, education and activities for officers, executives and the communities they serve. Police and communities are hurting right now, and have been for a long time. Black police officers carry an extra burden, and we should support them while providing resources to help their non-black peers understand these unique challenges and how they can offer support.
6. Make racial justice a core component of NYPD training and education. It is crucial for all officers to have historical context as a foundation for their decision-making, especially when they are in communities that differ from their own.
The world is in agony and pleading for change. We must heal the horrific relationship between communities of color and our local police to secure our safety. That could start with the NYPD reevaluating their out-of-date practices and profoundly shifting their culture.
Michael K. Williams, an actor and activist, appeared on “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire.”