National Police Week will be officially celebrated May 9-15, 2021. In our newspaper, we use the term “protective services” to designate people, articles and events that involve professionals whose primary mission is to defend, guard and shelter the general population from harm. This includes, among others, police services, fire departments, first responders and health professionals. Police constitute a major part of that societal segment.
As a highly visible civil department often associated with negative aspects of society, this group has the unenviable task of spending inordinate amounts of time dealing with the worst moments in many people’s lives and interacting with unpleasant and dangerous situations. The effect on even the best of these men and women can be overwhelming, disturbing and psychologically devastating. This is evidenced by constant current reporting of deviant behavior by some who either should never have been put in a position of trust and responsibility or have been crushed by the pressure and obligation of law enforcement. A complicating factor is the inherent danger of confronting volatile, extreme and unsafe scenarios at a moment’s notice, sometimes resulting in serious injury and fatality.
The result is public uproar and an examination of the role of police in contemporary society. Police are not immune from many of the same negative societal views as the community at large: prejudice and poor behavior. Proposed solutions to systemic issues vary including extremes of dissolution on one end of a spectrum to staunch defense and militarization on the other. A confusing, often antithetical, set of directives from the public have clouded arguments amid emotional tirades, obscuring the primary need and mission of a police force.
In the early years of the United States, Americans mimicked England’s system of watchmen, often privately paid enforcers. Frontier regions developed a vigilante system, separate from formal justice. The first organized public police force was established in New York City in 1844. Quickly followed by other major cities, the police were modeled on a quasi-military command to deter crime and disorder. Initially police were closely tied personally and politically to their communities and patrolled without uniforms. As departments grew in sophistication, budget and size, they became more bureaucratic and less community centric.
Over decades, the shining star of a policeman as an accessible, helpful, kind and courteous public official has been tarnished by reaction to an increasingly violent segment of citizenry, mostly living in congested conditions. Sometimes a militaristic and authoritarian reply is authorized, appearing to be the necessary for a fast and effective response. This, however, is a short-term solution that may neutralize an immediate threat, but not solve an environmental, long-term issue that spawns repeated similar incidents. The question arises of the core mission for police and alternatives for a myriad of psychological, social and unrelated departmental responsibilities. In Fremont, one glaring aberration is police administration of the animal shelter. Why?
Currently our local police are facing the challenges of a fast-paced, mobile society that has access to a plethora of information – true or false – that can quickly change the tenor of their immediate environment. During this time, it is important for those of us outside the “blue wall” to give respect to those who deserve it without the prejudice and blanket assumptions of guilt that often accompany horrific actions and circumstances. Accountability and justice within the police ranks should be the end goal of both community and police department. Institutional issues need to be addressed through open and honest dialogue. However, with all of the current problems, it is still appropriate to observe National Police Week, envisioned by President John F. Kennedy in his 1962 proclamation to honor law enforcement officers, especially those who lost their lives in the line of duty.