Protesters should direct their focus on changing the criminal justice laws.

August 5, 2023 at 3:08 pm | Posted in criminal justice, justice, justice system, law, law enforcement agencies, Police, police education & training, police force, police unions, protest, social justice system, The New York Times | 2 Comments
Tags: Blake Fleetwood, Citizen rights, District Attorney, media, Oklahoma City Police Department, U S Bureau of Labor

A small group of civic-minded protesters gathered in front of the Oklahoma County jail recently and registered their protest of the District Attorney for her part in not charging six police officers in the death of three citizens. The protesters believed the decision to not charge any of the officers showed a disregard for the law and the lives of the dead citizens. The protest will produce no action relative to the District Attorney nor will it bring about any changes to the criminal justice system. The reason for any lack of action or change is because the District Attorney did not make the law and has no authority to change it. If the protesters want changes, they must go to the people that make the laws, not the ones that enforce or use the laws.

The law that provides the law enforcers the right to use deadly force against a citizen is part of the problem because it does not establish any parameters from which to judge the actions of the police. The statement that refers to officers in fear for their lives for any circumstances is open to interpretation, as well as the potential harm to others being harmed. Since police officers involved in any alleged criminal action are reviewed and judged by members of the criminal justice community, they usually get the benefit of the doubt regarding their actions, with the law and their training serving as justification. The concept of the Blue Line holds a lot of influence.

Although the protesters have a legitimate concern regarding the rights of the citizens, they need to seek changes in the laws and their interpretation relative to the treatment of the citizens. After all, the law states that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. Unfortunately, because of the power and influence given to law enforcers, the rights of any citizen can be lost simply by a police officer stopping them. In addition, regarding the reason for the citizen being stopped, the officer can escalate the situation with no regard for the citizens’ fear for their lives based on the history of the treatment by some police videos relative to the citizens. The fact that videos show citizens running away from officers and being shot in the back or citizens showing empty hands and still being shot and killed can and probably does have an impact on the citizens’ behavior.

The desire to eliminate law enforcers is not a concern with respect to those wanting change in the criminal justice system, but the fact that members of law enforcement are treated as more valuable than any other citizen is apparent in the ways their deaths are handles by the media regardless of how the death occurred in the line of duty or not. In some instances, the tribute to the fallen officer goes on for weeks and outshines the death of some heads of state. The public realizes that officers put their lives on the line every day for the citizens, but more and more of their actions recorded on video indicate that they are more concerned with their own safety than that of the citizen. We certainly want the officers to be safe and avoid being in harm’s way, but being in harm’s way is part of the job they signed up to do. So, why glorify them for doing what they were hired to do?

The media treatment of the law enforcers in some communities shows them to be above the average citizen and viewed as a special group of select people treated with respect and honor far and above ordinary folk. The media often reminds the public of the anniversary of the death of some of the fallen officers to underscore the idea that their lives are more important than our because they were officers. We do not begrudge the recognition given officers, just the attempt to place them in a special category above the average individual. A 2017, article in the New York Times, by Blake Fleetwood noted that the police officers on the street can experience a life and death situation on a daily basis, but added that: “However, the misconception that police work is dangerous, propagated by the media and police unions, could become a self-fulfilling prophecy—especially if police believe that they are going into deadly battle when they head out on patrol.” He stated that “They are likely to be nervous and trigger-happy and might affect their decision-making in a stressful situation.”

Fleetwood continued to address the subject of the dangers of police work in the statement: “The fact is: being a policeman is not one of the most dangerous jobs you can have, according to statistic from the Bureau of Labor.” Some statistics showed that “In five years, 2008 to 2012, only one policeman was killed by a firearm in the line of duty in New York City. Police officers are many times more likely to commit suicide than be killed by a criminal.” Fleetwood, who taught Political Science at NYU, offered the advice that “If police want to protect themselves, a wise move might be to invest in psychiatric counseling rather than increased firepower.”

The protester questioning the criminal justice system question why citizens can be shot and killed by police when other reasonable approaches could have been taken. However, the law, apparently, does not hold the officers accountable for their actions if they feared for their lives or followed their training. For whatever reason, the idea of a law being inadequate, and training is not sufficient to meet the needs of the day seem to be absent from any consideration by law enforcement. Laws should reflect concern for the citizens’ lives and not leave the consequences of police action resulting in death to interpretations by members of the law enforcement establishment.

If the protesters want to see changes in the criminal justice system, they should get together with their lawmakers, other concerned representatives and citizens and work on making the changes they want to see.