By Terrell Carter
Terrell Carter is the Executive Director of the North Newstead Association in St. Louis, MO. Prior to that, he served as a St. Louis City Police Officer for five years. He is the author of the forthcoming book Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions to the Racial Divide. You can learn more about the book at www.terrellcarter.net.
The Michael Brown shooting and subsequent decision to not indict Officer Wilson has reinvigorated much needed dialogue about how law enforcement interacts with citizens and how to improve police and community relationships.
As a former police officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, I offer the following suggestions that I believe will help both police officers and the communities they serve as we all try to find ways to live and work together for the greater good of all.
Being an officer is one of the most stressful jobs that anyone can have. Local police departments have the opportunity to help officers locate and take advantage of mental health resources in order for them to better cope with the stresses of the job. During my tenure on the department, the only time that mental and emotional health was discussed was during the academy. During my five years of patrolling streets and interacting with people, I wasn’t encouraged to talk to anyone about anything that I experienced while on patrol. Instead, the attitude was that I should get used to seeing bad things happen on a regular basis.
These departments can work to counteract the negative stigmas that are placed on officers who do eventually feel burned out by all that they experience on the streets. Officers are taught that they are not a person but an extension of the law. They have to be tough and strong at all times. This does not mean that they do not feel pain on the inside. This fact is born out through the high rates of divorce and suicide experienced by officers.
Second, police departments and academies can add or reinstitute cultural sensitivity training to their requirements for officers on the street and in training. I patrolled the streets with white officers who didn’t understand anything about black culture because they literally had no black friends or acquaintances other than their fellow officers. We could not be shocked when these policemen thought that all black people were animals because they only interacted with black people at their worst times. The same was true for black officers who didn’t have white friends.
Third, law enforcement agencies can begin the practice of rewarding officers for making a positive tangible difference in the lives of citizens. Currently, if an officer wants to be valued by his or her department, they have to make arrests for a variety of crimes and make sure that those arrested spend time in jail or prison. Officers have to chase after arrest statistics. Higher stats result in better treatment by commanding officers and increased possibility of promotion or transfer to a more desirable work assignment.
Consistently, Officer of the Year awards are given for drug busts and the successful execution of search warrants. It is rare for officers to be acknowledged, let alone rewarded, with promotion or transfers to choice specialized units for taking time to help a family that is poor find resources to help them improve their lives. They are not rewarded for being “Officer Friendly” who helps people and families work through personal issues and improve communication. Officers who want to be promoted and move up in rank and influence will gravitate to doing the things that get them noticed, which usually includes high profile arrests.
Fourth, political officials and department commanders should invite regular everyday people from the community to serve in community-based leadership positions within departments instead of political appointees who are being rewarded for supporting politicians during election seasons. When a person is appointed to a Citizen Review Board or Police Commission by a mayor or governor, citizens know that their best interests will not be served. The only interests that will be served are those of the person who has been nominated.
If implemented, I believe that these few suggestions can help law enforcement officials not only fulfill their duties to protect and serve but also build bridges of good will with the communities that they are tasked with protecting.
Articles in “From the Field” represent the opinions of the author only and do not represent the view of the Community Builders Network or Metro St. Louis or the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
