Accountability
By Albert B. Kelly
As we begin the second half of 2020, it is hard to believe
what we’ve been through just to get here- just to say we’ve made it this far.
As if a global pandemic and the corresponding economic meltdown weren’t enough,
we’re also dealing with long overdue questions of policing and racism. All
people of decency and goodwill recoiled at the video showing the last desperate
minutes of George Floyd’s life. It would take a particularly craven person to
excuse or justify what was done to him in the name of “policing”.
Similarly, no person of decency and goodwill can excuse or
condone the destruction and looting that has become an all too common feature alongside
of the peaceful protests in dozens of cities around the country; I certainly
don’t condone such behavior even as I wrestle with what MLK said- that a riot
is the language of the unheard.
But if it is right and fair to insist that we not condemn
and dismiss the vast majority of protesters because a small contingent of
criminal knuckleheads imbed into an otherwise peaceful protest in order to
break into stores and steal whatever they can haul through the wreckage, then
it’s also right and fair not to condemn the vast majority of police officers as
racist because a small percentage of knucklehead cops vent their bigotry behind
a badge and the authority of the state.
What happened to George Floyd on May 25th sparked
anger and outrage amongst all people of goodwill everywhere. In response,
President Obama challenged mayors, council members and police to do the
following: review police use of force policies, engage the community by
including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in the review
process; report the findings of the review to the community for feedback, and
revise police use of force policies accordingly.
But it starts with accountability. Police departments in New
Jersey are governed by a set of use-of-force guidelines from the State Attorney
General’s Office and all officers are trained in accordance with these
guidelines twice a year. What I didn’t know until I spoke with Bridgeton Police
Chief Mike Gaimari, is that police departments can be more restrictive than
then AG’s guidelines, though not less restrictive, and that is exactly what
Bridgeton is- more restrictive.
It wasn’t always this way, but in 2015 there was a
top-to-bottom review of Bridgeton’s practices against the AG’s guidelines and
this same process was completed again this year within the context of the
Attorney General’s “Excellence in Policing” program which had Chief Gaimari
serving with his counterparts from around the state on the committee
responsible for revisions. Not for nothing, but the Bridgeton PD was among 6
departments in NJ chosen to help ramp up new reporting systems that will be
required statewide beginning next month.
It is fair to ask what this translates into on the ground
where citizens and police officers encounter each other. The bottom line is
that every instance where force is used is scrutinized, regardless of how minor
a given incidence may be. That scrutiny starts with a series of questions: what
type of force, what level of force, was force justified, was the level of force
employed justified, were alternatives to force available, are there training
issues to be addressed, and are there disciplinary issues.
This review is made possible by body cameras and cameras in
police vehicles. In addition to vetting use-of-force, reviewers also consider
whether de-escalation techniques were properly used. Part of the revision
process includes an early warning system, which Bridgeton did ahead of state
requirements, in order to spot problem areas or officers to prevent larger problems
from occurring. Drilling down deeper, reviewers don’t just limit their reviews
to “use-of-force” incidents, they review camera footage of routine interactions
that have nothing to do with force to try and spot any potential problems or
people at the earliest point possible.
All of that is to say that accountability baked into the
cake at every turn, but it cuts both ways. It is one thing to say that
demographically the police force should be representative of the community it
serves and I think it should, but it’s another thing to find those willing to
take and pass the civil service exam and attend the academy. It’s easy to
march, protest, and chant slogans for change and hope somebody else does the
work- it’s a lot harder to actually become that change.