What People Want From Police Departments

[brooklynite]

Governing:

Tensions between police and the citizens they serve continue to concern Americans, as illustrated in the latest incident resulting in riots in Baltimore Monday.

Perceptions of police loom as a key consideration as agencies look to strengthen ties with communities and, in many areas, consider body-worn cameras and other new technology. A recent survey by Accenture, a management consulting and technology firm, attempted to answer questions assessing citizens’ expectations for police and how agencies can improve.

The vast majority of the 2,000 adults surveyed indicated they felt safe in their communities, but 76 percent still reported room for improvement. The survey, conducted in late 2014, was limited to 14 of the nation’s larger metro areas; the results are not representative of the country as a whole.

Accenture asked respondents to identify steps police could take to be more effective. While no response received a majority of votes, results suggest community policing efforts enjoy particularly strong support. Lower scores for technology-related improvements may have resulted from citizens’ unfamiliarity of how tools work and their potential benefits, according to the report.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I want police to be more like doctors. 'First, do no harm' should be a police mantra as well.

If you can't do your job without killing and injuring people when you shouldn't be, then maybe you're not well-suited for your job.

I likewise believe they should be able to be sued personally when they exceed the scope of their duties and responsibilities. You break into the wrong house as a policeman, that's like operating on the wrong patient, and opens you up to personal malpractice. Ditto killing people for any crime for which there is no death penalty.

Should there be criminal penalties as well? Absolutely. But there should NOT be protection from civil lawsuits when you do something you shouldn't actually be doing in the course of your actual duties.

[Fumesucker]

2. That's a pretty sad list

I see the #1 as being more "see something, say something" than anything to do with limiting police power.

#2 goes right along with #1, more cops and more arrests are the answer.

#3 ditto, more surveillance, more arrests.

#4 double ditto

#5 triple

And so on...

Nothing about curtailing police violence or protecting civil liberties.

[Cleita]

3. "To protect and serve" works for me. They need to follow their own motto.

They are civil servants and working class, doing a dangerous job to be sure, but they aren't an army of occupation and need that fact drilled into them.