Police in this country have been chronically defunded and the quality in policing in this country has dwindled to a mistrust amongst the people. Police need to have the opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of the people. Two policies could very easily provide what we need to allow good police to shine bright, while removing the corruption at the hilt. Police behaving like gangs is at the core of policing, often times supported at the core by a chief of police who allows this to happen.
Just last week, there was a video of a chief of police attempting to trick a citizen in to reporting to internal affaires and filing a complaint, rather than allowing the citizen to file charges against the officers. This has to end, that is corruption down to the very core.
1.) Internal affaires needs to be federalized and made in to a separate entity from the departments they oversee. We do not trust the people to police themselves, therefore we should not allow police to police themselves. In history when self-policing strategies are implemented, it generally is a breeding ground for corruption. This will be the tool that removes corruption down to the hilt within local policing.
2.) Police themselves need a reform program. Fellow officers are often utilized by dirty cops as their “witness against” something. Covering for and lying for each other is a behavior that is common in street gangs, and needs to be weeded out of policing by policy. A federal incentive should be put in place to reward an officer who witnesses, tries and helps convict a fellow officer who has committed a crime. Something like half the officers yearly salary should be up for grabs if the officer busts another cops. Cops should not feel relaxed around each other. Fellow officers should be looking over each others shoulder, making sure you dot every I and cross every T. An officer should think twice about their actions, as their peers will be incentivized to try against criminal cops in court.