A murder in Minneapolis

OPINION

In the last several weeks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, have died by the hands of law enforcement. These examples of police brutality to primarily African Americans have brought together a multi-racial coalition of concerned citizens demanding justice and reform within the ranks of law enforcement professionals. I support these protests. I do not support the violence or destruction of property which are becoming all too prevalent. As a Viet Nam veteran, I fought to protect the freedom to protest. I too participated in protests. But NOT the destruction of property.

The increased availability of cell phones has allowed citizens to record the actions of police officers who overstep the legal constraints that protect citizens’ constitutional rights when confronted by the police.

While most law enforcement officers adhere to the rules and procedures established by their departments, there are some who slip through the cracks and abuse their powers. One of the reasons that these law enforcement officers can avoid being held accountable for their abusive behaviors is the fact that they are protected by fellow officers who adhere to a code of silence.

As a student at the University of Minnesota in 1970, I was allowed unfettered access to the Internal Affairs Department of the Minneapolis Police Department to study the police brutality complaints against department police officers. The study was for the Criminal Justice Department of the U of M. After analyzing over 650 specific complaints, a significant finding was that over 30% of the complaints were against two officers in a police force of over 2200 police officers.

The study appears to confirm the bad apple theory. I did not, at that time, understand the deep-seeded code of silence conduct or the ramifications of this conduct.

It is imperative that police officers begin to understand that their systemic bias toward black citizens, or any citizen of color or low socio-economic status is contributing to the discourse of this country. True reform on policing procedures requires better and more comprehensive screening of police applicants, better training practices and improved accountability of police department leadership and government officials who have the ultimate authority over law enforcement.

Racism, economic prejudice, and selective enforcement within this nation’s law enforcement community can no longer be tolerated.

Justice for all is not a hollow principle.