Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 408 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: DECEMBER 2016 by Charles Ramsey I ’m no stranger to police officers in riot gear. I came up in the Chicago Police Department in the late 1960s. In my early career, you had your helmet in your trunk all the time. I was chief of police in Washington, D.C. for nine years, where we had World Bank and International Monetary Fund protests, and I was the police com- missioner in Philadelphia for eight years, during Occupy Wall Street and other large events. I was a police chief in ma- jor cities for 17 years before I retired and this is the most challenging period I have ever witnessed. People are angry and a lot of that anger is directed toward the police, even though a lot of what causes that frustration and anger does not lie solely at the feet of the police. The events I saw unfold- ing in Charlotte are a clear example of that. The protests began after the fatal shooting of a man named Keith Scott. In my view the facts surrounding the shooting didn’t indicate that we were going to have the kind of response that is taking place. But unfounded information spread quickly, and it inflamed anger. Protesters who legitimate- ly have grievances and want to express concern about police use of force grabbed hold of a narrative — that Mr. Scott was holding a book, not a gun, when he was shot – despite the fact that there was no proof of this. The death of Mr. Scott came a day after the police department in Tulsa, Okla., released video of a police shooting there in which a man named Terence Crutch- er was killed. If you just look at those two cases and ask which one would probably result in civil unrest, most people would say Tulsa. In both cases, a black man lost his life after being shot by a police officer. In Tulsa, the officer was a white woman who was charged with manslaughter. Before it was released to the public, video of the in- cident was shared with Mr. Crutcher’s family. The department was very transpar- ent in discussing the events. We used to have a little more time to take a deep breath. We don’t anymore. Every- thing is instanta- neous and any hesitation on the part of authorities can erode trust. Charlotte police did re- lease video of the shooting of Mr. Scott, but the delay had already done damage. We need to focus on de- veloping a national standard for how information such as police videos is released and how prosecutors, politicians and law enforcement can work together in a consistent and fair way. No one can be seen to be hiding informa- tion or to try to cover up unflattering truth. We also have to face the fact that while many of us encounter violence in our communities, it occurs dis- proportionately in poorer communities which unfor- tunately happen often to be minority communities. How do we keep people safe? How do we ensure that laws are enforced clearly and impartially? I helped lead President Obama’s task force on 21st- century policing and have dedicated my career to thinking about these ques- tions. One answer I keep re- turning to is a greater com- mitment to partnering with community groups. The police must not be seen by residents as quasi- military occupiers, but rath- er as allies and partners. This will require signifi- cant efforts by police depart- ments around the country to develop training that goes far beyond learning the criminal code, filling out an incident report or firing a gun. It’s not an abstract notion. I have seen it in action in various educational pro- grams like the ones offered by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Wash- ington, that help officers better understand their role in a democracy and the dire consequences a so- ciety faces when the police fail to live up to their role as guardians of freedom. As police com- missioner in Phila- delphia, I sent re- cruits fresh from the police academy into the most chal- lenging neighbor- hoods on foot patrol for six months to a year. They learned how to talk to people, something you’re never going to get driving down the street at 40 miles per hour in a police cruiser. I wanted the young offi- cers and the neighborhood folks to actually see and hear one another. There are no easy answers to the toughest questions “We need to do better,” is a slogan. What we actually need is better training, policies and education. Charles Ramsey, above has been police chief in Washington D.C. as well as Philadelphia. Everything is instantaneous, and any hesitation on the part of authorities can erode trust. Charlotte police did release video of the shooting of Mr. Scott, though the delay had already done damage. Continued on page 31