
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Based on yet another wrongful killing of an apparently innocent black person by police, we are getting renewed calls for massive national reforms. ; There are calls to resurrect the George Floyd Act that passed the House following the death of the namesake – but never was picked up in the Senate. ; ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to the critics, policing is broken all across the nation – from the major police departments in large cities like Chicago and New York to the local sheriff’s offices in places like Lame Deer, Montana. ; ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The political left has promoted the narrative that the police are the bad guys. ; This has resulted in unprecedented unprovoked attacks on police – some deadly. ; It has also meant plunging morale that has led to a record number of retirements and a reduction in new recruits – hitting hardest on the most vulnerable crime-ridden communities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But is law enforcement really broken – and are reforms needed? ; Or are the abuses overstated? ; Or … would the reforms further hinder the police from doing their job to “serve and protect”? ; That is not an unreasonable question. ; Many of the restrictions and legal actions against police have diminished enthusiasm for effective enforcement. ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It has tipped the balance toward too little aggressive enforcement. ; And yes, if police are to do their job, they need to be aggressive – like running to a shooter instead of thinking about what to do. ; Aggressive action does not mean unnecessary brutality, however. ; It is a balance that every police officer faces in highly dangerous situations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To understand the issues of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols – and the need for reform – we have to view those cases from the big picture.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are more than 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers in America. ; They make more than 4.5 million arrests each year. ; On average, there are more than 1000 incidents in which a police officer kills a suspect using a gun. ; Individuals killed by police by means other than a gun are minimal – although subject to enormous public attention. ; We have seen that over and over.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is noteworthy that more than 75 percent of all police officers will never use their guns during their entire career.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of the roughly 1000 people killed by police each year, more than 550, on average, are white … roughly 300 are black … 225 are Hispanic … a little over 100 are of unknown ethnicity … and Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders are less than 30. ; ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Police critics know that the death rates for blacks and Hispanics run higher per capita than for whites. ; They point to that as racism. ; But not so fast.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are two facts that may explain the discrepancy other than only racism – the blame of choice among the left. ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The segregated minority communities in our Democrat-run cities represent the highest crime rates in the nation. ; That alone would lead to enhanced police presence, disproportionate arrests, and potentially more fatal incidents. ; Also, Hispanics are categorized by their last name and language. ; That means a lot of white people of Spanish background are included in the minority figures. (The left operates under the false theory that there are no Hispanic Caucasians … that the only white people are from Europe and Australia.)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite the actual statistics, the Democrat/Fourth Estate Combine focuses primarily on the deaths of blacks at the hands of police. ; It is impossible to believe that among the more than 550 whites killed by police, there are not at least a couple of questionable cases – especially since the Democrat/Fourth Estate Combine proffers an argument of pervasive police brutality.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What the statistics tell us is that the George Floyd and Tyre Nichols cases are tragic &#8212; but they are extremely rare. ; ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There can be no excuse for the inappropriate actions by the VERY few police officers who go rogue. ; And the good news is that, for the most part, the system of justice handles those matters. ; When an officer engages in criminal activity, the law responds. ; Verdicts in individual cases may not satisfy everyone, but the system works better than ever.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Does the entire profession of policing need to be reformed? ; Not really. ; The police reform movement is a red herring – nothing more than crying wolf for political reasons.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Currently, police procedures are very restrictive. ; The kinds of restraints suggested by proposed national legislation are mostly in place already. ; There are police regulations that outlaw choke holds unless it is a life-threatening situation. ; What happened to Floyd and Nichols was not due to a lack of proper procedures or training. ; Those cops violated them and the law. ; That is why they got arrested, indicted, and – in the case of Floyd – convicted. ; That suggests we already have laws necessary to address bad cops doing bad things – not a need for more federal power-grabbing legislation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Other provisions of proposed federal legislation may place a barrier to police safely enforcing the law. ; The “no knock” warrants are issued on a very small percentage of crimes – and only when forewarning targets can result in opportunities to flee, secure weapons or destroy evidence. Eliminating them could make life more difficult and dangerous for police – and our communities less safe.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Then there is the issue of offering police LIMITED liability. ; Insulating police for a barrage of lawsuits in our litigious society – motivated by political activists and lawyers – can only hamper police enforcement. That limit on liability does NOT prevent criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits – as we have seen in the Floyd and Nichols cases. ; It does prevent legal harassment and frivolous lawsuits.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Then there is all that talk about … more training.  ; The Floyd and Nichols cases were not the result of lack of training. ; The police involved were ignoring the training they received. ; That is on them – not on the police profession. ; There is nothing in the proposed national legislation that would have prevented what happened in Memphis and Minnesota – just as we have laws against bank robbery, but banks get robbed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If we look at the ENTIRE world of policing in America, I think we would have to conclude that, by-and-large it is working pretty damn well. In most of the cases, improper police conduct has become news fodder, it was a matter of individual police (out of that 800,000) acting badly – and they were subjected to justice.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rogue cops need to be ferreted out and brought to justice if need be. ; But we do a great disservice to police in general and harm to public safety if we smear the profession with the misdeeds of a VERY few.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having said all that, we have to be resolute in monitoring and maintaining civic pressure on our local police to make sure incidents of racism and violence are properly addressed. ; Most Americans appease the work police do in protecting the public – and according to polls, that is also true in minority communities. ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They are the last people who want to defund the police or banish them from the community. ; Nichols&#8217;s mother noted the distinctions when she said that most police are good. ; She knows because she has known them.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The left’s attack on policing is making their necessary job more difficult – and only the criminals will benefit. ; What those specific police did to Tyre Nichols does not represent police of policing in America.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

Are the Police in America Broken?
