Tangled Up in Blue : An excellent (and under-appreciated) look at Policing in America

[DocWatts]

Thought I might recommend a book I read recently about policing in America, from a Law Professor and Journalist, Rosa Brooks, who became a Reserve Police Officer in one of the poorest districts of Washington DC, and later wrote about her experience.

The book makes an excellent complimentary read to books like The New Jim Crow, as it does an excellent job of reconciling the systemic problems of the US Justice System with a Humanized look at the stressful and difficult job of Policing.

Haven't seen Rosa Brooks or her work brought up much in discussions around the topic, which is unfortunate because she offers a very balanced and fair look at the issue that's backed up by direct, real world experience of the realities of the job.

 

 

[DocWatts]

Some takeaways from the book;

• Policing is a seemingly impossible job, where men and women are tasked with a long list of difficult and often contradictory tasks; they're simultaneously expected to be warriors, disciplinarians, social workers, mentors, and medics.
• Police training heavily over-emphasizes how dangerous the profession is, and how likely any scenario is to turn deadly in an instant.
• While Policing is a dangerous profession, statistically a Police Officer is about as likely to be killed or injured on the job as a Utility Maintenance Technicians or Constriction Workers. Pizza delivery drivers are statistically more likely be inured or killed by another person while on the job than Police Officers.
• The primary danger for Police Officers in the authors experience are Mental Health problems such as PTSD and Depression from seeing terrible things and repeated stressful interactions with people in bad circumstances
• Police Training emphasizes that Officers have a right to go home safe at the end of the day, but does not emphasize that members of the Public should expect the same.
• The vast majority of a Police Officer's time is spent handling minor infractions or misdemeanors, rather than responding to violent crime
• In the vast majority of cases arresting someone does nothing at all to help anyone, generally only making things more difficult for desperate people with already difficult lives
• Some of the poorest cities in the country spend up to %40 of thier budget on thier Police Departments; often exceeding the amount that is spent on schools.
• Most of the men and women that the author served with took thier role as public servants seriously, but were indignant at considering how thier profession contributes to problems of systemic racism (ie it's not my fault that the people commiting crimes around here happen be black)
• A visible Police presence is something that is actively wanted and approved of by many Residents living in rough areas, who are more frightened of gangs than they are of the police
• Systemic Racism has become so baked in to the assumptions and biases behind Policing that it's often Invisible, and due to sociological factors outside of the Justice System. And not something that will be solved by just diversifying Police Departments.
• For many of the black officers that the author worked with, a rational she came across was that 'the safest place for a young black man to be in America is behind a badge'

Edited June 7, 2021 by DocWatts