Police culture and racism, leadership or individual bad apples?
Violence and racism, how do we change police culture?
From the book by Victor Frankel, Man’s Search for Meaning,
“From all this, we may learn that there are two races of men in this world, but only these —the “race” of the decent man and the “race” of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate all groups of society.”
I found this a powerful statement by Victor Frankel, especially in light of the worldwide protests on the tragic murder of Mr. George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
George Floyd and many other black Americans and Canadians have experienced racism by police. A reality, a fact not to be argued!
Imagine being continually stopped by the police just because of the colour of your skin. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a fancy suit or driving an expensive car, you are targeted and stopped because of the colour of your skin. Imagine how scary this is for people knowing the police are not always there to protect them?
To create change
We have to acknowledge the problem of racism and police brutality. Again I will add that not all police officers fall into this category however the very existence of this violence, the silence of bystanders, the lack of accountability to the general public, yes we have a problem. Speaking with a person from a Trauma-informed approach gives both the investigator and the suspect or victim an opportunity for better understanding. Had I had this training before or at anytime during my 20 years, my approach to situations would have been much different. We can learn and re-learn better skills in communication and understanding.
Many questions are being asked about police training, police culture, abuse of force, racism, how to change it, to dismantle or to retrain and need for body cameras. These are all legitimate concerns for all police agencies.
The police culture is one of protecting our own, and anyone who does not ‘fit’ into that
mindset, any officer who does not conform to the go along to get along, to cover up for their partners is considered ‘the other’ ( this can be anyone). Targeted for bullying. From 20 years of working in the police force it is the BULLYING UMBRELLA and under this umbrella is racism, misogyny, targeting ‘the other’, exclusion, homophobia, conflicts. Together these create systemic problems in the RCMP, other police agencies, government agencies and our society.
Each workplace has its own culture and if leadership allows anyone of these umbrella issues to take root then the workplace and message are clear, go ahead. It is leadership. A dangerous slippery slope for officers influenced by senior ranking police and co-workers with the intense pressure to follow in the police culture. The intense pressure to feel like you belong, to be part of the group.
We may not think we are racist for example, but to allow others to target another group and use violence or abuse we are, by silence, we become part of the problem. To cross those moral, ethical, and legal lines can happen when people do not speak up and like any violence, it can escalate. Escalate in what is accepted and expected from other officers when dealing with a targeted population. When we dehumanize anyone consider ‘the other’ that opens the door for abuse and violence.
To speak up about bullying and specifically racism, to be willing to report your boss your friends in uniform, takes tremendous courage. Mostly due to the swift retribution, career-ending, and covert bullying they are going to experience.
We must remember that there are good officers who want to the right thing but are in a dysfunctional system.
Police policies and procedures used in the past are not working. As a retired RCMP officer, my observation is much of the abuse has to do with lack of training, police culture, bullying within the police agency, poor communication and conflict resolution skills, fear of ruined careers and character of the person wearing a uniform and carrying the gun.
Personal accountability and consequences for their behaviour is the beginning.
We have seen the reports and videos from victims of the RCMP and other policing agencies and no one can deny there is a problem and if it keeps happening then it is systemic? It is the system of policing which needs to be changed to value all citizens of all economical and geographical locations. Everyone who joins a police agency brings with them their own life experiences, map of reality/life lens and unconscious biases.
Everyone will have their own opinion however based on my experience yes there is a problem. It is the BULLYING UMBRELLA. Can it be changed? Yes but first we have to acknowledge it. Denying it will not make it go away and too many police agencies have officers who cross the line in the level of violence based on racism, poverty and geography (inner city and reserves)
RCMP dashcam video shows aggressive tackling of suspects. It is important to watch the entire video to understand the context. Based on my experience the first officer did everything right in trying to calm the suspect, keep the other passengers in the truck, maintain public safety. We have to remember and be mindful that these situations can escalate quickly. The suspect/driver exited the truck, took off his jacket and took a fighter’s stance. This is not the best suggestion if you are stopped by the police. The second officer arrived and according to the video jumped on the suspect then punched him.
Be curious about the story behind the story because we all have our own ‘story’. We do not know the historical experiences the suspect may have with the police. We do not know the story behind each of these people we see in the video. The use of force is in the Canadian Criminal Code and police operation arresting procedures. Once a suspect is down, no longer poses a threat to him/herself, no longer a danger to the public interest and is restrained, then there is no need for further force.
Is the RCMP a racist organization? Once again it is the BULLYING UMBRELLA, there are pockets of overtly racist officers in different places, detachments and the root cause is leadership. Yet the systemic problem is BULLYING anyone considered ‘the other’ based on race plays a huge part in the allowed violence. From early on in my career a senior officer who was Aboriginal was brutal and cruel to other Aboriginal people. Racism against your people perpetuates the violence and divide of ‘the other.’
Improving hiring practices, leaders who have the ‘right stuff’ in leadership qualities, willingness to listen, collaborate with others, take complaints seriously and support each officer equally. Creating a workplace culture where speaking up is encouraged and safe. We can learn and re-learn better skills in communication and understanding. Taking these new skills and using them in my day to day life has created tremendous compassion and improved relationships. Taking the ‘I’ out of a conversation and listening. WOW!
The big question is do we defund, disband and dismantle the police, RCMP or do we take these lessons, help heal the wounds of victims, use creative collaboration, blend the police agencies with other agencies such as social workers, mental health workers, cultural awareness training, to reconstruct the police agencies to serve and protect? Make it uncomfortable for officers who want to continue working with policing under the BULLYING UMBRELLA.
Today is the day to take those steps forward with creative and collaborative ideas on changing the culture deeply embedded in policing. Be honest with ourselves and see if our map of reality has been contributing to the problem of racism? We are all in this together.
