Thoughts from the Middle

Police Reform: Defund or Fund?

By

Robert J. Fischer

While I have hesitated to get involved in the discussion of police reform, after many discussions with former colleagues, I believe that we should all ask governments if, when considering the problems, they have looked carefully at previous government studies and projects.  Most of my morning coffee colleagues are experienced criminal justice practitioners with backgrounds such as police officers, training instructors, and research consultant for various law enforcement agencies.

We are in agreement that most of the crime issues faced today are not new, but rather have been issues that have always been problematic.  Controlling crime requires understanding of issues such as police training, law enforcement/minority relations, and social welfare issues as they pertain to police officers’ jobs.  It is likely that many have never read Challenge of Crime in a Free Society, 1967.  This research was a blueprint for addressing many of these problems.  In addition, the federal Police Corps program (in the late 1990s) is another program that deserves a second chance.  This program was aimed at standardizing and improving police training, and is still an excellent model for today.  The program allows for increased education and training with broad criteria, while still allowing the states to retain training oversight.  It allows for the intended local police department as envisioned by our founding fathers, who did not want a federal police force.

While various efforts have been made to reform police training, most have fallen short.  The cost of education and training is predominately placed upon cities, counties, and the states.  Many of these entities are unwilling or unable to pay the price for enhanced training.  Furthermore, it has always been an enigma that a hair dresser is generally required to complete more hours of training than a police officer who must have the ability to make life or death decisions.  While each state sets the number of hours required for both professions, the range for hair dressers is 1,000 – 1,500 hours, whereas the range for police officers is only 480 to 960 hours!  Another fact is that hair dressers are required to pay for their own training.  And while some state allow for individuals to attend police academies at their own expense, this is an exception.  Thus, funding for police training is a major obstacle.

The problems associated with policing have not changed substantially over the past 50 years.  If there has been a significant change, it involves the number (and types) of firearms that now exist.  Fifty years ago, a police officer might encounter an occasional armed criminal.  Today, the encounter is likely to involve a sophisticated firearm.  This change has made policing much more dangerous.  Thus, the need for more training is critical to providing safe and citizen oriented police services.  The officer must not only know how to deal with dangerous persons, but must balance this need with the ability to handle community problems, and citizens with emotional problems and stress, on top of mundane tasks such as traffic enforcement.  This need for training across a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills has become more obvious over the past few decades.  And in the last few years, George Floyd and others have often been victims of improper or poor training.

Given the push back that often comes from county and city governing boards, increasing the number of hours of training is likely a “no starter” given the present models.  The cost is simply too high for many communities.  Officer salaries, benefits, tuition, boarding, and other expenses make it difficult for communities to increase budgets for additional hours.

The federal Police Corps project, as it was developed in Illinois, presented a solution to the cost problem. In addition, it addressed many of the issues cited in the Challenge of Crime in a Free Society –preparing an officer with communication skills, an understanding of social issues, and training needed for crime intervention and arrest.  The program was designed around a four year college degree which incorporated an academy experience.  The total cost of the program was paid by the student.  The successful graduate was able to enter a police career at no cost to the hiring agency.  Graduates were sought by many Illinois police agencies.    Unfortunately, no legislation was introduced to change the Illinois police training act and with the sunset of federal funding the program was eventually abandoned.

Conclusion

There is a way to train police officers that is cost effective and focused on the issues that police officers routinely face.  Couple the Illinois pre-service training concept with gun control legislation and many of the problems associated with crime in America could be significantly reduced!