Wow! Have you thought about writing a book? Your credibility as a long-time and home-grown Baltimore police officer, combined with your cogent analyses, recommendations, and excellent writing style should make for a compelling and marketable book. I do think that some of the other commenters here have some positive and critical feedback that you can use to develop your content - and I truly hope that you do. I'll be looking for your book, Mr. Russell!
Great article. Thank you for writing. I do believe their are many layers to this problem however and addressing only one facet will not improve the situation. The decline of the community in general must also play a large role. Has the village fallen apart at the same rate as the increase in single mother families in disadvantaged communities? Is there a general moral decay as the concepts of personal responsibility have been replaced with a culture of victimhood?
The relentless narratives that began years ago and have reached a crescendo result in divisions between groups throughout our society. Once each side digs in, the divide widens. No question narratives are at play that create this atmosphere between police and citizens. Certainly as you pointed out, there is some truth in the narrative but the correct approach is not to vilify each side. That will only make things worse and we will all loose.
Yes transformation leaders are required for our country and our communities. Hopefully one day that happens. We certainly haven’t seen it on the national level for decades.
Thanks for this, Melvin. I wonder if you'd entertain a question:
I grew up in Baltimore in the '70s and '80s and so the issue of rising crime in the city is quite personal to me. As you allude to in the article, Martin O'Malley brought in Ed Norris from New York after clashing with his first police chief; Norris was well known for his aggressive tactics (and eventually brought down by an unrelated scandal, if I remember correctly). In hindsight it appears this decision was ill-fated, but O'Malley at the time was dealing with a city that had one of the highest crime and murder rates in the country, all against the backdrop of falling crime rates in cities nationwide.
So I wonder if you have any insight as to why Baltimore (and D.C. for that matter) was in this position in the first place, of somehow being immune to the improvements in crime rates across America at the time? This is a sincere question; I'm not attempting to lead toward a particular answer or conclusion. (I don't have better insight than anyone else on this matter.)
First, I completely agree about zero-tolerance. Logically, what zero-tolerance means is "we're not going to allow ourselves to think about these decisions." Occasional results that no thinking person would want are thus almost guaranteed.
Regarding data-driven policing and its pernicious effects, I'm not in a position to say. You have the use of technology on your list of necessities, but I don't know how you see that in detail. I'm not convinced that when the technologies you mentioned come in the door community-policing must go out the window.
Nor am I convinced about the need for "transformational" leaders. I put more stock in policies, training, moral grounding and team spirit than in especially gifted leadership (although one can argue that cookie-cutter leaders won't execute the proper policies, training, etc.). An educational philosopher of my acquaintance is wont to say "A curriculum needs to be designed for the average teacher to teach the average student," because mostly that's what we'll have.
All in all, your description of The Village is appealing and I take your word for it that its decline is the biggest factor in our policing problems, I just suspect that restoring it and maintaining it will be complex projects.
I sincerely hope that the insightful and transformative leaders you speak of will increasingly find their way into positions of influence, where they can foster systemic change and mentor new generations of police officers. Meanwhile, each of us – police officers, parents, teachers, school administrators, faith leaders, community workers, neighborhood shopkeepers, friends, and concerned members of the human community – must do our part to confront the problems facing our society with compassion, love, and courage. This includes lovingly and honestly confronting the ills we observe at all levels and supporting positive change, through our concrete everyday actions, conversations, voting, financial contributions and more. Thank you for your tremendous contribution, Melvin Russel, as long-time police officer and innovative leader in law enforcement and community building – still active, years after retirement.
Your message reminds me of the message of Cheri Maples, a late former police officer and spiritual teacher. She, too, emphasized the power of mutual compassion, love, and strong community relationships in policing and criminal justice. In case there is interest in a shared philosophy and goals that stem from a different tradition, here are two inspiring pieces:
Wow! Have you thought about writing a book? Your credibility as a long-time and home-grown Baltimore police officer, combined with your cogent analyses, recommendations, and excellent writing style should make for a compelling and marketable book. I do think that some of the other commenters here have some positive and critical feedback that you can use to develop your content - and I truly hope that you do. I'll be looking for your book, Mr. Russell!
Great article. Thank you for writing. I do believe their are many layers to this problem however and addressing only one facet will not improve the situation. The decline of the community in general must also play a large role. Has the village fallen apart at the same rate as the increase in single mother families in disadvantaged communities? Is there a general moral decay as the concepts of personal responsibility have been replaced with a culture of victimhood?
The relentless narratives that began years ago and have reached a crescendo result in divisions between groups throughout our society. Once each side digs in, the divide widens. No question narratives are at play that create this atmosphere between police and citizens. Certainly as you pointed out, there is some truth in the narrative but the correct approach is not to vilify each side. That will only make things worse and we will all loose.
Yes transformation leaders are required for our country and our communities. Hopefully one day that happens. We certainly haven’t seen it on the national level for decades.
Thanks for this, Melvin. I wonder if you'd entertain a question:
I grew up in Baltimore in the '70s and '80s and so the issue of rising crime in the city is quite personal to me. As you allude to in the article, Martin O'Malley brought in Ed Norris from New York after clashing with his first police chief; Norris was well known for his aggressive tactics (and eventually brought down by an unrelated scandal, if I remember correctly). In hindsight it appears this decision was ill-fated, but O'Malley at the time was dealing with a city that had one of the highest crime and murder rates in the country, all against the backdrop of falling crime rates in cities nationwide.
So I wonder if you have any insight as to why Baltimore (and D.C. for that matter) was in this position in the first place, of somehow being immune to the improvements in crime rates across America at the time? This is a sincere question; I'm not attempting to lead toward a particular answer or conclusion. (I don't have better insight than anyone else on this matter.)
First, I completely agree about zero-tolerance. Logically, what zero-tolerance means is "we're not going to allow ourselves to think about these decisions." Occasional results that no thinking person would want are thus almost guaranteed.
Regarding data-driven policing and its pernicious effects, I'm not in a position to say. You have the use of technology on your list of necessities, but I don't know how you see that in detail. I'm not convinced that when the technologies you mentioned come in the door community-policing must go out the window.
Nor am I convinced about the need for "transformational" leaders. I put more stock in policies, training, moral grounding and team spirit than in especially gifted leadership (although one can argue that cookie-cutter leaders won't execute the proper policies, training, etc.). An educational philosopher of my acquaintance is wont to say "A curriculum needs to be designed for the average teacher to teach the average student," because mostly that's what we'll have.
All in all, your description of The Village is appealing and I take your word for it that its decline is the biggest factor in our policing problems, I just suspect that restoring it and maintaining it will be complex projects.
A moving and inspiring post. Thank you, Melvin Russel. Reading this article inspired me to watch your TEDx talk from 2015, which I find timely and helpful still today. https://www.ted.com/talks/melvin_russell_i_love_being_a_police_officer_but_we_need_reform
I sincerely hope that the insightful and transformative leaders you speak of will increasingly find their way into positions of influence, where they can foster systemic change and mentor new generations of police officers. Meanwhile, each of us – police officers, parents, teachers, school administrators, faith leaders, community workers, neighborhood shopkeepers, friends, and concerned members of the human community – must do our part to confront the problems facing our society with compassion, love, and courage. This includes lovingly and honestly confronting the ills we observe at all levels and supporting positive change, through our concrete everyday actions, conversations, voting, financial contributions and more. Thank you for your tremendous contribution, Melvin Russel, as long-time police officer and innovative leader in law enforcement and community building – still active, years after retirement.
Your message reminds me of the message of Cheri Maples, a late former police officer and spiritual teacher. She, too, emphasized the power of mutual compassion, love, and strong community relationships in policing and criminal justice. In case there is interest in a shared philosophy and goals that stem from a different tradition, here are two inspiring pieces:
https://improvingpolice.blog/2018/06/07/missing-cheri/
Mindfulness and the Police Dharma Talk: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ4jrd9IIh0