“I’ve listened to colleagues say things like, ‘I’m white so I can’t know exactly what it’s like,’ and then dismiss the issue because they thought someone followed them in a department store once or had their bags searched at an airport. I’m a little disturbed at what I see as a lack of understanding about the seriousness of racial profiling and the tremendous impact it has on the various targeted groups. To suggest that, because you’ve been followed through a department store or had your luggage examined by airport security once, is remotely equivalent to being racially profiled is absurd. It minimizes the seriousness of the activity and its associated consequences. And, of course, if you’re white, you can’t know what it’s like. But, I’d submit that it doesn’t matter if you or I have an understanding of what it’s like. What we need to understand is that it isn’t right. For any of us to diminish the significance of racial profiling because we can recount a story about having had our bags searched at an airport does a disservice to the people who experience the degradation of profiling on a daily basis.
“Everyone in this city is aware of the fact that police and minority relations are not good. That relationship has been strained for far too long. Each side blames the other. Officers suggest the poor relationship results from people of color not understanding policing in the same way as non-minorities.” The room groaned in disbelief. Chief Dylan continued despite the noise. “Various members of the community, however, point out that minorities seem to be targeted for increased police scrutiny. Having been in police work for more than 20 years, I can safely say the latter is probably the more correct position.
“I’ll always be open and honest with you. I’ll never cover for an inappropriate police action or an officer who violates the principles by which we operate. I’ll look closely at the practice of racial profiling and minority targeting within the city and give special attention to reviewing police activities in areas of the city dominated by minorities.
“Racial profiling is a despicable practice at best and it violates the rights of the citizens who are subjected to it. Simply put, it’s nothing less than discrimination. When police officers use race as a rationale to stop a person, we have a serious problem. Race should never be substituted for reasonable suspicion. It’s altogether unreasonable to believe that because a person belongs to a particular ethnic group that he or she is likely to be engaged in criminal activity. It’s unreasonable and completely unacceptable to subject people of color to disparate treatments and indignities because of race. I can assure you I’ll not tolerate such activities by anyone working for this agency.”
A woman from the other side of the auditorium yelled, “That’s not going to make you very popular with your cops!”
The audience began to murmur again, and it was obvious that the general consensus was that she was right. Chief Dylan responded by saying, “First of all, they’re not just my cops; they’re yours, too. Secondly, there are some exceptionally fine people working in the department. There are also some who require additional training and education, and others who require termination.”
Someone else called out, “I know that’s right!”
“I believe, however, that the good officers will support the fair and just adjudication of grievances against others involved in misconduct. I also believe they’ll work to prove they’re worthy of representing the citizens of this community. We’ll all work to build a strong, responsive, compassionate police organization you can be proud of.”
There was another enthusiastic round of applause. When the ovation died down, someone called out another question.
“Chief, you said in your remarks that we had to assume responsibility for policing in the community. Isn’t that what we pay you for?”
I couldn’t see who asked the question, but apparently Dylan did. He started to smile, moved a little to his left, and said, “A young woman rushed into my office one morning. She was extremely angry, frustrated, and on the verge of tears. Standing directly in front of me, she poked the top of my desk with her index finger and exclaimed, ‘My bicycle was stolen and where were you?’ I leaned back in my chair and thought for a moment. Then I said, ‘Your bicycle was stolen… where were you?’ The people in the room thought that was funny.
Chief Dylan continued. “This woman held the expectation that the police should take care of her property so, when her bicycle came up missing, she blamed us. We have to stop looking for someone to blame and begin looking for solutions. There’s no reasonable expectation that any number of police officers can prevent all incidents of crime, let alone protect a particular unidentified bicycle.” Light laughter and chuckling broke out in the room again. Dylan went on to say, “Each of us must assume responsibility for taking care of ourselves and our property. After all, who should be more responsible for you than you?
“Earlier, I told you that President Ronald Reagan had been shot while he was surrounded by people who had no other purpose in life except to protect him. So, what makes you believe that the number of officers we have in this city can protect every visitor or resident from every incident or circumstance of crime? We cannot use the police as surrogates for dealing with our social disorder issues. It takes all of us, working together, with each of us accepting responsibility for the state of our community.
“The young lady and I talked about how her bicycle was stolen. She’d done everything wrong if she wanted to keep her bicycle from being taken. We all have a responsibility to protect ourselves and our property, and that’s policing.”
By this time I couldn’t contain myself. I raised my hand and a man with a microphone trotted over.
“Chief Dylan,” I said, “I don’t understand the criminal justice system. It seems that more and more people are going to jail. Some are going to jail for offenses that appear to warrant a different treatment. How are we to make any sense of this?”
The chief glanced around the room before he allowed his eyes to settle on me. “We’ve let passion overrule reason,” he responded. “If we, or someone we care about, get injured as a result of someone else committing a crime, we become preoccupied with how we’ll acquire that proverbial pound of flesh. In so doing, we forget that the issues that induced or allowed the offender to commit the act in the first place still exist and will likely contribute to another offense unless or until the circumstances have either been eliminated or substantially mitigated. Approximately 70 percent of the people currently in prison have been there before and will likely return after they get out.
“I should point out that the vast majority of people now incarcerated are being held for non-violent offenses. The system should be concerned with protecting society from violent offenders, not warehousing social miscreants who pose no real danger to others or who could benefit from rehabilitation in a less restrictive environment. Our resources would be better used to help these individuals become useful, productive members of society and by requiring them to make restitution to those they’ve harmed.
“There’s a misconception that rehabilitation doesn’t work. That simply isn’t true. It is true that certain rehabilitative efforts have failed. Unfortunately, there were some early attempts at rehabilitation that were in large part nothing more than feel-good programs for the people who designed them. Some approximated mere shams and offered nothing of value to the inmate or to society. We simply must recognize that long-term incarceration for non-violent offenders within the current system is out of sync with the reintegration of offenders into the mainstream of society. If you’re confused, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. So are a lot of us.”
The moderator stepped in and told us that the next question would be the last. She then pre-empted a further question from the floor by asking one herself.
“Chief,” she asked, “what are the educational requirements for police