But What If We...

 But What If We...
Had Community Policing

    This is an introduction for the public of the work I intend to finish this year. It is also a working title for the book, since my original idea has been taken. What if we didn't argue about the problems or judge the victims, but looked for a real solution to those problems that continued to work long after its implementation. This work takes solutions that have been presented from many different perspectives and political leanings. Throughout these writings, there are ideas you may be interested in advocating for, while there are others you will think are crazy (and you may be right). I want to throw out ideas and show how, with some intentional work on the part of the public, make these ideas become reality to have true democracy and representative government.

    The first idea I want to run by everyone is the RUOK Squad. This is a new way to look at community "policing." Communities need to be cared for and held accountable by residents of that community if compassionate and just actions are to be the norm in law enforcement. Side note: that term "law enforcement" needs to be revamped. Please let me know your ideas on what we can call a system of policing that takes care of people instead of punishing them. These people walk around neighborhoods and talk with people to make sure they are okay. If there are problems in the community, individuals feel comfortable finding one of the Squad and letting them know what's happening. 

    This idea may seem vague and unenforceable, but makes more sense when jailing is not a default option. Most of what the RUOK squad will do is break up petty squabbles on the street, make sure lost children find their way home, and help drug users do so safely. The latter will be possible because each Squad member has a care kit (a backpack of useful things). The care kit includes Narcan for preventing overdoses, biohazard waste bags, drug testing equipment so users can be sure that their drug is what they purchased, and DIY Rape Kits for victims of sexual assault. 

    If you have never been the victim of sexual assault, then the importance of that last item will seem superfluous. If you have been sexually assaulted, then you know the shame and guilt that prevents reporting and justice of the vast majority of these crimes. The DIY Rape Kit (see my post on this topic) will allow victims to give their statement and evidence in a safe, respected way that prevents interaction with doctors and police officers that often blame the victim for the behavior, or at best are insensitive to their feelings of violation and the desire to not relive the event multiple times. The RUOK Squad will increase the amount of rapists who get the punishment they deserve while preserving the dignity of those whose power was removed by these antisocial acts. 

    Going back to the idea of jailing people, and holding them until they post bail or enter a guilty plea, this needs to stop being the default action of punishing suspected and convicted crimes (at least most of them). The way we treat petty theft and drug use is criminal, and what being in jail does to a person is downright immoral. The argument needs to be made that mass incarceration, and jailtime in general, is cruel and unusual punishment that violates the 8th Amendment of this country. The idea of rehabilitation is at best a pipe dream in our society, as those programs that could prevent recidivism are all but extinct in the criminal justice system. 

    Another fact that makes the current system of incarceration immoral and unsustainable is that most people do not get a speedy trial and will take a plea bargain for a reduced sentence for a crime they did not commit. If all the innocent (and guilty) arrested people were to enforce their right to a speedy trial by their peers with adequate representation, the justice system would implode because it could not handle the case load. This points to the fact that we are arresting too many people and charging them with too many crimes that the justice system is not equipped to prevent. 

    If the RUOK Squad is to make a real difference, this change in policy would need to be accompanied by an increase in mental health and drug addiction services, all of which are paid for by people and used for people who need them in the communities. There are many other social services that could work in tandem with the RUOK Squad, but the two mentioned above are by far the most critical for reducing crime and low quality of life in the shortest time frame. 

    I am not naive enough to think that there won't be casualties, and some areas will take longer to adjust to this way of keeping communities safe. But what if we tried to treat people like people who need their community rather than undesirables who need to be removed from the community and punished? Like most of the ideas I will present, reestablishing positive and respectful relationships within communities will raise the quality of life for everyone.