We demand a huge overhaul of ALL police departments in the country.
Recruitment
Recruitment needs to focus on ensuring that the police department represents the community it works within, especially from a racial perspective.
So for example, in Cobb county, where 25% of the population is black approx., the aim should be that 25% of police officers will be black within 5 years. This will require a massive recruitment effort in the black communities. Having more black people in the police force will help white police officers to better understand black people also - understand their culture, their mannerisms, etc. to prevent any "black and white" thinking about black men being thugs or criminals etc. But recruitment should ensure that other cultures/ethnicities are represented in proportion also.
Also, recruitment should include deep psychological analysis of incoming recruits to ensure they have empathy, they do not show signs of racism, and they are not easily triggered. Their social media and references should be checked for evidence of lack of empathy, lack of good judgement and racism also.
Training
By far the most important change to training practices must be a HUGE emphasis on DE-ESCALATION. It makes sense for police officers - not just for black people - that incidents do not get blown out of proportion and become a gun fight unnecessarily.
In the UK most police officers do NOT carry guns. So they have to undergo extensive training in how to de-escalate situations. Such training includes how to talk to offenders in different situations so that they do not feel threatened by the police, or do not feel so scared that they overreact. It also teaches police how to recognize signs of mental illness which will help them know how to handle a member of the public in mental distress. ALL US police departments MUST enforce similar training immediately with the aim that every police officer has undergone such training within 2 years.
De-escalation in the UK police force
This is how it should be done
Policies
Every police officer who has more than 2 complaints against him/her should be thoroughly investigated as a top priority and "benched" until such investigation is complete.
Investigations involving a white officer and a black suspect should be particularly thorough.
In a case where a black man is killed by a police officer, if it is believed that the police officer was at fault, that officer should be treated as a criminal would be - not just lose his/her job but also be charged with murder/manslaughter as appropriate and placed in jail pending a court appearance at least. The black community is hurting - they need to see justice erring on THEIR side for once.
Racist banter/jokes must be explicitly forbidden in all police departments. Failure to adhere to this must result in instant dismissal.
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