Police Accountability & Trust: Changing the Perception of Police in African-American Communities

That justice is a blind goddess
Is a thing to which we black are wise
Her bandages hides two festering sores
That once perhaps were eyes

Langston Hughes, Justice, 1923


Today's blog focuses on a discussion not new to public administrators or the criminal justice system – police accountability. Even after the civil rights movement there have been a number of incidents that have lead people to question whether the police are really there to serve and protect. I have continuously stressed that once police departments begin to hold their own accountable, especially in cases of criminal liability, trust can be restored and better community relations can be fostered.

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with the shooting of Oscar Grant III, but this is the story: According to NBC’s news affiliate in Oakland, on New Year’s day Bay Area Transit police responded to a call regarding a brief melee. Oakland resident Oscar Grant III was pointed out as one of the individuals involved in the incident and was handcuffed by the officers while they sorted out the situation. From this point on there are different accounts of what happened (from Officer Mehserle version of events and the eyewitnesses on the train) but one thing is clear – while Grant was lying faced down, Officer Johannes Mehserle shot him in the back. After the incident Alameda County (Oakland) Deputy District Attorney John Creighton announced that the state would be charging Mehserle with first degree murder along with several other felony charges and if found guilty he would spend the rest of his natural life in prison. For some this case demonstrates that everyone, even those charged with upholding the law will have to take responsibility for their actions when they break the law; however, having seen the verdict in the Sean Bell case, many African-Americans are not so quick to proclaim that justice will be served.

In the African-American community there has also been an air of social cynicism - the great divide between Blacks and the police can be traced back to the Reconstruction period and since that time African-Americans have faced bias and prejudice treatment from public officials in various capacities. The current interest in police accountability as it relates to the African-American community was initiating addressed on a smaller scale during the civil rights movement. The late 1960s gave rise to the black power movement which sought to "challenge the traditional relationship between public bureaucracy and its citizen-clients." During this time period, specifically in the summer of 1967 a number of riots broke out across the country. It was then that a report was released in 1968 - Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, more commonly called the Kerner Commission Report. In this report it was concluded that the continuation of segregate policies and poverty, which was created by "white society," created a destructive and tense "black society" – the riots was just an explosion of a pressure cooker whose lid had been kept on too long. They also listed three major grievances: (1) police practice (first level of intensity), (2) ineffectiveness of the political structure and grievance mechanism, and (3) discriminatory administration of justice.

In order for police to utilize their discretion to do their job efficiently and effectively there has to be cooperation from the public, in turn, the public has to feel like the police are a legitimate part of their community that they can trust – accountability measures that work can satisfy both sides of this equation. While most police departments have internal affairs acting as the keeper of justice many feel like this creates a situation where the fox is guarding the hen house. And that is simply not going to work because "for discipline to be meaningful, it must be real."

As a public administrator, regardless of the capacity, whether it’s a city manager or emergency dispatcher, the success of our work depends heavily on the trust bestowed on us from the public. In the African-American community, that trust has been eroded because there is a sense that police officers are not held accountable for their actions – especially when the officer’s misconduct is committed against them. The need for accountability is not unique to law enforcement nor is it a new area of study. However, in terms of perceptions that African-Americans have about the social institutions in this country – the lack of redress and justice carried, in regards to their complaints of police misconduct, puts a damper on the police ability to do their jobs because of the feeling that they cannot be trusted. Once law enforcement agencies begin to hold their employees accountable for their actions, the police department can be seen as legitimate, trust can be restored, and a positive relationship with the community can be fostered. What I believe criminal justice administrators and law enforcement employees will find is that when the citizens that you serve are confident in what you do the less you have to worry about grievances and civil disorders – show the community that you take them seriously and that you value their feedback.