In the 21st century, the countries that thrive will be the ones where citizens know their voices will be heard because the institutions are transparent.
Vice President, Joe Biden, May 21, 2014 Speaking at the residence of the President of Romania
Robert Holtzapple was one of dozens of children that were molested and raped by Pennsylvania priests whose crimes were hidden over the span of decades by the Catholic Church. How does Mr. Holtzapple feel about the transparency of that particular religious institution?
A 72-year old woman from Ohio named, Betty Lipply, committed suicide after receiving a second foreclosure notice on her home. Predatory lending and the financial collapse of Wall Street in 2008 changed the lives of millions of Americans. I wonder if Mrs. Lipply felt that financial institutions had heard her voice.
Philando Castile had reportedly been pulled over at least 46 times since he became an adult ― more than once every four months for 14 years. Did he think the institution of law enforcement saw him like any other citizen?
Americans accept and support our institutions. We don’t believe they’re perfect because we know they were created and are managed by imperfect people. At the same time, we have an expectation, as Vice President Biden said, that our institutions should be transparent. When they’re not, when they ignore or conceal bad behavior by their representatives, we have to ask whether our institutions are more interested in hiding their mistakes or fixing them.
With police shootings that resulted in the deaths of black citizens like Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Walter Scott and Tamir Rice at the center of public discussion, I wanted to know more about the people and the institution tasked with protecting and serving all of us ― the police.
Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey, is a retired Los Angeles Police Department SGT and member of the National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officers for Justice, Reform and Accountability (NCLEOJ). She is a 20-year veteran of the LAPD who is currently a community advocate and police expert. She’s involved in educating the public in the areas of police policy and procedures as well as understanding police culture and deciphering police code talk. Ms. Dorsey is also the author of, The Creation of the Manifesto Black & Blue.
Robert: Cheryl, we don’t yet know all the facts of the Philando Castile and Alton Sterling cases, but, there were clearly failures on the part of police in the deaths of Walter Scott and Tamir Rice. Are those failures about the officers or are they about the institutions from which those officers came?
Cheryl: Both. In the case of Walter Scott, North Carolina police officer, Michael Slager, had, in the past, inappropriately and unjustly tazed two other black men (Taquan Perry and Mario Givens) whom he had encountered and detained. In both instances, the police chief looked the other way and condoned the errant officer’s bad behavior. Had the police chief administratively disciplined and fired Slager for those prior abuses under the color of authority, Mr. Scott would be alive.
Robert: When police officers are reported for doing bad things that are not captured on video would a department’s inclination be to reveal or to conceal that misconduct?
Cheryl: Police departments circle the wagons in most cases; civil liability usually follows and the tax payers shoulder the burden of civil settlements regardless of the existence of video. The Police Officers’ Bill of Rights prevents officers from being held personally liable in a civil suit.
Robert: Can you talk more about the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights?
Cheryl: The Police Officers’ Bill of Rights protects officers from personal liability if involved in activity during the course and scope of employment which leads to litigation. It also prevents the police department from discussing personnel matters. It does not make it impossible for officers to be disciplined, however, if you are in the “right” camp, the police chief can be particularly lenient. Take the case of LAPD officer, Shawn Hillman who was found guilty of giving false and misleading statements during a board of rights much like Christopher Dorner, but, unlike Dorner, was not fired.
Robert: It’s easy to become cynical when the truth about certain cases is only revealed when the video is released (Laquan McDonald for example). Is this cynicism warranted or no?
Cheryl: Yes, it is warranted. Police departments spend an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to convince us that we did not “see” what was captured. Or else they mitigate the bad behavior by stating that something which occurred moments prior to the onset of the recording would somehow justify what we recognize as indefensible. Or, police officers like to say, “you haven’t sat in a police car” so therefore “you don’t understand what it’s like to be a police officer.” Well, I spent 20 years in field operations in uniform, driving a black and white on the LAPD. I worked in south central L.A. during the height of gangland rivalries, drive-by shootings, Rodney King riots under Chief Daryl Gates; during the era of the Hammer Task Force and the battering ram. I can credibly respond that institutionalized racism exists, it is cultural, systemic and from the top (chief) – down.
Robert: What role do police unions play in protecting bad officers?
Cheryl: Police unions are like defense attorneys. Most have never seen a use of force or deadly shooting they do not support.
Robert: How can police departments help restore the public trust and what can citizens do to help ensure their police are the best they can be?
Cheryl: Police department chiefs must first admit there is a problem. Departments need to revamp their recruitment efforts to include people of color who are representative of the communities served. Psychological exams must be administered on a bi-annual basis to ensure that officers have not become jaded or biased in their perceptions and interactions with the community. Police chiefs must hold errant officers accountable when policy or laws are violated resulting in great bodily injury and/or death. Special Prosecutors must be assigned to investigate and prosecute those cases; Independent Civilian review boards’ decisions should have “teeth” behind “recommendations”. The community needs to create a paper trail to document police misconduct, contact legislators to demand reform to the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights (VOTE – this is an election year) and actively engage in dialogue with the police department when possible.
Robert: Thank you, Cheryl, for your service as a police officer and for this powerful insight. And, thanks to police officers across America for protecting and serving all of its citizens.
Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Even if we can’t expect that our institutions will always be transparent, it’s every citizen’s right and responsibility to make their voices heard when demanding that our institutions be made just.