Many of us are reeling today from the graphic images of the death of George Floyd. That police officers were the perpetrators has rightfully engendered sadness, disgust, fear and outrage. I struggled this weekend with my own thoughts and emotions. Many put their feelings in internet posts and memes. Some took their emotions to the street in protests. Many are looking for ways to help. Beyond appropriate consequences for the officers, I find myself trying to find answers to the questions what do I want to come of this? What are the next steps?
I’m not sure of all the answers but a few things occur to me. As a doctor society and individuals give me power over their health and, like it or not, that power comes with a duty of care. I am obligated by
- the duty to give my patients complete and accurate information
- the duty to assume that my patients want to be well and don’t want to be harmed
- the duty to respond appropriately to their complaints once I hear them
- the duty to operate in good faith for their wellness
- the duty to take care of them without judgement based on my own values
Anyone reading these will have the thought “of course”. So why don’t we hold police officers to this same standard? We instill them with the power to detain us at will, to limit our freedom, to injure our bodies.
Police obligations to protect should be as great as their power to restrict?
While I understand that the job of policing is risky and somewhat unpredictable, I think we can agree on a few things.
1) A ‘dealbreaker’ list. A list of things that if done will forfeit all your rights and privileges as an officer e.g. kneeling on a person’s neck, shooting someone in the back, using force on someone restrained and on the ground, not calling for help when someone asks whether you think the ask is credible or not. We can fight over what should be on the list and the list should be short, but I think smart thoughtful people can come up with an appropriate list.
2) A list of crimes that do not merit an immediate armed, police response e.g using fake money, buying a loose cigarette, people barbecuing in the park. You can think of others I’m sure.
3) Completely external agencies to investigate cases of police misconduct.
4) Mental health care and support as a regular part of policing—not optional or episodic. We don’t take mental health seriously in this country and I think policing is a stark example of the error of our ways (military veterans demonstrate another). The job of policing involves trauma on a regular basis, responding to car accidents and gun violence, seeing bodies broken and bloodied and responding to situations that endanger their own lives to name a few. It is not hard to see how this constant level of stress and anxiety would have long term effects. Mental health support should not be left to the choice of the individual or be given only for an ‘incident’. It should be an integral part of keeping officers ready for duty.
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