We all know there are bad apples in every group of people (honestly, we’re tired of that cliché)… But that doesn’t mean that the entire police force has dark intentions. Does veiled racism exist in many organizations, yes, it sure does (will have to address that in a separate blog post). If we want our law enforcement to be better, defunding is clearly not the answer. But it seems as if it’s really not THAT clear to everyone.
There is a reason why it isn’t clear. Society has been over-saturated with videos of police depicted in negative ways, over and over again. We are emotional about it and want action, yesterday. Overhauling an organization cannot happen overnight – as much as we want and need it to happen that way. That’s why we can’t be so quick to the road with protests calling for defunding. The suggestion to defund comes from emotion rather than rational thinking.
If we want real change, we need REAL IDEAS. If we can present a plan to the country/province, funding should flow and if it doesn’t then feel free to paint the feds with the same brush you’re painting the officers with.
During a recent Tele-Town Hall hosted by PRP (Peel Regional Police) and the Mayor’s of Mississauga & Brampton on June 30th, it was said that salaries use up the majority of funding they receive. If that’s the case, then for things like extra programs and training, additional funding is needed.
But like any business, in order to get funding for a project, you need to present a plan of action, but it has to be a good one, with good ideas. Here are 2 ideas we at Valiant Heroes of the North have come up with.
Idea 1:
Reform HR department and hiring process of the police force
The people that make the final decisions to hire should be a balanced team of people from different ethnic backgrounds. This could be a team of 3 HR managers. Their job would be to be present for all stages of the interview process. It would be solely up to a vote by them, which candidate gets hired. The vote would be by secret ballot, so that they would be free to make their vote, without prejudice from their team members. We feel like this would help enable the hiring of candidates based on their character rather than by what 1 person thinks of them. It is also recommended that prospective officers complete a number of personality questionnaires that test how they would react, when in certain situations. It wouldn’t be straightforward questions; it would be something like a Myers Briggs style questionnaire. It would have to be created from scratch and could then be used across the world as the universal police screening questionnaire. Calling all behavioral psychologists, this is your opportunity to make a difference!
Idea 2:
Social Work training for Officers (Not in-field, but in-class)
New Social Work training is needed for current officers and new hires. Not hiring social workers to be in the field. But hiring them as teachers to help facilitate the training that is needed for officers to better understand conflict resolution, de-escalation, equity and barriers people face because of race, class, sex etc.
Let’s take a look at how one of the local colleges are describing their program for Police Foundations:
“…Courses allow you to learn about psychology, criminology, the criminal code, contemporary social and community problems, policing protocols and strategies, investigating and evidence, and conflict management. As well, instruction in fitness and lifestyle management…”
Now let’s compare that to a Social Work program:
“…focus on promoting equity and addressing barriers people face on the basis of race, class, disabilities, gender or sexual orientation. You will study topics such as human behaviour and development; interpersonal, interviewing and counseling skills; family dynamics; legislation and social policy; and how to work effectively with groups and communities. You will develop the skills needed to intervene in crisis situations and to work with a broad range of people including those experiencing poverty, settlement challenges, domestic violence, mental health issues and substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, and other challenging life events.”
Ladies and gentlemen, this is why we need Social Work training for our police force. So the recommendation is this: Each police force should hire a Social Worker that has achieved their Masters of Social Work, so they can arm officers with the knowledge they need in order to better handle the various situations they will encounter throughout their lives as police officers. The content that is taught, should be tested and officers should be required to pass the testing with a mark of 70% or greater. Officers should be allowed to re-take the test if they don’t pass the first time. We hope this would create the “buy-in” needed for the officers to take the training seriously.
We appreciate the work the police do, as well as all first responders. We know there are many great people working for our police departments across the GTA and the world. We are not saying the police are bad (some are), we are saying that reforms need to be made to ensure that in the future, the problems we see overwhelming our emotions today are completely eliminated tomorrow. That is our goal.
To all the families who have been affected by incidents involving police, we stand with you. Together we hope for a better future, lead by ideas that make a difference, for all of us.
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