• Reactions to the video of Tyre Nichols’ apparent murder at the hands of Memphis Police Department officers were understandably strong.
• D’Zhane Parker from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation put out a statement bluntly saying Nichols’ death “affirms what we’ve known all along: Reform doesn’t work.”
• Major changes for the better have occurred in the history of American policing, including anti-corruption measures and a shift in understanding of what police officers should be doing.
• Rep. Summer Lee appeared on Face The Nation and said “less than 2% of police officers who are engaged in misconduct are ever indicted at all.”
• Body cams generate evidence that can inform investigations after police shoot someone, and can bolster police legitimacy by demonstrating that they’re not just making stuff up.
• Alex Vitale’s book “The End of Policing” notes that successful reform is good, and that reformers need to identify and publicize good ideas and remind people that change is possible.
• Rachel Cohen’s article on body cams suggests they lead to an approximate 10% reduction in police use of force.
• Evidence suggests that a sustained allegation against a police officer reduces their future misconduct, and that routine increases in oversight lead to less misconduct and no change in crime.
• Reform of police misconduct is hard, not because of technical aspects, but because it requires time and effort to convince people to change the standards.
• Diversifying police forces can help ameliorate racial bias, but it requires money and social capital to encourage people to want the job.
• Holding officers to a higher standard of conduct will cost more money, not less.
• Taking the need for quality policing seriously and investing the time and money to do it is the best approach, rather than throwing one’s hands up and declaring the whole thing hopeless.
Published February 14, 2023
Visit Slow Boring to read Matthew Yglesias’s original post Don’t give up on police reform