Ferguson: What the Police Can Learn from Militaries about Human Rights
With the recent attacks on protesters in Ferguson, much has been written about the problems raised by militarizing the police. Rather than using military grade weapons and tactical strategies, police forces looking to avoid Michael Brown and Eric Garner style incidents as well as the ensuing protest problems ought to look to the military for different lessons on human rights compliance.
1. Selection practices matter. As I’ve written, not only do bad apples commit bad acts, but the risk of them doing so can often be predicted beforehand. Some of the individuals responsible for. military atrocities like My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and the Killing Team raised serious red flags long before the incidents occurred. Had the military better integrated respect for human rights into their selection processes, these acts might have been avoided. Quality background checks and other entrance requirements with a human rights focus can weed out many of those likely to act out their discriminatory practices through quick triggers. Similarly, police forces like those in Ferguson need better screening practices to keep out bad apples.
2. Leadership and institutional culture matter. The authorization of the use of force for bad apples is part of the reason for outrageous human rights violations like those in Ferguson, but leadership and institutional culture matter too. When police officers and military troops feel their racist and sexist views are accepted and embraced by their leaders and their co-workers, they are more likely to act on them. My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and the Killing Team weren’t just the acts of a few bad apples, but bad apples festering in a rotten barrel. A video of an officer working crowd control in Ferguson similarly suggests an environment where such attitudes were openly accepted.
3. Hearts and minds matter. Even though the authorization for force is often much greater for the military than for police, the recent deployment of counterinsurgency strategies has emphasized restraint rather than escalation. Counterinsurgency does not preclude the use of lethal force when necessary, but respect for the local community and the adoption of restraint have created safer environments. While police might be authorized to escalate situations, adopting voluntary restraint could avoid both Michael Brown style shootings and the ensuing discontent leading to local protests. Adopting counterinsurgency lessons would also lessen the deployment of high grade military weapons and vehicles and the related tensions such militarization brings.
4. Accountability practices matter. Whenever a troop uses lethal force, a detailed report must be filed. These reports allowed further investigation. They also facilitate the empirical assessment of particular practices and have led to reforms which massively decreased civilian casualties. In addition to internal accountability, such record keeping can also facilitate external review leading to increased human rights compliance. But in order to work, such accountability practices must be taken seriously. While St. Louis had been undertaking empirical assessments of the race issues plaguing the police force, Ferguson’s record keeping and transparency in the Michael Brown case sadly leaves much to be desired.