Police, Force, and Chocolate Frogs

At work, I opened the box labeled only ‘dessert’ to reveal rows upon rows of identical, adorable, tiny chocolate frogs.

“Look!” I declared to others who happened to be in the kitchen. “It’s a little army of chocolate frogs.”

“Awww.” The others gazed, admiring the tiny amphibians of deliciousness. Then one volunteer coughed uncomfortably.

“Does it have to be an army?” She asked, quietly. Others nodded and cocked their heads. I thought on this.

“Look!” I declared. “It’s a grass-roots movement of chocolate frogs, marching for housing rights in front of their local city hall! What a triumphant turnout! …Better?”

“Better.” She nodded, approvingly.

***

Dear Vancouver Police Force and RCMP,

People, apparently, do not like armies.

This has always been the case with foreign armies (who are always a scary sight to behold). But even domestic armies have been declining in popularity fairly steadily since World War II. People like the idea of negotiation, of using words before fists, of democracy and consensus, instead of blindly following orders and blowing the bad guys up on sight. People recognize the need for muscle and force, but only as a last, regrettable resort. The steps leading there need not feature land mines, or stun guns, or bullets of any kind.

Perhaps you see what I’m saying here. Then again, perhaps you don’t.

I’ll be more clear: Your structure imitates that of an army. You wear uniforms and hold ranks. You carry guns and tasers and beating batons. You employ these weapons regularly and sometimes illegally. You see yourselves as crusaders for order and warriors against chaos. You are enforcers, and you are muscle, and you advertise yourselves through posters selling fear.

(Case and point: the poster I see when I ride the bus on main street, featuring three blurry uniformed men, one shining a flashlight towards the viewers eyes, and another holding a vicious looking German shepherd, teeth bared and jaws open to bite…with a caption of ‘we’ll get you.’ The poster is targeted towards car thieves, or would-be car thieves, or anyone not thinking long and hard before they jay walk.)

You claim this is not what you want. What you want is an understanding police force. What you want are officers who communicate, empathize, and relate to the public they serve - even the public they occasionally arrest. You want officers who can handle crisis without sacrificing the dignity and lives of others. You want officers who can explain the law and support the law - and work to change the law when it doesn’t make sense.

Your recruiting site lists the traits of a lot of people I know - people drawn into social work, public health, and housing, mental health, and addiction work. People who lobby the government and intern with Pivot, trying to fight injustice where they see it and protect those who cannot protect themselves. People who understand the fiscal superiority of prevention over punishment, and the human benefit of investing positively in their community. People who rally together in grass-roots movements, marching for housing rights on their local city hall.

People who cringe at the thought of an army.

And so, if your recruitment campaign is not simply an attempt to assuage a growingly concerned public, and if you truly do want to recruit those who would rather work as a public servant than a bouncer at a club, then perhaps you can guess what you have to do. Or, maybe, probably, you can’t.

Police: Give up the uniforms. They’re ugly. Give up the ranks, and a structure which forces all recruits to work in ‘general policing’ for five to seven years. Develop specialized task forces and allow them to recruit and train separately. Give up the tasers, and learn non-violent crisis intervention. Use it when you can, and when you can’t, be transparent about what happened with the public. Stop lying to the public. Stop investigating your own crimes. Consider whether all officers should carry guns - in England, no one does, except for specialized SWAT teams. Develop police-and-public boards and community groups to brainstorm solutions for ongoing concerns. Stop poster campaigns based on fear, and start poster campaigns based on empowerment and a positive future with police as community representatives, instead of just a force.

Take down your scary poster. Apologize to Dziekanski’s mother. Call me if you need further suggestions.

Sincerely,

Concerned Vancouver Resident
by the name of Ivy Donegal