I recently had the opportunity to present Police Dynamics training to about 160 fellow members of the National Internal Affairs Investigators Association at their annual conference in Tampa. NIAIA promotes the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics in the law enforcement community and provides technical support and professional development for IA investigators. Although they are often viewed as pariahs, IA investigators play a crucial role in promoting the noble virtues of the police profession.
I decided to kick off my portion of the training with a compelling video dealing with police abuse of force. In light of recent events in Ferguson, MO, it seemed particularly relevant to the audience. Although the video seems to be biased against law enforcement, the lyrics are clever and the images are disturbing to those of us who promote high standards for the police profession.
Is this perception or reality? Probably some of both. But to change perception you have to start by changing the reality. And the reality is that the public is becoming less trustful of the police and increasingly concerned about an “over-militarization” of police tactics. Answers to these problems may seem to be elusive, but Police Dynamics provides an ethical foundation for moral policing that impacts perception as well as reality.
As an aside, I am putting together the Police Dynamics schedule for 2015. So if your agency is interested in hosting a conference similar to the one we did for NIAIA, please contact me through this website…
Sheriff Ray Nash
Category: Police Dynamics