Jason Lando: Cops and community must come together
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What happened to George Floyd was inexcusable. The actions of Derek Chauvin and his fellow Minneapolis officers were shocking, and criminal.
As a commander in the Pittsburgh police, I say that we must change the dynamic between cops and community. For everyone’s sake.
Peaceful protests are a start. But it can’t stop there. It takes hard work, compassion and a willingness to come together on both sides.
It is our duty as a community to simultaneously support the ideas that Black Lives Matter and that society needs the police. We should not have to pick between being pro-cop and anti-police brutality. We should all condemn excessive force while at the same time supporting those who wear the badge with honor and integrity.
According to Sir Robert Peel, the father of modern-day policing, “The police are the public and the public are the police.”
In other words: We are all in this together.
Only when we all put down our broad brushes and view others as human beings can the anger and resentment begin to fade away. I have seen it happen on many occasions, and it really is an amazing thing to watch.
To my fellow officers: Our legitimacy as a profession is dependent upon how you conduct yourself out in the street. You owe it to your department, your city and future generations of officers to treat the community as you would your own family in the same situation. If you watched the video of George Floyd’s death and found that to be acceptable in any way, I beg you, please find another line of work.
To my city: Please remember that police officers are human. They have families like everyone else. They have worries like everyone else. They make mistakes like everyone else. They bear witness to horrific images day after day. They are called awful names by total strangers because of the uniform they wear. They are physically and mentally exhausted. The vast majority of them do the right thing. And so far in 2020, 97 of them didn’t make it home at the end of their work day.
Finally, to those calling to defund the police: Consider the unintended consequences of your demands. Youth programming, anti-bias training, community engagement, body worn cameras, less-lethal technology, de-escalation training — that costs money. Reducing funding for police will force departments to abandon these important initiatives and focus solely on answering 911 calls and arresting criminals. That’s not what we want.
What happened to George Floyd was a tragedy. Let’s use it as a wake-up call to roll up our sleeves and work together on real solutions.
#pittsburghproud
Jason Lando is a Pittsburgh Police commander.