Police Reform: A Retired Police Captain’s Perspective on the Evolution of Law Enforcement in America & How to Improve the Criminal Justice System

By Lawrence Hunter

Lawrence Hunter is a retired police captain from Connecticut. He spent 24 years serving the citizens of Waterbury, CT. During his tenure, Hunter was an instructor of implicit bias, defensive tactics, and human behavior. As a committed member of the community, he also coached and refereed numerous sports for the Waterbury Police Activity League (PAL). Being a member of the African American community and a police force member, he recognized that many people he encountered had a disdain for the police. This book is an attempt to bridge the divide between the police and the communities they serve. By reading this book, police and community members can develop strategies for productive engagement and build not only better police departments but better communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781716303760

Book preview

REFORM

A Retired Police Captain’s Perspective on the Evolution of Law

Enforcement in America

& How to Improve the Criminal Justice System

By: (Ret.) Captain Lawrence Hunter

Table of Contents

POLICE REFORM

A Retired Police Captain’s Perspective on the Evolution of Law

Enforcement in America

& How to Improve the Criminal Justice System

By: (Ret.) Captain Lawrence Hunter

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1:  A Little About Me

My Life as An Officer

Police Department Structure

Chapter 2: My Thoughts on Reform

A Little Knowledge Can Be a Dangerous Thing

Police Legitimacy and Procedural Justice

History of Policing

Public Support for Reform

Perception of the Police

Ahmaud Arbery

Breonna Taylor

George Floyd

Fairness

Achieving Legitimacy

Transparency

District Attorney Offices

Medical Examiners

Forensics Must Change

Don’t Skip Jury Duty

What Are We Criminalizing?

Chapter 8: What Does Reform Look Like?

American Police vs. Other Nations

What Do Police Academies Teach?

Police Training

Get Rid of the Warrior Mentality

Courtesy Goes a Long Way

Chapter 9: The Public Has A Right To Know

Body-Worn Cameras

Investigations and Oversight

Why Do Some People Hate the Police?

Drunk with Power

Stanley Milgram Experiment

Stanford Prison Experiment

Chapter 11: Some Ideas on What Can Change

Stop and Frisk

Asset Forfeiture

Police Use of Military Weapons

Chapter 12: Do Black Lives Matter?

What About Black on Black Crime?

Glossary

References:

Introduction

Chapter 2: My Thoughts on Reform

Chapter 3: Why We Need Reform

Chapter 4: What’s Driving Calls for Change?

Chapter 5: Karens on the Loose

Chapter 6: What Do We Want From Police?

Chapter 11: Some Ideas on What Can Change

Chapter 12: Do Black Lives Matter?

Dedication

I would like to thank my children who have inspired me to write this book.  Since the day you all came into my life, I have never been the same.  I appreciate and love the first of my children, my stepson Joshua.  I wish that I could have taken a more active role in your life.  Life is not perfect, but we must make of it what we can.  To my son Lawrence, I want to say that I love you, dearly.  You have made me proud.  To my favorite daughter and mini-me, Lauren, you have brightened my life immeasurably.  To my stepson Phil, who designed the cover for this book, I am proud of the young man you have become.  All of you have made my life more complete and made my life worth living.  I wrote this book because I want to be able to pass down wisdom and knowledge.  I also want to create a legacy for you to give to your children.  (Ahem, if you ever have any!)

I wrote this book because as I watched you all grow, I looked at the world and saw a place that could be so much better if we just tried to love, have respect for and understand each other.  If we could get rid of the greed, cruelty, and hate and have enough food and medicine to go around, what a place Earth would be.  We can accomplish these goals.  It does not have to be a pipe dream.  I wrote this book with all of you in mind, my children. 

I watched the videos of police misconduct and shootings that the world witnessed in horror.  I watched in disgust as officers who committed unjust killings were acquitted or failed to be indicted.  I want to do my share to help build a better world where bigotry, brutality, and corruption are a thing of the past.  

I hope that this book, the memories, and my podcast will give some insight into how I think.  I want you, my children, to know that I cared about the life I lived and the history I created.  Lastly, I want to remind you that you can do and be whatever you set your mind to be.  Do not ever listen to doubters, haters, and nay-sayers.  You can make it if you try.  Like Dory said from Finding Nemo, Just. Keep. Swimming.

Introduction

Throughout human history, there have been monumental breakthroughs in technology that have revolutionized the way humanity lives.  Learning to control fire allowed early Homo sapiens to keep warm, discover new methods of hunting, cook food, and even perform religious rites.  During medieval times in Europe, the invention of the printing press continued the trend of upward understanding and knowledge of humanity.  The ability of humankind to reproduce texts and literature in mass allowed some societies to access information and pass down traditions quickly.  Before the printing press, European churches held a firm grip on knowledge.  Unless someone gave their child to the church, the prospects for their child's education or ability to read were severely limited.  The mass-production of literature allowed for the transfer of information to the masses rapidly and accurately.  The Church’s ability to control the knowledge base of their subjects waned as the printing press emerged and more and more people turned toward printed books rather than handwritten scrolls as their source of information.  New forms of information such as fiction for entertainment and science for education could then permeate the masses and expand minds with the wonders of the universe.

If we fast forward to the modern era, we see another technology that has changed and benefited society.  Moving pictures allowed viewers to see and eventually hear actors on a screen.  The captured and reproduced images amazed the viewers and allowed people to see the triumphs and tribulations of their fellow citizens.

In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights advocates utilized this new technology to their advantage.  Plagued by harassment, brutal police violence, and ongoing threats of intimidation, Civil Rights advocates brought their plight to the virtual doorstep of nearly every person in America and all over the world via the television screen.  Through the use of the news media, the activists exposed the water hoses, police dogs, and other acts of violence that were imposed upon them.   And the news, in turn, showed it to the world. 

 King’s use of non-violent demonstrations was a way of exposing the brutal tactics of racist sheriffs.  He did not, however, believe that non-violence was an effective strategy for everyday living for African Americans.  At one point, King tried to get a gun permit, but he was denied.¹   Instead, the use of non-violent tactics by MLK was a way of exposing the brutality imposed upon them by police officers.  African Americans had the same rights and privileges as the majority population, and they wanted it demonstrated in practice rather than just on paper. 

Concerning advancements in technology, the personal or home computer gave birth to the cellular mobile phone.  With the mobile phone came the rise of the cell phone camera.  The camera phone allowed the recording of everything from the mundane to the most important events.  Coupled with social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, videos of wild stunts and memorable events such as birthdays, graduations, and weddings were quickly captured and shared.  The Church’s firm grip on the minds of their subjects was eventually broken by the printing press.  Similarly, the naivety of the public concerning police brutality was broken with the advent of video.

The Rodney King Riots in 1992 was the first time since the 1960s that the world saw what the police were doing to Black Americans.  With the passage of legislation such as Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s, many African Americans thought they had been finally accepted as first-class citizens.  

Since 2010 social media platforms have become a destination for viral videos.  It seems as though almost weekly; the world is viewing footage of alleged police misconduct.  Cell phone videos show a police officer beating a woman on the side of the highway.  Another recording shows a twelve-year-old playing with a toy gun in a park gunned down within seconds of police arrival.  In 2014 we saw a man choked to death by a chokehold move that had been banned by the New York Police department in 1993.  In 2016 an Arizona police officer gave an unarmed Arizona man complicated instructions.  Those instructions included lying down, crawling toward the officer, and finally, looking away from the officer.  When the man failed to follow them precisely, he was gunned down by the officer.  The list of video incidents of police involved shootings seems endless.

Camera phones and other forms of surveillance equipment have created a social firestorm for the traditional media and families of victims who have seen their loved ones on the receiving end of police homicide.  Almost daily, media pundits are analyzing police encounters.  They are attempting to explain away and defend the officer's actions.  These ideas have sparked a heated debate on the topic of police reform.  So, what is police reform, and what precisely do members of the public want when they call for police reform?

Is the idea of police reform just another social experiment that academics and social justice warriors are seeking for 15 minutes of fame?  Is it another idea propagated by the libs or the liberal media?  Is it just another reason to point the finger at the boogeyman, the police officer?  A drummed-up theory to exploit the guilt of a particular segment of the population and disarm police officers all together?  Do progressive thinkers have a point when they call for defunding the police?  Should social workers respond to non-emergency calls instead of the police being a catch-all for all society's problems? 

In this book, I will explore these questions, the concept of police reform, and whether or not our country needs it.  Should officers be left alone to perform their jobs in a business-as-usual manner?  Or should some restrictions be placed upon them?  Should we loosen the reins to allow officers to do their jobs without the fear that any misstep they make would land them in jail or civil court?  My answers to these questions as a former police captain from a large police department in Connecticut may surprise you.  

As an African American I addressed this book from my lens. I am well aware that many allies exist in other races. I am well aware that many communities are suffering from police overreach and lack of transparency when an incident occurs. There are many poor white communities that are pushing just as hard as Black communities for police reform. While this work is from my vantage point, understand that I hear the cries of all people.

The references and sources I cite are mostly news articles because I want the casual reader to be able to find the information quickly.  I will give a balanced, researched analysis of problems such as police-community relations and racism.  I will supply a working definition of police reform and a resolution to the problems.  I hope that the reader will understand that police officers are taking on the essential mission of trying to protect the public.  That mission must be approved and guided by the very public and administrative officials they serve.  A nation at war with its security forces is bound to have a decrease in the morale and confidence in those forces.  Rebellion against those forces will become inevitable.  It’s not too late. We have the power to make the changes we want and ensure that all Americans experience the American dream.

Chapter 1:  A Little About Me

Before we dive into the heart of the book, I thought it essential to give you a brief personal history and explain why my perspective is an asset to the public conversation. After all, who doesn’t want to hear a heartwarming story of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds?

I was born in 1973 in Boston, Massachusetts.  Shortly after my arrival into this world, my mother was prompted by my grandmother to move back to Waterbury, Connecticut, a place she previously had tried to leave behind.  She was a single mother for the second time with two young boys to care for, no help from family or friends, and a low-paying job.  We moved into a three-story building that my great grandfather, David Hunter, had purchased on Orange St. on the north side of town and we called it home for the next 19 years.  We lived on the 3rd floor and my maternal grandfather, Russell Hunter, lived on the 2nd floor.  Russell’s sister, my great aunt Elizabeth Freeman and her son William Freeman lived on the 1st floor.  Family must do what it takes to take care of and provide for other members of the family.  In desperate times my mother was able to come back home. 

My time growing up was fairly typical. I had no negative experiences or run-ins with the law.  My mother kept my brother and I in church.  We were always going to something: a service, a function, a choir rehearsal.  During the summers, we attended camp at the YMCA.  I’m grateful for that experience.  At the Y camp, we took swim lessons, and they paid off.

 I attended Michael F. Wallace Middle School.  I remember in 7th grade, my group was going to the pool to learn to swim.  I remember thinking that I was one of the few, if not the only, Black kids who were swimming.  I remember many other Black kids, including my best friend, either not swimming at all and just sitting in the hot bleacher seats or learning to swim with the gym teacher.  Access to something as simple as swim lessons at summer camp can change one’s life.  I spent every gym day in the pool, swimming with all the other kids who knew how to swim.  While I couldn’t explain it at that time, I knew that having privilege was extremely important in life.  By access or privilege, I mean the ability to enter into spaces that are reserved for those who have money.  My mother was not rich, nor would I call us middle class.  However, she made sure that the extra money she did have went toward her children to make their lives better. 

I attended public schools and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, CT in 1991.  I was a pretty good student overall, but I became sluggish in my junior year.  I completely slacked off and the school administrative staff booted me from the honors classes.  I can give no reason for slacking off besides sheer laziness.  I was suffering from the well-known disease of senioritis. 

I mentioned before that I had never had any negative interactions between myself and with the police. However, while not a negative interaction between the police and me, I do recall an experience that I witnessed involving others that I did not like.  When I was a teenager, some friends and I were walking to the Boys’ Club.  We were walking in the middle of the street which was something that we did every day.  No one walked on the sidewalks because dogs would run out and chase us or dogs would leave their droppings all over the sidewalk.  The sidewalks were also often in need of repair.  We played street football in the middle of the street. It’s what we did.  We would simply move to the side when a car needed to pass by.  

At the same time that we were walking, another group of guys who also happened to be Black were also walking in the street.  Suddenly a police vehicle pulled up, and two officers got out and walked up to the other group of guys.  One officer said, I told you to get out of the middle of the street.  He then placed one of the guys in handcuffs.  It appeared as though the officer perceived them as being defiant because he had previously already told them to get out of the street.  Our group just kept walking and hurried to the sidewalk.  I remember thinking that the officer was way off base.  He should have known that everyone walks in the middle of the road.  

In fact, I knew that where he lived, there probably weren’t sidewalks.  My uncle was a mailman.  He was one of the first Blacks to live in a town called Wolcott, CT, a predominantly White town.  In their residential section, there were no sidewalks.  My aunt lived in Prospect, CT and I believe she and her husband were the first Black family to live there.  There were no sidewalks in her neighborhood, either.  During high school, I went to some White friends’ homes in the nicer section of Waterbury, and guess what, there were no sidewalks.  I still live in Waterbury, in the more upscale part of town where I once visited as a high schooler, and there are no sidewalks. 

There is some debate about the safety and usefulness of sidewalks.  The reason for sidewalks relates to population density and the need for children not to play in the street.  The greater the population, then the more likely a sidewalk will be present in the neighborhood.  Some communities did not want sidewalks to discourage people from walking down the road and to maintain their sense of privacy and hometown allure.  Some neighborhoods wanted to keep their sense of privacy and the hometown allure. During White flight in the 1950s and 1960s, a phenomenon where African Americans moved to traditionally White neighborhoods because White Americans moved out to all-White enclaves, sidewalks were deliberately not built. 

Back to the officer scenario, the truth is he