New officers should have a solid background on civil rights and the justice system before they're sworn in as cops. If they don't, some remedial education can help.
American history classes for cops?
Frankly, they shouldn't be necessary for any well-trained police officer who graduated from college.
But, in these times of high tension between police departments and many communities, you'd be right if you guessed that someone is trying to give such refresher courses a shot.
Some 372 officers and recruits of the Camden County Metro police force, who cover Camden City, are being cycled through the National Constitution's Center's "Policing in a More Perfect Union" courses. The curriculum focuses on the Bill of Rights -- the first 10 amendments to the Constitution -- and how they relate to both modern and historical policing.
Huh? Any officer who doesn't already know that shooting suspects without just cause violates their civil rights probably should be fired, not treated to a civics lesson. Any law enforcer who doesn't already realize that residents of some places are wary of police because of real or perceived abuses in how their communities are patrolled -- needs a reality check more than a social studies booster shot.
Nonetheless, there's value in the Constitution Center training, developed with outgoing Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. We're lucky to have the center as a resource in our own back yard. Any police department should welcome perspective from Ramsey, one of the more credible police officials around when dealing appropriately and swiftly with "bad" cops. Tap the commissioner's expertise before he rides off into the sunset.
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"I wanted every one of our officers to have a better understanding of justice and fairness," said Camden Metro Police Chief Scott Thomson, explaining why he wanted all of his officers, not just recruits, to attend the Constitution Center's training module.
Again, we thought these things were as fundamental in police training as learning how to track down suspects, using a service weapon, and dealing with explosive situations such as riots and elevated domestic violence. The Camden County force, which replaced Camden's traditional city police, has quite a few young officers. If they weren't schooled adequately about the justice system, historical perspective and community-policing positives, that's a defect that should be corrected at the academy training level.
The best time to send police personnel to the Constitution Center sessions, or incorporate information from the courses, is when these prospective officers are still recruits. If our local training venues haven't done that, they should.
If veteran police are required to go through this process, expect a large dose of "we already know it all" cynicism. The smartest longtime officers will view added learning about rights and justice positively, no differently from having to re-qualify every so often with their firearms. Reflexes can change, and so can court rulings and best practices. There's always benefit to brushing up on a few things.
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