My mentor, Dr. W.E. Deming used to say, “Put a good person in a bad system and the system will win every time.” The latest cop fiasco with five Black men beating a young Black man to death no doubt has many people either scratching their heads or gloating. Those scratching their heads are trying to understand how it can be that so many officers would beat a helpless man to death. Those gloating are no doubt saying “See, it was Black cops beating one of ‘Their’ own to death.” Still others are saying that if it were White cops, they would not have been charged with anything. The problem with each of these perspectives is that they ignore the system. Police operate within a system. A bad system produces bad results. Let me explain further.
We need to start off by understanding what a system is. Some definitions that work for me are as follows:
1.
A set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network.
“The state railroad system”
2.
A set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.
“The public school system”
3.
Deming defined a system as ‘a network of interdependent components that work together to try to accomplish the aim of the system. The aim for any system should be that everybody gains, not one part of the system at the expense of any other’
A friend of mine said that the purpose of a police system is to to protect and serve the public.
Systems can be very complex and difficult to understand. When I was doing my management consulting, I would often bring a large group of senior managers from a company together to chart or map the “system” that they worked in. This was usually a prelude to defining objectives and looking at “systemic” problems more wholistically. That is a way of saying I wanted them to see the big picture. We could do the same thing with any system. In what is a very cursory or limited analysis of a “police” system, I offer the following factors or components. These four factors make up a large portion of the system that police work in every day. I would like to explain each and give my thoughts on how they create the dysfunction that seems to be prevalent in so many law enforcement agencies. ‘
- Authoritarianism
- Exclusion
- Jeopardy
- Fascism
I do not claim that all police systems are dysfunctional. I also do not claim that cops do not have a very difficult and demanding job. There is perhaps no job in America that is more difficult than being a police officer. Nevertheless, parts of the police system while designed to protect officers have been and still are major sources of dysfunction.
- Authoritarianism
There is a saying that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I speak from experience that many officers get corrupted by the power that the gun, badge and night stick welds. Growing up on a street corner society, I had my share of run in with cops. I was arrested before I was 18 for assault and battery and for felony larceny. This does not count my numerous other altercations with police for which I “escaped.” When I was young, I used to say that “The only good cop was a dead cop.” Later, my opinion changed 180 percent and I began to appreciate the need for good policing.
The problem though is that in many cases, police let the power that they are given go to their heads. This problem does not exist in isolation from the other factors that I will discuss but it is exacerbated by the tendency for police to think that they are above the law or that they do not have to answer to the public they serve. Many cops take umbrage at being questioned as they act like they have the absolute right to ask questions but not to answer them. How often have you heard in TV dramas the officer say, “I am asking the questions here.” The person who asks the question has the power and is the authority. The person answering is “powerless.” TV is not reality, but it reflects some of the attitudes that exist in law enforcement.
- Exclusion
Cops are for the most part isolated or segregated from the public. The old days of Officer O’Malley walking a beat and talking to kids and neighbors in a friendly demeanor no longer exists. Talk of “community policing” is for the most part a myth or a relic of a bygone age. We seldom see a cop unless we are in trouble, or we need something, or we are watching the 10 o’clock news.
Isolation is not a good thing. It creates an “us-them” atmosphere. We don’t see police as belonging to our neighborhood or as being “friends.” We view them with hostility and suspicion when they knock on our front doors. It does not matter whether they are Black and we are Black or whether they are White and we are White. They knock on our door and we immediately feel threatened.
- Jeopardy
A police officer is in life threatening jeopardy every single moment of every single day. Perhaps, never in history have cops been so threatened. Their lives are on the line twenty-four seven. A cop can be blown away going to a domestic dispute or merely stopping a car to give a ticket or a warning. The proliferation of weapons has made police more vulnerable. The bad guy always gets the chance to shoot first and the cop must give a warning before he/she shoots. It is easy to see why some cops go over the edge and shoot first without asking questions. I do not say that this is justified but how would you like to go out every day not knowing whether or not you would be shot dead by some crazy who had an AK 47 or a AR 15 or a Glock 17.
- Fascism
Before exploring this facet of law enforcement, we need to define fascism. One definition from Wikipedia is as follows:
“Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition.”
Police exist to protect the status quo. There are many who mock the “Golden Rule” with, “Those who have the gold make the rules.” Cops are on the side of the system that pays the bills. They protect the government against protestors, marchers, and often peaceful gatherings of citizens who they think pose a threat to “law and order.” They also protect the government, companies and society against rioters, looters, thieves and not so peaceful protestors.
The major problem with cops is that they are on the other side of the equation when it comes to social upheaval and change. They did not see Civil Rights as a necessary antidote to racism. They did not see the suffragettes as giving women the right and dignity to vote. They often were and still are on the other side of the union-management divide during strikes and labor protests. It would seem to many people that cops work for corporate America and not the citizens of America.
I have pointed out four elements that in many cases define law enforcement to many Americans. There are many other elements that make up the law enforcement system in the USA. I have written several other blogs on this subject. The four elements that I described are the most problematic and I think help to best answer the questions that this blog started with. “How could five Black officers beat a young Black man to death.”
If you follow what I am proposing, you can understand that these five men were “just doing their job” as the system defined it. I am sure that any one of these five men would define virtues that many would call exemplary. I have no reason to think that they were “bad” men wanting to do bad things. Caught up in a bad system, you and I would more than likely have done exactly what they did. You can argue this latter point with me. But in my experiences, I have seen too many “good” people do bad things when working in an environment that fostered either negative, immoral or unethical behaviors.
PS: I watched the video today (Jan 28) of the beating that Tyre Nichols received. At first, I did not want to watch the video. I have seen too many videos of police brutality in the past. They are sickening, sad, tragic and pitiful. I did not think that I could bear to watch yet another one. However, I did. I do not feel that I have the right to comment on such cases if I do not see what has actually happened.
The one thought that I got out of this video was that it could have been YOUR SON, Your FATHER, YOUR BEST FRIEND, YOUR MOTHER, YOU or ME that was on the ground and beaten to death. Tased, Confused, Disoriented, Maced, Kicked, Punched, and Battered, would you have run? Would you have been able to comply with commands screamed at you?
In my next blog, I will offer some ideas that might help to change the system. Changing the system is the only way to change results. Dr. Deming insisted that 94 percent of variations observed in workers’ performance levels have nothing to do with the workers. Instead, most performance problems are caused by the system, of which people are but a part. “People cannot perform better than the system allows”, which he explains in his book, “The New Economics.”
For further thoughts on this subject of police violence, an excellent article that I came across is
Aging Capriciously 
Jan 27, 2023 @ 10:21:02
Sigh. Just the fact that most Americans have become so cynical of police, because of continuing well-publicized examples of unnecessary force, especially against African-Americans, is unsettling. And now this. The first thing that popped into many people’s heads when these charges were announced was wondering if there would have been any charges laid if the police officers had been White. That’s cynicism writ large, and with some justification. One critical piece of the defn of a system that you haven’t included is that the parts come together to achieve a goal; one would have expected that the goal of a police force is to ensure public safety. If only they were reminded that setting a good example as to how one can do that with respect to their fellow human beings should be part of their mandate. I think part of the problem is the kind of person who is attracted to policing, thinking, based on all the negative reporting, that it’s all about being tough. Perhaps the biggest problem in the U.S. is that police have to assume that EVERYONE they encounter is carrying a gun, which definitely would make them suspicious at every encounter!! This is not true ANYWHERE ELSE, except perhaps Yemen. Lord knows how this gets turned around.
A slight issue, your intriguing “paraphrase” of the Golden Rule is “cute”, but it is not a paraphrase! 😏
Thanks for giving us plenty to think about, John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 10:33:56
Hi Jane, thanks for the comments. Good catch on the “paraphrase.” I will change that. Your comment on Goal of the system is right on. Deming used to say that every system has an “aim.” Same idea but without an aim or goal it is not a system. I will leave that off for now though but I think your “goal” is again right on. Seems we have lost something along the way but then again, when I grew up in NYC we did not like cops either. So I suspect it has been a difficult job for a long time now. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 10:46:55
This is such a tough topic, there really aren’t any easy answers. Can you imagine being a NYC cop, not an easy job at all. And many of them do spend much of their time dealing with challenging people and dangerous situations. We’re the same age and I grew up 38 miles from NYC. I was brought up to love going into the “City” but when there not to look anyone in the eye, not to talk to anyone, and to carry my purse with strap across my chest and hand gripping the clasp. And that was before all the mugging started! I didn’t feel that way at all when I lived in Montreal or London shortly after I left home. That having been said, when we were on a Roads Scholars trip to NYC in 2007 (5 boroughs in 5 days, excellent), the group of us got on the subway to get to our destination for the day. A few stops into our journey, a policeman got on with one of our group who had been confused and missed the train. The cop saw the situation, stayed with her, and got on the next train with her to make sure she caught up with the rest of us. That really stayed with me. Talk about going above and beyond.
LikeLike
Jan 27, 2023 @ 18:59:38
Jane, I changed my mind in the seventies about cops. I remember a phrase that went “If you hate cops the next time you are in trouble call a hippie.” I would rather have the cop since I knew too many spaced out hippies. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 19:02:05
LOL. I love it!
LikeLike
Jan 27, 2023 @ 23:05:05
Thanks, I added some more to my blog to reflect your comments Jane about goals of a system. I used a quote from Deming on aims of a system which mean about the same thing. I also used your thoughts about what the aim of a police system should be. To protect and serve. Thanks for the inputs. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 12:02:43
Interesting thoughts, John. And I’m a fan of Deming. But I’m not sure you can entirely blame ‘the system’ for 5 guys beating another one to death. Surely it says something about the training and environment of those particular men. I’d guess that, if you took a random selection of five policemen in a similar situation, they wouldn’t beat the guy to death. Difficult to perform the experiment, though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 16:55:25
Barry, consider the amount of police brutality in the USA over the years. The environment is part of the system. Training also. Given the large numbers of police beating up on people., I would say it was more than just a few rogue cops. Definitely not an experiment with a lot of volunteers but the number of violent encounters between peaceful citizens and cops speaks volumes or loudly. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 12:56:29
Dr. Deming was, as he often was, correct.
LikeLike
Jan 27, 2023 @ 16:47:55
Right on to that. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 27, 2023 @ 19:24:58
Indeed a very tough subject with so many sides it is almost beyond comprehension. I grew up in small towns in Newfoundland without much of a police presence if any! However, when I moved to St. John’s ( pop.1000,000) in 1966 for University I realized there might be a need for policing. Since then I have lived in various small towns and cities in Canada but also spent a couple of months a year for 15 years doing trade shows in the US and came to appreciate the differences in our culture.
My undoubtably very biased view is that the US is still stuck in the culture of the “Lawless Western Cowboy” culture where individuality is king and might is right.
I do look forward to your next instalment.
LikeLike
Jan 27, 2023 @ 23:03:24
Hi Wayne, I would certainly agree that Arizona is one of those states where the “Cowboy” culture or belief in a cowboy culture impacts every part of the systems in the state. I did not see this so much in New England when I lived there. Not enough cows I suppose. 🙂 John
LikeLike
Jan 30, 2023 @ 10:40:29
I see a clearer picture now, and the question of why and how these 5 policemen could have beaten Tyre to death, has been replaced with, “What can be done to change the system?”. I discussed this with my family and we all agreed on one thing, one on one they would probably never have acted to hurt Tyre, but just as a pack of wolves would attack, so did they. Thanks for providing some clarity to my puzzled and perplexed mind.
I am not asking how they could have done this anymore, but what can we do to correct a problem that has become repetitious with this organization. Good point as to the division in the public perspective. I did not fall into the category of the people who were gloating. They need fixing too! 🥲
LikeLike
Jan 30, 2023 @ 22:43:01
Jeanine, thanks for the great comment. I hope others come to the same understanding. Since I wrote this I have seen an outpouring of articles calling for change to Policing. It remains to be seen whether or not we have the energy to change the system or will we just fall into the status quo again like after every mass shooting. John
LikeLike
Jan 30, 2023 @ 19:37:56
As a fiction writer, this post hits close to home for me. The issue of police brutality and systemic problems within law enforcement is a topic that I have explored in my writing and it is disheartening to see it still prevalent in our society. Dr. Deming’s words ring true and it is clear that the system is flawed and needs to be addressed. The concept of authoritarianism and exclusion only exacerbates the problem and creates a dangerous environment for both the police and the public. We need to work towards creating a system where everyone is protected and served, not just a select few.
LikeLike
Jan 30, 2023 @ 22:40:33
Thanks Sebastian, You have said in a few words what it took me 2000 words to say. Keep up your writing, you have a way with words. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Feb 01, 2023 @ 11:49:15
Part of the change will have to be in recruitment. We will have to find how to eliminate people who do not have the temperament to be police. Training helps but training will not help someone with the wrong temperament. All these men had been trained. And almost everything they do violated their training. Part of their training is how to subdue people who resist arrest and fail to follow requests and directions. That often requires physical force and violent action. Police have to be able to fill that role when necessary. Finding police who can fill both roles is not easy. We need to spend more and effort in finding the people who are able to fill both roles as appropriate, and weed out those that cannot.
LikeLike
Feb 01, 2023 @ 18:13:43
Thank you for the comment. I think you identify another piece of the puzzle in what must be changed in policing. John
LikeLike
Feb 05, 2023 @ 00:30:25
Another piece of the puzzle is the overall violence we see. It is just not the police. The police are a part of the problem. It may be that the police violence spills over from the increasing violence around them, not the other way around. That is the violence I worry about, not tho police. The overall violence is much worse than anything the police are doing.
LikeLike
Feb 05, 2023 @ 08:05:51
I agree. I think the violence is “premediated” by the news to sell, sell, sell. Statistics on violence are no where near as bad as most people think. We are being conditioned to be fearful and to react violently. IMHO. Thank you for the comment. JP
LikeLike