Running

head: RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 1

Race and Police Response

Steven Shea

University of San Diego

RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 2

On June 21, 1964 Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney were

murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi simply in retaliation for their support of civil rights

through the Congress of Racial Equality. Their disappearance led to a massive investigation

code named MIBURN, short for Mississippi Burning, involving over 200 Federal Bureau of

Investigation agents. Once the group of murderers was identified the State of Mississippi

refused to file charges. Almost six months after the murders, nineteen defendants were

charged with civil rights violations in US District Court (History, 2015).

The story of these murders is horrible in itself, but the tragedy is compounded by the

fact that one of the key players in the murders was Neshoba County Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price,

also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Price originally arrested the three on suspicion of arson, a

crime that was actually committed by members of the local KKK. After releasing the trio, Price

hunted them down and, along with other Klansmen, murdered all three (History, 2015).

There are many egregious examples of abuse of police power over minorities from long

before the civil rights movement continuing to present day. FBI Director James Comey, in his

February 12, 2015 speech at Georgetown University, pointed out that the history of law

enforcement and race relations has not always been pretty. Comey stated, Law enforcement

enforced the status quo. A status quo that was brutally unfair to disfavored groups (Comey,

2015). As law enforcement strives to build trust with minority communities it is imperative to

remember the past, a past that is not easily forgotten by those who were targeted.

On August 9, 2014 Michael Brown was tragically killed in a confrontation with local

police in Ferguson, MO (Buchannan et al., 2015). In the wake of Browns death, and other

perceived injustices, protests and movements have sprouted across the United States. Many of
RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 3

the protests call attention to alleged, and sometimes obvious, excessive force by police. The

shooting of Walter Scott in April, 2015 might have gone unnoticed were it not for a bystanders

video of the shooting and of the officer planting evidence (Schmidt & Apuzzo, 2015).

According to a New York Times poll, seventy-nine percent of adult African-Americans,

and thirty-seven percent of whites, believe that police are more likely to use deadly force on

blacks than whites. The same poll showed that fifty-three percent of whites and only sixteen

percent of African-Americans believe that race does not play a role in police use of deadly force

(Sussman, 2015). The problem is, as Director Comey pointed out, there is no empirical

information on the subject. The Uniform Crime Reporting system, which is voluntary, fails to

collect information regarding the use of force and race. As expressed by Director Comey, In

the absence of good data, all we get are ideological thunderbolts when what we need are

ideological agnostics who use information to try to solve problems (Comey, 2015).

Without unimpeachable data, society is left with perception, prejudice, and attention

grabbing headlines to form opinions and to work toward resolving issues. Donald Trump states

his position on immigration, in part, The impact in terms of crime has been tragic (n.d.). The

statement resonates with voters, but, in reality, study after study shows that, immigration

has a significant negative association with with-in city change in violent crime (Ousey &

Kubrin, 2009). The message is still difficult to transmit widely to overcome societal bias, but at

least an intelligent argument can be made.

Director Comey posits that problems with race relations, will not be solved by body

cameras (Comey, 2015). A New York Times poll found that ninety-three percent of African-

Americans and whites favor the use of body worn cameras by police (Sussman, 2015). A
RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 4

YouGov/Economist poll, as reported by the Huffington Post, determined eighty-eight percent of

Americans favor police wearing body cameras (Ewards-Levy, 2015). While body cameras are

not likely to solve all problems of race relations, polls clearly demonstrate the desire of the

citizens that law enforcement serves to provide more accountability through body worn

cameras. Utilizing available technology, while not likely to solve all problems surrounding race,

will help to improve societal confidence in police use of force and, possibly, prevent unrest as

seen in Ferguson and other cities.

The deaths of New York Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos provided a tragic

reminder of the dangers police officers face daily. Director Comey mentioned, They were

minority police officers killed while standing watch in a minority neighborhood. (Comey, 2015).

The man accused of the murders, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, posted on social media references to the

deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two black men killed in confrontations with police

(Balz & Clement, 2014). There is no indication that Brinsley was targeting a particular race of

police officer, only that he was targeting police due to perceived injustice.

As Americans work through race relations in the twenty-first century, it is critical, as

Director Comey indicated, to remember and acknowledge past indiscretions by law

enforcement. Looking forward, as suggested by Director Comey, the nation must move toward

mandatory reporting of Uniform Crime Reports, including the demographic information in

police use of force incidents. Body cameras will not, as indicated by Director Comey, solve race

relations problems with the police; however, the American public overwhelmingly favor the use

of body cameras. The authority of law enforcement derives from the consent of the people to

be governed and, therefore, building trust begins with listening to the demand for
RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 5

implementation of trust building technology. Hiring police officers who approximately reflect

the community in which they serve is important to building trust, but society commands that

law enforcement is accountable regardless of the individual officers race, ethnicity, religion, or

any other identifying factor.

RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 6

REFERENCES

History.com Staff. (2015, Ocotber 10) Slain civil rights workers found. A&E Networks.

Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/slain-civil-rights-workers-

found

Comey, James. (2015, February 12) Law enforcement and race relations. Speech given at

Georgetown University. Retrieved from http://www.c-

span.org/video/?c4528067/james-comey-full-speech

Buchannan, L., Fessenden, F., Lai, K.K.R., Park, H, Parlapiano, A., Tse, A., Yourish, K. (2015,

August 10) What happened in Ferguson? The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-

siege-after-police-shooting.html?_r=0

Schmidt, M. & Apuzzo, M. (2015, April 7) South Carolina officer is charged with murder of

Walter Scott. The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-officer-is-charged-with-

murder-in-black-mans-death.html

Sussman, D. (2015, May 4) Negative view of U.S. race relations grows, poll finds. The New York

Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/us/negative-view-of-us-

race-relations-grows-poll-finds.html?_r=0

Ousey, G. & Kubrin, C. (2009, August 1) Exploring the connection between immigration and

violent crime rates in U.S. Cities, 1980-2000. The Oxford University Press. Retrieved

from https://ole.sandiego.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-642060-dt-content-rid-

2388214_1/courses/LEPSL-500-MASTER/Ousey-
RACE AND POLICE RESPONSE 7

Immigration_and_Violent_Crime_Rates.pdf

Edwards-Levy, A. (2015, April 16) Police body cameras receive near-universal support in poll.

The Huffington Post. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/16/body-cameras-poll_n_7079184.html

Balz, D. & Clemet, S. (2014, December 27) On racial issues, America is divided both black and

white and red and blue. The Washington Post. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-racial-issues-america-is-divided-both-

black-and-white-and-red-and-blue/2014/12/26/3d2964c8-8d12-11e4-a085-

34e9b9f09a58_story.html