Food For Thought

An American perspective

In his seminal work, Democracy in America, French diplomat, political scientist and historian Alexis DeTocqueville posited: “If ever freedom is lost in America, that will be due to the . . . majority driving minorities to desperation . . . The danger of conflict between the white and black inhabitants . . . perpetually haunts the imagination like a painful dream.”

Current tensions are putting the fabric of our society under greater stress than it has experienced in generations. The force multiplier effect of digital technology has the capacity to intensify antipathies and exacerbate tensions at an unprecedented and perilous rate. Denial, delay, rationalization and euphemism in the service of the status quo only increase tensions and their peril. 

We are confronted with choices of historic consequence: Unyielding insistence on preservation of the status quo or earnest commitment to the renewal of our social compact to facilitate the continuing progress of the American project. 

Law enforcement is an indispensible function in a civil society. Its faithful discharge requires selflessness and sacrifice that many are unwilling to endure. Like our nation, the profession, writ large, has yet to live up to its most noble ideals. A healthy balance between accountability to the people through the political process and undue political influence has proven to be elusive. 

Elected officials have found it far too politically convenient to simply delegate difficult social challenges to law enforcement for far too long. As the most prominent and accessible face of government to most citizens, law enforcement is forced to endure the hostility and bear the brunt of resulting public frustration. 

Just as no one reports on the countless planes that take off and land safely each day, scant attention is paid to law enforcement when they get it right. Recognition is largely reserved for those who get it wrong, when they get it really wrong. That approach is a disservice to all. While the most shocking wrongs grab headlines, the more persistent and routine wrongs that go unreported and unchallenged are what erode trust and respect, diminish the profession in the eyes of the public, generate a store of abiding antipathy and cause the most significant and lasting public harms. 

As the events that unfolded between May 25, 2020 and January 6, 2021 have made clear, we can no longer afford the luxury of delay. The time to act has come. Anger, frustration and resentment are understandable sentiments but informed resolve rather than impassioned impulse will provide the best path forward. Like the Catholic Church, Penn State, Boy Scouts of America, Wells Fargo and NYPD stop & frisk scandals, the challenges that confront us are the product of institutional imperatives and incentives. Exacting a pound of flesh from errant officers might satisfy some desire for vengeance but it will not solve the problem. Not that they shouldn’t be held accountable. It is the certainty of accountability rather than its severity that compels responsible behavior. A pound of cash from the entities and municipalities that encourage, facilitate and tolerate harms would provide a more powerful and sustainable disincentive. 

We have an opportunity to avoid both. We can embrace the responsibility that so many before us deferred, initiate candid dialogue about America’s most enduring and defining division and commit to harmonizing public policy and resources with our founding ideals. Doing so will advance amity and equity in the social sphere and validate our motto: E pluribus unum. 

The analyses of SCPD’s policies and enforcement practices provided on this platform are offered in this spirit. Our objective is to generate candid discussion about the institutional and societal implications of the delivery of law enforcement services in Suffolk County and viable opportunities for advancement.