Policing in Tacoma is not broken. Take a walk on the beat before condemning cops | Opinion
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” — Atticus Finch
I have always admired this quote, uttered by a fictional white man in defense of a wrongly accused Black man. Though To Kill a Mockingbird is now banned in numerous states (perhaps ironically), it is a reminder that our discourse on race, the community and the police has been broken for a long time.
There have been exceptions. Just look at the Hilltop neighborhood today, where massive commercial, residential and infrastructure developments have made streets hum with energy. Gone are the legion of boarded-up homes, crack houses and the ubiquitous presence of criminal street gangs.
That would have seemed like a fantasy decades ago. The Tacoma police department, of which I was a member, desperately tried to arrest its way out of trouble, targeting the most prolific gang members selling crack out of homes, alleys and streets. As an officer assigned to these operations, I saw they were effective — at least initially — but the problems always returned.
So what happened between then and now? Cooperation.
Somehow, despite the same basic disagreements that still plague our community, police officers, city officials and neighborhood leaders found common cause. They tackled the core issues with mutual trust and respect — two traits that are woefully absent today — and, eventually, created the framework for what we now see.
This came to mind when I read Matt Driscoll’s column, “Policing Is What’s Broken.” It was a first take following the acquittal of the Tacoma police officers in Manny Ellis’ tragic death, but also a knee-jerk piece loosely replete with broad generalizations and a shallow concept of the topic. ChatGPT could have done similar work with the general themes of “Police Brutality” and “Defund the Police.”
I see two choices on this issue — stirring up anger and resentment or creating awareness of the misunderstood topic of police work.
Before I entered the police academy years ago, my entire understanding of law enforcement was based on watching every episode of Hill Street Blues. Then I stepped out of a real police car in a uniform for the first time and realized I knew nothing. Those first shifts on duty push rookies into an alternate reality where every interaction painfully scrapes away another layer of ignorance.
How do we convey that understanding to people who only see police officers as thugs with a badge, or, at best, a nuisance?
And how do we reconcile the anger and anguish of those whose loved ones were assaulted or even killed by a police officer? Lecture them on the fact that the national percentage of such incidents is minuscule when considering the nearly one million cops patrolling our nation? Though true, that would be hurtful and wrong.
But pointing an accusing finger at the police in general, as Driscoll’s piece did, is simply anger trying to find a spot to land. It’s not right, nor is it just.
In truth, ignorance and assumptions only prevent us from understanding the intent and performance of police officers caught up in such immediate and chaotic situations. No amount of Law and Order reruns will rectify that.
In this time of historic lows in police morale and public trust, the only solution is open and respectful dialogue. Talk to a police officer. Enroll in a citizen’s academy. You might realize that despite reports to the contrary, the police and the public share a common goal — safe streets and a true system of justice.
If you’re in a position to take a ride-along (if you’re, say, a columnist), you might just have that opportunity Atticus Finch alluded to — the chance to walk around in someone else’s skin.
It would be a start.
Brian O’Neill is a former Tacoma police officer who lives in Gig Harbor. He wrote the column, Blue Byline, for The News Tribune from 2012 to 2014.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 5:00 AM.