Experts: Better training, hiring practices, pay needed for law enforcement

May 13—Law enforcement agencies need to change the way they hire, train and pay their personnel in response to recent murder convictions of officers involved in fatal shootings in Huntsville and Minneapolis, legal and criminal justice experts say.

Longtime attorney and criminal justice professor at Marion Military Institute Kirtley Brown said more legal training, including a better understanding of the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against illegal seizure and arrest, and much higher pay will lead to stronger policing procedures.

"The convictions are on everybody's minds," he said. "It's a really difficult and dangerous time for police officers. Look at the news every day, there is an altercation of a police officer being shot or shooting somebody. That is not good for us as a society.

"If something bad happens in Oregon, we all know about it here very quickly. Jury reform is needed, too. It's difficult to get an impartial jury because of the speed news travels now. There is a conflict between the freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial. The Supreme Court and society will have to sort it out."

A Madison County jury last week convicted Huntsville police officer William Darby of murder for the 2018 shooting death of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to own head. In April, former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter for using his knee to pin George Floyd to the pavement even after the Black man's breathing stopped last May in a case that sparked worldwide protests.

Brown, who practiced law in Mobile, Brewton and Marion, said evidence-based policing that uses science and statistics to enhance law enforcement procedures would be a positive change for law enforcement. He said research "shows random patrolling by police officers doesn't score very high."

Decatur defense attorney Paul Holland suggested law enforcement should tighten its screening of applicants. He also said having officers trained in mental health issues could likely prevent some incidents from escalating into violence.

"I believe (these convictions) will make police forces look at hiring practices and more importantly the training that will come out of this," he said. "You want people who are stable, not people like Chauvin, who had other incidents involving abuse of potential suspects. Having people on staff who are trained in psychology and mental health who can try to defuse situations where suspects might be a danger to themselves as well as the responding officers will be something they should consider."

He is worried that not all law enforcement officers treat communities fairly.

"One officer can give the entire law enforcement and legal field a bad label," he said. "Society should want our law enforcement to treat you fairly. We should not want officers who are predisposed to reacting negatively or with violence and deadly force to a certain race or certain background of poor, uneducated, mentally and emotionally unstable." — Officer recruitment

Holland and others believe the recent murder convictions will discourage higher quality candidates from entering law enforcement.

"I'm worried about the good people getting into the profession," Holland said.

Former Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell agreed.

"Do you want your children to go into law enforcement? Nine out of 10 parents would say no. It's going to take its toll on the availability of officers," said Mitchell, who served as director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety in the late 1990s. "Until the general public wants law enforcement the way it should be, we're not going to have it like we did in the past.

"It's a bad time to be an officer. We're seeing veterans with 20, 30, 40 years walking away because of what is going on."

Former veteran Decatur police officer Howard Godbee, who is now manager of Mid City Pawn Shop, said the profession will likely decline until governments begin to openly support officers.

"I know young people who are interested in becoming a police officer, but they have put those plans on hold because of what is going on," said Godbee, who said he worked in narcotics, investigation and patrol for Decatur police for 13 years. "An officer at a scene has to make a split-second decision between life and death, and everybody else has a year to figure out if the officer acted properly.

"When you lose a whole generation of experienced officers, what are you going to have after that? You will have people willing to work learning on the job. Will they have to lower the standards to get people willing to work?" Godbee said.

He said higher pay won't solve the problem.

"I think to get people to come back to law enforcement is they have to know the city government has their back," he said. "It doesn't matter how much money they pay you. ... You can have a great paying job with good benefits, but it won't mean anything if they are going to throw you to the wolves." — Social media

He said social media is a challenge for law enforcement. He called the popular online platforms "anti-police."

"I think overall officers are better trained today," Godbee said. "They are getting good-qualified people. But you've got social media against you. It's like it's political suicide to back the police department if you are an elected official. You can see the young people go from 'yes sir, no sir' to argumentative, thinking you are stupid because you were a police officer. It's an attitude. It has been coming for a long time."

Moulton Police Chief Craig Knight said he is seeing a more aggressive approach from younger people. Knight said he is seeing a decline in the number of applicants, too.

"We're seeing earlier ages, teenagers, showing outright disrespect toward police officers," said Knight, who has been in law enforcement 26 years. "It's like that everywhere across the nation. Better training and officer safety are key, too. It all takes time. This won't happen overnight. ... Law enforcement agencies are getting criticized every day.

"When we go to work, we don't know what we're going to face each day. We want to do our best to maintain safety for the officer and defendant. We don't want to see anybody get hurt."

Mitchell said, in some cases across the nation, officers have overstepped their duties in detaining suspects.

"When the aggression stops, the officers' force has to stop, too," he said. "It makes the optics of it look bad. There's no need to pursue it at that point. If the (suspect) says he can't breathe, sit him up, maybe he's telling the truth. But the aggressiveness of the suspects has increased severalfold in the past decade."

Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long said governments are partially to blame for not paying higher salaries and providing better training for law enforcement. Morgan deputies start at $17.37 an hour.

"Pay is always an issue," he said. "We've been trying to get pay where it needs to be for years. Now with everything that is happening we'll have to get the pay up quicker. But money is not the only answer. We've got to look at training and the atmosphere these guys are put in. ... There are so many government officials who are anti-police and anti-law enforcement in general.

"It's disheartening for those people who want to be in the field and even for those who have been in that field for years dedicating their lives to public service and safety."

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.