Let’s find middle ground for those who serve and protect | Opinion
As is the case with too many public issues in America today, views regarding police appear to be polarized.
Viewpoints go from defunding the police to rejecting any criticism of them.
We regularly hear the extreme views of the far right and left. What does the public really think? While there has been no local poll on this issue, a recent Crosscut/Elway Poll conducted in Seattle, the state’s most liberal community, found crime was the No. 2 “most important issue.” The police department was No. 4.
The poll included this question: “If you could direct where your tax dollars were spent, would you have the city spend more or less” on a number of issues. Here’s how the results shook out.
64% supported hiring more police officers. Only 28% said fewer.
81% wanted more training for police officers to de-escalate situations.
92% asked for more addiction and mental health services.
76% supported adding non-police staff to respond to certain situations.
51% wanted more prosecutions of shoplifting and other misdemeanors. 36% didn’t.
59% supported arresting and prosecuting public drug use. (Seattle recently passed a law to do this.)
73% supported more staffing for the courts to process caseloads.
The data from Seattle suggest that we are not as polarized as the loudest voices on the left and right make us think we are. A substantial majority want a well-trained police force. They also want more resources dedicated to the high-profile problems of addiction and mental health.
Embold Research conducted a survey of Olympia citizens last May regarding city services. It found that Olympians generally have positive perceptions of Olympia police.
Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of residents agree that the police treat people with dignity and respect. Similarly, a majority of residents trust the police to make decisions that are good for everyone in the city.
However, residents do believe there are opportunities for improvement: 2 out of 3 residents agree that many things about police and their policies need to be changed.
While there are many issues regarding police in our area, two stand out today.
The first is staffing. It has been a huge challenge to recruit and retain officers the past few years. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is at a critical point. Of its 56 deputy sheriff positions, only 36 are filled. Response time in the geographically widespread unincorporated area is dismal.
While the city of Olympia is also short staffed, it does have recruits in the pipeline, but the Washington State Police Academy training and field training take a year.
Seattle, on the other hand, has lost 600 police officers in the past three years.
Incredibly, our state ranks 51st in the proportion of law enforcement officers to population. (The District of Columbia is included in that number.)
This is a serious problem for two reasons. The first is response time and availability. The second is that a lone officer encountering a belligerent suspect is in a more precarious position than if she or he has backup. Those situations too often lead to an escalation of force in order to respond to resistance.
The second problem is transparency. To gain trust, the actions of police need to be transparent to the public — particularly when deadly force or violence occurs.
It should be noted that steps are being taken. The city of Olympia is in the process of developing a new IT system that will automatically record every police encounter using body cameras.
Currently, other police departments, an internal operation, and the Prosecuting Attorney conduct reviews.
The state is creating an Office of Independent Investigations. Its goal is to erase or diminish the “thin blue line” controversy and conflict when police are left to investigate each other.
The time has come to end polarizing debate regarding law enforcement. The public wants both order and justice. Let’s find a middle ground for those who risk their lives to serve and protect us.
Sam Reed served as Secretary of State for the state of Washington from 2001 to 2013. He is a Republican who lives in Olympia.
