Want to see a cop dancing to “Billy Jean”? Busting out with some Michael Jackson-style moves? If that’s your wish, we’re in the wish-granting business today. Check it out:
I saw this video at a recent law enforcement training. The speaker used the video first to get a laugh, but then to make a larger point. His point was this: cops should always be aware of who is watching them and should never, ever, in a million trillion years, act like this dancing fool.
I disagree. Not with the part about cops being mindful that the public is always watching. That part was true enough.
Instead, I disagree with the move to condemn this officer. Officers shouldn’t behave like total morons, and they certainly shouldn’t be jerks (Wheaton’s law, anyone?), but saying that this cop was so terribly out of line is, well, out of line.
Policing in America is generally understood to have three distinct eras:
- Political era from about 1840 to 1930
- Reform/Professionalism era from about 1930 to 1980
- Community policing from about 1980 to now
During the professionalism movement cops organized, got training, and sought better public recognition of their roles. They understood themselves as above and apart from the general public, and they developed training and technology to make their officers better than knuckle-dragging politically appointed thugs. Some of that was serious progress, but the attitudes didn’t go over well, especially in light of events like Kent State. While that was actually the National Guard, it nevertheless became emblematic of police brutality to an entire generation of Americans.
The community policing movement came out of research funded by the LEAA in which we learned that successful policing means integrating with, rather than fighting against, the general public. Community policing means earning the public trust, rather than demanding it through authority and obedience.
The police trainer who showed this clip insisted that this kind of officer behavior erodes public trust.
But let me ask you: if you saw this cop dancing in your local 7/11, and then half an hour later he asked for your help, would the dancing make you more or less cooperative?
Exactly.
Cops earn our trust by revealing themselves as human beings. Not adhering to rigidly defined paramilitary personas of authority and dominance.
Related articles:
- Rodney King, whose beating sparked L.A. riots, dies (ctv.ca)
- Social Science is Changing How We View Policing (crimedime.com)
- Cops, Criminals, and Corpulence: Weighty Matters in Criminology (crimedime.com)
- Do You Have to Tell Police Your Name? (crimedime.com)
- Don’t Talk to Police – The Coolest Explanation You Will Ever Get (crimedime.com)
- Cops Return the $12,000 They Stole From a Struggling Restaurant Server (crimedime.com)
- Cuffing Kids: How Young is Too Young? (crimedime.com)
anotherboomerblog
June 18, 2012
Cops are human beings. I’ve known plenty of them and they have good and bad days. Most cops are doing the best they can in a profession where your view of the world is distorted. Been there, done that when I worked in child protection. I don’t think that video eroded public confidence. It showed a very human side of a police officer, a joyous, child-like (not childish), playful moment that made him seem so approachable. Good for him for enjoying life! I can think of some cops I’ve known who were so uptight and rigid in their approach to life they were like tin soldiers – and it was the worse for them, their loved ones, and the community. I always felt sorry for them. Him? I’d like to share a cup of coffee with that guy! Dance on!
CrimeDime
June 20, 2012
Dance on indeed!
bookpeeps
June 19, 2012
I agree with crimecents and the comments above from anotherboomerblo. Of course, there should be boundaries for those whose profession is to serve the public, but isn’t that also true for the rest of us who serve in other ways? We just love to place people into groups/categories and doing so, in my humble opinion, is a sign of ignorance and stagnation. The dancing cop profiled (pun intended) on this post made me smile. He is taking a minute out of his likely stressful day and just having a little fun. Doing this releases stress (a medical fact). We have to remember though that one moment in time (positive or negative) should not result in any of us making snap judgements. We all have our story and one paragraph does not a book make. Thanks Crimedime for liking my most recent post.
CrimeDime
June 20, 2012
Thanks for stopping by, bookpeeps. I like your point about the stress relief – cops certainly have high stress levels, and a little dancing could go a long way to relieve that.