As Police Encounters with Public Rise, Society Is Quick to Criticize Officers

We are all aware of the scrutiny of police officers today in this country. Just about every week the news coverage includes a video of a police officer involved in a controversial incident, some of which are disturbing to watch. 
I understand why citizens, after watching their nightly newscast, may be asking questions about what is going on with police officers in this country. The answer is there is not a systemic problem with police officers in this country and you need to evaluate all the facts. 
Analysis
Let’s look at some statistics; there are approximately 700,000 police officers in the United States according to the FBI and about 34,000 arrests a day, which totals over 12 million a year. This number is just arrests, not other citizen police contacts such as traffic stops and other field contacts. 
The number of fatal encounters with police officers in 2015 varies based on the source, but let’s take the highest reported number of 1,200. Any loss of life is tragic and the goal of law enforcement leaders should be to lower this number as much as possible, but the fact of the matter is that these fatal encounters with police officers are rare. 
Police departments are comprised of human beings and we are reflective of society like any other organization of human beings. We will have well-intentioned officers; sometimes simply make a mistake operating in very difficult and stressful situations requiring split-second decisions. 
We will also have a small percentage of officers that will dishonor the profession and need to be dealt with sternly. 
The job of a police officer is not getting any easier. Police, as the most visible component of the Criminal Justice System, are criticized for broader policy issues within the system and at the same time police departments are becoming the social agency of last resort. 
Police officers are dealing with complex situations and problems many times related to individuals suffering from mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse issues. They handle emotionally-charged incidents involving domestic violence and other family dysfunctional problems.  
Unfortunately, sometimes when dealing with these complex problems, police officers can be hurt or even killed. In 2015, 124 officers were killed in the line of duty and thousands were assaulted.  
We take a young adult, in most cases in their twenties and as a society ask them to navigate this difficult environment to keep us all safe. I hope you would agree with me that these young men and women need our support, not our disdain. 
I do not write this to suggest we should not strive to improve police practices, procedures and training.  When I started my career I worked with some veteran officers that received eight weeks of police academy training. 
When I went to the Police Academy 19 years ago I received 16 weeks of training. Today officers receive 22 weeks. We have evolved over time with a goal of improving police professionalism and training. 
We need to continue to embrace the Community Policing philosophy as police leaders and continue to evolve with our training through the use of scientific research and technology. 
For example, in Cape May County we are in the process of training all police officers in “Fair and Impartial Policing: A Science-Based Approach.” Just a few weeks ago, we trained approximately 100 Cape May County police officers in verbal judo to give them verbal de-escalation skills and strategies.  
In the area of technology, many police departments in Cape May County are moving towards all police officers carrying a Taser while on patrol and deploying body cameras with the help of funds from County Prosecutor Robert Taylor. 
The Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association, in their partnership with Director Thomas DePaul at the Cape May County Police Academy, the Board of Chosen Freeholders and Prosecutor Taylor, will be announcing some cutting-edge state-of-the-art training improvements in 2016 centered on simulation and more realistic use-of force training. 
In Cape May County, we are fortunate to have highly-trained and quality law enforcement officers on the street every day. These officers will only be getting better in the next few years and despite the media coverage of a small number of incidents out of millions, the members of the Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association and I are proud of the men and women of Cape May County law enforcement and hope you will share in our trust of these brave men and women. 
The author was recently sworn as president of Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association and heads the Middle Township Police Department.