Towards the end of each year, I write a series of posts about the year’s posts that received the most hits. This year, I’m writing about the five posts that were the most read or viewed in 2015.

I wrote a post in January, which was my fifth most read post in 2015 about Police Appreciation Day. This was quite a surprise to me, but reading over the post now, I think it is still a good post and I stand behind what I wrote:

I believe one of the best steps we can take in any effort to eliminate police brutality, is to treat all police as professional police and as individuals and not lump them together with some over simplified and stereotypical criticisms. We have to support and acknowledge the valuable role many police play if we expect to hold others accountable for any efforts that fall short of professionalism.

At the end of 2015, the rift between the community and police in general remains a significant issue. Studies show that a single negative experience with a policeman can damage one’s opinion of the police, but a single positive experience does very little the other direction. In other words, the problem gets worse at a far faster pace than it can improve.

As 2015 draws to a close, my personal belief is that the solution has to come with changes of behavior on both the part of the community et al, and the police. On the police side of it, real leadership is required that help transform the methods of policing away from a “military” approach to policing. Police need to question common policies and practices: do these actually improve safety or do they disenfranchise the community.

On the community side, we must see each officer as a professional, and treat him or her accordingly. If we expect good policing, we have to be ready to provide the resources needed for a qualified corp of police. We cannot expect too few officers to do the job that in actuality needs more police.

https://thomascwaters.com/2015/01/police-appreciation-day-2015/