Killings Again Highlight Gap Between Police And Communities

In the immediate aftermath of the killing of civilians in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the shooting deaths of five officers in Dallas, everyone seems to agree we need to bridge the gap between police and many communities.

But to the extent there are sides, they seem as far apart as ever.

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said there needs to be a greater awareness of why officers are in violent neighborhoods and greater cooperation from the public.

“The resisting of arrest is what's leading to the physical confrontation that ultimately leads to a real serious confrontation of life or death,” Mullins said.

But advocates say aggressive policing has dehumanized entire communities and led to deaths.

Donna Lieberman is executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. She said cops need more training to de-escalate situations, and police need to reconsider the aggressive policing of low-level crimes.

“The hopeful way to look at this is that maybe the deep sadness all around will have a sobering effect on everybody,” she said.

David Kennedy, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said there's a horrible symmetry: both sides feel threatened by the other.

“That level of bridge building really requires something akin to formal reconciliation work between police and communities,” Kennedy said.

He said despite heated rhetoric there are a lot of people working on fixing the system — and awful events like this week's killings don't need to be an end to that work.