Public Mistrust of Law Enforcement Explained

Accountability. Responsibility. Liability. These terms ignite wars of words in discussions involving law enforcement’s “us versus them” mentality — the broader foundation of training police officers for duty. Correcting the mistrust between law enforcement and the general public will require major reforms to take place. Reforms that make both our officers and our communities safer.

Photo by Mark Boss on Unsplash

Black Lives Matter and similar movements have been wrongly accused and labeled as threats to police officers by far-right commentators. Accusations that are wholly based on the same prejudices behind racial profiling and stop-and-frisk policies. Classifying progressive groups as extremist elements instead of hearing them out shows the level of unwillingness to listen to the genuine concerns of citizens. Particularly, while ignoring actual domestic terrorists who have already infiltrated law enforcement agencies.

Additionally, Black Identity Extremists aren’t a real thing. The entire notion is based on a single case involving Olajuwon Ali Davis and Brandon Orlando Baldwin. It is the only case cited by the FBI of…