Uncertainty The Road Ahead
/Uncertainty The Road Ahead
By Daniel Del Valle, George Beck Ph.D., and Joel E. Gordon
We will overcome the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a fact. You can take that check to the bank. It will end and humanity will survive just like every other pandemic and plague that's affected mankind; we will continue forward. But what will the road ahead look like for law enforcement? How long will the current goodwill toward policing last before we are once again the enemy?
In the aftermath of 9/11, recall the American flag waving at nearly every home and the constant admiration of officers who were placed in harm’s way—the endless thank yous for doing the job few wanted to do—the smiles and handshakes and appreciation were at all-time highs. Yet, it didn’t take long before we were the target of politicians and opportunists, boiling to the point of anti-police riots and assassinations of officers simply for the uniform they wore. In the days of the Ferguson riots, American flags were burned, and crowds shouted how they wanted dead cops now! Clearly, any sign of appreciation toward law enforcement had long evaporated. So why would anything be different this time? Will the aftermath of the coronavirus be an anomaly and the goodwill we are experiencing now last forever? That’s not only naïve to believe; it’s an irresponsible thought.
It’s one thing to argue that people appreciate you when they need you. In other words, now, while everyone is quarantined and out of danger, the police are out there risking their lives for the safety of everyone, so they are not surprisingly appreciated and praised. But when this pandemic passes, and officers are no longer needed to take the risks others won't take, many of those same people who praised law enforcement have short memories. Then what happens? History shows us the goodwill toward officers dries up quickly and those old feelings of negative law enforcement sentiments are back on the opportunists' lips.
But the aftermath of the COVID-19 will be more complicated. The truth is state and federal governments are spending and borrowing at record amounts never before seen. The cost of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, and the impending doom from a collapsed economy offers a grim future where all the doomsday folks stocking up on toilet paper and ammo may be correct. It’s the collateral damage that will be far higher than the destruction caused by the virus. The countless suicides and broken families and the loss of wealth and exploitation will be similar to the experiences felt during the Great Depression. Will we, as a society, get to a point where some cities start to look like post-apocalyptic wastelands?
Inevitably law enforcement will be impacted on the road ahead. On what scale is yet to be determined, but plausibly hardships are on the horizon. In Baltimore, for example, the third most dangerous American city according to CBS News, the city recently offered its officers hazard pay, recognizing that they are putting themselves in extra unique danger. Now faced with a projected loss of $103 million for the fiscal year 2021, the city is attempting to recover “$11 million in savings from personnel spending.” Not only did the city decide to take that hazard pay back, but it’s also now asking for even more from its officers and has offered three options for Baltimore Police to consider accepting:
Option 1 - Freeze all salaries at the FY20 amount and forgo collectively bargained raises. This option would eliminate the 3% salary increase due to officers on July 1, 2020, that was bargained for in good faith by the FOP and the City in 2018.
Option 2 - Unit members would receive either 4, 5 or 6 furlough days, depending on salary. Because officers are “essential employees,” they would be required to work and suffer a salary reduction for the total amount of furlough days.
Option 3 - This option would eliminate pay freezes and furlough days; however, it would include 173 layoffs of full-time employees. Layoffs would include non-essential employees currently on permission leave along with specialized public safety functions such as BPD’s Mounted Unit, Marine Unit and Traffic Units.
Notice some striking keywords in the options above? Salary freezes, no raises, furlough days, salary reductions and layoffs. It didn’t take long for an apparent “appreciative” city to go from paying hazard pay to kicking those same officers to the curb. Meanwhile, those same officers are still on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking their health and lives to serve and protect, yet if they were to get sick, the promise of a possible layoff and no health insurance is potentially in the near future.
“I am furious and disgusted with the mayor and his administration for asking our members to shoulder the burden of this crisis both physically and now financially,” said Sgt. Mike Mancuso, president of the Baltimore City Police FOP Lodge. “We have had 350 members who have been quarantined, 63 who are awaiting test results, and 19 who have tested positive for COVID-19. According to all projections, this is just the beginning of what could be a devastating couple of weeks for our area.”
Imagine what safety and security will look like for Baltimore soon. It's already a dangerous place because some estimates show the police department is already 500 officers short. However, including layoffs and furloughs will make Baltimore a city no one will want to live in, work in or visit, hence additional financial hardships and unprecedented spikes in crime. The officers remaining on the crippled agency will risk their lives tenfold for a city that is outright telling them they do not matter. The question many officers must consider is whether it is worth the risk.
In addition to severe projected budget shortfalls as a result of an ailing economy and reduced tax revenue base due to the COVID-19 response, some see the COVID-19 pandemic as a unique opportunity for police reform. Recently, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw instructed her officers to delay arrests for low-level criminal offenses, such as narcotics activity. Meanwhile, in Chicago, and elsewhere police have been advised to reduce the number of stops and arrests for low-level crimes to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The pandemic has altered policing across the nation; it’s not surprising the calls for police reform are growing louder. Opportunists are using the pandemic to push further police reform, citing that departments can reflect and analyze how adjustments may be working to change the perception and efficiency of law enforcement.
Take James Nolan, professor of sociology at West Virginia University and a former police officer words for example. “The current logic of traditional policing requires aggressive force. The image of the good officer is often one who makes a lot of arrests and is always prepared to use force rather than back down when challenged. Likewise, in neighborhoods where residents have lost faith in the police and civil authorities, gun violence is required for self-protection and for settling disputes. As horrific as the COVID-19 pandemic has been for the police and local communities, its sudden appearance has changed police behavior in noticeable ways. Reforms have come quickly as the new conditions have suddenly made the practical logic of policing impractical.”
Looking forward, if the new normal becomes less active enforcement along with diminished citizen engagement, that could easily result in nationwide furloughs and police staffing reductions as government bureaucrats nationwide justify such decisions by calling them reforms while looking to cut costs. Remember many of these folks are the ones who took the locks off the jails and let the inmates out.
Yes, we will overcome the coronavirus pandemic. But our profession will have challenges ahead. Let us stand up against reductions in law enforcement staffing to prevent “the thin blue line” from becoming even thinner. Officer safety and the common good for our communities require it. When we are needed, we are praised and appreciated, yet, the road ahead is likely filled with layoffs, salary freezes and reductions, and, well, if our profession is not prepared, we will be blindsided by the same charlatans who smilingly shakes our hands one day, and kick us in the ass the next.
