The Importance of Proper Training and Policies in Policing

The police serve a fundamental part in society as its defenders. Officers pay special mind to the citizens and strive to ensure their safety and joy whenever possible. Throughout the years, however, the public and researchers have queried the use of force, prejudice, and internal corruption, as well as other forms of misconduct by law enforcement officers. Some scholars suggest that many of these problems are misunderstood by the media and overly dramatized, arguing that these officers are merely doing their jobs.

Yet, others argue that such incidents can be traced back to poor training and procedures. Still, others maintain the entire system needs to be changed, and with the rise in crime, officers have shifted from protectors to enforcers.

A policy is defined as a deliberate strategy to guide decisions or a framework for decision-making within an organized structure. A procedure, on the other hand, is often regarded simply as a consistent method for a task. In cases of police brutality, officers might view strict policy, which calls for thoughtful scrutiny, as just procedure, which may not have consequences if breached (Kinnaird 203). Consequently, officers might exploit nebulous policies or procedures. Various studies have shown that vague or unclear policies, those devised with the wrong objectives, and those implemented with little input from the enforcers can result in increased instances of police misconduct and prove significantly ineffective (Kinnaird 203). Poor policy has been shown to have the opposite effect too. In numerous cases of police death or injury, officers have reported hesitation in applying necessary force due to uncertainty about what force options were permissible under law or department policy (Petrowski 25).

Researchers stress that adequate policy involves more than just documentation—it also requires the implementation of written policies as ‘proactive management’ (Kinnaird 209), ensuring the maximum safety of both civilians and officers. Training is another essential element when assessing officer conduct on the job. There are three primary considerations that warrant the necessity of training. The first is social advancement—police forces must adapt to changing times.

For instance, during the 1960s and 1970s, the primary focus was on firearms and physical control of offenders to gain compliance, whereas contemporary policing demands social skills, such as understanding human behaviors, emotions, attitudes, and reactions (Kinnaird 204). The second factor necessitating training is legal mandates, which entail the comprehension of civil liability and the ever-changing laws (205). Police departments have begun spending more money defending themselves in court than protecting the public. This makes training essential for informing officers of laws and helping prevent situations that could possibly lead to a lawsuit over the use of excessive force (206).

The third motivation behind satisfactory Farrar training is to maximize performance. Brian Kinnaird, Executive of Research and Training at the Forceology Research Group in Kansas, asserts, “without training, officers are completely autonomous. However, with training, they are equipped with better judgment and discretionary skills” (206). Police and criminologists note specific differences between the phrases ‘use of force,’ ‘unnecessary force,’ and ‘brutality.’ According to experts, the use of force is crucial and essential for an officer to carry out his job effectively. Unnecessary force, however, is often the result of poor training, such as when an officer barges into a situation where excessive force is needed to remove him or herself from danger. In this case, caution and better training could have prevented the situation from happening.

On the other hand, brutality is “a conscious and dishonest act by officers who often take great pains to conceal their misconduct” (Lawrence 19). According to this definition, brutality is not necessarily associated with poor training, while unnecessary force often is. It is important to make the distinction between these frequently conflated terms. Often times, the public is quick to judge police officers and label a necessary physical action as brutality. Many people, particularly officers themselves, believe that the public does not understand the daily pressures of being a police officer and the many complex situations where it is unclear how much force should be applied. Although the specific actions that constitute unnecessary force or brutality might be easy to determine in articles and police manuals, officers often find it difficult to decide how much force is truly necessary in the heat of the moment (Lawrence 19). Often, this concern persists for years.

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