From the article: "Hans Menos, vice president of law enforcement initiatives at the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), said public messaging will be one of the key obstacles to moving these efforts forward. Certain police leaders are telling the public that removing police from low-level offenses will also remove their ability to look for guns or encounter "bad guys," he said.
That information "set the table" for local decision-makers to understand the actual problems that exist and look at what’s possible in terms of reform, according to Menos. The data tells a clear story, he said, and it doesn’t allow biases about policing to get in the way.
Menos agrees with that sentiment. "Most police officers didn't join policing to be the folks who handle these low-level ticketing offenses," Menos said. "Police are burdened." Taking away activities like traffic stops or mental health responses can give police the opportunity to instead engage the community in other ways or just focus on crime, he said."
By Cailin Crowe
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