Kathleen Dias: Police1 Columnist

Sometimes Cops can’t say what they really want, and need, to say.  Thankfully we have writers like Kathleen Dias who can be their voice.  Particularly when it comes to underrepresented, rural, police populations.

Not every police officer works in a large metropolitan police department.  If fact, most don’t.  Most work in agencies that have few than 30 officers.  They work in remote areas where backup might be an hour away.  When they get to a scene of a crime, there is no CSI unit to call to come document the scene and collect evidence, it’s on them.  There is no crisis negotiator, SWAT response, or you name it, the list goes on.  There is only the officer, their training, their guts, and GRIT.

Policing is a human endeavor.  It always has been, and always will be.  There is no piece of technology or equipment that will replace a well-trained, competent, and empathetic officer.  We would all be wise to remember this as talk of “Reform” is in the air.  It has been a constant drumbeat in the popular mainstream media.

But, what does “reform” even mean?  Ask a stranger on any street corner and you will likely get a blank stare, or worse, the “D” word.  What is the “D” word, well, that would be “Defunding.”  I would argue that most of us in the police would “D”isagree….

On this week’s episode of the Coptimizer Podcast, I had a great conversation with police writer, Kathleen Dias.  We talked a lot about the challenges facing rural police departments in addition to our conversation about what police reform really should look like.  She wrote a piece for Police1 magazine that laid the foundation for what real reform should look like.  

It means more police officers, not fewer.  It means more funding for training, not less.  It means modernizing equipment and investing, not cutting budgets.  It means supporting injured cops, and investing in programs that build resiliency, not kicking them to the curb after society wrings every drop of compassion and care out of them.  It means paying them a salary and providing medical benefits, and a retirement that is above poverty levels, not cutting pensions and penny-pinching at their expense. But most importantly, real reform starts with communities getting realistic about what cops can actually change, and not change, about societal issues that get kicked around by everyone until they land at the feed of your local officers.  

Buckle up and enjoy!

You can watch this podcast on our YouTube channel by clicking here.