Understanding Police Violence as a Mutual Problem

Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH 

American Journal of Public Health

Here is the introduction to this journal article:

This past Thanksgiving, I was in Chicago visiting family when a cellphone video of a police officer taking down a man hit the local airwaves. The images showed an officer using an emergency maneuver that resulted in the man’s head hitting the pavement. There was an immediate outcry; it was said that the takedown was unwarranted, yet another case of “rogue policing.” Lost in the clamor was that the man was intoxicated and had verbally threatened, licked, and spit on the officer. The man further refused ambulance transport, and the officers themselves took him to the hospital for care. At the time of this writing, two officers remain under investigation, while the man was bailed out of jail (he had outstanding parole violations) amid claims that he was “thrown onto the sidewalk with no regard for his life” (https://bit.ly/37piikW).

Is this another example of police violence or simply an officer trying to protect himself? If all politics are local, then most opinions are personal. I will freely admit that my view of law enforcement comes from more than 20 years of working night shifts in the emergency department, watching officers and deputies protect society’s most vulnerable. To be quite honest, I am most often impressed at the restraint police officers exhibit when dealing with violent and abusive people and when faced with imminent threats to life and limb. The idea that unthinking violence is somehow basic to law enforcement system seems contradictory to my lived experience. Individuals and institutions within the law enforcement community want to do right, and while one might argue that they do so not out of goodness but out of fear of public backlash, everyone recognizes that law enforcement officers can only do their job well if they do so with restraint, impartiality, and integrity. There are bad cops, just as there are those ill-suited to any profession, and sometimes people who clearly do not belong in police work can slip through the cracks. But it is a certainty that within law enforcement nobody likes a bad cop.

This journal article is available to be read in full here.

 

To prevent overdose deaths, reduce hospitalization, and help bring more people into recovery, over 65 cities around the world have established Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS), facilities where people can bring in their own drugs and use in a clean environment under supervision. As many cities in the US and worldwide move toward opening OPSs, police wonder how the change will impact their work. Join LEAP for a conversation with police who have worked with OPSs from Canada and Denmark about the everyday benefits and challenges of policing a city with OPSs.

Speakers:

• Inspector Bill Spearn, Vancouver Police Department, Canada
• Staff Sergeant Conor King, Victoria Police Department, Canada
• Superintendent Henrik Oryé (Ret.), Copenhagen Police, Denmark

• Moderator: Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), Executive Director, LEAP US
• Comments: Detective Sergeant Neil Woods (Ret.), Chairman, LEAP UK

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

12pm ET/9am PT/6pm CET

Link to register

The following information has been directly sourced from the World Congress on Public Health 2020 statement on "Public health for the future of humanity".

When a group of health professionals from China arrived at Malpensa Airport in northern Italy on 18th March to share their experience and learning in tackling Covid 19 and some essential medical supplies, they unfurled a banner “We are waves from the same sea, leaves from the same tree, flowers from the same garden”. Public health professionals around the world have been united working in solidarity for the common good and betterment of humankind, leading the scientific analysis and advise to decisionmakers, and on front lines in the field practically tackling the ongoing Covid 19 global public health emergency. People have gone to their balconies and front doors to applaud and convey their admiration and thanks for their work and other health professionals in these extraordinary times.

The 16th World Congress on Public Health is due to be held from 12 to 16 October 2020 as a fully online conference. The theme of the Congress “Public health for the future of humanity: analysis, advocacy and action” is even more relevant now than ever before.

The individual, community and institutions of society are key protagonists and chief stewards for health from whose values and interactions the future emerges. When the global pandemic was declared, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response (GLOPID-R), organised a Global Forum on research and innovation for Covid 19 (‘Global Research Forum’). The WHO-GLOPID-R Covid 19 Global Research and Innovation Forum highlighted some key values in addressing the global pandemic, namely solidarity, equity, trust, autonomy, equal moral respect, and vulnerability. Such ethical principles were not intended for abstract philosophical arm chair debate but have significant implications for policy, research and practice at this time. There has been “a cry for ethical global leadership” to consider and address health inequity and to use the learning and experience from the global Covid 19 pandemic to build a just, healthier, and peaceful world. Public health is the work, art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised 2 efforts of society. At this time, there is urgent need to reconsider the organised efforts of society and role of individuals, communities and institutions which they serve.

What this global pandemic and other public health emergencies, such as climate change, clearly demonstrate is recognition of the interdependence and interconnectedness of all people in the world and their environments, and the need for unity, not only to overcome this common threat but also for building a healthy peaceful future for all humanity. Global cooperation and coordination during a pandemic outbreak can be considered both an epidemiological imperative and a moral duty, and the way we need to live and work together in the future. Such a world will need to address the scandalous social and economic inequities, which continue “to kill people on grand scale”1 and issues around race and gender which have direct impact on health and wellbeing.

There is urgent need to invest in public health and care services and work together as citizens of one planet to deliver the 2030 sustainable development goals, all of which have implications for our health and wellbeing. Following World War 2, there was emergence of significant international and national organisations, such as the United Nations, UNICEF, World Bank, World Health Organization and other agencies calling for greater international cooperation. The science, the evidence and experience from the Covid 19 global pandemic clearly highlight our interconnectedness and our environments, the oneness of humankind and the case for a One Health approach to global health, and urgent need for evaluation and strengthening of international organisations to serve all people on our planet. The public health community throughout the world is united and stands ready and eager to support policymakers, individuals and communities in our common endeavour to build a just healthier future for humankind and the whole planet.

October 2020 

This is a statement by World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), European Public Health Association (EUPHA), Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SItI), and UK faculty of public health (FPH).

For further information please contact Farhang Tahzib (farhang.tahzib@gmail.com), UK FPH, or Dineke Zeegers Paget, EUPHA Executive Director (office@eupha.org).

This statement is available to be read in full here.

Carleton U, the police, and the new academic isolationism

The decision by Carleton University criminologists to eliminate student placements with police and correctional services is ill-advised.

Below is an excerpt from this article.

Recently my friends and colleagues at the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Carleton University introduced a series of initiatives designed to address white supremacy, systemic racism and settler colonialism. Many of their plans are laudable, including new student bursaries and anti-racist education measures. One particularly worrying development, however, has generated considerable attention: their decision to eliminate the opportunity for undergraduate students to do placements with either police or correctional organizations.

Such placements have been part of criminology programs in Canada for decades. Typically, they involve students receiving credit for volunteering with different social or criminal justice organizations, such as the police, prison reform groups, victim services organizations, halfway houses, homeless shelters, and the like. While such programs can attract students who want to work in the criminal justice system, neither the placements nor the programs themselves are job training. Instead, placements are one part of a broader liberal arts education and are designed to give students a realistic understanding of the topics they are studying.

As someone who graduated from Carleton University 30 years ago – where I completed two placements in this specific program – I find this current divestment strategy ill-advised. Before I detail why I believe this is the case, it is important to stress that I unreservedly support the racial justice agenda. I too watched in horror as George Floyd was murdered and have been encouraged by the surge in anti-racist activism. It is well past time to reconfigure policing and criminal justice. Unfortunately, Carleton’s placement decision is not a means to achieve that goal.

To continue reading this article visit here.

Webinars on Police and Public Health in African Countries

Invitation

Optimum community safety and wellbeing comes from effective partnerships between two sectors that do not have a strong or happy history of working together: law enforcement, especially police and prosecutors, and public health, especially in its alliances with affected communities. The Global LEPH Association is building an African Regional Law Enforcement and Public Health Association to raise awareness of the importance of the partnership and promote networking and sharing of experience across African countries.

Second webinar series: Police and the Covid-19 epidemic in African countries

Nowhere is the role of police in public health more apparent or important than in the current Covid-19 epidemic. GLEPHA is holding a series of webinars on aspects of policing and public health, the first in the series being on the police role in the pandemic.

For police, it would be a very good idea for small groups, of 3-5 police colleagues, to watch and participate together, so they can discuss and feed back. This of course may not be possible, because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Date:                Thursday 27 August 2020

Times:            9:00 a.m. in Sierra Leone and Ghana, 10:00 a.m. UK and Nigeria, 11:00 a.m. Maputo and Johannesburg, 12:00 noon. Comoros, Kenya and Uganda, 13:00 p.m. Seychelles, and 7:00 p.m. in Sydney

See speakers and agenda here

Participants for the webinars must be registered.

Link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6852507617465877261 

Upon registration, participants will receive an email with the link to join the webinar, as well as reminder emails 1 hour and 1 day before the webinar.  A recording of the event will be published afterwards on the GLEPHA website.

Organisers:   Nick Crofts, GLEPHA                       nick.crofts@unimelb.edu.au

                        Munya Katumba, Aidsfonds          munyakatumba@gmail.com

To reduce the harm: On defunding the police Ian Loader | The Times Literary Supplement

This information has been directly sourced from the article posted in The Times Literary supplement and can be read in full here.

The Black Lives Matter movement has been highly prominent in the United States and around the world since 2013, with incidents such as the death of George Floyd sparking outrage.

The campaign to defund the police in the US is based on the idea that the police system in the US is not made for crime prevention and to keep the public safe but instead focuses on keeping Black people under control.

Despite the avenue for reforming the police system to include more Black police officers and more bias training, many believe it is too late and this would not be viable therefore defunding the police is the only option.

This article is available to be read in full here.

New book from Gerry Campbell, Karl Roberts and Neelam Sarkaria titled 'Harmful Traditional Practices -  Prevention, Protection, and Policing'.

This book is about harmful traditional practices: damaging and often violent acts which include female genital mutilation, forced marriage, honour killings and abuse, breast ironing, witchcraft and faith-based abuse. Often targeting women and young girls, these practices are often justified on spurious religious or traditional grounds but are all forms of abuse. Roberts, Campbell and Sarkaria have backgrounds in psychology, policing and law and have spent many years working at the forefront of attempts to end these practices. Harmful Traditional Practices is therefore a uniquely pragmatic book which aims to inform readers about these acts while identifying the best approaches towards ending and prosecuting against them.

For more information about this book and to purchase it visit here.

 

The following information has been sourced directly from the article published in The Guardian which can be read in full here.

Shamila Batohi is South Africa’s national director of public prosecutions

"The Covid-19 pandemic will have far-reaching implications for justice worldwide."

The impacts of COVID-19 on justice systems have already been seen especially with major delays in trials, with this expecting to last for months and the effects to be seen for years to come.

In developing countries, the economic effect of COVID-19 is severe and some countries will struggle for decades as a result. 

This public health crisis has changed the way countries deal and respond to crime and treatment of suspects and offenders. Due to lengthy delays, South Africa has had to reconsider pre- trial detention and only use it for exceptional cases.

This article is available to be read in full here.

Optimum community safety and wellbeing comes from effective partnerships between two sectors that do not have a strong or happy history of working together: law enforcement, especially police and prosecutors, and public health, especially in its alliances with affected communities. The Global LEPH Association is building an African Regional Law Enforcement and Public Health Association to raise awareness of the importance of the partnership and promote networking and sharing of experience across African countries.

Sign up to receive the LEPH Africa eNews here: http://eepurl.com/_qv0T

First webinar series: Police and the Covid-19 epidemic in African countries

Nowhere is the role of police in public health more apparent or important than in the current Covid-19 epidemic. GLEPHA is holding a series of webinars on aspects of policing and public health, the first in the series being on the police role in the pandemic.

For police, it would be a very good idea for small groups, of 3-5 police colleagues, to watch and participate together, so they can discuss and feedback. This of course may not be possible, because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Date:                Friday 7 August 2020 Times:            9:00 a.m. in Sierra Leone and Ghana, 10:00 a.m. UK and Nigeria, 11:00 a.m. Maputo and Johannesburg, 12:00 noon. Comoros, Kenya and Uganda, 13:00 p.m. Seychelles, and 7:00 p.m. in Sydney Participants for the webinars must be registered. Link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3887842738047608843

Upon registration, participants will receive an email with the link to join the webinar, as well as reminder emails 1 hour and 1 day before the webinar.  A recording of the event will be published afterwards on the GLEPHA website.

Organisers:   Nick Crofts, GLEPHA  nick.crofts@unimelb.edu.au

                        Munya Katumba, Aidsfonds  munyakatumba@gmail.com

• WEBINAR 1: Friday 7th August 2020

  Policing the Covid19 Pandemic in Africa: challenges and opportunities Experience of police in the Covid-19 epidemic: Reports from Africa and elsewhere

  Session format

• Speakers, then discussion and Q&A
•  Questions can be put in the chat box

Moderator:   Professor Karl Roberts, Professor of Policing and Criminal Justice at the University of Western Sydney, Consultant to the World Health Organisation on police and pandemics Presentations: 1.     Introduction to GLEPHA and the formation of an African LEPH (2mins) o Prof Nick Crofts 2.     Introduction to the Webinar and speakers o   Prof Karl Roberts 3.    The Nigerian police experience and guidance with the Covid-19 epidemic (15mins) o   DCP Olubunmi Ogunsanwo - Nigeria Police Force Medical Officer o   Dr. Efunsola Sowemimo - Commissioner of Police rtd 4.    The COVID situation in Ghana o   Assistant Commissioner Jones Blantari (10mins) 5.    Covid-19 and response  in Uganda (10mins) o   Commissioner Tinka Zarugaba 6.    Transition from lockdown and future of policing o   Professor Karl Roberts

Supported by:

Frontline AIDS: the PITCH Program, and Médecins du Monde (MdM)

Link to Webinar Invitation in PDF here

                                            

Date: 5 August 2020 Time: 15h00 - 16h30 (GMT +2) Venue: Online via Zoom, registration required

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries have experienced significant changes in crime patterns, and criminal justice resources have been reallocated to deal with lockdown-related public order issues. Although the pandemic’s long-term consequences are difficult to predict, the implications for prosecution services will be far-reaching. This seminar discusses the impact of COVID-19 on prosecutors and prosecution services. Speakers will consider: how prosecution services have tried to mitigate negative effects; the changing social, political and economic environments in which prosecutors work; and how the pandemic’s disruptions could accelerate prosecutorial reform and innovation.

Chair: Dr Martin Schönteich, Senior Advisor, Innovation & Policy Support Office, National Prosecuting Authority, SA

Speakers: 

• Bola Akinsete, Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Lagos State, Nigeria
• Dr Marco Fabri, Acting Director, Research Institute on Judicial Systems, National Research Council of Italy
• Daniela Cavallini, Associate Professor, Department of Political & Social Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
• Dr Rasmus Wandall, Research Fellow, University of Lund, and previous General Counsel, International Association of Prosecutors

Register here