One Absolute Must for Police Reform
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By Dr. Moriel McDuffy
Image from unsplash.com and Scott Graham
As congress, towns, and cities move toward police reform. There is one consideration that is a must. More robust vetting of police is essential. As police reform takes hold, some officers will weed themselves out through their actions or by quitting. However, police departments should vet new officers at a higher standard than in the past. Also, there is one aspect of vetting should significantly be improved. Cities and states must vet police for membership in white nationalist groups. Remember, the history of the KKK kept membership secret. The hoods were to protect the identities of the members as they terrorized people of color and other ethnicities. Under the hood could be a judge, mayor, and the police chief for all anyone knew.
The KKK used public service positions to further their agenda. Be mindful that Red Summer and the Tulsa Oklahoma massacre would not have happened if the police did their job instead of joining white looters who bombed and destroyed the town. There is no place for KKK or any white nationalist member in the police force if you want to improve policing. Therefore, police agencies must do a better job of vetting. Vetting should include family checks and social media searches. Locating family members in White Nationalist groups could be an indicator of whether an officer is in the KKK. Also, technological advances dictate that various racist groups operate online. Therefore, there are traces of these interactions in cyberspace. Increased policing standards means also improving the vetting process.
