The motto of the U.S police is “Protect and Serve,” and the motto of Washington D.C police is ‘Service with Humility’. If the #police are not up to the mark in fulfilling that oath then maybe we should change their motto. In the current status of police performance and people’s resentment towards them, it’s completely fair and necessary to make the disciplinary records of police public for transparency and to help them better serve.
Police records are largely kept veiled. The public rarely knows about the officer they are dealing with. People are unaware of any heinous record an officer may have until they are victimized at the hands of corrupt police officers or they witness the death of an innocent caused by undisciplined and exploitive police officers. It’s wrong and detrimental to veil any misconduct or possible damage caused by unprofessional police officers. For this reason it is pivotal that their disciplinary record be made public. For more transparency and better public safety, such acts be a stepping stone for society.
"In our dealings and history with the Metropolitan Police Department, transparency and accountability have been very difficult. They have multiple disciplinary issues on their records, and accountability doesn't exist," said Monica Hopkins, executive director of D.C.'s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. One thing must be understood; while demanding the disclosure of police officer disciplinary records to the public, that does not mean the exposure of the personal record of the police officer. Therefore, linking this to privacy rights does not make sense. Police officers are public servants and their transparency and accountability are important.
D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, the chair of the Public Safety Committee also supports the idea stating, “having that type of disciplinary record be able to be public and be publicly accessible is something we want to do.” The accessibility of police officers' discipline record won’t incur any cost and can be included in emergency reforms very easily. Besides, if people come to know how the posting and hiring of police officers takes place, it will enhance trust and confidence in the police department. As Monica Hopkins has said, “understanding how and why these decisions are made is fundamental to increasing public trust."
Unfortunately, citizen’s complaints against the police officers in the U.S are kept secret in almost every case. There could be many reasons for that. However, the criminal justice system experts believe that by doing so the public safety could be jeopardized. If the citizens are deliberately deprived of this crucial information, it may cause damage to them and society. Criminal justice experts further believe that the information could be very helpful in eradicating the bad factors from the police department before it is too late.
According to David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies police behavior, “Confidentiality makes it tough for the public to know just who it is they are dealing with and to know whether their department or any particular officer is one they would want out in the streets.”
Police disciplinary records should not be kept sealed unless you want another repeat of what happened to George Floyd. People have every right to know that the officer they are dealing with is not (hopefully) someone who has dozens of complaints lodged against them. It’s the right of people to know about the record of the officer so the victimization of innocent people can be thwarted. The disclosure of police disciplinary records is imperative for greater transparency and the elimination of rogue elements from the police department.
