1. Police Reform: Theft & Eluding Disproportionate Response to Crime
She did not know what to do. The police officer stood in front of her car window with a gun pointed at her head. “Get out of the car,” he says. She is afraid to move her hands from the wheel. They say keep your hands on the wheel so the police can see them. He tells her again to get out of the car. She asks why he wants her to get out of the car.
The police officer tells her because there was a theft at the store. She says she did not do that and begins to slowly move her car away. Another police officer deliberately steps in front of the car and fires into the car, killing Ta'kiya Young age 21, and her unborn daughter and she leaves two boys without a mother. The boys could possibly become orphans and wards of the state, a prime example of generational destruction.
The alleged theft at the Kroger store was a bottle of alcohol valued most likely at approximately 30 dollars. The killing for this theft is excessive. Moreover, it is the result of police use of lethal force laws (Graham vs Connor) for any reason they deem necessary.
We need to match the arrest process to the alleged crime. We can change to mirror Norway policing practices where there are no police killings or killings of police. We must repeal lethal force laws, increase training from 21 months to 3 years and we must provide police with non-lethal weapons.
A police officer shoots and kills a teen for stealing a pair of sunglasses from a big box department store. This is a clear example of the need to repeal lethal force laws. Stealing a $300 pair of sunglasses might carry a misdemeanor penalty (petty theft). The penalty can range from fines and restitution, probation or community services hours.
Theft whether it is grand theft (over $500), armed robbery, burglary, smash and grab is the taking of property that belongs to another. Theft at a certain level could lead to jail or prison from one year to over 20 years, but not the death penalty.
The lethal force law (Graham vs Conner) has no response filter, only one action and that is to kill. We do not need the very people whose actual role is to prevent crime and protect citizens to have any right to kill when they think it is necessary, or for that matter at all. That is a crime, that is murder. Persons fleeing from police have been shot 16 times, 46 times, 12 times and most recently 96 times and police have taken deliberate and planned headshots. This is excessive force murder when the crime does not call for the death penalty and often the police do not know if that person has actually committed a crime.
After all, why have the police if all they are just going to do is drive up and shoot. Any person with a gun can do that. We expect the police to be able to bring a person to justice in a court of law as they are innocent until proven guilty under this country’s judicial system. The question remains: did Ta’kiya Young steal a bottle of alcohol? We see no evidence of that. Is she on the store's surveillance camera stealing the bottle of alcohol? Was the bottle of alcohol found in her car or any other stolen item? She did not get her chance in court to respond to these accusations.
Moreover, shooting and killing people does not stop theft. The police, the community, and all businesses must look at thefts and determine what action can give us the outcome we expect from activities used to prevent theft.
We need to look at the various factors contributing to theft in America. People steal for various reasons, but some of the most common ones are economic hardship, emotional or physical void, low self-esteem, peer-pressure, jealousy, or greed. Some people steal to survive or to meet a basic need, while others steal for the thrill, to fill a gap in their lives, or to harm others. Stealing can also be influenced by social factors, such as feeling excluded or deprived.
The community, the police, business, and the government must form a coalition and take a look at theft in this country and come up with a comprehensive anti-theft plan for all
stakeholders (without the police or anyone else killing anyone). For home break ins, FBI data indicate there were 903, 627 counts of burglary. Most residential burglaries happen during the day between 10 am and 3 pm. A person is home 27% of the time and someone is injured 7.2% of the time. Thieves steal jewelry, watches, wallets, cash, electronics, prescription drugs, cars and auto parts, clothes, furniture, bicycles. Property stolen in the US is around $971 million with only $54 million recovered.
Stolen vehicles cost owners over 8 billion dollars due to more than 1 million vehicles on average stolen every year in the USA. Not only do thieves steal your auto, they steal tires, wheels, tailgates, batteries, catalytic converters, airbags, third row seats, registration, garage door openers. If you leave electronics, sunglasses, keys, smartphones, cash and coins in your car they can also be stolen.
Shoplifting is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail. But if the value of the items that you stole is relatively high (for example, above $2,000), then you could face a felony charge punishable by time in a state prison.
More than two-thirds of states now treat shoplifting as a misdemeanor. if someone boosts less than $1,000 in goods, and 15 states have raised their limit to $1,500 or more. More than 70% of surveyed retailers reported that shoplifting spiked in their stores after these changes.
Theft can be caused by wealth inequality and usually intensifies during or after a catastrophic event such as frequent bank robberies in the Public Enemy Era in 1930s,s and the great depression and a pandemic. Disfranchised groups are a factor such as persons participating in organized crime, and looting during an extreme climatic or public disturbance event. Theft is often an Inflation response and a moral contract disconnect (thy shalt not steal).
The likelihood of apprehending shoplifters after the fact is relatively low, as only an estimated 5 to 10 percent of shoplifters are caught. Among those who are apprehended, not all are reported to the police, and even fewer receive sentences, which typically involve fines. Shoplifters are only caught about once out of every 48 times they steal — just over 2% of the time.
Shoplifting is not a crime where the police need to use lethal force. Ask the person for their drivers license. Ask to search them or their vehicle, but if not tell them that you will see if they are on video engaging in shoplifting, then an arrest team will be sent to arrest them at any time. Their picture will be displayed on TV and on the police webpage, facebook page, on billboards and in the store and in addition they will be banned from certain stores. If they get out and show that they did not shoplift, then they will be let go. If they did shoplift they will be given a citation to appear in court and if guilty will be fined, make restitution, and/or sentenced to community service. This is what the community wants police response to be.
Moreover, it is concerning when the police captain cavalierly shrugged his shoulders and sanctioned the killing of Ta'kiya Young and said,"she would not get out of the car after being told to get out multiple times". As a part of the establishment he is championing lethal violence and is sending a message to our young people that it is okay to kill for any reason. This attitude is a contributing factor in enabling violence in our country. Most ominously it is a return to medieval law circumventing the core of our country's justice system - your day in court.
We want community, police and business response to use AIs and other techware internally and externally to stop theft. No one condones theft as it is costly for all of us. As we move forward we want modern, smart policing. More training particularly in dealing with suspects who do not get out of the car when instructed or elude police. More training so that police do not find themselves in split second decision situations like jumping in front of a car, then using it as an excuse to shoot a suspect.
With the changes we need to make now, the scenario with Ms. Young would have played out as follows: Stop then ask for license, registration and insurance. Tell her a theft has taken place and ask for permission to search her car for the stolen item. If she refuses, tell her she is going to be arrested and taken to the police station for suspicion of theft. The police person moves to the side. She is told how to get out of the car. If she does not get out, then use a flash smoke bomb projectile launched from the back of her car targeted near not at the suspect. The person should get out and the police person proceeds with the arrest. If the situation becomes more complicated, tag her and tell her to submit to arrest now or a special arrest team will pick her up.
We can mirror Norway - no police killings or killings of police. We want a certain outcome when there is crime. We want to stop theft of any item period without killing people. that does not stop theft. We can use innovation, smart theft prevention techniques to stop theft, and not a bullet.
