5. Police Reform & Modernization: Traffic Stops

 

5. Police Reform & Modernization: Traffic Stops

      In the past 20 years Over 7,000 U.S. service members have died in the post-9/11 war zones of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere yet four times that many, 28,000 citizens have been shot, tased, beat and choked in police deadly incidents, an appalling number. Most if not all of these people had not been convicted of a crime or carried a weapon. It is time to stop America's culture of violence and we can start with the repeal of  “police  right to use lethal force laws and police killings at traffic stops.

     Traffic stops are the leading cause of killings by  police as well as the leading cause of police deaths.  News sources report 685 drivers since 2017 and  60 officers killed in the past five years by gun fire at traffic stops. This has to stop and we can use Norwegian police strategies to stop police killings and the killings of police. 

        A 2019 study by Esposito, Lee, and Edwards at Rutgers University states that police killings are a leading cause of death for men aged 25–29 at (1.8 per 100,000), trailing causes such as accidental death (76.6 per 100,000), suicide (26.7 per 100,000), and other homicides (22 per 100,000).

     Traffic crimes such as a missing license plate, a broken tail light, driving without a license, non-registration of vehicle, license plate not matching vehicle identification number, or not complying with police requests to provide documentation, or asking the person to get out of the car lead to death or harm for either party.  These murders are being enabled by Graham vs. Connor. This lethal force law  gives police the right to kill and the procedure to kill for any reason.

        The Graham vs Connor law uses a mnemonic called PLAN  to help police officers decide when to kill.  PLAN stands for Proportionality, Legality, Accountability, and Necessity. Something is humanly mentally and emotionally deficient with a culture that tells an authority such as the police to PLAN to murder.  It is tacit approval in how to get away with murder and making that murder legal.

     Police are ignoring the no deadly force against persons who are fleeing.  Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father of three was shot seven times while his children watched from his car.  Police also ignore policies of not shooting into or pursue a fleeing car. The law also states that “deadly force may not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect.”  

     From 1996 to 2015, an average of 355 people (about 1 per day) were killed annually in pursuit-related crashes.  In just 2014-2018, over 2000 people  were killed in police pursuits.   Oftentimes police are shooting into vehicles with innocent passengers inside.  Police pursuits have killed more than 5,000 bystanders and passengers with thousands injured.  Police pursuits account for half of police officer fatalities as well.  

     The solutions and  outcomes we can work to achieve regarding fleeing in a vehicle or otherwise related to traffic stops is 100 % no police killings and no killings of police, A traffic stop is just that, The officer is not allowed to arrest a person on the side of a highway, street or any other location. He may take your license number and send you a ticket. If speeding he must send a drone or other modern technological  tactics to stop you from speeding. If aware of a warrant police can alert a specially trained team specifically trained to make arrests without killing anyone.

     We want a futuristic approach to policing enabling traffic safety. We can teach traffic laws to all students beginning in pre-school and every year thereafter.  Persons applying for a drivers license must pass a driver’s test and a traffic laws test particularly relating to speeding and driving while under the influence.  All persons must take a mental health test relating to road rage. 

     Traffic laws in many instances are not known to the public and certainly not the ramifications  for persons who unwittingly break those laws.  A relative of mine did not know your driver’s license can be suspended for not paying your taxes. This includes all taxes including taxes for your dog.  Driving with a suspended license in some states is a serious Class I misdemeanor with a possible one year jail sentence and $2500 in fines. 

      We can develop and use a number of technologies to stop traffic deaths.  There are a number of technologies that can help with DUI and speeding. With DUI every car comes with a DUI Interlock device.  This device can also be purchased and installed. The car will not start when it detects alcohol on your breath and this device can be mandatory. The costs can run between $70 -$175 and calibration $60.

     We can develop  no- speed applications that can be installed on smartphones that can tell you what it is going to cost if you are speeding and warn you to slow down. We can become more futuristic by installing cars with speed limit GPS readers which automatically enables your car to drive the speed limit or below.

     We can mirror Norwegian policing where there are no police killings or killings of police. We can move from medieval policing to modern/futuristic policing and save thousands of lives-civilian and police and prevent and reduce crime.

P.C.Pride formerly a Research Librarian/Media Specialist worked in Public, Special and University Libraries; worked as a  reporter and Editorial Assistant for two newspapers;  worked in urban city Economic Development  as an Administrative Analyst, thereby evolving into a solution journalist who researches and writes on innovative and unorthodox approaches to addressing today’s conflicts and issues. Contact: pcopride@gmail.com

4. Police Reform/Modernization: Stop Killing the Mentally Ill

 

4.  Police Reform/Modernization: Stop Killing Mentally Ill

        To stop police from killing the mentally ill, repeal Graham vs. Connor lethal force policies.  To stop mentally ill from killing the police, stop calling the police for mental episodes, or provide a non-lethal weapon for all police calls.  Modernization of police practices, education and appropriate treatment of persons with mental disorders can save lives.

  

     According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) there are some 58 million mentally ill persons in the USA.  Per the International Bipolar Association twenty-five percent of persons killed by police were mentally ill.  NIMH defines serious mental illness as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. 

     There are more than 200 different types of mental disorders. Often people who have contact with police are experiencing psychosis which  refers to a collection of symptoms that affect the mind and there is a  loss of contact with reality. They do not recognize what is real and what is not. Studies estimate that between 15 and 100 people out of 100,000 develop psychosis each year.

       News resources detail the killing of mentally ill person’s. For example,  Walter Wallace, Jr.  suffered from mental illness, including bipolar disorder, and was taking lithium. The two officers arrived in the area to respond to a domestic dispute. When they arrived, Wallace walked out of his house carrying a knife. The two officers backed away while telling him to drop the knife shortly before they each fired several rounds at Wallace, hitting him in the shoulder and chest. He later died from his wounds. Wallace's family stated that Wallace was having a mental health crisis. 

     Alfred Olango's family called for A 5160 which is an involuntary psychiatric hold for treatment and release after three days. The  request was for a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT).  Fifty minutes after the first call, at least two non-PERT officers arrived on scene.  Officers believed Olango was pointing a firearm, but what the officers thought he was holding turned out to be an e-cigarette.  They shot and killed him. 

     Stacy Kenney who had schizophrenia had a bulletin sent out on her by the police department detailing her condition when she was stopped by the police. Why is unclear. They tried to pull her out of the car, beat her in the head, shot her with a stun gun and then shot her three times while she was on the phone calling 911. Her family was awarded 4.55 million dollars, a record settlement for the city of Springfield, Oregon.

     According to mental health professionals the causes of mental health include: stress, chemical imbalances, traumatic brain injuries, parent exposure to toxic chemicals or harmful substances before giving birth, social isolation without the proper help, abuse and prolonged stress, turning to alcohol and substance abuse. You can contact the NIMH for a  list of medications for mental health disorders.

       However, many mentally ill people do not take their medication because they are unaware of their condition, self medicate with drugs and alcohol, cannot tolerate medical side effects or

psychiatric help is not working.

A significant reason why persons are not taking their medications is they cannot afford them.  

        To stop the killing of mentally ill persons, a combination of Emergency Medical Personnel  and Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (EMT/PERT), State Behavioral Science Departments, Social Services, and US Public Health Services must help police develop non- lethal plans for dealing with persons who have a psychiatric episodes. Any solutions must include educating the public on mental illness in schools, libraries, on webpage of local  social science and behavior science organizations.  

      We can find medical aids and restraint tools better than tasers.  We can work to 

accelerate the development of long lasting 6-months to one year medicated transdermal dermal patches. Persons can take mental health tests prior to purchasing firearms and prior to getting a learners permit/driver’s license.  

         We are still using policing protocols to bring about law and order. It is not effective. The police can't do public safety work alone.  Collaboration with community groups is essential to stopping crime. We can eliminate lethal force excuses such as “afraid for my life,” or "I had to make a split second decision”,  by developing better protective gear, high level audio

 visual CCTV and Artificial Intelligence tools providing data for crime prevention and arrests.

     It is time to move from medieval policing to modern futuristic  smart responses, especially when responding to persons who are mentally ill and having a psychotic episode.

PC Pride formerly a Research Librarian/Media Specialist worked in Public, Special and University Libraries; worked as a  reporter and Editorial Assistant for two newspapers;  worked in urban city Economic Development  as an Administrative Analyst, thereby evolving into a solution journalist who researches and writes on innovative and unorthodox approaches to addressing today’s conflicts and issues. Contact: pcopride@gmail.com

3. Police Reform & Modernization - Illegal Drugs

 

3.Police Reform & Modernization – Illegal Drugs 

            Up the road a truck load of law enforcement officers came to Andrew Brown Jr.’s home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to arrest him for drug dealing. Then the police shot him in the head as he attempted to flee. Police jumped in front of the car and shot him multiple times while he had no gun and his hands were on the steering wheel as seen in news reports video footage.

 

      What did the murder of Mr. Brown change? It changed absolutely nothing in preventing illegal drug use? To change we need to start by modernizing the platform that brought us here. The incarcerations, deaths by police and murderous drug  gangs began with the Controlled Substance Act signed into law in 1970 by Richard Nixion The law regulates legal and illegal drugs.  In 1981 President Ronald Reagan advocated criminal punishment over medical treatment for illegal drug use.

     

       Just what are illegal drugs? WedMD lists bath salts, cocaine, ecstasy, flakka, heroin, krokodil, LSD, marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, mushrooms, salvia, and spice as illegal drugs. According to WebMD, the risk of an overdose is not knowing how strong the drugs are or what is added to them. These drugs can cause violence, paranoia, agitation, hallucinations, psychosis, racing heart, high blood pressure, chest pain, panic attacks, dehydration, kidney failure and death.

     The drug laws calling for punishment over medical treatment the past 50 years have done nothing but increase overdose deaths, incarceration and homicides. Overdose deaths since 1999 number more than one million people have died and in 2021 more than 106,699 drug overdose occurred in the United States.  An estimated 30,000 deaths have resulted from police violence between 1980 and 2018 related to the so-called drug wars.

     War on drugs resulted in law enforcement use of no knock warrants..   Incarceration rose from 50,000  in 1960 to 400,000 in 1997 and today 85% of the 2 million persons are incarcerated for crimes involving drugs   Incarceration costs  $50,000- $80,000 to imprison one person. Consequently, we are paying according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 81 Billion dollars a year for mass incarceration (prisons, jails, parole, probation) in the United States. This does not include the costs of policing, court costs and costs paid by families to support incarcerated loved ones which is estimated to be $100 billion.

     We can develop new strategies and new outcomes for the reduction and elimination of illegal drug use in this country. Fifty years of ineffective policies and laws have destroyed lives and neighborhoods, We can formulate action that has a specific outcome. 

    

        We need to modernize by adapting  Portugal”s effective  methodology for illegal drug use which treats addiction as an illness.  In Portugal while most drugs are still illegal, use has been decriminalized and  persons are fined and not sent to jail. Drug users are helped to get off drugs with treatment and education/employment. There is also a full force illegal drug use prevention education program for young people. 

      This country can stop police killings and the killing of police particularly during drug arrests. We need new investigative tools and tactics for illegal drug trafficking which eliminate the need for no-knock warrants.  We must repeal lethal force laws and mirror Norwegian police which have no police killings and no killings of police. We can start by developing new tools for the protection of police and non-lethal tools for the capture and arrests of suspects. We can expand police training from 21 months to 3 years. There is a correlation between length of training and non-lethal policing. 

       We can state the outcomes we want from illegal drug use policies and tactics. All stakeholders  must work to reduce the overdose deaths by 95 percent and to reduce incarceration by 90%. We can work to provide tests for fentanyl, the primary cause of overdose death, just as Narcan is used to stop deaths. We can use dermal patches to gradually decrease a person’s addiction to drugs. We can provide mobile units to crawl the streets and visit schools relentlessly bringing drug prevention programs.

       To stop these horrific tragedies happening in our nation relating to drugs all sectors of society must collaborate to bring innovation and modern even futuristic tactics to stop the deaths and decrease incarcerations. 

P.C.Pride formerly a Research Librarian/Media Specialist worked in Public, Special and University Libraries; worked as a  reporter and Editorial Assistant for two newspapers;  worked in urban city Economic Development  as an Administrative Analyst, thereby evolving into a solution journalist who researches and writes on innovative and unorthodox approaches to addressing today’s conflicts, controversy, and issues. Contact: pcopride@gmail.com

2. Police Reform & Modernization: Domestic Violence

 

2. Police Reform & Modernization: Domestic Violence 

     Technology must be used  to develop more non-lethal tools to use and create new protocols for ensuring all criminal activity is adjudicated in court and not in a morgue.  We want to mirror Norway where there are no police killings or the killings of police.  We must appeal lethal force laws which promote cultural violence. To stop the killing start with the use of non-lethal tools during domestic violence related arrests.

     In New York two police officers were shot responding to a domestic disturbance call which is the most dangerous encounter for police. According to the FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) database from 2011 to 2020 of the 503 officers killed 43 were killed during domestic violence responses.

      Domestic violence impacts all socio-economic ethnic groups in America. Abuse can be physical (beating), sexual (rape), emotional (constant criticism), economic (deny resources), psychological abuse (threatening) and technological abuse (using online applications to threaten/demean). Tragically, women, men and children are drawn into this devastating tragedy. Often relatives and friends who intervene are killed or injured.  Police are also killed or injured when trying to make a domestic arrest or intervene. 

     Police report over a million domestic violence calls per year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics  4,970 women die in America each year when they attempt to leave their relationship.  In the workplace 12% of women report verbal abuse. The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports one in three women (35.6% and 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the US experience rape, physical violence and stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

         Tragically, between 2017 and 2022 according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archives U.S. parents or guardians have committed filicide, the killing of one’s child over 500 times every year.  Also each year, 7,957 children and teens are shot in the United States. Among those 1,839 children and teens die from gun violence. Eighty to 90% of domestic violence victims abuse or neglect their children. 

     Femicide, the gender based killing of women is not just an issue facing low income countries. Data show that of all femicides in high income countries the US accounts for 70% of the cases. The US ranks 34th in intentional female homicides. More alarming is the number of women killed is rising from 1,691 women in 2014 to an alarming high of 2,997 in 2019.  Nearly three women are killed every day in the US in domestic violence disputes.  

 

        The causes of domestic violence are complex. Why would a person physically and mentally harm someone they profess to love?  Financial hardship and unemployment are significant contributors to domestic violence. A downturn in the economy is associated with increased calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.  Historically power and control are at the core of domestic violence according to the United Nations office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  Culturally men see women and children as property.

         Other causes of horrific family violence are anger management issues, jealousy, low self-esteem, feeling inferior, cultural right or belief to control a partner, personality disorder, psychological disorder, learned behavior where domestic violence is accepted, alcohol and drugs causing the person’s to be unable to control their negative impulses. The causes of domestic violence reveal a strong link between child abuse and perpetrating abusive behavior later in adult life.

     According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes domestic violence and sexual abuse violate a victim’s human rights to life, health, personal freedom and security, as well as their right not to be tortured or exposed to other inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment as guaranteed by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international laws.

         The justice system across the United States does very little to prevent domestic violence. Laws across the country have been passed  to make mandatory arrest of one or both parties in an attempt to protect family members. Persons who are convicted of domestic violence are fined, put on probation and in severe cases including murder sent to prison. Most offenders are fined around $250 for disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace with a maximum jail sentence of 15 days.

      A hidden horror is police domestic violence. The National Center for Women reports  at least 40% of police officer's families experience domestic violence. The brutality in police families is proportionately higher than in the general population.

           Police officers convicted of domestic violence often are not punished. They are not fired, arrested or even referred for prosecution. This is a cultural attitude problem when police are the ones who respond to domestic violence calls. In addition, they make arrests for violations of court protective or restraining orders. 

       Restraining orders, protective orders and injunctions prevent an alleged abuser from making contact with the victim either temporarily or permanently. The orders are issued by the court when a victim makes a request. According to the US Department of Justice, there are between 2 to 3 million temporary restraining orders issued annually in the United States.  

 

      The orders are generally ex parte which means the order is granted without the accused being present or given the opportunity to defend themself. A National Institutes of Justice study shows that 69 percent of protection orders were violated, but only a fourth of the violators faced legal consequences. The penalties for violating a restraining  order can be up to six months in jail and fines of up to $2500 depending on the state you live in.

       Family law can drastically impact a family such as the removal of children from the household and adjudication of shared custody.  Often Child Protective Services remove children from the home or restrict parents from having contact. 

     This traumatization of US children has reached epidemic proportions. According to a 10-year study by the American Public Health Association, an alarming estimate that 37.4% of all children experience a child protective services investigation by age 18 years. That results in 27.7 million children investigated based upon the current U.S. population census of approximately 75 million children under age eighteen. 

          Americans need to ask ourselves what's wrong with us? The violence in a country of opportunity and wealth is a social disease requiring innovative approaches. The lethal force policy bolsters the public to jump to violence for any reason as is evident in domestic violence.  We can repeal police lethal force policy stopping police from killing for any reason.  Our policing can mirror Norway’s policing- no police killings, no killings of police.  

     Lethal Force Laws encourage a culture of violence instead of the development of non-lethal  and social approaches to conflict and law enforcement.  Even as I write this article, the police killed one man for violating a restraining order and another during a domestic violence call because the police said the man charged at her with a marker in his hand and she thought he would run her over.

      Domestic violence  is where police reform can do the most to help our country counter the impact of cultural violence.  The policing we have now does not work for our society today. There has been no reduction of crime, but an increase. FBI data shows serious crime such as murder has increased by 30% from 2019 to 2020.

         What solutions can we bring to the social illness of cultural violence that domestic violence generates?  We can work to change painful relationship dynamics through a multifaceted triage approach.  Domestic violence is a  platform for bullying, bitter divorces, poverty and a major factor in cultural violence.  Starting with Relationship Management classes, public safety officers must be a part of domestic violence prevention In an alliance with social workers, behavior scientists and educational institutions.  

 

     Relationship Management classes are placed on police websites, court websites, state behavior science websites, local government websites, local churches and community websites. Police are required to periodically take relationship management classes which include anger management classes, financial management classes with followup and ongoing therapy.

       Repeal lethal force laws, quantified immunity and stand your ground. These laws will not be needed in the police reform environment.  When police respond to domestic violence they are to come in at full alert using nonlethal weapons such as flash bombs, mace, pepper spray, stun gun and/or foam projectiles. To protect themselves they are to use bullet proof insta-shields and  bulletproof clothing.

           In a scenario when police respond to a domestic violence call, they will not go inside the dwelling. They are to set up their insta-shield and wear  bullet proof suits. Using a bullhorn asks the people to come outside with hands up one at a time. Get on the ground. They are both handcuffed. All parties including children if any are on scene and are to be taken to a holding area.

      The adults are immediately given access to an online Relationship Management Class, after completion they are to meet with a court for their case to be adjudicated. In any penalty the judge includes an order for all parties to attend online and in person domestic violence classes for an indefinite period of time. Children if any in the home are provided with age appropriate classes to help them mentally and emotionally to prevent domestic violence from being carried into the next generation.

       Massachusetts and 14 other states use GPS technology to prevent persons from violating restraining orders  The tracking tool is 100 percent effective at stopping violators from showing up and  threatening a former intimate partner. This is a prime example of how we can use technology to stop violence without the need for lethal force.

      The mandatory relationship management classes are for an indefinite period of time is another example of how we can prevent domestic violence. It is the start of an immediate plan to transform policing into public safety.  The FBI reports the US violent crime rate for 2019 was 1.3 million. We want to take that number and work to reduce crime by more than 70% and more. That is the outcome we must strive  to achieve via police reform.

P.C.Pride formerly a Research Librarian/Media Specialist worked in Public, Special and University Libraries; worked as a  reporter and Editorial Assistant for two newspapers;  worked in urban city Economic Development  as an Administrative Analyst, thereby evolving into a solution journalist who researches and writes on innovative and unorthodox approaches to addressing today’s conflicts and issues.

1. Police Reform: Theft & Eluding: Disproportionate Response to Crime

 

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.