Policing in the community

The M68 Project believes that law enforcement is a critical component of a productive society and is a part of the Government in which God instituted.  To this end, for law enforcement to function in a way pleasing to God, it must do so without pride or prejudice.  Because Government and its agencies adopt the sin of its ‘owners’, we believe that the system of Policing is afflicted with pride and prejudice.  To restore the function of law enforcement, the Church must engage in a way that pursues equitable treatment for the accused and peaceful relationships between Police and the communities.  The M68 Project supports the reallocation of Police funds towards initiatives that demilitarize Police, promote greater community welfare, and promote more extensive evaluation and training for officers.
 
WHAT IS IT?

• Police Officers are ‘agents’ of the government and their primary responsibility (if not the only responsibility) is to enforce the laws of the government without pride or prejudice.
• The institution of Law Enforcement is not an ‘American’ institution.  Police (enforcement agents of the government) have been in existence since the beginning of society. 
• The issue of discrimination with how police enforce the law is not a new topic within our community or country. 

HOW HAS MAN (SIN) DISTORTED IT?

• As greed, power, and pride (sin) distort government, so does sin distort the agencies of government.  Just like no part of the body is exempt from a cancer diagnosis, no agency of the government is exempt from the specific sins of that government.  If the government is prejudice, then the government agencies are prejudice.
• We all carry with us bias and ‘self-preservation’ tactics that influence how we interact with each other.  Police officers are no different.  Generally, Police interact with a small portion of a community’s population (criminals).  With time, Police bias and self-preservation tactics begin to frame the larger portion of the population with the same lens as the small, criminal portion they interact with.  If your only experience with a dog is when it bit you, it is easy to believe that all dogs bite.
• Many of our Police are veterans.  In a ‘post’ war culture, the transition from a war mindset to city streets can be overwhelming.  These PTSD triggers from war can negatively influence behavior within Police.
• Culture has created a framework where you are either pro police or pro people of color.  This is a false dichotomy and completely removes the ability to promote biblical unity.
• Post 9/11 policing has become over-militaristic.  Fear of Jihad allowed our Police to arm for war.  Often, our Police look more like military officers than peace officers.
• Police are now responsible for reducing crime.  Reducing crime is not the responsibility of police. 

BIBLICAL TRUTHS?

• God created the institution of the Government to legislate laws for the purpose of protecting its people.  Man’s responsibility is to respect and follow the laws of the Government.  Only when laws prohibit obedience to God’s commands are we free to disregard the law.
• Biblical justice requires absolute equal punitive treatment for wrongdoers and relationships between people that reflect a love that conquers prejudice.  The Government and its agents are not exempt from this standard and hold a higher degree of accountability because of their authority.   

HOW SHOULD WE ENGAGE?

• We should engage in a way that promotes equal treatment for wrongdoing and builds relationships that see through bias.
• We do not support the defunding or abolishment of Police.
• We do support the reallocation of funding within the Police agencies that put more emphasis on restoring communities.  This reallocation may include reducing police budgets based on policy reform.
  • We do not believe Police should be armed like the military and do not support the purchase of military style weapons, body gear, and vehicles.  We believe Police should have a more robust selection process that includes deep psychiatric evaluation, longer on boarding cycles, and ongoing/continuing education or licensing.
  • We believe community facing Police should be Peace Officers with the intent of building community relationships, restoring communities to each other, caring for physical safety needs of communities, and interacting directly with the ‘law enforcement’ side of Police.
• When we see injustice, we should speak up and stand up to community leaders.  We must respond as if we were the people who experienced the injustice.