The public is learning, all too painfully, that police misconduct is a complicated problem to assess and solve. For one thing, there lacks good information available to the public about how broad the scope of the problem may be. The Cato Institute has been working on solving this problem as a research project since 20012, though the project was originally launched by David Packman, a friend of the Ring of Fire program.
From the National Police Misconduct Reporting Project:
“No one disputes the idea that police misconduct is wrong, but reasonable people do disagree about the scope of the problem and how it ought to be addressed. The purpose of this project is to gather reports of credible allegations of police misconduct so policymakers (and others) can make informed assessments of the nature and circumstances of police misconduct, and consider proposals that can minimize wrongdoing. Individuals who are victimized by police misconduct should expect a review process that will seriously investigate complaints. Police officers accused of wrongdoing should expect to be treated fairly and with due process. Our objective is to identify policies that consistently uphold high standards of ethics, honesty, and professionalism from police officers and critique the policies that do not. We believe good policy analysis can improve government decision making.”
If you believe that you have witnessed a credible instance of police misconduct, the Cato institute would encourage you to consult with an attorney and then, if you desire, share your story with them here.
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Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow him on Twitter @Joshual33. |
