I tend to believe most police officers are good, but some of the more recent incidents of excessive force and police brutality have eroded my trust in law enforcement as it pertains to minorities in this country. There seem to be subcultures in many police precincts that seek out violent confrontations and escalations of what would normally be routine arrests requiring minor use of force. It's painfully obvious that race is also a contributing factor in some of these terrible incidents where chronic hostility exists between white officers and the communities they serve.

Law enforcement needs to return to the principles of "serve and protect" rather than "command and conquer", especially in precincts where tensions between police and civilians are at a dangerous peak. I realize that police posture needs to be different in high crime areas, but the overall goal should be to keep the peace rather than engage in actions that inflame resentment and distrust of those we hire to police our communities. Good police officers help defuse situations where emotions are getting out of control rather than escalate incidents toward the worst possible outcome. 

All of the blame can't be focused on law enforcement, because there's also a trend in some communities to have unreasonable hostility and resistance to any police interaction with civilians. If police officers are acting in a lawful manner you don't have the right to be verbally abusive or disrespectful while they're performing their duties. You may not like a speeding ticket or reprimand, but mouthing off to police is not going to help the situation and will force the officer to begin escalation protocol.

Our current crisis with law enforcement requires action from both sides to improve relations and trust in our communities. Police chiefs need to clean house and purge the ranks of officers who aren't fit for duty, especially those officers who openly display violent tendencies and racial bias. We also need to issue body cameras for officers on patrol not only to protect the public, but to protect the police from frivolous claims. We can work out the civil rights and privacy issues in the courts, because obviously there may be unintended consequences when cameras are constantly recording not only police incidents, but footage of the general public that should be protected from unauthorized use.

I believe the general public needs to put these latest incidents in perspective and try to give law enforcement the respect and cooperation they need to carry out their lawful duties. Police officers see a lot of unpleasant situations on a regular basis, and they put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe. Most officers are good at their job, so don't let a few bad apples poison the well.

We do need to stand up as a community when police cross the line, but we need to voice our concerns in a lawful and peaceful manner.