ICE Tactics Are Damaging The Reputation of U.S. Law Enforcement.
Law enforcement in the United States is suffering from an acute loss of reputation and the continuing round-up of un-documented immigrants by the federal government is not helping.
The strategies and tactics being used in public places are disturbing to those who have witnessed the seizures and they are equally disturbing when seen on surveillance or cell phone camera footage. Imagine what it is like to be the target of such an apprehension.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) have been captured on video sneaking up on their subjects without meaningful identification, masked as if they are carrying out a special forces operation, separating parents from their children and leaving children behind, and using sledge hammers to break car windows to drag people from their vehicles. These same videos never offer a justification for the harsh tactics.
ICE falls under the control of the Department of Homeland Security and far from being concerned about how the agency’s strong-arm methods reflect on the reputation of law enforcement — at all levels — the director of HLS and her bosses at the White House welcome the rough show of force. They see it as sending a signal to un-documented immigrants that they should leave the country on their own and that those considering seeking asylum in the United States should stay on the other side of the border.
There was a time in the United States when a police officer approaching you was a welcome sight. It made you feel safe. In many communities that is no longer the case. Over the past several decades police departments at all levels have taken on the trappings and tactics of the military. Speaking only for myself, I no longer feel at ease at the sight of a police officer approaching me. I feel concerned. I feel that there is no more than a fifty-fifty chance the encounter will be a positive experience. This is not because I live a life at the edge of the law, it’s because the police see anyone who is not in uniform as a potential threat to be controlled before being helped.
I live in a mid-sized suburb of about 35,000 people. It’s a town that for most of its history was a farming community. Large parts of the town are still covered by farms and woodland. Most of the residents live in typical American subdivisions with typical American crime patterns. But our police department is ready for battle.
Officers patrol neighborhoods in blacked out cars — sometimes marked and other times not. The male officers often have tattoos and facial hair. They rarely smile or say hello. As they drive by, they hide behind the door frames of their cruisers and watch the citizens they are supposed to protect with suspicion. Simple traffic stops often draw multiple units. The doctrine of overwhelming force. Officers are dressed in black fatigues. The more Velcro they have the more authority they have among their fellow officers and the more menacing they look to the public.
With regards to tattoos and facial hair, I have nothing against either, but I do observe that there has been a cultural shift during the course of my lifetime. When I was in high school, officers in the town where I grew up would have been clean shaven and if they had tattoos, they were covered by their clothing. The bad guys were more likely to have beards and tattoos. It was one way to tell the difference. For older generations, the current culture of policing — which includes beards and visible body art — adds to the first impression that the police are not there to help, but to exert physical force at the first opportunity.
Policing is a male dominated profession and it shows up in the culture. It shows up in the choices that are made about how officers present themselves, the weapons they choose, the vehicles they drive, and the other special tools they pull out when there’s an opportunity. ATVs, armored trucks, long guns, helmets, goggles and all the rest. It all contributes to the us vs. them nature of American policing.
As a long time observer of police tactics, from the perspective of journalist and citizen, I conclude that when you give someone the tools of war and the authority to use them, sooner or later they will. It’s human nature.
The 2023 police beating case that led to the death of Tyre Nichols is a good example. Nichols was initially pulled over by Memphis police working as part of something called the SCORPION unit. They had been tasked to use aggressive tactics to enforce the law in high crime areas of the city. SCORPION officers drove unmarked cars, wore plain clothes, and bullet proof vests. Is it any surprise that a group of men with power and special permission to use that power eventually would? When you call a group of officers the “scorpion squad” should you be surprised when they begin behaving like predators? After the Nichols case, the Memphis SCORPION unit was disbanded.
Backing down is not a common response in the world of policing in the United States. Departments watch and learn from each other. There is an obvious competition among departments for the latest and most effective law enforcement tools. Tools that are meant to intimidate and control.
Law enforcement argues that the United States has become a more dangerous place; that police are often out-gunned and they need to be prepared for almost anything to ensure they have the best chance to complete their mission and finish their shift alive.
No one doubts the validity of this argument. The increase in mass shootings across the country is justification enough for police preparedness, but the danger of having police departments that are over-prepared is that officers will eventually feel the itch to use special weapons and tactics for routine policing. This is where the reputation of law enforcement is put at risk.
Law enforcement in the United States is a public sector job. It is funded by taxpayers at the local, state, and federal level. Their business should be conducted transparently and with respect for their employers; the people. Police should be restrained by the law and unmasked.
For more writing on politics, public relations, and journalism from Dean Pagani visit Media Attaché on Substack.
