The NYPD strikes again with yet another embarrassing video that can be found in this article. The video is of a street performer being ejected from the subway by a police officer on grounds that he is now allowed to be there. Now the legality of this isn't as black and white as the article would like you to believe. Yes, musicians are allowed perform in subway platforms, but they are also allowed to be ejected by cops during peak hours or when they are obstructing the platform. The main issue with the video is the cop doesn't mention either of those reasons for ejecting him. The cop instead asserts that the musician is simply not allowed to be there. That is untrue and so naturally the musician resisted ejection and had to be forcibly removed. So how could have this been avoided? Well I have three simple practices cops could start doing that won't impede on any legitimate accept of their job.
1. Understand the rationale of the law-
The cop in the video probably knew from past experiences that he could eject people from the platform, but did he know why? If he did then the video would have probably went far more smoothly. The officer would have explained his rationale either being a safety concern or an impending peak hours concern and the musician may have responded much better. More importantly the cop would have added the caveat that the musician could return after peak hours, framing his request as a reasonable one as opposed to the video's dictatorial order. Often cops feel like they don't need to give a rationale for the law. Citizens should follow it plain and simple. That kind of attitude is what causes people to get peeved. I'm a teacher and even with my kids I have to explain why rules in the classroom work the way they do, otherwise my students view them as dictatorial mandates. Adults function the same way. We like to know why we're doing something and often taking an extra second to explain can save cops a whole lot of headache.
2. Keep a neutral tone-
People get you angry. I get it. Everyday people can be ridiculous and make your life difficult. But guess what causes people to escalate? When you reveal an aggressive or combative tone when it isn't warranted. Even in the video as the cop tries to hear out the musician it is clear that the officers tone is combative. Instead of being neutral the officer reveals his displeasure by interacting with the crowd. The officer's main concern should be with the musician. I would ignore the crowd until after I am done settling the musician's issue. I know it's easier said than done, but it goes a long way. People are going to tense up if they feel you are tense and on edge.
3. Show empathy
Empathy is a dangerous game as a cop and I am in no way saying cops should take pity on people as often described when cops choose not to give tickets and so on. In fact, having an inconsistent track record causes more crime because people don't take consequences seriously. But just because you're enforcing the law doesn't mean you cannot empathize with the people affected by it. If the cop had empathized with the musician and how this law disrupted the way he lived his life, then the exchange would have went far more smoothly. The cop should stand fast by the law, but does not need to ignore how it negatively impacted the individual, who honestly was doing nothing wrong. How many kids on the street do cops stop and frisk randomly to find nothing except distressed looks and frustration. A little empathy would help cops mend a small iota of the injustice they are imparting (though to be completely honest stop and frisk is a racist and ineffective policy, so it's hard to empathize when you know you're in the wrong).
I don't think these three things will fix the incredibly illegitimate things cops do. This ranges from unfair killings to the civil forfeitures the cops constantly use to steal from citizens. I think these things will help cops who are just trying interact with the vast majority of law abiding citizens. Cops wear many different hats and that hat doesn't always need to be one of the dictator. You can be an enforcer of the law.
1. Understand the rationale of the law-
The cop in the video probably knew from past experiences that he could eject people from the platform, but did he know why? If he did then the video would have probably went far more smoothly. The officer would have explained his rationale either being a safety concern or an impending peak hours concern and the musician may have responded much better. More importantly the cop would have added the caveat that the musician could return after peak hours, framing his request as a reasonable one as opposed to the video's dictatorial order. Often cops feel like they don't need to give a rationale for the law. Citizens should follow it plain and simple. That kind of attitude is what causes people to get peeved. I'm a teacher and even with my kids I have to explain why rules in the classroom work the way they do, otherwise my students view them as dictatorial mandates. Adults function the same way. We like to know why we're doing something and often taking an extra second to explain can save cops a whole lot of headache.
2. Keep a neutral tone-
People get you angry. I get it. Everyday people can be ridiculous and make your life difficult. But guess what causes people to escalate? When you reveal an aggressive or combative tone when it isn't warranted. Even in the video as the cop tries to hear out the musician it is clear that the officers tone is combative. Instead of being neutral the officer reveals his displeasure by interacting with the crowd. The officer's main concern should be with the musician. I would ignore the crowd until after I am done settling the musician's issue. I know it's easier said than done, but it goes a long way. People are going to tense up if they feel you are tense and on edge.
3. Show empathy
Empathy is a dangerous game as a cop and I am in no way saying cops should take pity on people as often described when cops choose not to give tickets and so on. In fact, having an inconsistent track record causes more crime because people don't take consequences seriously. But just because you're enforcing the law doesn't mean you cannot empathize with the people affected by it. If the cop had empathized with the musician and how this law disrupted the way he lived his life, then the exchange would have went far more smoothly. The cop should stand fast by the law, but does not need to ignore how it negatively impacted the individual, who honestly was doing nothing wrong. How many kids on the street do cops stop and frisk randomly to find nothing except distressed looks and frustration. A little empathy would help cops mend a small iota of the injustice they are imparting (though to be completely honest stop and frisk is a racist and ineffective policy, so it's hard to empathize when you know you're in the wrong).
I don't think these three things will fix the incredibly illegitimate things cops do. This ranges from unfair killings to the civil forfeitures the cops constantly use to steal from citizens. I think these things will help cops who are just trying interact with the vast majority of law abiding citizens. Cops wear many different hats and that hat doesn't always need to be one of the dictator. You can be an enforcer of the law.
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