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If you’re curious why civilian oversight of law enforcement is not only ineffective but often harmful to the cause of ending police violence, here’s a thread 1/
Today @LACountyCOC (Civilian Oversight Commission for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department) hosted a panel discussion “Hiring: Choosing the Right Person for the Job.” If you imagine the most productive use of their time, what do you think they should discuss? 2/
Maybe @LACountyCOC will focus on flaws in the system? Accounting for sheriff deputy violence in relation to hiring practices? Interrogating LASD staffing personnel for their failures? This is oversight after all! 3/
Nope. Today’s panel was a promotional campaign highlighting how thorough and sophisticated the hiring procedures for sheriff’s deputies are 4/
There was not a single specific critique raised of hiring practices throughout the 2 hour session. The closest we got was when one of the commissioners asked how to make sure LASD isn’t missing out on “good minority candidates.” 5/
If you buy into their narrative, the worst that can happen is a single “bad apple” somehow slipping through the cracks. There was zero analysis of structures or systems. We are meant to be impressed by the extensive series of background checks, questionnaires and polygraphs. 6/
Dr. Souris, Chief of Psychological Services for LA County, gave us all the criteria they look for in a sheriff’s deputy. Here are some of her fun catch words: 7/
Social Competence, Teamwork, Adaptable, Flexible, Conscientious, Dependable, Impulse Control, Righteous, Trustworthy, Emotional Regulation, Stress Tolerance. 8/
According to Dr. Souris, the system aims to select folks who can control knee-jerk reactions, who look at the bigger picture in order to make good decisions. You know, as opposed to “going crazy” in an emergency situation. Yes, she actually said “going crazy.” 9/
Instead of critiquing the system, panelists spent tons of time talking about reestablishing trust between the public and law enforcement. This gets to the root of the problem. 10/
In their minds civilian oversight isn’t meant to actually hold law enforcement accountable for violence. Its purpose is to convince the public to trust cops again. Civilian oversight is marketing meant to resurrect “policing” as a positive brand. 11/
We sat through a two hour cheerleading session for sheriff hiring practices because they hope that if we understand how much great work they do to select the best people, we will appreciate how hard they try. We will respect them. We will cut them a break. 12/
The COC wants to remind the public that law enforcement is about justice, integrity, and safety. As if it ever was. They want us to trust cops because THEY trust cops. 13/
As long as civilian oversight is about “rebuilding trust” instead of fundamentally altering the nature of policing, it will work against us. Don’t buy the hype. 14/14
