The first rule of effective law enforcement is to gain the trust of the community you serve. Former FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Andy Arena frequently said that law enforcement officers can never be successful if they are perceived as an occupying army. Law enforcement is a social compact between community and police to protect the peace. Policing agencies derive their power from the consensus of the governed. As a result, the best law enforcement leaders spend countless hours meeting with community stakeholders, understanding their needs and using discretion to decide which arrests serve the best interests of the people. Overly aggressive tactics against certain groups can undermine the trust that is essential to serve effectively. Trust takes years to build and an instant to lose.
Even if the aggressive federal tactics are successful in suppressing violence in Portland, that success comes at a price. In addition to compromising protesters’ First Amendment rights to demonstrate, federal law enforcement is eroding public trust. When agents knock on doors to investigate crimes in the future, how many residents will open up and talk? When agents testify on the witness stand in courtrooms, how many jurors will believe them? Law enforcement relies on tips and leads from witnesses to crime. How many Portland residents will volunteer information to agents who act like authoritarian thugs? Law enforcement agencies lose their legitimacy when they are perceived as acting outside the best interests of the communities they serve. The resulting lack of respect for the law leads to less compliance.
Building trust is an important part of the work of law enforcement. But the federal agents in Portland are engaging in the exact opposite strategy.
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