The Top Four Policy Issues Surrounding Ferguson

Once a quiet and relatively unknown suburb north of St. Louis County, Ferguson has become a symbol for a variety of issues concerning American citizens across the nation. The death of Michael Brown earlier this month sparked not only outrage and protest but also ongoing debate on policy and social issues. Here are the Chicago Policy Review’s top four insights from recent research to continue the discussion.

#1. Young people’s relationships with police vary across races. 

A recent report from Black Youth Project and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago analyzed data from the 2009 Mobilization and Change Survey and the 2014 Black Youth Project Survey to better understand young adults’ (ages 18-30) perception of the American legal system and local law enforcement. When asked whether they trust the police, 77 percent of Caucasians and 76 percent of Asian Americans indicated they did; only 49 percent of African American youth agreed with the statement. In addition, 54 percent of African Americans responded that they or someone they knew had experienced harassment and violence at the hand of a police officer. This was nearly twice the rate reported by young people of other races.

Check out this CPR Article to understand how enhanced interaction with law enforcement affects juvenile delinquency.

#2. Military equipment has changed local law enforcement tactics.

President Obama has ordered the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, and Justice Department to review programs allowing state and local forces to purchase military grade weapons like those used to control the Ferguson protests.  In addition, Congress plans to hold their own hearings prior to re-approving any funding for these programs.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s 91 page article “War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing” reports that the Department of Defense 1033 Program facilitated the transfer of $450 million worth of military weapons and equipment from the federal government to local law enforcement in 2013. Their analysis found SWAT teams armed with this military equipment were overwhelmingly deployed to execute search warrants rather than for the emergency scenarios, such as hostage situations, for which the equipment was originally intended. Increased access to military-style equipment has changed training messaging and police culture to create a “warrior mentality” that was not observed in prior generations.

We recommend the full ACLU Report for more details on changes in policing tactics, transparency protocols, and the role of race within the militarization debate.

#3. Alternatives to lethal force may protect both citizens and law enforcement more effectively.

The deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and James Boyd in recent months have led many to question law enforcement protocol for the use of lethal force by police officers. Do current policies encourage lethal force when non-lethal methods could protect police just as well?

In “The Effect of Less-Lethal Weapons on Injuries in Police Use-of-Force Events,” John M. MacDonald, Robert J. Kaminski, and Michael R. Smith analyzed the use of non-lethal devices such as conductive energy devices (tasers) and pepper spray on the prevalence of injuries to police officers. Utilizing data collected from 12 police departments and over 24,000 incidents in cities such as Austin, Orlando, and Cincinnati, the authors examined monthly injury rates before and after the implementation of non-lethal device policies.  They found that the odds of injury to both civilians and police officers were lower when officers used non-lethal force as opposed to canines, impact weapons, and more physical methods. Some police departments saw as steep a drop as 25 percent in monthly injuries of police officers.

Though non-lethal force may help decrease fatal injuries, this CPR article describes how increased use of pepper spray in urban demonstrations could be muting the voices of protestors.

#4. Online activism can impact civic and voter participation.

A common refrain in the Ferguson protests has been that some residents don’t believe current city officials adequately represent a population that is 67 percent African American and 29 percent white. Many are questioning the timing of local elections, the subsequent effects on voter turnout, and whether social media activism and mainstream media attention will affect the next election.

Judith Moeller examines the effect of online news media on elections in her article “Pathway to Political Participation: The Influence of Online and Offline News Media on Internal Efficacy and Turnout of First-Time Voters.”  Moeller finds that “while newspaper reading has the strongest effects among traditional news sources, actively participating in the communication process of political information online has the strongest impact on internal efficacy,” which is a significant predictor of first-time voter participation. Moeller also claims that whether or not citizens actually participate in civic and political processes depends upon their level of participation online and the medium in which news is presented.

Check out this CPR article for more on motivating factors that increase neighborhood and citizen participation.

Feature Photo: cc/(ep_jhu)