The City of Creston fired Police Chief James Christenson Monday after the city reviewed the sexual assault allegations against him. The Assistant Police Chief, John Sickels, was fired earlier this month after a similar review. The case has obviously caused the citizens of Creston a great deal of concern and a loss of confidence in their police force.
When I was a Sociology major at North Dakota State University, one of my professors talked about communities "getting the police force they deserve". The comments were in relation to the infamous beating of Rodney King, which happened shortly before my freshman year. The first trial occurred during that freshman year of classes. My professor's belief was that citizens have to stand up for tougher standards for the police in their communities. It starts with citizens that are willing to report the officers transgressions, but after that, it comes down to making sure that your elected officials not only hold the police department up to a high standard of conduct, but give them the tools to do their job effectively.
Politicians hate to confront law enforcement. They worry that they will look "weak" on crime issues and that can sometimes be a make or break deal in an election year. They also don't like to admit that there is a problem with their police force. It is easier for them to conclude that the "criminals" are the ones complaining and nothing needs to change. The only way the community can overcome this attitude is to be vocal about police misconduct; to convince politicians that they will pay a higher price for not addressing the issue. It takes an active community, one that cares about these sorts of things. If you have a community that is willing to tolerate police misconduct, a community that doesn't complain or seek reform, they will have a police department that reflects that inaction.
I don't want to somehow shift the blame of this situation onto the citizens of Creston. But I do wonder about what was going on down there before this earthshaking event. Had people ever heard their co-worker complain of getting pulled over for no reason at all? Did people feel like they had a responsive, community oriented police force? My guess is that this was not the first time people had a reason to question the quality of service, but that is just my speculation.
In the 1990s, Los Angeles and New Orleans were two cities that had very well publicized problems with police corruption and brutality. They eventually turned their departments inside out in order to correct the problems (In New Orleans, they needed the F.B.I. to help). One of the methods that New Orleans adopted was a strict "zero tolerance" policy for corruption of any kind. If any officer was accused of misconduct, it was investigated. If the allegations were substantiated, the officers were suspended or fired. The program purged the department of dozens of corrupt officers, and sent the message to the department and the community that corruption would not be tolerated.
In addition to the aggressive stance on internal corruption, police also need community support. This is how the idea of "community policing" came about. Police need to be decentralized and have more of a personal connection to the areas that they police. They need to be given the money for professional training and developement, good pay, and they need to have high standards for persons that are hired as officers.
In the case of small towns like Creston, I know that a lot of this is pie-in-the-sky talk. There simply isn't the budget for a lot of training, and the pay probably doesn't attract the most qualified candidates for the job. That's fine, but when this story first broke, I recall seeing an interview with one of the city officials that caught me off guard. The person being interviewed stated that they couldn't believe the allegation and that she was standing by the officers. It was a reaction I've seen a lot as a defense attorney. I've seen that reaction in the prosecutor when I explain that my client is upset because the police were too rough with them, or that the cops that executed the search warrant stole property from them. It is blind allegiance to the badge; the officer can do no wrong. I am somewhat relieved that the City of Creston has taken the action that they did. I think it sends a good message to police officers around the state that misconduct won't be tolerated. Hopefully, after the dust settles the people of Creston will hire some very qualified, professionals, agree to expand the police budget for better pay and training, and hold these new officers to a high standard. If they do, I am sure they will get the police force they deserve.
