Olympia must look broadly for police reforms

The facts are still unknown, and it is important not to jump to conclusions, but the rancorous protest following the tragic death of Jeffrey McGaugh while in police custody demonstrates that the Olympia Police Department has a trust deficit with members of the community. Unfortunately, one of the sources of that mistrust is the inability of the Olympia City Council to take stronger leadership on much needed police reforms.

Naysayers to these measures will claim that the OPD does better than most departments in the nation when it comes to police and community relations. This is true, but misses the point.

In terms of police violence, the United States is an outlier among its peers. If we really want Olympia to be a model of peaceful policing, we should look globally. In 2014, an estimated 1,029 people were killed by police in the United States. In that same year, only one person was killed by the police in England. In Norway, police officers have only killed two people in the last 12 years. In Iceland, only one person has ever been killed by a police officer.

We do not move up the ladder of progress by always looking below, but by reaching for the highest rung above us.

That means boldly supporting local efforts like body cameras, new trainings for officers, and a civilian review board, and passage of House Bill 2908.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Olympia must look broadly for police reforms."