It’s High Noon for American Policing

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Abstract: Public safety within America’s towns and cities relies heavily upon the strength of the relationship between the police and the community. Public perceptions relative to police legitimacy and the appropriateness of police actions are greatly influenced by media coverage, particularly negative coverage. Contentious encounters involving the police, even in small numbers and spread across the country, can create their own reality when highlighted in the national media. This emerging reality, built upon a distorted narrative relative to the frequency at which the police utilize deadly force, has brought with it a dangerous weakening of the police–community relationship, particularly within America’s urban centers.

Many community members are openly resistant to even the most basic police actions, and many police officers are showing growing reluctance to engage in proactive policing efforts that might require a use of force. In the 1952 film classic High Noon, the fictional town of Hadleyville was the setting for an epic tale of a broken bond between a community and its marshal. Ensuring that such a break in the bond between our police officers and our communities does not occur will require the active involvement of our police officers, elected officials, civic leaders, and the community-at-large. This article was published in the journal Forum by the Executive Institute of the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board in December 2015.

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