| The main feature of democratic policing is the | | | | when trying to show police as using too much |
| understanding that police operate with the | | | | force. |
| consent of the citizens. Police should strive to | | | | Getting back to the main point - police need to |
| provide transparency in police operations and | | | | serve within the consent of the citizens. |
| work at communicating with the public. In simplest | | | | Whenever they do not, this can cause worsening |
| terms in democratic policing the police strive to | | | | situations, riots and possibly even insurrections. |
| protect the citizens they serve. | | | | Nations and States and deteriorate into a failed |
| Whenever the police are working without the | | | | state quickly if the police do not operate in a |
| consent of the citizens we see things like what | | | | proper fashion. As citizens seek to take back |
| recently took place in Iran after the presidential | | | | control, sometimes they turn to nefarious |
| elections. The police indiscriminately used force | | | | characters because they already have a system |
| against the citizens - not to maintain peace, as the | | | | and people in place to rise up against police. Even |
| demonstrations began peaceful. They were a | | | | though people may not agree with all of the |
| show of force to show who was in charge. The | | | | politics of these characters, they follow them or |
| powers that were in place simply wanted the | | | | join in with them because of the need to fight |
| demonstrators to stop there protests against the | | | | against the abusive police that are in place. |
| government. It is in cases like these that we see | | | | The importance of a Nation that is developing or |
| principles totally against democratic policing | | | | re-developing to have democratic policing cannot |
| principles. | | | | be over-stated. The citizens need to know that |
| Now demonstrations and the like are sometimes | | | | the police are there to serve and protect and not |
| the hardest things to deal with in a proper way. | | | | to suppress them. This brings up a very |
| There may reach a point when protecting other | | | | important issue about democratic policing. You |
| citizens, or property, or simply maintaining the | | | | cannot have a successful transition to democratic |
| peace may come into play, as even peaceful | | | | policing without a strong community policing |
| demonstrations - or demonstrations intending to | | | | program. There are many types and aspects to |
| be peaceful, can break out in violence or the | | | | community policing, but the concept that the |
| crowd may become frustrated and begin to | | | | police are reaching out to the community and |
| damage property. | | | | listening to them is at the core of any successful |
| This is where non-lethal force is used to try to | | | | community policing program. Detailed aspects of |
| control the crowds. I am not trying to get into | | | | community policing will be covered in separate |
| tactics at this time or a discussion of what types | | | | document(s). |
| on non lethal force is better, I will just state some | | | | Helping an Emerging Nation develop its democratic |
| different types as examples. Non-lethal rounds | | | | [policing program can be both a frustrating and |
| from shotguns, like rubber bullets or "bean bags" | | | | rewarding challenge. Of course it is nearly |
| may be used. Pepper Spray or CS gas may be | | | | impossible to establish democratic policing in a |
| used - but in large crowd settings outdoors this | | | | nation that does not have basic democratic |
| can be really difficult to control. The police dogs | | | | policies itself. You may have seen this on many a |
| and horses have been used for crowd control | | | | police car: "To Protect and Serve" - that is the |
| also. There are many others, but these are the | | | | essence of democratic policing. |
| ones often seen and shown in news footage | | | | |