This is why the police can kill you: America’s dark history

“To protect and serve,” — the simple definition of what the police do. At least, what they’re supposed to do. Unfortunately, the ugly truth has been that the police have been doing the exact opposite. Today, even the most routine of interactions have inspired fear in the minds of the communities they serve.

This fear isn’t unfounded, especially for minorities. The tragic deaths of Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and now George Floyd, serve as grim reminders of how even the simplest reactions with the law enforcement can end horribly. So it begs the question, how did we end up here with a police force that we can’t trust to protect us?

Origins of Policing: Revisiting the Role of the Police

To answer that question, it helps to revisit the origins of the police force as a concept. Thereby allowing us to gain an understanding of what the goals of a police force should be.

Interestingly, this idea of a police force isn’t as old as many of us would assume to be. For much of human history, the rest of the world did not have such a concept in any form. In advanced civilizations like Ancient Greece and Rome, crime was seen as a private matter. Even with serious offences like murder, justice was the victim’s family seeking vengeance.

It wasn’t until the 29th of September 1829 with the establishment of the London Metropolitan Police Force that the modern police force we know was born. It was founded by then Home Secretary of the UK, Robert Peele and was based on 9 principles known as Peelian principles. These went well beyond simply maintaining order and arresting criminals and are as shown below.

The Peelian principles went well beyond simply maintaining order and arresting criminals. At its core, they emphasized the need for public cooperation. Encouraging the police to earn the…