Police officers are the most powerful people in the Nation - more powerful than the President of the United States, because they have the unique power to summarily deprive a person of their liberty or even their life. They have larger discretion than prosecutors, judges, and legislators . . . Officers need a knowledge of criminal law and procedure, including related Constitutional issues, superior to the average attorney. Their large discretion must be exercised sometimes in crises and other emergencies, consistent with the complexities of criminal and Constitutional law. Officers do not have the luxury of judges or attorneys to research a legal point.
Race is the chief motivating factor in police suspicion, investigation, and stops and searches.
We must first improve the police officers to improve policing. The caliber of police service rendered to any given community is dependent on the competency of the policemen. Research has demonstrated that college educated officers commit fewer abuses of police power, resulting in both lives saved and reduced legal liabilities of cities. Failure to make the correct discretionary decision can have severe results including the unnecessary loss of life, analogous to the responsibility of a commercial airline pilot. After a reasonable interval, no officer should be promoted who does not possess the required necessary education.