Police departments that fail to heed this message risk driving citizens to vigilantism or into paralytic apathy - or they may find the private sector called in to provide the service for profit. Abandoning such functions to the private sector not only raises concerns about accountability and protection of civil rights, but it also means public police departments could see an erosion of police authority, clout and respect within the community. Just as medical students must decide where their interests and abilities lie, police academies and police departments should counsel candidates into the jobs that suit them best. Different jobs require different skills and personalities and each job deserves proper respect. The medical profession has made great strides in providing the American people the health care they need and deserve.
Police now have the opportunity to do the same.
Dr. Robert Trojanowicz is director of the National Neighborhood Foot Patrol Center at Michigan State University, where he is also director of the School of Criminal Justice. Currently, Trojanowicz is on leave as a research fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.