Recently, I was appointed as the Graduate Student Council representative to Vanderbilt’s Community-Oriented Results and Expectations (CORE) Committee. In training for this position, I had the opportunity to meet with Captain Nicole Collins and talk about Vanderbilt’s policies regarding safety and security on campus.
Vanderbilt is the first police department in Tennessee to be accredited by three governing bodies: CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies), IACLEA (International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators), and TLEA (Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation). CALEA has almost 500 policies that an agency has to abide by in order to receive accreditation so Vanderbilt’s CALEA accreditation speaks a lot to their commitment to integrity and professional accountability.
When reporting to the scene of a crime, police officers are required to go through the following steps:
- Establish presence (Ex. Stand in line of sight)
- Verbal warning
- Soft open-hand touch (Ex. Touch a pressure point)
- Chemical spray
- Hard open-hand touch (Ex. Twist arm behind back)
- Baton
- Firearm
Now, it is understandable that this cannot be the series of events when a criminal is armed and dangerous. However, in many of the recent cases of police brutality, the suspect was not armed. Can you imagine how differently these events could have unfolded if all officers were trained in these de-escalation techniques? If all officers were required to go through a series of six steps before they even drew their firearm? Why is a fatal shot the solution to the majority of police interactions these days?
If you ask me, I believe professional accountability and required accreditation are the first steps to changing the system.