11 - Transforming Armed Policing in the US: Contributions From Unarmed Civilian Protection Models

Summary

This chapter focuses on transforming armed policing by drawing on the work of unarmed civilian protection (UCP). Presently, there is a group of countries with mostly unarmed police. In the US, a significant movement driven by Black Lives Matter is challenging the traditional policing model. I will first describe these signs of the times regarding policing. Second, I will assess pivotal insights and practices that UCP might offer to reimagine public safety and policing. Third, I will identify some potential next steps in the community and policy spheres with attention to the US context.

Policing trends: a US perspective

Global context of unarmed policing

Before diving into the US context, I want to describe some existing global realities of unarmed policing. This practice of relying primarily on unarmed police is found in about 19 countries such as England, Wales, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Scotland, Iceland, Mauritius, Botswana and most Pacific Island countries (Noak, 2016; Fox, 2017). In Iceland, unarmed policing works well, even though about 33 per cent of residents own guns, whereas in the US about 22 per cent own guns. Proponents in these countries primarily relying on unarmed police, such as New Zealand, argue that ‘arming the police would inevitably lead to an arms race with criminals and a spike in casualties’ (Noak, 2016). In most of these countries, about 90 per cent or more of the officers are unarmed, while others remain on call for very rare responses. The overall approach is normally grounded in the idea of ‘policing by consent’. This means their legitimacy and authority is determined by maintaining the respect of and approval from the public, rather than by the threat of violent force (Godin, 2020). Such unarmed police find their approach allows them to build better trust with the community, better de-escalate threatening situations, better prevent crime and, thus, protect people (Kelly, 2012; Ariel et al, 2016). Other studies challenge the misconception that a routinely armed police officer is ‘safer’ than a routinely unarmed police officer (Hendy, 2014).

US: the Black Lives Matter Movement and calls for systemic transformation

Turning to the US, policing, especially in the South, has significant roots in the system of slavery – that is, systemic violence, with patrols beginning in around 1704 (Olito, 2021).