I followed with interest the response of Mayor Aspacher and BGPD Major Justin White to Dr. Steve Demuth’s concerns shared with City Council regarding BGPD’s contract with Force Science Institute to provide training in de-escalation techniques.
Having participated in the Not In Our Town BG Community Conversation about Race on and Equity on June 4th, as well as in many other community forums in the past, it is clear that Bowling Green is not immune to the problems we are seeing across the nation. I was therefore quite dismayed by the BGPD’s dismissive response to the concerns raised.
As has been well documented in national news sources, the Force Science Institute is not in fact guided by good science, but rather by a commitment to defending the use of force in every instance. As the New York Times reported in 2015, Force Science Institute founder William Lewinski has made his career defending in court police officers who killed unarmed people, noting that “His conclusions are consistent: The officer acted appropriately, even when shooting an unarmed person. Even when shooting someone in the back. Even when witness testimony, forensic evidence or video footage contradicts the officer’s story.”
Given this background, it defies belief that Major White would defend the hiring of this company to provide de-escalation training. Any organization known for justifying lethal force under any and all circumstances cannot be trusted to provide meaningful and effective de-escalation training. To be blunt, the Force Science Institute should not be hired to provide any training whatsoever to any police department in the country.
The thousands of dollars that are now allocated to be spent on this untrustworthy organization could instead be spent on meaningful training of direct relevance to our local needs. For example, if the BGPD is concerned about preparing officers to deal with citizens in crisis, then they would be better served by hiring reputable mental health experts to train the force in effective de-escalation techniques. There are many colleagues of mine at Bowling Green State University who could help the Police Chief identify reputable, qualified, evidence-based practitioners to provide any training they need.
This is a national moment of reckoning that requires each of us to engage in deep reappraisals of institutional policies, practices, and assumptions. We cannot stand by passively and assert that past practice is adequate in the present. And we cannot afford to be self-congratulatory about our official policies. Furthermore, good policy does not equal good policing. We need to make real cultural shifts in our practices, as well as change official policies, to ensure that we are providing truly equal opportunities and equal justice to all.
We know from members of our own community that our local police departments need to learn and improve in order to increase trust. We must push for reforms here in Bowling Green, as well as across the country. Continuing with the Force Science Institute training suggests an unwillingness to engage in meaningful reflection or community building. We can, and we must, do better.
At the recent City Council meeting, Mayor Mike Aspacher asserted that “There is a culture of accountability that our police division takes very seriously.” This is a crucial moment for the Mayor and the Chief of Police to demonstrate a culture of accountability to the BG community. Canceling this contract with the Force Science Institute would be one small, but important, first step.
Jolie Sheffer
Perrysburg
