Line Through Heart
Procedural Justice Training
Garrick Ward
Liberty University School of Law
PLCY 701 Natural Law State & Gospel
February 25, 2024
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The Urban Crime Lab is a procedural justice training is a police reform for police
misconduct. Chicago Police Department conducted research over a period of five years, to
reduce complaints in the area of: citizens complaints, service and use of force. There were some
inconsistencies reported s as well as incomplete research, to weaken the claim of such training
would and could reduce the various forms of questionable police tactics while servicing the
public.
The evaluation and significance of the article points to the implementation of training and
development called “ procedural justice training”. The intention of the training seems to be a
less intrusive in comparison with a mandatory reform of policing imposed by US Department of
Justice.
The training seeks to point out if officers would consider their tone of voice when
interacting with the community, questioning parties involved in an incident fairly and not
jumping conclusion during an investigation, may help build legitimacy of the profession. The
Author suggests neutrality, transparency and respect. This research strategy comes on the heels
of a long tradition of disliking law enforcement services for particular racial and culture persons
in our communities.
Therefore, the question(s) at hand remains, does various forms of law enforcement reforms,
can officers be trained to adopt a new style of policing and if so, whether they will change their
behavior in ways that diminish the number of interactions in which civilians experience what
they feel is disrespectful treatment or the unjustified use of force.
The authors methodology points to an overall grade book approach by the community for
services and/or interaction with police. The procedural justice policing model is seeking to create
a ground roots start for the communities renewed relationship with the police. Moreover,
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establishing a truce with the police to not only protect them but their property with fair
interaction.
I can, relate to the feeling of being isolated by questionable police procedures as a teenager
raised in Dallas Texas, it didn’t sway me to think bad about the police because my parents were
clear on avoiding police interaction-be in the house before midnight and mind who you hang out
with . But I was raised to respect any contact with police and cooperate, with that I turned out all
right. However that’s not the narrative with George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir
Rice, Eric Harris, Walter Scott and Freddie Gray to name a few. Latinos are disproportionately
shot by law enforcement yet left out of the conversation about brutality some advocates say.
None or a few of the victims may or may not have had parental guidance nor a level of care I
had growing up, but a few thing we all had in common was our skin color and the ability to make
a smart decision when face with police interaction.
I became a cop for over twenty-six years in life and It was purely on divine turn of God’s
direction for my life. I wanted to be a dentist. I’m reminded of Romans 13 let everyone be
subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, those which east
have been Putin I place by God. Therefore, whoever resist governmental authority resists the
ordinance of God. [Bible-amp]. However, a glance back at policing history during the civil rights
movement, it was clear the signs of community dis-trust has been a long and awaited issue to be
addressed.
Law enforcement operations it seems have always been a top-down approach to policy
development, in reaction to the characteristics of considering the goals of the highest chain of
command policy designers. While this article share an in between approach of top-down vs.
bottom up policy design, it appear methods of gathering data and findings, were done in clusters
or windows of time for gathering relevant information. Therefore the quantitative approach
seems based on average effect of training on complaints received, sustained or settled
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complaints, and mandatory reports of use of force. One of many key indicators that show the
training was effective was based on the number of reduced complaints.
An associated publish uses President Obama’s Task Force on 21st policing report to
establish a need and basis for procedural training and an extensive findings.
Between January of 2012 and March of 2016 CPD assigned over 8400 Chicago PD.
Officers to a 1 day training for procedural police training. Materials and methods used were
based on: outcome data, training and roster data, data exclusions and statistical analysis. The
article dives into a second level of quantitative findings to show results in four tables of data
outcomes, that lends a confusing accounts of cumulative measurements of information to show
how well officers were trained and there adoption of the new way of addressing the public during
routine contacts and stops.
The author(s) bases for police reform began with an impressive qualitative look of a dire
need for a different type of policing method for the public. The data shared by the authors
quickly spirals in to a rather complicated quantitative model(s) using data out comes to show the
relation between when officers were trained based on their tenure in law enforcement and if
complaints increased or reduced following a one day training session.
The author lack success to consider key cultural connections between the background of an
officer [male/female] before law enforcement as well as the racial components associated with
their thought process, which may be a factor when considering unconscious biases. The Author
displays key factors that should and ought to be address during public contact, but one approach
[procedural justice training] may not be the fix for all races and cultures as much as it for officers
to be trained in cultural diversity. The article elude to cultural diversity in its approach, but didn’t
actually used the term.
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A further discussion of procedural justice in policing involves three distinct methodological
issues: experimental vs. non-experimental methods, field vs. none-field research and research
on policing in comparison to other types of authorities. An argument was presented by Nagin
and Sampson (2019); they highlighted mistakes to dispute “ causality with the method used to
identify it” to that extent making reference to the importance of none-experimental research.
Nagin and Sampson input seemed limited from two prospects. Sound curricula must be tested to
some extent for its effectiveness during the learning experience. Two, investigating reasons for
public view on policing to some extent should involve testing to identify what’s adequate vs.
what’s inadequate when introducing certain criminal incidents to the court system.
Policing is describe as a unique arena of activity, a key proposition of procedural justice
theory. Policing is general context of enforcement, the article is general in the nature of
procedural policing. Perhaps, other public policy platforms were not mention by industry, ie
Internal Revenue Services (Financial Industry), Business business commerce, healthcare and
entertainment just to name a few. I would consider policing in its common understanding-the
actions of a person or group in authority in order to ensure fairness and legality in an area of
public life.
The thought how relevant procedural justice theory is to the article is presented by Nagin &
Sampson. Nagin and Sampson pose the question of how procedural justice distract police from
their primary duties on the street, such as: traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, radio calls
and other needed observations to deter criminal activity. (La Vigne et al.,2019). The article
makes reference to an issue that’s real in community policing, which is making sure citizens
questions are asked when a car is called to their home, or a more broader issue in the
neighborhood; yet such extended contacts and interactions with the public, has a tendency to
absorb police resources from street level crime.
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The article mentions a conflict(s) of a preferred way of connecting with the public for sake
of community relations in the area of diverse ways; yet at the costs or resources of a model of the
adjudication systems described as “Carceral Model”. This model of policing relates to criminal
law application, which in essence has been a primary approach by scholars mentioned in the
article tasks force. (Tyler, 2003, 2006, 2011)
Tyler, Goff and MacCoun, approach at application procedural training places above the old
key stone police approach of solving crime, as gaining public trust is an approach at the way
police manage crime. (Tyler, Goff, and MacCoun, 2015) Perhaps the article was in accurate at
exposing specifics of how police trust is gained, while there are many conceivable ways to
describe winning the trust of law enforcement, none of which were expanded upon in this task
force report.
The memo or report third category takes up a position toward training and development for
police officers, that was a referred to as external procedural justice. Nonetheless, the lab-based
evidence was rather conflicted in describing how police interaction may affect citizens
perception vs. how real time findings would be should citizens would have an opinion at all. Yet,
based on cultural responses with external procedural justice wasn’t a point of reference.
Meaning, each culture ie. African American, Mexican etc., respond to police contact in different
ways, depending on the reported incident.
Exogenous variations in an officer way of conducting law enforcement was a factor in what
was descried as shedding light on the causal relationships between: just policing, citizens
response and citizen behaviors, yet I thought it to be one-sided is one, failing to consider the
“ endogenous variations”. Meaning looking at internal policies and procedures that governs how
police apply rule of law to procedurally just practices.
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Use of force was a consideration, to an extent of policies and procedures, when once
again considering procedural justice training, and impressions left when officers use discretion
based on the exogenous variations. Furthermore, if officers in fact notice when the public will
comply or not when present with certain levels of use of force. An analysis that may have
provided ways in which the public would comply given resistance vs. compliance would lend
further research itemized in: culture background, gender, graduated levels of force or less lethal.
The report states-It is nonetheless important to emphasize that policing training occurs in
a larger ecosystem of agency policy and workplace demands that shape the culture of how
officers carry out daily tasks. The article expands the thought to some degree and states in the
after math, that out of the numerous training topics for community policing, it depend on a one
way street of how officers administer “procedural justice”; yet no further analysis made mention
of potential solutions toward utilizing administrative policing outcomes to discover community
partnerships. Recent studies per the article, have suggested and evaluated lectures, discussions
and exercises to demonstrate to participants an opportunity to refines skills. During a closer look
at the article in reference to “participants” it didn’t expand on the demographic and/or profession
in law enforcement [or not] would benefit from the refinement of skills.
Finally in the analysis of the development and training report, findings were summarized
from a few polls, that took a closer look at how communities view law enforcement equites and
genuine public policy and rule of law. (Mazerolle et al., 2013a; Sahin et al., 2017).
In A diverse Society in One America in the 21sst Century: Forging a New Future (1998)
recommendations regardless of racially and ethnically divers groups have made progress with
respect to the indictors used to measure the quality of life. Yet, barriers still exist in their
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American lives. The advisory Board to the President’s initiative on Race made the following
recommendations: (Shusta R., Levine D.., Wong H., Olson A. Harris P.)
•Strengthen civil rights enforcement
•Improve data collections on racial and ethnic discrimination
•Strengthen laws and enforcement against hate crimes
The authors take specific examination of a diverse society, by underscoring the major
players or decision makers multicultural society, stating all of them must accept diverse ways of
life to include but not limited to the men and women in law enforcement. Yet, what’s absent to
problem solving in a diverse society, are what fundamental steps are needed at the grass roots
level to get the issues in motions other legislative moves to strengthen civil rights enforcement,
data collection for racial & ethnic discrimination and turn up the volume of enforcement on hate
crimes.
The overlapping of race [ie black Latino], culture and ethnicity are explored from a wide
range of racial backgrounds [over 10 mentioned]. There’s a presentation of why and suggested
law enforcement officials need to be aware of the overlapping of race, culture and ethnicity.
“Everyday, in every corner of America, we are redrawing the color lines and are re-defining what
race really means, It’s not just a matter of black and white anymore; the nuances of brown and
yellow as well as red means more— and less than ever” (“The Changing of Face of Race in
America).
Associated Natural Law Scholars:
The argument of the Republic is a search after Justice, the nature of which is first hinted at
by Cephalus, the just and blameless old man—then discussed on the basis of proverbial morality
by Socrates and Polemarchus—then caricatured by Thrasymachus and partially explained by
Socrates—reduced to an abstraction by Glaucon and Adeimantus, and having become invisible
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in the individual reappears at length in the ideal State which is constructed by Socrates. (The
Dialouges of Plato)
The association and related thoughts by Cephalus, speaks to the Presidents initiative on
search for justice strengthening civil rights enforcement. It would suggested in the my research
that the president seems to think based on law enforcement, the country and the people’s power
has been loss in the way law enforcement interact and confiscate rights of the people they serve.
Cephalus moves in two directions of the article respective to procedural justice “The Just
and Blameless Old Man”. This nation is in a perpetual move of political war in the midst of a
Republic nation on the fence of something else. Perhaps a bi-partisan temper tantrum between
two just and blameless old men ( Joe Biden & Donald Trump). At such highest forms of
procedural law in Washington D.C., high lights what the article mentions on the Presidents
initiative on Race relations between forms of government enforcement. Everything that irritate
us about others, can lead to an understanding of ourselves. (quote: Carl Gustav Jung) A saying
that causes one to consider when conducting the business of government or shaping its policies
for people of the Republic.
Public Policy Application:
The Barometer of humanity is perhaps grounded in the commentary of Hugo Grotius: It’s
wrong to inflict injury, but it is also wrong to endure injury. The former is, of course, the graver
misdeed, but the latter is also to be avoided (Commentary on the Law of Prize and Booty,
Treatise on the Laws). Procedural law and training the Authors write about, are the elements of
morality in serving the greater good and the people, with respect.
Material prosperity mentioned in my review on the Authors writing, points to the side
effects of production, consumption and most important, the transfer of wealth. Transparency,
mentioned by the writers points to how procedural just training affects the potential economic
status of a race. In other words, the administration of justice must be clear and concise as well as
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equitable towards American minority communities. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is
jeopardized by the political platform(s); therefore calling into question employment opportunities
for those who may benefit and earn a living for themselves and family. Harold Black explores, Is
There Systemic Racism in Home Ownership?. It has become convenient for many to claim that
systemic racism occurs whenever there are racial disparities. This, of course, assumes that there
are no inherent differences between races and that where such differences occur, they must be the
result of systemic racism ( Harold Black, Systemic Racism in Crime & Housing).
We need to open up dialogue with law enforcement. We need a conversations of critique.
Let’s look at what is working and what needs improvement. We need to work together to create a
blueprint of cooperation. ( Remark: Pastor Ronald Griffin, clergyman & community leader). My
professional view for public policy application, stems from over due and continuous need for
community base policing. Neutrality , also relates to impartiality and a need for law enforcement
agencies across this nation to research and create a budget line for citizen academies as well as a
dedicated squad of officers who focus on community relations.
Citizen academies places the citizen in the hot seat of a police officers decision making,
given a varied amount of incidents officers confront on a typical work day. Exposure and
problems officers deal with on a daily basis, begs a conversation and interaction with all races in
American communities, specifically African Americans and Mexican citizens.
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References
Jowett, B., The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions in
Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892).
La Vigne, G. N., Jannetta, J., Fontaine, J., Lawrence, D. S., and Esthappan, S. (2019). “The
National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice: Key Process and Outcome
Evaluation Findings.” Urban Institute.
Martine Julia Van Ittersum Commentary on the Law of Prize and Booty, ed. and with an
Introduction (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2006).
Mazerolle, L., Antrobus, E., Bennett, S., and Tyler, T. R. (2013a). Shaping Citizen Perceptions of
Police Legitimacy: A Randomized Field Trial of Procedural Justice.” Criminology, 51(1),
33- 63.
Nagin, D. S., and Sampson, R. J. (2019). The Real Gold Standard: Measuring Counterfactual
Worlds that Matter Most to Social Science and Policy. Annual Review of Criminology, 2,
123- 145.
Systemic Racism in Crime and Housing, Feb. 13, 2024, Liberty Matters.
Shusta R. Robert, Levine D., Wong H., Olson A., Harris P. Multicultural Law Enforcement:
Strategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society 1, 31-33.
Tyler, T.R. (2003). “Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and the Effective Rule of Law,” in Tonry, M.
(ed). Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, 30
Tyler, T. R. (2006). Why People Obey the Law. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
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Tyler, T. R. (2011). Why People Cooperate: The Role of Social Motivations. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press.
Tyler, T. R., Goff, P. A., and MacCoun, R. J. (2015). The Impact of Psychological Science on
Policing in the United States: Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and Effective Law
Enforcement.” Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(3), 75-109.
___________________________
1. The Dialogues of Plato translated into English
2. National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice
3. Commentary on the Law of Prize and Booty
4. Shaping Citizen Perceptions of Police Legitimacy
5. Measuring Counter factual Worlds that Matter Most to Social Science and Policy
6. Systemic Racism in Crime and Housing
7. Strategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society
8. Why People Obey the Law
9. The Role of Social Motivations
10. The Impact of Psychological Science on Policing in the United States
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