What Police Reform Really Needs
“What Police Reform Really Needs — And why we may be looking at it all wrong…“
The conversation about police reform has become a shouting match between two extremes: those who believe all cops are heroes and those who believe all cops are villains. As someone who spent 13 years in law enforcement—including deep undercover work that took down 51 gang members—and having launched an industry-related business 20 years ago, I can tell you the truth is far more complex and the solutions far more nuanced than either side wants to admit.
Real police reform isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about acknowledging uncomfortable truths, understanding unintended consequences, and building something better from the ground up.
The Historical Reckoning We Needed
Let’s start with what the reform movement got right: shining a light on decades of systemic problems that needed to be addressed.
Blatant discriminatory hiring practices marked police work 100 years ago. To become a cop, you had to be a white male, over 5’10”, and under 25 years old. As departments slowly integrated and media coverage expanded, the public began seeing what had been happening behind closed doors—excessive force, racist attitudes, and a culture that too often protected bad actors over good policing.
This exposure was necessary. We needed to confront the reality that some officers were abusing their power and that departments weren’t holding them accountable. The civil rights movement and increased media scrutiny forced a long-overdue conversation about what policing should be in a diverse democracy.
Where the Pendulum Swung Too Far
However, the reform conversation went off the rails when we allowed the worst examples to define the entire profession.
There absolutely are bad cops! We’ve witnessed inexcusable incidents of excessive force and racial bias. But when you paint an entire profession with the brush of its worst actors, you create a different set of problems that actually make policing worse, not better (see what it has done to politics?).
Today’s reality is that the best potential candidates are opting for other careers. Who wants to pursue an underappreciated profession that carries significant responsibility, especially when similar opportunities requiring the same level of education offer higher pay? The unfortunate result is that agencies are attracting applicants who either don’t understand the gravity of the job or are settling for law enforcement because other opportunities have not worked out.
Meanwhile, experienced officers walk on eggshells. Veterans who could be mentoring rookies and making split-second decisions based on years of street wisdom are instead paralyzed by fear of public scrutiny. They’re retiring early or avoiding proactive policing altogether.
The cruel irony? The communities that need good policing the most are suffering the consequences of this exodus of talent and experience.
The New Officer Problem
The incoming generation of officers faces unique challenges that nobody’s talking about. Where hourly work parameters and in-person work environments are a worst-case scenario, and where “going hands-on” is mainly experienced in a virtual world that functions more like a movie than real life, they think differently. There are both positive and negative aspects to this, but regardless, it is who we are working with.
This isn’t their fault—it’s a generational shift. But when you combine inexperience with inadequate training and a culture of fear surrounding mistakes, you get officers who are either too hesitant to act when action is needed or too quick to escalate because they lack confidence in their de-escalation skills.
I’ve seen rookies freeze in intense situations where a veteran would jump right in to control it. I’ve also seen them overreact because they hadn’t been taught how to read a room or manage adrenaline.
What Real Reform Looks Like
What police reform really needs, based on my years both wearing the badge, working undercover in some of the most dangerous situations imaginable, and spending even more years as a civilian like the rest of us, is:
1. Purpose-Driven Recruitment: Stop accepting applicants who see policing as just another job. We need people who understand they’re entering a profession that serves the community, not their own ego or bank account. This means better screening for motivations, character, and emotional intelligence. The Counter-Argument: This requires working shorthanded for an extended period.
2. Comprehensive Cultural Training: Officers need to understand the communities they serve. When I worked undercover in predominantly black neighborhoods, I had to learn not just the language and customs, but the historical context of police-community relations. Every officer should have this depth of cultural understanding. The Concern: This will take time, and expectations should start low as communities learn to view cops as human beings and vice versa.
3. Advanced De-escalation Training: This isn’t just about talking people down from ledges. It’s about reading body language, managing group dynamics, and knowing when your presence is helping versus hurting a situation. Some of my most successful undercover moments came from knowing when to step back rather than step forward—the Counter-Argument: 0.
4. Accountability That Works Both Ways: Hold bad cops accountable—period. Civil Service laws create an environment where chiefs who fire bad cops for misconduct watch these same officers get their jobs back with just a slap on the wrist. Imagine being a boss, leading someone you fired, and expecting them to fall in line! But good cops need to be supported when they make difficult decisions in dangerous situations. We need systems that can distinguish between malicious behavior and split-second judgment calls made under extreme stress. The consequence: Civil Service Laws are protective and mean well, but are outdated and being abused. Changing laws and cultures takes time, and this will take a while.
5. Personal Accountability and Transparency: New officers must be willing to acknowledge their shortcomings and limitations. This isn’t about admitting weakness—it’s about demonstrating the kind of transparency and humanity that rebuilds trust. When an officer can say “I’m still learning” or “I made a mistake,” it shows the community that they’re dealing with a human being, not someone hiding behind a badge. Blue Line, Schmu Line. That needs to go away in lieu of a new culture of transparency. The consequence: Older, more experienced officers may not adapt to this as well as the new generation entering the profession. However, this is good overall, as the new generation should adapt to this in the long run.
6. Community Partnership, Not Community Policing: There’s a difference between driving through neighborhoods in a patrol car and actually knowing the people who live there. Real community partnership means officers who understand that their job is to serve people, not control them. This does not mean simply sending high-ranking or appointed officers to a monthly community meeting, but to train and encourage street cops to do so on their own as part of their responsibility to the communities they serve—the consequence: Slow adaptation.
7. Ignore Extremists: These people are the ones grabbing the headlines and amping both communities and law enforcement, forcing us to take sides. Embrace independent thinkers and genuine people who engage only in productive discussions to find common solutions. Let’s face it – this is most of us, but we are too often pulled into the drama by these politically motivated haters. The concern: Our voices are not heard in the mainstream, so this, too, will take a little time.
The Patience Problem
Here’s the hard truth: this will take time, and both “sides” need to exercise patience that they don’t want to give.
The public needs to understand that rebuilding trust and recruiting better officers doesn’t happen overnight. Good people considering a career in law enforcement need to recognize that the profession is evolving and that their efforts will be valued.
Police departments need to understand that transparency isn’t the enemy—it’s the path back to public trust. Officers who are doing the job right have nothing to fear from accountability systems that actually work, as they are in it to serve others.
Moving Forward
The communities I worked in during Operation Fishbowl weren’t anti-police—they were anti-bad policing. They wanted officers who cared about their neighborhoods, who treated residents with respect, and who could appreciate the difference between a kid making a mistake and a career criminal.
That distinction matters. When officers show up as protectors rather than occupiers, when they demonstrate genuine care for the community’s well-being, trust gets rebuilt one interaction at a time.
Police reform isn’t about choosing between supporting cops or supporting communities. Don’t politicize this issue. It’s about recognizing the process and working towards a system where good officers can perform their duties effectively while serving communities that respect and trust them, and knowing that this will take time.
Key to Success
The truth is, successful reform will require police to take the first step toward a transparent and accountable culture, as they accepted a higher degree of accountability than citizens when they took their oath. That badge comes with tremendous responsibility. It’s time we all started acting like it.