A Higher Standard of Conduct

In the editorial, "Austin Police Shedding Tainted Culture," the author writes about Police Chief Art Acevedo trying to establish higher standards of conduct for officers. In the past there have been problems with police officers finding loopholes around the professional standards of the police force. The question of policies was raised when an arbitrator returned fired Austin policeman Gary Griffin to his job. This police officer was fired for using excessive force on a mentally ill man at a bus stop. Because there used to be a culture of police officers being able to return to their jobs without punishment after violating policies, Gary Griffin sued the city for firing him for his misconduct.

When policies were under the authority of former chief Stan Knee, there were questions about his authority; whether it was justified or whether it was based on favoritism. Police officers faced few consequences for the their unjust behaviors while other people could lose their jobs. This proved uneven discipline. Under commands of new Police Chief Acevedo, higher standards of conduct have been established for officers. There will no longer be loopholes around the standards. To achieve this goal, officers must attend training to make sure that they have read and understood the disciplinary standards. This approach is believed to reduce or prevent previous actions of favoritism and misconduct. Chief Acevedo's plan has already proved that it works; he has already fired 12 officers for misconduct and pressured others to resign. The author believes that there will be a better future for the police force while Acevedo's plan is intact.

I believe that this is a tremendously important editorial. Nobody likes favoritism, except the ones who get away with anything they want. Police officers should not get away with hurting a harmless person for no reason. We do not want the citizens of Austin or anywhere for the matter to fear police officers just because they have authority. We don't want the fear that a police officer can harm us. I highly agree with Chief Acevedo's technique for setting higher standards of conduct so that police officers do not get away with anything they want. I believe it is important for citizens to feel safe around authority figures like policemen and Chief Acevedo's tactics help ensure that.