Officer Democracy

Institutions receive all of the attention. Far more time is spent in civics class studying the three branches of government than any other topic. Why do the first three articles of the Constitution get all of the love? Why do the Illinois standards of education place such an emphasis on judicial review and executive authority, but callously omit the importance of local governance?

What aspect of government, aside from public school, affects the lives of young people the most? Which governmental agency are students most likely to see? With which government officials will students most likely interact? The answer to these questions is the same as the answer to this question: “Bad boys Bad Boys-what’cha gonna do, what’cha gonna do when they come for you”?

The police!

James Madison argued that a democratic government must be able to control the governed and control itself. Industrial societies use police to control crime and contribute to public order. Police departments are subject to the rule of law (as opposed to at the behest of a powerful person or Party), have limited authority, and are accountable to the public. In a sense, in their most basic and honorable form, the police epitomize our view of democratic government.

Patriot of ’76 decided to learn more about this integral government agency by sitting in the passenger seat with Lincolnshire Police Officer T. Branick during his shift. Here are some highlights and observations:

1. Police Officers are human beings. There are no quotas for speeding tickets or mandates on DUI arrests. They have and use a tremendous amount of discretion when making a traffic stop. They truly and legitimately see it as their mission to keep the village safe. They give subjects the chance to explain their actions, and they believe that, sometimes, a warning is more effective than a traffic ticket.
2. The portable breath test is not admissible in court. It is, on the other hand, probable cause for an arrest. Once the subject is in booking, they are breath tested again. The second test is the one that is official. Also, drunk people are irrational.
3. Going 85 mph down Milwaukee Ave in pursuit of an unruly subject in the Wildfire parking lot was pretty exciting
4. Every singe police transmission made to dispatch or to other officers is taped, and can easily be subpoenaed (read: accountability).
5. Much to my surprise, we did not pull over or arrest any of my students

As Gary T. Marx noted, democratic societies experience a continual tension between the desire for order and the desire for liberty. Both are essential. While one can have the former without the latter, it is not possible to have a society with liberty, which does not also have a minimum degree of order.

And one more note to all of you potential law-breakers out there in the blogasphere- There will be other ride-alongs. Wherever trouble finds itself, we will be there to help.