海角大神

On a sunny day last fall, Atlanta Police Officer Mike Costello had to decide whether a goat rescue mission would turn into a drug sting.

Gertie, it seemed, kept escaping from her yard. Neighbors, concerned for the goat, took the animal into custody 鈥� or, in the owner鈥檚 eyes, kidnapped her.

But it wasn鈥檛 until Mr. Costello arrived on the scene that the real complication arose: The owner admitted that he had illegally 鈥渏ust smoked a joint.鈥�

Costello, the Atlanta Police Department鈥檚 officer of the year, kept his wits about him, solved the spat, and chose not to cart the pot-smoking goatherd into the precinct.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 care what the guy does in his own house, but that a goat can cause such a commotion in a community, well, maybe there鈥檚 something we, as a police department, can help with there,鈥� he said of his intervention.

Sure, it was the kind of moment that most Americans don鈥檛 ever see: a well-trained officer using discretion and courtesy to turn a potentially tense situation into one where, in the end, there are smiles and a sense of resolution.

Yet there is something deeper in the simple exchange. Even at a time when cops say they feel under siege amid perceptions of anti-police bias, a study released this week underscores evolving attitudes among police officers. It suggests the nature of police work in America might be beginning to shift from the militarized force geared to the get-tough-on-crime 1990s to a sense of 鈥減olicing by consent鈥� amid historically low crime.

The Pew Research Center鈥檚 鈥淏ehind the Badge鈥� survey of 8,000 police officers shows that while racial attitudes persist 鈥� especially in how events and suspicions are perceived 鈥� a solid majority of police officers are aligned with the general public on the root causes of discontent, including the need for more training, tougher discipline toward rogue cops, emphasis on de-escalation, decriminalization of recreational drugs, and broader societal focus on mental health.

鈥淭he situation on the ground is improving 鈥� in part because of the scrutiny policing has been getting,鈥� says Jack Glaser, a social psychologist at University of California at Berkeley.

Finding a balance

That scrutiny has also created tension. Three of 4 sworn officers said declining relations with minority communities has made officers less willing to stop and question suspects and use force when they deem necessary.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime 鈥� the getting out of your car at two in the morning and saying to a group of guys, 鈥楬ey, what are you doing here?鈥� 鈥� Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said last year.

Two-thirds said they have been verbally abused by a member of the community during the past month. But 8 of 10 also say they have been thanked by a member of the community.

Gratitude toward police officers 鈥渋s at the highest level we鈥檝e seen it since 9/11,鈥� says Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations.

Mr. Johnson says that trend reflects that 鈥減olice departments in general are willing to accept and profit by constructive criticism,鈥� but it also suggests that 鈥渢he public don鈥檛 want a surrender of public safety on our streets.鈥�

Instead, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e searching for a level of confidence that police are [treating all citizens] in an ethical and just manner.鈥�

Finding that right balance has led to confusion at the beat level about what officers are really out there doing. A few years ago, a sign outside a Cleveland precinct that said "Forward Operating Base" seemed natural. Today, equating a tough American neighborhood with a war-torn Afghan village seems inappropriate, at least according to a Department of Justice report that cited the sign.

鈥淔rom the officers' perspectives, most of what they're doing is patrolling and responding to calls for service,鈥� says Professor Glaser.

What鈥檚 coming to the fore is 鈥渢he perspective of people in the community, particularly blacks, where most of their contact with the police is unpleasant (being stopped, questioned, or searched).聽Even casual, non-enforcement contacts with police are likely unpleasant for minorities because they know they are regarded with greater suspicion.鈥�

Can less be more?

That has spread the idea that sometimes less can be more in policing. For example, New York City has backed off its 鈥渟top and frisk鈥� policy, which allowed officers to stop people based only on minimal suspicions. Crime has continued to drop even after the program was curtailed.

Indeed, the debate over militarized versus 鈥渃onsent鈥�-style policing is helping police officers properly define what constitutes a good stop 鈥� meaning one which actually solves or prevents a crime.

鈥淧olice training needs to be better in terms of helping officers understand when it is or is not appropriate to stop and question someone,鈥� says Delores Jones-Brown, a criminologist at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author of 鈥淧olicing and Minority Communities: Bridging the gap.鈥�

There are signs that understanding could be growing. Nine of 10 officers say it鈥檚 at least somewhat important to understand the people and culture of their beats in order to actually be effective crime-fighters. Only 3 of 10 view their patrol areas as hostile territories, with the majority of cops believing that at least some of the residents of those neighborhoods share their values.

鈥淚n the long term, these [attitude shifts] will be reflected in improved public attitudes toward the police,鈥� says Glaser, in an email. 鈥淏ut we shouldn鈥檛 expect this to be instantaneous. Just as police stereotypes of minorities as prone to crime and violence are hard to attenuate, so will public perceptions of police be.鈥�