“Every time you see me, you want to harass me, it stops today,” said Eric Garner as the New York City Police officers approached him and wrestled him to the ground to arrest him for selling untaxed loose cigarettes. But he would not survive to know that his last words would spawn a movement and leaving the entire Police Department looking like a villain of this era. But what about the cops that are still left on the duty trying to protect and serve in the era of Black Lives Matter. How do they view this movement? How are they fixing the mistakes that their fellow Police Officers made? And what are they doing to trying to gain back the image of them being the heroes and saving the lives of others?

According to the official record found at Bureau of Justice Statistics, it is estimated that over half of those who are killed by police officers in recent years have been black or Latino. And when these statistics were questioned the official’s responses triggered further controversy. It is believed that the major cause of African American having an excessive amount of hurtful encounters with the Police is due to the criminal justice system’s high volume of encounters with people of color/ minorities. And because of the hurtful encounters people draw and misinterpretation and broader perceptions that injustice is being served to the communities of people with color only.

There are many basic neutral policies that police officers practice that does not illustrate any kind of racism, but people with color still interpret it as a disproportionate encounter. Police policies such as broken window, “a theory of norm-setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior” or stop and question leave an unreasonable impact on the mind of people with color. Witnessing and acknowledging the news regarding the injustice towards the black, people tend to believe that the only reason they are being questioned is because they belong to the minor communities, and hence broadens the perception of inequality. And especially after the recent incidents with black lives being taken away by an officer on duty, people started to view police officers as villains. Officer Hernandez, a Police officer on duty for past five years said, “People seem to forget that people have the ability to make their own decisions and choices. The fact that a particular person wears a uniform and then makes a mistake or commits a crime shouldn’t automatically then categorize everyone else wearing the same uniform as a bad person or a criminal, but let’s not forget that at the end of the day we [officers] are human.”

Granted, the people wearing a police uniform are entitled to be held to a higher standard and therefore they are required to carry themselves accordingly. Like we all say, if one apple is rotten in the basket, it however does not mean all the other apples are rotten as well. Similarly, all police officers shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of a few. Police Officers are under the oath to protect the communities of all kinds in our cities and uphold the law against the dangers that lurk in the world. There have been mistakes made in the continued pursuit of this belief. The civil liberties have been overlooked. But should all Police Officers pay for the misconducts of others?? “Everyone in the world wants to go out, do their respective job and at the end of the day go home to their families and loved ones. That includes the men & women in Law Enforcement and the public that they are sworn to protect,” said Officer Hernandez.

This movement has caught the attention of not only the civilians belonging to minor communities but also the law enforcement as whole. The criminal justice system has been making effort to reach a comfortable medium with the community. “We as officers have a job to do and that job remains to be a very dangerous one. I feel all parties need to come together to discuss the ways that this movement can bring good to everyone, community & police alike.” said Officer Hernandez. It is understood that it is a very long road that has been traveled on for quite some time now to make people of color believe that they are no different than any other communities around. Many milestones have been reached and many obstacles overcome but as always the road to future remain a bright one.

“We still deal with people the same way we did one year ago when I came on the street,” said an officer on duty in midtown.

The Law enforcement in a whole remains optimistic of the situation and continues to work towards strengthening the relationship with the community. At the same time the officers remain vigilant in the course of conducting their duties in the proper manner and within their legal limitations.

“It’s possible that more training is needed for new officers as well as the established ones to deal with future situations in a more productive manner. Also, the community would be wise to realize that ALL lives matter,” said Officer Hernandez, when asked about the future of the law enforcement.

Both the Officer on duty at midtown and Officer Hernandez shared a common thought that race is never the sole reason if there is a negative interaction between civilians and the police. It shouldn’t make a difference regarding how police officers perform their duties. The Black Lives Matter movement has a good objective but there are people that take part in the protests just to create chaos. Instead of exposing the isolated incidents of police brutality, this movement or any such movement should bring more attention to addressing the factors that led to negative interaction and it is understood that the NYPD has taken several steps to improve the relationship between the community and the police.

There are new training guidelines and the whole police force has been trained again in using their verbal skills to diffuse intense situations. Furthermore there are now police officers assigned to work the same beat everyday so that the community recognizes them and feels comfortable in approaching them. It is said that time heals all wounds and as long as all parties are willing to work together for a better future, it should be a brighter one.

Police Departments uses community meeting as one of the modes to gain the trust that has been lost after the recent incidents. By partnering with community leaders, civic organizations, block associations, and concerned individuals, they work to create solutions for problems that arise within the city’s many communities. Police departments have always had Community Affair Divisions that have the difficult job of trying to maintain & keep relations between police and the community in good standing. The department has a Precinct Community Council that allows for community members to meet regularly with the precinct Commanding Officer and Community Affairs Officers to discuss and find solutions to public-safety problems in their neighborhood.

According to NYC resources, there are 77 Councils citywide, one in each precinct. Also, meetings are held once a month in community centers & open to the public so any and all matters can be discussed. This gives people of all kind a chance to put forth the problems they are facing and also gives the opportunity to Police Department to prove that they are fulfilling their job of helping people in the manner it is supposed to be.

The Police Academy teaches its recruits to deal with an array of situations that they will encounter on the street. All recruits or even civilians that plan on pursuing a career as a Police Officer come to terms with the idea that on this job they will be tested and put their lives on the line for the lives of others. But as the future NYPD officers it is important to know how youngsters planning to pursue this career view this movement. Considering the law enforcement in the wake of the Black Lives Matter era, do they feel they will be able to handle such situations in future? “Frankly, all we can do is be as prepared as possible to tackle anything that is thrown our way” said Sean Shivers, a student attending auxiliary. Knowing that being a police officer is not an easy job and they might face situations where their lives would be in danger, these civilians bravely take a step forward to being a part of the NYPD and to create a bright future.

“There is always going to be something, right now its Black Lives Matter, tomorrow it’s going to be something else,” said auxiliary officer Williams, who did not want his first name printed. “You can’t stop dreaming of who you want to be in the future. Nothing is easy. And hey, look, I am black,” he said laughing, “this doesn’t mean I support the chaos people make in the name of protest. I say All Lives Matter.”