{"id":10941,"date":"2020-06-06T14:25:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T21:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/?p=10941"},"modified":"2022-07-07T23:51:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T06:51:50","slug":"nyt-how-police-unions-became-such-powerful-opponents-to-reform-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=10941","title":{"rendered":"NYT: How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"NYT%3A%20How%20Police%20Unions%20Became%20Such%20Powerful%20Opponents%20to%20Reform%20Efforts\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/noam-scheiber\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noam Scheiber<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/farah-stockman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Farah Stockman<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/j-david-goodman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J. David Goodman<\/a>\u00a0June 6, 2020,\u00a012:29 p.m. ET<\/p>\n<p>Over the past five years, as demands for reform have mounted in the aftermath of police violence in cities like Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore and now Minneapolis, police unions have emerged as one of the most significant roadblocks to change. The greater the political pressure for reform, the more defiant the unions often are in resisting it \u2014 with few city officials, including liberal leaders, able to overcome their opposition.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DIRECT LINK TO NYT STORY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>They aggressively protect the rights of members accused of misconduct, often in arbitration hearings that they have battled to keep behind closed doors. And they have also been remarkably effective at fending off broader change, using their political clout and influence to derail efforts to increase accountability.<\/p>\n<p>While rates of union membership have dropped by half nationally since the early 1980s, to 10 percent,\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/union2.nr0.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">higher membership rates among police unions<\/a>\u00a0give them resources they can spend on campaigns and litigation to block reform. A single New York City police union has spent more than $1 million on state and local races since 2014.<\/p>\n<p>In St. Louis, when Kim Gardner was elected the top prosecutor four years ago, she set out to rein in the city\u2019s\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/mappingpoliceviolence.org\/cities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">high rate<\/a>\u00a0of police violence. But after she proposed a unit within the prosecutor\u2019s office that would independently investigate misconduct, she ran into the powerful local police union.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The union pressured lawmakers to set aside the proposal, which many supported but then never brought to a vote. Around the same time, a lawyer for the union waged a legal fight to limit the ability of the prosecutor\u2019s office to investigate police misconduct. The following year, a leader of the union said Ms. Gardner should be removed \u201cby force or by choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Politicians tempted to cross police unions have long feared being labeled soft on crime by the unions, or more serious consequences.<\/p>\n<p>When Steve Fletcher, a Minneapolis city councilman and frequent Police Department critic, sought to divert money away from hiring officers and toward a newly created office of violence prevention, he said, the police stopped responding as quickly to 911 calls placed by his constituents. \u201cIt operates a little bit like a protection racket,\u201d Mr. Fletcher said of the union.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department said he was unable to comment.<\/p>\n<p>A few days after prosecutors in Minneapolis charged an officer with murder in the death of George Floyd, the president of the city\u2019s police union denounced political leaders, accusing them of selling out his members and firing four officers without due process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is despicable behavior,\u201d the union president, Lt. Bob Kroll, wrote in a\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StribJany\/status\/1267471624397361162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">letter to union members<\/a>obtained by a local reporter. He also referred to protesters as a \u201cterrorist movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>Mr. Kroll, who is himself the subject of at least\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.minneapolismn.gov\/civilrights\/policereview\/cra_links-contacts?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=d36ad879c0d17b6baf40865af6072a57c2afa312-1590792618-0-ARd3XF3t_T6o_0DCZkEcfnumKE2a0wiF3oGzzIAX8VN5inLxJzbKunyx2LFzMyjl4vS1RJdNp6hMHE-q-3Dev1kes3ADLu0yOqvUG_eYdhJKudwLPNMGSfC2DbkAXrQUGugYqOOxqo9-bXVg9hxYZRpeMAO1z2MIIcdRo0CZTBGRdWshrvl6vCFip36TIVXyH_lZgkyE3nQLaa7bdzgX4vgv3Eus_fcjAH_qJ1DuQeDPMex834q3kpdtpo6qf5nznMleYGPKA_T6pal0n3HubDuk6JEqN40QAGPHIDOHO4C8ujLWUClkwdQf7Oz0FVd2DRAq3gg72GpLUEXf9FogrnY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">29 complaints<\/a>, has also\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/minnesota.cbslocal.com\/2019\/10\/10\/bob-kroll-head-of-minneapolis-police-union-speaks-at-trump-rally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">chided<\/a>\u00a0the Obama administration for its \u201coppression of police,\u201d and praised President Trump as someone who \u201cput the handcuffs on the criminals instead of us.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"styln-briefing-block\" data-asset-id=\"\">\n<div>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/george-floyd-protests.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-george-floyd&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=storylines_live_updates\">Latest Updates: George Floyd Protests<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/george-floyd-protests.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-george-floyd&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=storylines_live_updates#link-44acb7eb\">Crowds take to the streets in another weekend of protest.\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/george-floyd-protests.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-george-floyd&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=storylines_live_updates#link-2cecd827\">Outside U.S., protesters take a stand against racism.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/george-floyd-protests.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-george-floyd&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=storylines_live_updates#link-68623cbc\">Mourners gather for George Floyd memorial in North Carolina<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>In other instances, unions have not resisted reforms outright, but have made them difficult to put in place. Federal intervention is often one of the few reliable ways of reforming police departments. But in Cleveland, the union helped slow the adoption of reforms mandated by\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/crt\/legacy\/2015\/05\/27\/cleveland_agreement_5-26-15.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a federal consent decree<\/a>, according to Jonathan Smith, a former U.S. Justice Department official who oversaw the government\u2019s investigation of policing practices there.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Smith said union officials had signaled to rank-and-file officers that the changes should not be taken seriously, such as a requirement that they report and investigate instances in which they pointed a gun. \u201cI heard this in lots of departments,\u201d Mr. Smith said. \u201c\u2018Wait it out. Do the minimum you have to do.\u2019\u201d He said he believed that the reforms have since taken hold.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Loomis, the Cleveland police union president at the time of the consent decree, said he and his colleagues saw some of the mandated rules as counterproductive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time a kid points a gun, he has to do a use-of-force investigation,\u201d Mr. Loomis said of his younger colleagues. \u201cNow guys aren\u2019t pointing their guns when they should be pointing their guns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert Bruno, a professor of labor relations at the University of Illinois, posited that many police officers see themselves as authority figures who equate compromise with weakness. Other experts said it was rational for police unions, which are often regarded\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mnaflcio.org\/updates\/minnesota-afl-cio-calls-minneapolis-police-union-president-bob-kroll%E2%80%99s-immediate-resignation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">with suspicion<\/a>\u00a0by others in the labor movement and see themselves as distinct from it, to protect their members so relentlessly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA major role for police unions is basically as an insurance policy,\u201d said Dale Belman, a labor relations professor at Michigan State University who has consulted for police unions. \u201cThe feeling of a lot of officers is that it\u2019s very easy to sacrifice them. Something goes wrong and boom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>This has only become more true in an era of ubiquitous cellphone cameras and social media. And the feeling of being under siege has only strengthened demands from union members that they be protected.<\/p>\n<p>In Baltimore, where the city and the Justice Department reached a consent decree in 2017 to overhaul police conduct, the union has\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/crime\/bs-md-ci-cr-police-union-report-20191008-tj75tobwjjavva4vgyjwf2pj24-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">described<\/a>\u00a0a police department in chaos, with severe staff shortages and low morale. Those who remain said they feel unsupported by their commanders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re ready to throw police officers under the bus to appease the media and don\u2019t support us even when our actions are appropriate,\u201d said one officer surveyed in\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.crj.org\/assets\/2019\/08\/Feedback-from-the-Field_A-Summary-of-Focus-Groups-with-Baltimore-Police-Officers_2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a report<\/a>\u00a0released last year by a group helping the department implement reforms.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen how the unions will\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/05\/us\/defund-police-floyd-protests.html\">respond to reform initiatives<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/news\/crime-courts\/2020\/06\/04\/Pittsburgh-mayor-police-use-of-force-reforms-policy-george-floyd\/stories\/202006040132\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cities<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/madison.com\/news\/local\/govt-and-politics\/wiseye-morning-minute-use-of-force-reform-legislation\/video_8bd9804c-fb02-55be-a650-1c4a5d63969e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">states<\/a>\u00a0since Mr. Floyd\u2019s death, including a\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/05\/us\/george-floyd-protests.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage#link-3900c78a\">new ban on chokeholds<\/a>\u00a0in Minneapolis. But in recent days, unions have continued to show solidarity with officers accused of abusive behavior.<\/p>\n<p>The president of a police union in Buffalo said the union stood \u201c100 percent\u201d behind two officers who were suspended on Thursday after\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/05\/us\/buffalo-police-shove-protester-unrest.html\">appearing to push an older man<\/a>\u00a0who fell and suffered head injuries. The union president said the officers \u201cwere simply following orders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All 57 officers on the Emergency Response Team, a special squad formed to respond to riots, had resigned from their posts on the team in support of the suspended officers,\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/buffalonews.com\/2020\/06\/05\/57-members-of-buffalo-police-riot-response-team-resign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to The Buffalo News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>New York City\u2019s police unions have been among the most vocal opponents of reforms in Albany, including calls to reform the state\u2019s tight restrictions on the disciplinary records of officers. Amid growing momentum in recent days for making those records public, the city\u2019s police unions joined statewide police groups on Friday in urging the Legislature to keep the law in place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo rational policy discussion can take place against a backdrop of burning police vehicles and looted store fronts,\u201d read a memo of opposition from the police groups.<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s patrol officers\u2019 union, with roughly 24,000 active members, and another representing sergeants have been sharp critics of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who took office in 2014 riding a wave of discontent over stop-and-frisk policing.<\/p>\n<p>The mayor promised reform, but after the fatal shooting of two uniformed officers in Brooklyn by a man who invoked the police killing of Eric Garner, Mr. de Blasio faced an all-but-declared revolt by rank-and-file officers.<\/p>\n<p>The head of the patrol officers\u2019 union, Patrick J. Lynch, said at the time that the mayor had \u201cblood on the hands.\u201d Many officers turned their backs on Mr. de Blasio at the slain officers\u2019 funerals. And, days later, many more engaged in what amounted to a de facto work slowdown. Arrests\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/01\/01\/nyregion\/arrest-statistics-decline-sharply-police-unions-deny-an-organized-slowdown.html\">plummeted<\/a>as did tickets for minor infractions.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Lynch has stood by officers even when there is ample evidence of misconduct, defending the officers who\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/19\/nyregion\/amadou-diallo-mother-eric-garner.html\">killed Amadou Diallo in 1999<\/a>\u00a0and another who, in 2008, shoved a bicyclist to the ground during a protest ride. The union provided lawyers for the officers involved in both cases.<\/p>\n<p>Unions can be so effective at defending their members that cops with a pattern of abuse can be left untouched, with fatal consequences. In Chicago, after the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by officer Jason Van Dyke, it emerged that Mr. Van Dyke had been the subject of multiple complaints already. But a \u201ccode of silence\u201d about misconduct was effectively \u201cbaked into\u201d the labor agreements between police unions and the city, according to\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/igchicago.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/PATF_Final_Report_4_13_16-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a report<\/a>\u00a0conducted by task force.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When liberal politicians do try to advance reform proposals, union officials have resorted to highly provocative rhetoric and hard-boiled campaign tactics to lash out at them.\u00a0This past week, the head of the sergeants\u2019 union in New York\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/01\/nyregion\/chiara-de-blasio-arrest.html\">posted a police report<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter revealing personal information about the daughter of Mr. de Blasio, who had been arrested during a protest.Mr. Kroll did not return a call seeking comment. John Elder, the Police Department spokesman, said the current police chief and Mr. Kroll have a strong relationship.<\/p>\n<section>Ms. Harteau said that the department introduced new rules requiring officers to protect the \u201csanctity of life\u201d and intervene if they saw a colleague improperly using force, but that the union under Mr. Kroll undermined the changes by protecting officers who violated the policies.\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/opendata.minneapolismn.gov\/datasets\/police-officer-involved-shootings\/data?orderBy=IncidentDate&amp;page=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Data on police shootings<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/mappingpoliceviolence.org\/cities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killings<\/a>\u00a0in the city appear to show little change despite the reforms.\u201cI struggle to know if they have gotten more extreme, or if the world has changed and they haven\u2019t,\u201d Mr. Fletcher, the city councilman, said of the union. \u201cEither way, they are profoundly misaligned with the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Noam Scheiber is a Chicago-based reporter who covers workers and the workplace. He spent nearly 15 years at The New Republic magazine, where he covered economic policy and three presidential campaigns. He is also the author of \u201cThe Escape Artists.\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/noamscheiber\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@noamscheiber<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>J. David Goodman covers lobbying, fund-raising and the influence of money in politics. A former reporter in City Hall and at police headquarters in New York, he has written about government, politics and criminal justice for The Times since 2012.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jdavidgoodman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@jdavidgoodman<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>A version of this article appears in print on\u00a0<time datetime=\"2020-06-07T04:00:00.000Z\" data-testid=\"todays-date\">June 7, 2020<\/time>\u00a0of the New York edition with the headline: Fierce Protectors of Police Impede Efforts at Reform.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytreprints.com\/\">Order Reprints<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper\">Today\u2019s Paper<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscriptions\/Multiproduct\/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY\">Subscribe<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"NYT%3A%20How%20Police%20Unions%20Became%20Such%20Powerful%20Opponents%20to%20Reform%20Efforts\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By\u00a0Noam Scheiber,\u00a0Farah Stockman\u00a0and\u00a0J. David Goodman\u00a0June 6, 2020,\u00a012:29 p.m. ET Over the past five years, as demands for reform have mounted in the aftermath of police violence in cities like Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore and now Minneapolis, police unions have emerged as one of the most significant roadblocks to change. The greater the political pressure for reform, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10941"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15297,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions\/15297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}