Research Guides: Black Lives Matter: Police Reform

On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries

The Future of Police Reform by Samuel Walker The first thorough study of the Justice Department's pattern or practice program, examining how it works and how court-imposed consent decrees implement needed reforms American society grapples with an enduring crisis in policing which is inextricably intertwined with the nation's deeply rooted racial issues. While there have been great strides in policing over the past five decades, the United States continues to wrestle with serious crime and strained relations between law enforcement and African American communities. In this comprehensive analysis, Samuel Walker, a leading figure in the study of criminal justice, focuses on the pivotal federal effort behind police reform--the US Justice Department's pattern or practice program. Created by Congress in 1994, this program gives the Justice Department the authority to investigate police departments that display patterns of unconstitutional practices, initiate civil suits, and secure court-enforced consent decrees that mandate reform. Walker meticulously examines the reforms dictated by these consent decrees, delves into the challenges of their implementation, and evaluates the progress made by various departments in enhancing police services. Despite various obstacles, the program has proven successful. The Future of Police Reform also considers the broader societal, political, and legal issues that profoundly influence reform efforts, such as an entrenched police subculture hindering change, the formidable power of police unions, and a lack of full support from local political leaders. In conclusion, Walker celebrates reform efforts across the country and foresees a network of local and state centers of activity fostering continued optimism for the future of police reform in the US. A collective effort holds the promise of genuine and lasting change.
Call Number: KF5399 .W35 2024
Break the Wheel by Keith Ellison; Philonise Floyd (Foreword by) "An unforgettable reading experience."―Eric Holder With this powerful and intimate trial diary, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asks the key question: How do we break the wheel of police violence and finally make it stop? The murder of George Floyd sparked global outrage. At the center of the conflict and the controversy, Keith Ellison grappled with the means of bringing justice for Floyd and his family. Now, in this riveting account of the Derek Chauvin trial, Ellison takes the reader down the path his prosecutors took, offering different breakthroughs and revelations for a defining, generational moment of racial reckoning and social justice understanding.   Each chapter of BREAK THE WHEEL goes spoke to spoke along the wheel of the system as Ellison examines the roles of prosecutors, defendants, heads of police unions, judges, activists, legislators, politicians, and media figures, each in his attempt to end this chain of violence and replace it with empathy and shared insight.   Ellison's analysis of George Floyd's life and the rich trial context he provides demonstrates that, while it may seem like an unattainable goal, lasting change and justice can be achieved.
Call Number: HV7936.P725 E45 2023

Publication Date: 2023
Beyond These Walls by Tony Platt "You should definitely read this book... What really struck me in readingBeyond These Walls was that Tony Platt had very seriously and carefully considered the contributions of social movements--feminist, queer, disability, and labor." --Angela Davis Beyond These Walls is an ambitious and far-ranging exploration that tracks the legacy of crime and imprisonment in the United States, from the historical roots of the American criminal justice system to our modern state of over-incarceration, and offers a bold vision for a new future. Author Tony Platt, a recognized authority in the field of criminal justice, challenges the way we think about how and why millions of people are tracked, arrested, incarcerated, catalogued, and regulated in the United States. Beyond These Walls traces the disturbing history of punishment and social control, revealing how the criminal justice system attempts to enforce and justify inequalities associated with class, race, gender, and sexuality. Prisons and police departments are central to this process, but other institutions - from immigration and welfare to educational and public health agencies - are equally complicit. Platt argues that international and national politics shape perceptions of danger and determine the policies of local criminal justice agencies, while private policing and global corporations are deeply and undemocratically involved in the business of homeland security. Finally,Beyond These Walls demonstrates why efforts to reform criminal justice agencies have often expanded rather than contracted the net of social control. Drawing upon a long tradition of popular resistance, Platt concludes with a strategic vision of what it will take to achieve justice for all in this era of authoritarian disorder.
Call Number: HV9950 .P53 2019

Police Reform in Maryland

Maryland police reform among new laws set to begin Oct. 1
WBAL TV 11, October 1, 2021
Explaining Maryland's new police reform laws, which take effect today
ABC 7 News, October 1, 2021
Maryland Police Reforms, Including Ban on Some Military Equipment, Take Effect Friday
Newsweek, September 30, 2021
Maryland Lawmakers Override Vetoes On Sweeping Police Reform
NPR, April 10, 2021
Maryland Senate Passes Package Of Police Reform Measures
from WAMU 88.5, March 3, 2021
Baltimore County is taking steps to reform its police department, but some in community remain wary
Capital Gazette, November 10, 2020
Maryland Lawmakers Recommend Some Policing Changes, But Hold Off On Toughest Proposals
Baltimore Sun, October 8, 2020
Community groups press for amendments to Baltimore County police reform bill
WBAL, October 5, 2020
‘Change is Coming’ | Maryland Lawmakers Debate Police Reforms, Push for Transparency As Officers Express Concern Over Labor Protections
CBS Baltimore, August 27, 2020

Online Article Archives

Police Reform
from Associated Press
Police Reform
from the Marshall Project

Organizations

ACLU

Baltimore Mayor on Maryland's New Police Reform: "We Are Talking About Reimagining Public Safety"

Online Articles

Impassioned calls for police reform at Tyre Nichols’ funeral
AP, February 1, 2023
With Slow Progress On Federal Level, Police Reform Remains Patchwork Across U.S.
NPR, April 27, 2021
Maryland at forefront of police reform with sweeping legislative package
WBAL-TV, April 21, 2021
How Views On Black Lives Matter Have Changed — And Why That Makes Police Reform So Hard
Five Thirty Eight, April 13, 2021
House Approves Police Reform Bill Named After George Floyd
NPR, March 3, 2021
Almost 100 percent of Americans polled think police reform is needed
The Hill, July 22, 2020
Police reform: Big momentum, little time
CommonWealth magazine, July 20, 2020
A 'huge moment' for police reform that could reshape Black communities for generations
USA Today, July 18, 2020
How to Actually Fix America’s Police
The Atlantic, June 3, 2020

Activism

Campaign Zero

Assessing the State of Police Reform

Assessing the State of Police Reform
from the Center For American Progress, July 16, 2020

Online From CCBC Libraries

Police Reform in the Aftermath of George Floyd's Death by Robert B. Smith (Editor) The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, while he was in the custody of law enforcement, combined with several other recent high-profile deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police, have generated congressional interest in legislation to reform state and local policing practices, and to require law enforcement agencies to collect more data on law enforcement actions and activities and share these data with the public. Two major pieces of legislation that contain police reform proposals are before Congress: H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 -- passed by the House on June 25, 2020 -- and S. 3985, the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act. This book discusses the current issues associated with police reform.
Publication Date: 2020
Community Policing by Victor E. Kappeler; Larry K. Gaines Community policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy that expands the traditional police mandate of fighting crime to include forming partnerships with citizenry that endorse mutual support and participation. The first textbook of its kind, Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective delineates this progressive approach, combining the accrued wisdom and experience of its established authors with the latest research-based insights to help students apply what is on the page to the world beyond. This seventh edition extends the road map presented by Robert Trojanowicz, the father of community policing, and brings it into contemporary focus. The text has been revised throughout to include the most current developments in the field, including "Spotlight on Community Policing Practice" features that focus on real-life community policing programs in various cities as well as problem-solving case studies. Also assisting the reader in understanding the material are Learning Objectives, Key Terms, and Discussion Questions, in addition to numerous links to resources outside the text. A glossary and an appendix, "The Ten Principles of Community Policing," further enhance learning of the material.
Publication Date: 2015

Databases

ProQuest Central
Articles on any subject. This is a good place to start.
Opposing Viewpoints
Viewpoint essays, topic essays, and news and magazine articles on controversial issues. Browse for topics or search.
SIRS Issues Researcher
Viewpoint essays, topic essays, and news and magazine articles on controversial issues. Browse for topics or search.
U.S. Newsstream
News from the United States.
Newpapers include: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, and Baltimore Sun.
Criminal Justice
Articles on criminal justice topics, including corrections administration, law enforcement, social work, industrial security, drug rehabilitation, and criminal and family law.
Sociology Database
Articles on sociology topics including criminal justice, gender studies, racial studies, social services, and social work.
SocINDEX
Articles on sociology topics including criminal justice, gender studies, racial studies, social services, and social work.