For the past year, videos of police shootings have saturated the media, giving urgency to calls for police reform — especially in poor, black neighborhoods. But what does “reform” mean in practice? For example, is so called “broken windows” a form of community policing or an excuse for racial profiling? After decades of racism and brutality, Los Angeles has been called a model for police reform, but now it’s embroiled in a familiar controversy. Is it time to look beyond the police force and deal with social and economic issues that cops will never be able to resolve?
Listen to the radio conversation here.