Expanding Professionalism in Policing -Ep 3

REAL TALK-#3

Title: Expanding Professionalism in Policing

Welcome back to Real Talk – Behind the Badge.  I’m Tim, a retired police Sergeant from Massachusetts, but I now reside in South Carolina.  This is our third podcast, you can hear each one at RealTalkBehindtheBadge.com, on Facebook or on YouTube.  Today, we’re going to talk about the “PROFESSION” of policing.

 So, What is a Professional? 

At its core, a professional is not merely someone who earns a living in a specific field. The term embodies a deeper commitment—a blend of attitude, conduct, and moral responsibility. Professions are distinguished by fundamental characteristics: great responsibility, accountability, specialized knowledge, and adherence to ethical and legal constraints. These traits form the backbone of what we recognize as a profession, whether it’s law, medicine, nursing, teaching or, as we argue here, policing.

Professionalism transcends a dictionary definition. It’s a mindset—a moral compass if you like—that guides individuals to act with integrity, competence, and impartiality, even under scrutiny or pressure. In the context of modern policing, this compass is increasingly vital as public trust, societal expectations, and the complexity of law enforcement evolve and is becoming ever more prominent and important in modern policing.

Policing undoubtedly qualifies as a profession. Officers wield significant authority, requiring specialized training and knowledge in law, court decisions, law enforcement techniques, criminal justice, and community engagement. They operate under a framework of laws, departmental policies, and ethical standards designed to protect both the public and the integrity of the institution. Yet, a critical question remains: Do police officers consistently embody the full scope of professionalism seen in other licensed fields like medicine, law, nursing, teachers, real estate or many other professions?  Can we say that police officers are true professionals in every sense of the word?  Professionals in most disciplines have many laws, standards and ethics that must be adhered to, as does policing. 

Does policing have all the same standards as other professions? In one important area, they do not.  True professionals who have serious complaints lodged against them are not investigated by personnel with whom they work with in the same office or group.

We’re not talking about minor gripes, such as “he didn’t talk to me respectfully,’ or “he didn’t give me his name or badge number.”  These are usually minor policy infringements, which still should be addressed, but they are not serious complaints.

Just about any officer who has been on the job for any length of time has probably observed other officers that have not upheld the standards of a professional officer or maybe even violated laws. Whether it be with unneeded intimidation tactics, excessive force, illegal detainments, illegal searches or orders; or even lying on reports, we all know it happens, and in the past many could probably get away with it, as hard evidence was impossible to come by. Today, with cameras everywhere, it’s harder to get away with violating anyone’s rights; so when complaints are made, how should they be adjudicated?

Most recognized professions are governed by independent oversight bodies—commissions or panels composed of peers who do not personally know the individual, who understand the field’s demands, standards, and legal boundaries. These bodies investigate complaints, enforce accountability, and, when necessary, impose discipline or revoke licenses. For example:

  In South Carolina, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, under the state Supreme Court, oversees and regulates lawyers and judges through the Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Commission on Lawyer Conduct. I’m pretty sure most states would have something like this.

  The South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, part of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), regulates doctors, with the power to suspend or revoke licenses.

---Teachers in South Carolina are regulated by the South Carolina State Board of Education, with operational support from the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) Office of Educator Services. The Board includes 17 members. It oversees certification requirements, renewals, and disciplinary actions for misconduct.

  Nursing and Real estate agents and other licensed professionals face similar scrutiny from the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation commissions. The Nursing Board consists of 11 members. It has the power to issue licenses, investigate complaints, impose discipline (they can impose fines up to $2,000 per violation, or a license suspension)

Imagine you lodging a complaint against a lawyer; how much confidence in the investigation would you have if your complaint was investigated by the other lawyers and friends in their same office, group or corporation?  How much confidence would you have if your complaint against a judge was investigated by other judges in the same courthouse or friends of the judge that are in the same jurisdiction as they are?

Would you trust the process? Most wouldn’t. Yet, this is often the reality in policing. Internal investigations, while sometimes effective, lack the independence and professional rigor of other professional fields.

Shouldn't professional policing conduct meet the same standards as other licensed professions, especially if they have the power to take away a person’s freedom or impose large fines? This gap fuels a perception—whether accurate or not—that police departments shield their own with a code of silence, undermining the profession’s credibility. Complaints against police officers are typically handled internally; investigated by ‘Internal Affairs’ or a staff member of the police department rather than by an independent body of peers. This raises concerns about impartiality, as investigators may work alongside the accused which would compromise objective accountability.

  Many times, this also results in the legal and financial liability of the department, city or county being taken into consideration as to whether fault is found or the officer(s) should be disciplined. This is not objective accountability.

This is readily apparent when cities/counties/departments pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars, often accompanied by a “no fault admitted” disclaimer, or complaints dismissed outright, eroding public confidence. Other times, complaints are not taken seriously, disposed of, “lost”, trashed or ignored, hoping they will just go away.  There are still many departments that don’t even have a way for a person to make a complaint, or they must complain to the person the complaint is about.  This is not reasonable.

Public distrust is compounded by high-profile cases where transparency is lacking. When departments prioritize self-preservation over accountability, they reinforce the notion that policing falls short of the professional ideal. The bar for oversight in many agencies remains low, and internal investigations are often seen as a formality rather than a robust mechanism for justice and accountability.

Whether this is the public perception or reality, it is the quandary that permeates the profession of policing and why many people do not trust police departments to investigate serious complaints, which will then usually result in thousands of yearly lawsuits in which many can be avoided.

In response, many municipalities have established Citizens Review Boards (CRBs) or similar panels to oversee police conduct. While this reflects a desire for greater accountability and oversight, it falls way short of the professional standard of a fair and balanced review. Citizens Review Boards typically consist of community members with limited training—sometimes just a few hours on laws, policies, and procedures along with someone from the police department to try and guide them. This is totally inadequate for evaluating the split-second decisions, inherent risks, and legal complexities officers face daily.  I believe most officers, and knowledgeable public see this as a charade as the CRB can only make recommendations and any recommendations made can be dismissed by the Chief or any disciplinary board.

If you put yourself in the shoes of a police officer and have a complaint lodged against you, would you want someone who doesn't have extensive knowledge of the laws, court decisions, actual stresses and inherent risks of the job and the split-second decisions that have to be made judging you or your actions? I think not.

Let’s consider two perspectives:

First-police officers: Being judged by civilians without a deep knowledge of policing can risk very unfair outcomes. His or her job, promotional ability and personal integrity may be on the line. An officer may act lawfully and ethically, yet face condemnation based on emotion rather than evidence. A tragic outcome—like an injury or death— doesn't mean an officer didn't do his or her job correctly and justly.

Let me repeat, True professionals are judged by independent peers—experts who grasp the profession’s nuances. Citizens Review Boards, while well-intentioned, often lack this depth, leaving both officers and the public underserved.

Officers shouldn't be judged on someone's "feelings", but the law and the facts of the case, and I'm afraid this could easily happen by unqualified citizens.

For complainants: On the other side, if you are complaining about the actions of an officer, would you want someone who doesn't have extensive knowledge of the laws, court decisions, departmental policies and standard practices of police judging your case?

Citizens deserve reviewers who understand the law, court precedents, and standard practices enough to assess whether an officer’s actions were justified or excessive. Untrained reviewers may lack the expertise to deliver fair judgments.

Again, many of these 'Citizen Review Boards' are given a few to several hours of training and instruction on the laws and departmental policies. That's far from “professional” and what is standard in reviews of other licensed professions.

To align policing with the standards of other licensed professions, we must rethink oversight, training, and accountability, and who makes up those boards.

 The following is a discussion and framework of what I believe would be a comprehensive proposal and guide for elevating professionalism in policing and making it a truly professional, accountable and transparent profession.

1. Establish Independent Professional Oversight Boards
   • Create state-level Police Professional Standards Commissions (PPSC), modeled after medical and legal boards.
   • Membership: Active and retired officers of all ranks, Chiefs and legal experts—all independent of the departments they oversee, with no personal ties to accused officers.
   • Powers: To Investigate complaints, impose discipline (e.g., suspension, retraining), revoke certifications, and refer cases for prosecution when warranted.
   • Transparency: Publish anonymized findings to build public trust while protecting privacy. (This can be done by publishing the outcomes of complaints without publishing the names.)
2. Standardize Certification and Training
   • Require all officers to hold a state-issued Professional Policing License, (which is already done in many states.)
   • Expand mandatory training to include de-escalation, cultural competency, and legal updates—mirroring the continuing education mandates of doctors and lawyers.
   • Tie licensure to adherence of a unified Code of Professional Conduct, enforceable by the Police Professional Standards Commissions.
3. Enhance Accountability Mechanisms
   • Mandate body camera use and independent audits of footage in complaint cases.
   • Shift minor complaints we talked about earlier to mediation with trained facilitators within the department, reserving Police Professional Standards Commissions review for serious allegations (e.g., excessive force, corruption).
   • Require departments to report disciplinary actions to the Police Professional Standards Commissions, preventing officers from quietly transferring to avoid scrutiny (the “wandering officer” problem).
4. Bridge the Public-Professional Divide
   • Launch public education campaigns to explain policing’s complexities, reducing misconceptions while fostering dialogue.
   • Integrate non-voting roles of community input into Police Professional Standards Commissions advisory panels to balance professional expertise with civilian perspectives.
5. Fund and Support the Transition
   • Allocate state and federal funding to establish Police Professional Standards Commissions and expand training, ensuring no undue burden on local budgets.
   • Incentivize departments to adopt these reforms with grants tied to compliance and measurable improvements in public trust.

Why This Matters

Professionalism in policing isn’t just about optics—it’s about justice, safety, and legitimacy. Officers deserve a system that fairly evaluates their actions against clear, expert-driven standards. The public deserves confidence that misconduct will be addressed, not buried. By adopting independent, peer-led oversight and rigorous professional benchmarks, policing can rise to the level of accountability and respect afforded to other licensed professions.

The current internal model breeds skepticism; citizen boards, while a step forward, lack the expertise for true fairness. A hybrid approach—rooted in professional self-regulation, informed by peer expertise, and tempered by transparency—offers a path forward. It’s time to treat policing not just as a job or a calling, but as a true profession in every sense of the word.

(The Call: Cops, Step Up)
Officers, what do you think?  If you’ve had to face a Citizen Review Board, what was the outcome?  What did you think about it?  Was it fair?  What’s your take on the Professional Oversite Board?

This podcast is ground zero. I’m not here for theories or to hear myself talk—I want real answers and input from officers who’ve walked the walk. You, me, our brothers and sisters in blue—let’s cut through the bullshit. Academics can keep talking but we’ll build the cure. Join me at realtalkbehindthebadge.com. Drop your state, department (active or retired), what you’ve seen, and what solutions you have in mind. The answers are out there, we just need to find them.  Let’s hash out hard fixes—stuff we can shove in front of lawmakers and make stick.  We are just starting this journey and we’d be pleased to have you join us.

If you’ve got answers you like to share and you want to do it live, let me know.  If you’d like to be a guest on our show, let me know.

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Thanks to all our brothers and sisters behind the badge.  Keep it going and we’ll get this fixed!  Stay safe.

This is Real Talk.  Signing off until next time.

Thank you and be careful out there!