The militarization of local policing will be one of the principal topics at the Midwest Conference on 21st Century Policing, to be held October 7th at UW-Platteville. A number of nationally-known policing experts will lead discussions on topics including how policing has changed since the terror attacks 14 years ago. The moderator of the conference, UW-Platteville lecturer Nino Amato, says since the attacks, police have been losing the trust of the community. Amato says post-9-11, local police took on a role that was once the exclusive job of the National Guard, adopting military tactics that are often at odds with community policing goals. Amato says community trust of police is key to stability and the safe delivery of police services. Waupun police chief Dale Heeringa says while the public may have a different perception of law enforcement he doesn’t agree with the militarization aspect of it. “At least in our area there’s some situations where I think law enforcement is more prepared for violence that we’re encountering,” Heeringa told WFDL news. ‘We’ve had a couple officers just recently over the last couple of years that have lost their lives as a result of people’s poor behavior with firearms used toward law enforcement.” The conference, which is open to the public, will focus on ways to adopt the recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. According to Amato, a number of recent, nationally-publicized police events have exposed the rift in the relationship between the police and the communities they serve. He says local policing needs to return to the role it held prior to the terror attacks, when the militarization of local police departments began. The conference will involve not just policing experts, but elected officials and other community leaders. Amato says the way forward is not a job solely involving changes regarding police policy and procedure, but must include elected officials, a diversity of community leaders, and citizen involvement.
