S.A.F.E. Policing

UPDATE: In January, the Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee recommended the adoption of all the S.A.F.E. proposals and the launch of its pilot program. Town staff declined to honor that recommendation, and the Selectboard ratified their judgment. BCS is proceeding to bring the community into deliberation and action on our proposals.

Brattleboro Common Sense believes that a progressive attitude towards police reform is essential to promoting the safety of officers and the public, as well as positive relations and a sense of trust between the two. BCS is now arranging conversations within the Brattleboro community and with other towns in Vermont.

More specifically, we are looking at how the Weapons Effect, a well-documented psychological phenomenon where the sight of a weapon can cause an aggressive response in the viewer, fits into the dynamic of police-public interactions. Our research has suggested that mitigating the Weapons Effect as a factor in this dynamic could lead to reduced escalation, more emphasis on nonlethal force, and a more cooperative and trusting relationship between law enforcement and civilians. This mitigation can be accomplished through means such as firearm concealment, the confinement of firearms to police vehicles when not in use, or the removal of firearms as standard equipment for certain categories of law enforcement, all of which are being considered.

This is an idea with a considerable amount to commend it in terms of global practices. A number of countries have chosen to reduce the Weapons Effect through these tactics, with largely positive results. We have looked closely at the examples of the UK and New Zealand, which respectively use the removal and vehicle confinement options to great effect.

At the end of the day, regardless of profession, ideology, or personal feelings, we all want the same things: for the way the police serve our community to reflect the needs and desires of the community, and for the largest possible number of people to go home at the end of each day safe and sound.

Read the S.A.F.E. Policing Reforms

View/Print SAFE Policing Proposal

S.A.F.E. Policy Concept Maps

View/Print SAFE Policing Concept Map

See BCS Research On Policing here

Suggested Reading on This Topic:

• Allen, Johnie & Anderson, Craig & Bushman, Brad. (2017). The General Aggression Model. Current Opinion in Psychology. 19. 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.034.
• Ariel, Barak & Lawes, David & Weinborn, Cristobal & Henry, Ron & Chen, Kevin & Brants, Hagit. (2018). The “Less-Than-Lethal Weapons Effect”—Introducing TASERs to Routine Police Operations in England and Wales: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Criminal Justice and Behavior. 1-21. 10.1177/0093854818812918.
• Benjamin Jr, Arlin & Kepes, Sven & Bushman, Brad. (2018). Effects of Weapons on Aggressive Thoughts, Angry Feelings, Hostile Appraisals, and Aggressive Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Weapons Effect Literature. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 22. 347-377. 10.1177/1088868317725419.
• Berkowitz, L., & Lepage, A. (1967). Weapons as aggression-eliciting stimuli. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7(2, Pt.1), 202–207.
• Demir, Mustafa & Apel, Robert & A. Braga, Anthony & K. Brunson, Rod & Ariel, Barak. (2018). Body Worn Cameras, Procedural Justice, and Police Legitimacy: A Controlled Experimental Evaluation of Traffic Stops. Justice Quarterly. 1-32. 10.1080/07418825.2018.1495751.
• President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. (2015). Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
• Smith, Tom W. & Son, Jaesok. (2015). Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014. General Social Survey Final Report. University of Chicago.

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