Police Psychology | The Noble Cause of Policing

by Mark Foreman, PsyD

“. . . every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.”
 ­– Robert Kennedy, 25 September 1963 –

As I sit down to write, the 2016 Democratic National Convention is due to kick off in just a few hours. I recall, though only vaguely, the Democratic National Convention of 1968. That DNC was held amidst a year of violent protests. Protests against the Vietnam War and about civil rights. The year 1968, had also spawned the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

Historically, the 1968 DNC has been repeatedly used as a focal point of change in American law enforcement. Police conduct during the protests was scrutinized, criticized, and in some cases condemned. (more…)