I recently read that following the attack on two national guard soldiers, the national guard and local Washington police planned joint patrols. I wondered who was protecting whom?
We have all seen the patrols of soldiers walking up and down neighborhood streets. It has been a long time since we have had any foot patrols by local police. Police patrol in marked cars, activating lights and sirens as they careen around corners racing toward potential danger. Will the soldiers join them in the cars? Where will they sit? Will they ride “shotgun” like sheriff and sidekick in an old TV series?
When together they reach the scene of an accident or crime, who will leap out first? Will it be the soldier or police who first wade into a street brawl or enter a darkened building fraught with unknown dangers? As in other large cities, any number of distraught people call the police for help and protection. Every day, police respond to traffic accidents that involve cars, bicycles, trucks, and pedestrians. They are the first responders for domestic fights, robberies, rapes, and murders. Will a soldier suffice? Is the soldier riding “shotgun,” like the police, responsible to our mayor and Council and constrained by locally legislated law? Is the soldier trained in de-escalation, civil rights, and victim support?
Do we want soldiers trained as community police? If we train our soldiers in community policing who will defend our borders and fight our wars? Soldiering and policing both contribute to our “domestic tranquility” but are also distinct from one another. It is useful to remember that police protect us and soldiers defend us even through sometimes their activities overlap.
We may, for instance, welcome the support of soldiers in the event of natural or human made disasters. However, riding “shotgun” in a Washington patrol car en route to an accident or a crime is not an outsized national disaster. It is probably best for the soldier to stay inside the car. We surely do not want another dead soldier when the skills and knowledge of a police officer are probably far better attuned to the situation and people that are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the patrol car.
Dr. Marjorie Lightman is a long time resident of Southwest DC.
