Who has Enough Confidence to do Self Policing?

Defunding poIice is a policy recommendation uttered mostly by libertarians and leftist anarchists.

American policing is undergoing its greatest demand for change since the riotous aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting death by a former Ferguson, Missouri police officer.

If defunders get their way, along with cash bail abolitionists and COVID19 release advocates, how will we handle surplus career criminals who won't get arrested but will get into more trouble with reduced  numbers of police officers to capture them?

It boils down to who has enough confidence to do selfpolicing ? I ask this as someone doing outreach who started quietly hitting the streets years ago in my crack cocaine ravaged hometown neighborhood.

One thing I know for sure is, regardless of ideology, most Americans or Westerners period aren't anxious to play Batman and BatWoman, for free no less!

I've read great libertarian articles on community employed security as first responders instead of government law enforcement. They stressed how private security wouldn't have qualifed immunity, another hot topic, and could be more easily arrested or sued after wrong doing.

Another option I've read about is going back to the Old English Watchman system where residents organize to patrol their communities in both a crime and fire prevention capacity.

The downside is lack of interest or fear of taking risks could end modern efforts to revive a a Watchman system. Also the spectre of George Zimmerman hangs overhead like a sword of Damocles. Nobody wants a repeat of his fatal confrontation with Trayvon Martin.

Both above cited options are great theoretically but face tremendous potential pushback from departments, police unions, legislators and millions of law abiding citizens comfortable with policing only being done by police officers.

This salient fact needs to be kept in mind as jurisdictions review police budgets with an eye toward radically reimagining not only how law enforcement does its job but also who else would now do it too? Social workers and violence interruptors are being mentioned as prime candidates to replace police on some calls for service.

In 21st Century America, would citizens who aren't law enforcement professionals have enough confidence to do selfpolicing?

We may soon find out.

Cap Black