Reforming the Police Force

Melvin Russell, a police officer and a preacher, explains what caused him to campaign for reform throughout his talk on law enforcement.

As Russell became an officer due to a genuine passion to serve and better his community, he was driven to push for trust from the community itself, and to get rid of the "us versus them" mentality that causes such a massive divide to exist. Throughout his talk on law enforcement, Russell explores how dehumanized the police force has become in many communities, and how this has caused many of the officers within them to forget their promise to "protect and serve."

In addition, Russell states that too much responsibility has been given to law enforcement, and that this is largely due to the disconnect from mentor figures within communities. The fault of this can't be attributed to just one person or group Russell says, however everyone can be part of reforming it. With this, Russell, encourages others within the force to be proactive members of communities, and to cast away combative thinking that perpetuates violence.