Page Two
There is probably no social agency we take for granted more than the police. In this week's cover story, Mike Clark-Madison offers a powerful profile of Mike Sheffield, 22-year APD veteran and head of the Austin Police Association.
By Louis Black, Fri., March 30, 2001
The police are of the community and not simply above it. Which argues that the police should be -- and should demand to be -- held up to the highest standards. Charges of police misconduct should be aggressively pursued. The key to the success of the police is, ultimately, their relationship to the community. This relationship is a two-way street in which both police and community should feel empowered and comfortable. It is not an easy place at which to arrive.
Mike Clark-Madison offers a powerful profile of Mike Sheffield, 22-year APD veteran and head of the Austin Police Association ("The People vs. Mike Sheffield," p. 24). Sheffield may be the most powerful policeman in the city, yet he doesn't fit the mold. Smart, literate, widely respected, Sheffield still helped neuter the recent agreement on civilian review of police actions. The tale of the Police Review Panel, much as we would like it to be otherwise, is a political tale of modern Austin, illustrating how hard it is to reach reasonable goals.
If you plunge into this story in search of hero or villain, you miss the point. It is about the police. It is about our relationship with them. But like every civic story these days, it is about how dramatically this city has changed and how we're still struggling to keep up. A strong, smart civilian review should benefit both civilians and the police. We are waiting to see exactly what this city will get.