Melvin Russell: I love being a police officer, but we need reform
ميلفين راسل: أنا أحبّ مهنتي كشرطي ولكننا بحاجة إلى الإصلاح
Melvin Russell is bringing stakeholders together to work toward the common goal of peace and prosperity for Baltimore City. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
for a very, very long time.
because I'm also a black preacher.
لأنني واعظ من عرق أسود.
about black preachers,
عن واعظ من عرق أسود،
going for another 20 minutes.
في الحديث لمدة 20 دقيقة.
pushing this thing forward.
هذا الأمر.
for a very long time,
من الزمن،
سابقا للتكنولوجيا.
but I'm telling the truth.
أقول الحقيقة.
I mean, War on Drugs.
أعني، الحرب على المخدرات.
وأخرى سهلة
وأخرى سيئة،
being a police officer.
مهنتي كشرطي.
because it's always been a calling for me
هو واجب
law enforcement is in a crisis.
أن تطبيق القانون في أزمة.
منذ العديد والعديد من السنوات.
نقول،
We can't arrest our way out of this."
ليس لنا الحق في ذلك."
غير قانوني."
that we have to adopt this thinking
على اعتماد هذا التفكير
to community policing.
المجتمعية.
على نفس المنوال،
everything that we just admitted.
مع كل شيء اعترفنا به.
several years ago.
منذ عدة سنوات مضت.
I was tired of discrimination,
وتعبت من التمييز،
and the schisms.
والانشقاقات الدينية.
in the beloved agency
بالوكالة المحببة لي
a date that we would retire.
go off into the sunset,
love my wife a long time.
أو أحب زوجتي أكثر.
that I was educated in --
ودرست فيها--
back into the system.
18 months, 19 months,
18 شهرا، 19 شهرا
some radical policing.
مراقبة جذريّة.
from being a drug sergeant --
رقيب مخدرات --
آخر وإلى مستوى آخر،
as a district commander,
للمقاطعة،
in Baltimore city.
بمدينة بالتيمور.
المنطقة.
and the tuberculosis [rating],
الـ 10 الأوائل
across the nation,
في جميع أنحاء البلاد،
في جميع أنحاء البلاد.
I didn't say city --
لم اقل مدينة --
We gotta do something different.
علينا القيام بشيء مختلف.
We gotta think radical.
علينا التفكير بجذريّة.
that I desperately wanted
أردته بشدّة
to that inner spirit.
to that man on the inside
إلى ذلك الرجل في الداخل
that I had been trained to do.
تدرب عليه.
to that inner spirit,
ذلك الصوت بداخلنا،
في قطاع الشرطة
authority over for public safety,
وأراقب سلامتها،
is we started to think holistically
بصورة أشمل
and never should have been
to that intersection
ذلك التقاطع
all races, all creeds, all colors;
والأعراق والمذاهب والألوان،
and the faith-based,
والعقائد،
that I had authority over.
سلطة عليها.
things into the community
strategies and deployments,
to the community about them.
and say, "Take that."
of that stinkin' thinkin',
من هذا التفكير الفاسد،
We want to hear from you.
نريد أن نسمع منك.
داخل مجتمعك؟"
started to happen.
130 cops that were under my tutelage
تحت قيادتي
into something incredible.
إلى شيء لا يُصدّق.
حماة مذهلون.
so much, so very much.
beautiful, 23-inch arm.
23 بوصة.
It just look good!
إنه يبدو حقا جيدا.
it so much sometimes
كثيرا في بعض الأحيان
and dehumanized us.
وجردنا من إنسانيتنا.
and ... there it is.
عليه.
in our protective arm.
في ذراعنا الحامية لنا.
our brothers and sisters,
in the mirror and see our mistakes.
وأن نعترف بأخطاءنا.
and get through this,
الخروج من هذا،
makes up a community.
on law enforcement.
على تطبيق القانون.
and the nerve to get upset
بالحزن عند تطبيق القانون
when we take action.
should be calling the police
should be calling the police
كمجتمع أن نتصل بشرطي
music is up too loud,
صاخبة جدا،
to my yard and did a number two;
be calling the police.
so much of our responsibility.
coming up in Baltimore --
في بالتيمور --
rough in the street --
come and break us up.
من اللعب.
in the community.
it was that village mentality.
لقد كانت تلك العقلية بالقرية.
and "Do this." and "Stop that."
و "قم بهذا" و"توقف عن ذلك".
all of the community.
من المجتمع كاملا.
that makes up a community, even --
حتّى --
I'm very hard on the churches,
على الكنائس،
too often have become MIA,
ما أصبحت مفقودة في الحرب،
over the last 10, 20 years
round the corner and you're in church.
لتجد نفسك في الكنيسة.
commuter churches.
become disconnected by default
where they're planted.
of that community.
but I really need to wrap this up.
ولكنني يجب حقا أن أنهي هذا الموضوع.
and I call it relational equity.
والتي أسميها الإنصاف في العلاقات.
for all of us to build our cities
بالنسبة لنا لكي نبني مدننا
commandship in that district,
4 سنوات ونصف،
in the car with my police
مع الشرطي
it's a little secret --
هو سرّ صغير --
with a clergy.
looking to your right, talking about:
تنظر إلى يمينك وتقول:
all day long -- you can't do it!
كامل اليوم-- لا يمكن أن تفعل ذلك.
incredible initiatives,
المدهشة،
and police to build that trust back.
نبني الثقة بين الطرفين من جديد.
are on the wrong side of the fence.
على الجانب الخاطئ من السياج.
in our community
في مجتمعنا
to proper medical care,
على الرعاية الصحية اللازمة،
and partnered up
في التعاون
to partner with us
what we needed holistically,
of the needs of the people,
of a four-and-a-half-year stint,
من التقصير،
at a 40-year historical low:
40 سنة:
down, back to the 1970s.
started keeping data since 1970.
جمع البيانات منذ 1970.
I had other commanders call me,
اتصل بي قادة آخرون،
we fell, Baltimore city,
انخفضت، بحيّ بالتيمور،
to become great servers,
مقدمين أفضل للخدمة،
these last few years,
خلال هذه السنوات الأخيرة،
rather than reactive,
that it should've never happened.
أن تحدث.
along the vein that we were in,
ما كنا نقوم به،
treating them with respect,
وباحترام،
to business as usual.
إلى التجارة كالعادة.
we have a police commissioner
أصبح لدينا نائب
about community policing,
I believe shall rise from the ashes.
في حاجة إلى الارتقاء.
and continue to say,
ونقول،
on the same path for the same goals,
ولدينا نفس الأهداف،
we all want peace.
جميعنا يريد السلام.
a few minutes of your time.
منحي بعض الدقائق من وقتكم.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Melvin Russell - Chief of the Community Partnership Division, Baltimore Police DepartmentMelvin Russell is bringing stakeholders together to work toward the common goal of peace and prosperity for Baltimore City.
Why you should listen
Lt. Colonel Melvin T. Russell is Chief of the Community Partnership Division, Baltimore Police Department. Russell joined The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) in 1979 as a police cadet and graduated from the BPD academy in 1981 as the first and only African American class valedictorian.
Russell worked both as a uniform patrol and then an undercover officer for 20 years before re-emerging as an Eastern District Lieutenant in 2007. In this position, Russell turned the worse midnight patrol shift in the city to the best in 3 months and was promoted to Major of the Eastern District 11 months later. It was during this time as Major that Russell created the non-profit “Transformation Team” (TTT), a grassroots organization of community shareholders that are committed to working together to make a better Baltimore.
In January 2013, Russell was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and created the Community Partnership Division.
Melvin Russell | Speaker | TED.com