How Did Police Unions Get So Powerful?

Ross Barkan The Nation July 7, 2020

(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)

n style="font-family: 'Mercury Display A','Mercury Display B'; font-size: 20px; word-spacing: 0.30000001192092896px; background-color: #ffffff;">New York City’s liberal mayor, elected on a platform of overhauling a police department accused of deep-seated racism and corruption, had a seemingly obvious idea for reform: instituting civilian oversight of the police.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board, established not long before to investigate instances of police misconduct, didn’t actually have civilian members; deputy police commissioners investigated complaints. So the mayor proposed adding four civilians to the board. The remaining three would be members of the police department. Police officers, led by their brand-new union, went into full revolt.

The year was 1966.

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How Did Police Unions Get So Powerful?

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