Steven H. Rosenbaum

About the author: Steven H. Rosenbaum is the head of the special litigation section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Trust between the public and police has eroded because of the perception that police are too aggressive, biased, and disrespectful toward the citizens they are sworn to protect. However, by increasing the enforcement of people's civil rights, police integrity can be improved and police misconduct eliminated. When "a pattern or practice" of civil rights violations has been observed in a police department, the Department of Justice can intervene and require police departments to institute better training, supervisory, management, and disciplinary programs. These programs have been very successful in reducing police misconduct. As instances of police misconduct decline, public trust in the...