I was struck by two things while watching the various Black Lives Matter protests and the reaction of police.

First, it was clear that the police officers have not been adequately trained in how to get people to move without using force to do so. There are techniques that are often taught to people who plan to use civil disobedience that are very effective in getting members of a target group to get out of the way. I believe police training should include demonstrations of those methods, so they will not need to use armed force as frequently.

Second, I believe we need to use another term to describe police officers. I suggest “peacekeepers” be adopted to normally describe these people and their work. That is what they are attempting to do, and avoiding the word “force” could have some positive influence on what we expect of them, and how they themselves view their role in society.

Cushman D. Anthony

Yarmouth