Hello, China, Can I Be of Help? — 你好，中国，我能为你提供帮助吗？
Recently, this blogsite saw an unexpected surge in readers from China — a place not known for open dialogue about constitutional policing or democratic accountability. I don’t know who they are or what brought them to my work, but their presence reminded me of something essential: the principles of lawful, respectful, and service-oriented policing are not American luxuries — they are universal democratic necessities. Even where freedom is constrained, the aspiration for dignity and accountable authority still flickers. And so, this moment only deepens my commitment to share and defend the idea that policing grounded in constitutional values — restraint, respect, and humanity — is not only possible, but essential, wherever people hope to live free.
China, and other nations who struggle with “consent of the governed,” I hope you are reading this — bots or not! In the meantime, thank you!
中国，以及所有仍在探索“人民同意与授权”之路的国家——
无论是人还是机器人在阅读，我都希望你们看到这篇文章。
在此期间，向你们表示感谢
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We all know policing a free society is not easy. t is exhausting, morally demanding work — and it must stay that way.
Because the alternative is simple: Once policing becomes more force than finesse, society is no longer free.
Authoritarians don’t struggle with policing. They don’t wrestle with conscience, rights, or restraint. They don’t answer to the people — they command them.
In a constitutional democracy, police are not instruments of power. They are to be guardians of limits — on government, on themselves, and sometimes on each other.
What Makes Democratic Policing Different
In a free society, police do not exist to defend the State. They exist to defend the Constitution, the rules and the people governed by it.
That requires:
- Accountability, not obedience
- Courage to say “no” to unlawful authority
- Protection of rights before protection of authority
- Discretion balanced by transparency
- A duty to intervene, not a code of silence
Democratic policing means accepting limits: the badge is not a shield from scrutiny — it is an invitation to it.
The Hardest Lesson
True policing excellence is not measured in arrests, force, or fear. It is measured in trust, restraint, truth-telling, and the moral courage to stand alone when necessary.
Every authoritarian regime proves the same point: When police abandon principle for power, freedom dies quietly — and often permanently.
The line between democratic order and authoritarian control is not drawn by soldiers or politicians.
It is drawn every day by those the swore to defend those whom they serve — not to prince or a king.
A Final Warning — and a Promise
We are living in a moment when some leaders around the world would rather have police who enforce their rules than protect the liberty of the people. Who treat dissent as threat. Who want obedience, not partnership.
The harder path — constitutional, community-rooted, justice-driven policing — takes patience, reflection, training, humility, and public courage. It is the only path that keeps a nation free.
I spent decades building a department that proved this:
When police respect the people, the people respect the police — crime and disorder are reduced and democracy strengthened.
There is no shortcut. But there is no substitute.
Policing a free society is difficult. But it is necessary and worth every struggle.
Call to Action
To the next generation of those who would enforce their nation’s laws:
Do not guard power — guard the Constitution.
Do not fear accountability — pursue it.
Do not confuse control with respect — instead, earn it.
The future of democracy will not be decided in courtrooms or national assemblies — but on every street where a police officer meets a citizen with dignity instead of dominance or assault.
That is the badge, and the call of policing, at its highest meaning.
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 