The key to the answer lies in Zeb's observation that "from the road" they looked in and saw a suspect: as they patrolled they saw a stranger who was black. And in my view this scenario is an essential part of the problem.
Community Policing
Police officers cannot safely police the communities they serve by merely patrolling in their cars. It has been known for many years that effective policing requires officers to be familiar with the communities they serve. And this idea is known as: Community Policing.
The dictionary definition says:
Community policing allocates police officers to particular areas so that they become familiar with the local inhabitants.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 established the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). Its policy manual discusses the principle as follows:
Geographic assignment of officers: With community policing, there is a shift to the long-term assignment of officers to specific neighborhoods or areas. Geographic deployment plans can help enhance customer service and facilitate more contact between police and citizens, thus establishing a strong relationship and mutual accountability. Beat boundaries should correspond to neighborhood boundaries.... [2]
This policy returns to the old idea of officers having a "beat." When I was a kid, officers walked a beat. Everyone knew the officer and everyone knew they could call that officer if trouble occurred.
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