Civil policing only works when the police are part of the communities they serve. Recent events have shown the tragic and horrific consequences that occur when adversarial relationships between communities and their law enforcement agencies arise from cultural ignorance.
The federal government should commission a study of the feasibility and efficacy of a university scholarship program for promising and potentially at-risk middle and high-school students in return for three years of law enforcement service in disadvantaged areas near their homes. The resulting programs might offer education and resume experience to disadvantaged students and bright, young, and educated recruits for police academies who possess a native cultural understanding of the most disadvantaged communities.