Policing as a Constitutional Trust: Remembering Dr. Martin Lurther King, Jr and the Policing Duty to Protect Human Dignity

By Robert Spinks, Chief of Police - Parsons, Kansas

With this week's holiday to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. it invites our community and the nation to pause, not just on this past Monday but as we look forward into the new year of 2026, not simply to remember a historical figure, but to reflect on the moral responsibilities that accompany authority, power, and public service. That discussion is just as important today as it was in the 1960's.

In March of 1963, standing in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech that was both a moral appeal and a constitutional warning. He rejected "normalcy" when normal meant injustice. He challenged institutions to look beyond order and ask whether that order was fair, humane, and worthy of a democracy. More than sixty years later, his message remains especially relevant to policing.

Dr. King understood something fundamental about democratic government: legitimacy is not derived from power alone, but from the consent and trust of the governed. When government actors-including law enforcement-lose sight of human dignity, the system itself is weakened.

That truth applies to all policing-local, state, and federal.

Policing as a Constitutional Trust

In a constitutional republic, law enforcement is not an occupying force. Police authority is delegated by the people and constrained by the Constitution. Our role is not simply to enforce compliance, but to protect rights, preserve peace, and uphold justice under the rule of law.

Dr. King's critique of injustice was never anti-law enforcement. It was anti-abuse of power. He did not call for disorder; he called for accountability. He did not reject authority; he demanded that authority be exercised with conscience.

That distinction matters.

At the Parsons Police Department, we believe policing is most effective-and most legitimate-when it is empathetic, effective, and just. That belief is why our agency became the first law enforcement agency in Kansas accredited as a Peace Officer Agency through the Police2Peace.org framework.

This philosophy is not about doing less policing. It is about doing better policing.

Why Empathy Matters in Policing

Empathy in policing is often misunderstood. It is not sentimentality, hesitation, or weakness. It is awareness-of the human impact of police authority and the constitutional principles that guide its use.

The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments presume that government actors will recognize the dignity of the individual. Empathetic policing ensures that discretion is exercised fairly, that encounters are guided by respect, and that enforcement decisions are proportional and lawful.

In a democracy:

• People comply more readily when they believe they are treated fairly
• Trust becomes a force multiplier for public safety
• Communities cooperate when they feel heard rather than controlled

Dr. King understood that means shape outcomes. Policing that lacks empathy may achieve short-term compliance, but it erodes long-term legitimacy.

Effectiveness Requires Justice, Not Just Power

Too often, effectiveness in policing is reduced to numbers-arrests, citations, response times. Those metrics matter, but they are incomplete.

Effective policing is measured by whether:

• Harm is prevented before it occurs
• Conflict is resolved without unnecessary escalation
• Public confidence is maintained during difficult moments

History has shown that systems relying on coercion rather than justice eventually fail. When enforcement appears arbitrary, disproportionate, or disconnected from community impact, it weakens trust and deepens division.

Dr. King warned against returning to a "normal" that tolerated suffering. In policing, we must be willing to ask the same hard question: If normal means mistrust, fear, or inequity, then normal is not acceptable.

Justice as the Foundation of Peace

Dr. King famously stated that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." For policing-particularly federal policing-this carries significant weight. Actions taken under federal authority send a national message about whether constitutional protections are consistent or conditional.

When any level of government tolerates unequal enforcement, disproportionate impact, or lack of accountability, it undermines democratic confidence. Conversely, just policing strengthens democracy by demonstrating that:

• The law applies equally to all
• Authority is exercised with restraint
• Accountability is non-negotiable

This is why empathetic, effective, and just policing is not simply a best practice-it is a democratic necessity.

The Peace Officer Philosophy and Dr. King's Legacy

The Police2Peace philosophy aligns directly with Dr. King's vision. It recognizes that peace is not passive, authority must be morally grounded, and justice is inseparable from public safety.

Dr. King did not envision the absence of law enforcement. He envisioned law enforcement that served rather than subdued, protected rather than intimidated, and upheld dignity rather than eroded it.

In that sense, peace officer policing is not a modern invention. It is a return to constitutional first principles.

A Commitment Beyond Words

Dr. King reminded us that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice-but only when institutions and individuals choose to bend with it.

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, the Parsons Police Department reaffirms its commitment to policing that honors dignity, earns trust, and strengthens peace. We believe public safety and human dignity are not competing values. They are inseparable.

Honoring Dr. King's legacy requires more than remembrance. It requires daily action-one interaction, one decision, one community at a time.

That is not idealism.
That is our constitutional duty.