Ex-Shreveport Detective: ‘Police Departments Don’t Work Properly’ [VIDEO]

Former Shreveport Detective Rod Demery talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about the relationship between the police and the African-American community and what he sees as the major problems in policing across America.

Demery, whose post-law enforcement career includes hosting the reality based series, "Murder Chose Me," on television's Investigation Discovery network, tells KEEL listeners that the troubles between police and African-Americans is not based on race, but, rather, "groupthink" in local American law enforcement.

"It's really unfortunate that these things are happening," says Demery, "After a while you'd think things would evolve, but things have devolved."

Demery also emphasizes that changes in police protocol are called for. "I have to admit that police departments across the country all need some sort of reformation put in place because none of them work properly. That's just a fact."

He also points out that, in his opinion, African-American communities are, as he calls it, under-policed. "You have rampant crime in some black communities because of police neglect," he says, "The reason you have neglect is because they just don't care."

And when asked what changes are needed, the ex-Shreveporter lists three. "The first is to show police they're supposed to police equally. Second is to not tolerate anything that resembles them not doing that. The third thing would be a seriousness of purpose.As a police officer you are not allowed to have an opinion.You have to quell that. You have to stop it and you have to police equally. You can't have the people you're supposed to trust, supposed to to turn to, committing the atrocities."