FIVE TED TALKS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

Updated December 5, 2022 · 2 Min Read

A wide range of issues related to law enforcement are examined in these five gripping TED Talks for Cops. Read a snippet about each one, then dive in.

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Law Enforcement Officer TED Talks

  • We Need to Talk About an Injustice
  • I Love Being a Police Officer, but We Need Reform
  • A Prosecutor's Vision For a Better Justice System
  • A Vision of Crimes in the Future
  • How Reliable is Your Memory?

TED Talks are amazing discussions on a wide variety of topics like politics, science, and technology. If you're a law enforcement officer or just interested in the topic, we have a list of the five best TED Talks for cops below. These Talks will focus on law, justice, politics, and the personal lives of our law enforcement officers; interesting, inspiring, and informational.

1. "We Need to Talk About an Injustice" Bryan Stevenson

This man is a human rights lawyer that has a 23-minute conversation with the audience that is both engaging and personal. People like Rosa Parks and his grandmother even make a cameo appearance during this TED Talk. Stevenson shares some truths with the audience that no one likes to speak about; the imbalance along racial lines and the falsities of America's justice system. He believes that in order to right the imbalance in this country, we must address our unexamined history and start making better choices.

2. "I Love Being a Police Officer, but We Need Reform" Melvin Russell

At almost 1 million views, this short video has some serious merit. Russell is a Baltimore Police Officer and speaks in order to work toward the goal of peace and prosperity. He believes that there has been too much invested in police departments to protect, and not enough invested in creating departments that serve. He goes on to speak about the dehumanization of the police force, believing that it's not too late to rebuild law enforcement. From the front lines, he offers a personal perspective on everything law enforcement.

3. "A Prosecutor's Vision For a Better Justice System" Adam Foss

From the perspective of the law, this Talk is perfect for cops. Adam Foss is a prosecutor who makes his case in this 15-minute video for a reformed justice system that has the purpose of changing people's lives for the better instead of ruining them by replacing wrath with opportunity. He commits to the correlations between the law or justice system, and crime, giving listeners an inside-view of the justice system from someone who sees it every day.

4. "A Vision of Crimes in the Future" Marc Goodman

This video has an astounding amount of views, easily forcing its way onto the list. Goodman discusses the increasing openness of the world and how the implications of that are both optimistic and dangerous in this Talk. He makes correlations between our rapid development and the imminent increase in crime. Law enforcement officers can take away a lot from this video, aimed at helping them prepare for future crimes and everything that may entail.

5. "How Reliable is Your Memory?" Elizabeth Loftus

Loftus' video has more than 3 million views and it's not slowing down any time soon. As a psychologist, she studies memories. She is an expert at studying untrue memories, things that people remember but didn't really happen and things that people remember differently. She uses startling stories and statistics; raising some questions about the reliability of memory. Law enforcement officers can walk away with a better understanding of a critical part of their jobs.

Each one of these experts offers an informed opinion and scientific data that can help law enforcement officers find inspiration, do a better job while on the job, and feel more proud of doing the right thing. This list of the best TED Talks for cops is a starter guide to becoming a better cop, finding better solutions and becoming a better you.

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