Hi, I’m Mitchell Anhoury, the writer for the newsletter Roll Call.
I will cover a few major themes in this newsletter, all interrelated:
Power and politics in public safety
Big tech serving local government
The history of law enforcement
Change in the work of first responders
The goal is to show you the most important shifts in civic life that are happening today. Law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services are civic gravity: you are aware it exists, you expect it to function consistently (for the most part), and you aren’t particularly worried about how it got the way it is. Boom, perfect analogy.
Taken for granted for a long time, public safety is entering a period of upheaval and potential change. Public trust in police is at or near all-time lows. The challenges first responders face are different and more complex, but our expectations are higher. Technology and policy will combine to create safer, happier cities, or to entrench greater disparity. Will cities wield police as the shield protecting neighbors from small disasters, or as a Praetorian guard for a few walled gardens?
In this newsletter we will explore the questions being asked and who is answering them.
-MA