I originally posted during the George Floyd protests.
It is unfortunate that people got so caught up in their outrage and venting their feelings that they effectively did nothing to implement the boring technical solutions that would actually solve the problem. So now it's happened again.
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#RethinkThePolice
If we choose the wrong people, give them inadequate training, then effectively give them immunity from prosecution, all of which we do, then it is not surprising that we are having the problems we are having.
We need to seriously Re-Think how we do policing
There are racist cops and institutional racism, and
Re-thinking how we do policing is an issue for everyone, especially less affluent Americans, not just black people.
Many people have correctly pointed out that there have been many many police abuses against white people and other races, almost always against poor people
Protestors need more than outrage, they need clear measures to call for.
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A friend challenged me to make constructive suggestions, not just criticize the police. Here's what i came up with.
1 WHO WE CHOOSE
The tests and qualifications we use for choosing cops
Being a cop requires a mix of
A) having the temperment and skills to defuse situations and
B) the psychological and physical strength to successfully apply force when necessary.
Right now we choose only based on strength.
********Choosing the right people is the single most important thing we can do!!!******.
2 TRAINING
A) HOURS OF TRAINING
Comparing American hours of police training to many other nations, we basically hand people a badge and a gun and turn them loose.
B) TYPE OF TRAINING
Much more communication, mediation and de-escalation training needed
3 LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The fact that police feel they can murder people with cameras rolling tells us they feel totally unaccountable.
The only reason the Minnesota cops are being held responsible for murder is because it was filmed and was so outrageous. Otherwise it would be one more unknown police murder.
But even when the murders are filmed, as in the case of Eric Garner, the cops get off.
Most likely if the Minnesota cops hsd simply shot George Floyd or strangled him it would never have gotten the same national attention and the cops would be far more likely to get away with it
Local officials are simply unable to deal with the problems because of their dependence on the police and the political power of the local police union.
* Even in the case of known murders very often the cops were acquitted
* There no national database of police records
* Even cops fired one place get hired by the next.
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* Police unions protect bad cops
* Other cop protect bad cops
*There are No incentives for police to police themselves.
*Right now no one is effectively policing the police.
*They are a law unto themselves and often abuse that power with little or no consequences.
None of this is tolerable anymore, not that it was before. Just like all the rest of us, Police need to be held accountable for bad behaviour and abuses of their power and rules need to be changed to no longer enable bad behaviour with impunity.
Cops should not be above the law
****A National Database of police records
and
***a federal agency
to investigate and prosecute police misconduct,
an agency not subject to local pressure
is necessary
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4 POLICE ARE NECESSARY
A poor person of color waiting at a bus stop in a bad neighborhood late at night has a lot more to fear from criminals and gangs than from the police. They need the police there. It's very easy for privileged people who go everywhere in their cars and SUVs to talk about defunding the police and vent their outrage. Poor people need a functioning police force that really does protect and serve them.
I don't hate the police. I think police departments are necessary, i recognize that it is a dangerous and stressful job and mistakes happen, sometimes tragic mistakes
and
Americans, in particular black Americans, should not have to be afraid of being harmed by those who are supposed to be there to protect and serve them.
*Cities are paying out massive settlements rather than the money coming from police pension funds, meaning less money for other city services and agencies.
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Additional problems
*Heavily militarized police forces
*Tough guy macho mentalities and cultures
*Some cops are quite racist
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SUMMARY
Police are necessary but if we choose the wrong people, give them inadequate training and then effectively give them immunity from prosecution, all of which are what we do, then it is not surprising that we are having the problems we are having
#RethinkThePolice