More Police Violence

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by sparrowmint

The police are becoming increasingly militarized across the country, everywhere, and the "them against civilians" attitude only grows. Unfortunately, too many make excuses for it by saying that only a small minority are bad [just world fallacy + police worship, too similar to soldier worship], when there are signs that the entire system is bad. The "good" ones cover up for the bad ones, tactics are getting harsher (shoot first, tazers overused, killing dogs left and right that weren't threats, SWAT team use, etc), and few seem to understand that the cops have zero duty to protect anyone, their only duty is to arrest afterwards. I don't get it.

I think most people have no idea just how militarized the police are becoming. The Department of Homeland Security recently purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (bullets). Enough ammo to have fought the Iraq war for 20+ years. They are also purchasing almost 3000 military grade armored vehicles. One has to question why the government needs such a heavily armed police force.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphben...-conversation/

Of course when it's said that the American people need to remain armed (even with semi-automatic rifles) to protect themselves from the government, those people are labeled crazy. Thank goodness that the American people overwhelmingly said no, to the recently proposed gun bans.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

The more I think about it, the more I realize just how many horrible cops this Commonwealth truly has.

Sadly, bad cops are a problem all across the country.


People need to turn on their cameras every time they interact with the police. The first thing people should say to the police is, you are being video, and audio recorded for my protection.

[UKyank]

The applicable PA code sections for driving on the right lane are 75-3301(b) & 75-3313(d); dunno if they're ever actively enforced though here.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I believe tailgating is breaking the law.

As if they ever enforce that law.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by greg42

As if they ever enforce that law.

You would be surprised. I know two people in the past couple of years who actually got pulled over and ticketed purely for tailgating. I wished they did enforce it more, as it is extremely dangerous on the highway. I love the brain dead who think that they can defy the laws of physics and would be in any way fast enough to slam on the breaks and slow down when they're doing 70 mph and only two feet from the back of the car in front of them.

[UKyank]

I actually have sympathy when policeman are dealing with a potentially violent situation & give them the benefit of the doubt absent any compelling evidence they were in the wrong & can understand acting in what may be perceived as overly authoritatively in certain situations.

When that same mindset is used when dealing with people in non- life threatening situations & being a tough guy just because you have a badge then I have a real problem. They are a public servant and need to treat the public with respect until a situation warrants otherwise. None of the recent situations warranted the force recieved in response. Yea dealing with drunk a$$holes sucks, but the police response to them was worse.

The St Patricks incidents & the recent 'south side blitz' shows a police force that has had a failure to be trained on how to deal with the public partiers apparently. Other cities seem to be able to handle bar laden entertainment districts without the accompanied overreaching police problems.

If someone is threatening with a gun, robbing a place, etc then by all means light them up; if a guy is being obnoxious from alcohol, escort him out & send him on his way don't shove a taser in his face while screaming profanities at the surrounding public like some unprofessional bafoon.

The police union must also share some of the blame as they will defend any officer no matter the complaint to keep them on the force. There's a reason most of the officers in question have had numerous complains lodged against them yet remain actively employed.

[Hopes]

I created a special thread for discussing tailgaiting an'at.

Pittsburgh Traffic Laws and Pittsburgh Drivers Thread

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by stburr91

I think most people have no idea just how militarized the police are becoming. The Department of Homeland Security recently purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (bullets). Enough ammo to have fought the Iraq war for 20+ years. They are also purchasing almost 3000 military grade armored vehicles. One has to question why the government needs such a heavily armed police force.

1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It's Time For A National Conversation - Forbes

Of course when it's said that the American people need to remain armed (even with semi-automatic rifles) to protect themselves from the government, those people are labeled crazy. Thank goodness that the American people overwhelmingly said no, to the recently proposed gun bans.

I understand the sentiment of the last paragraph, but I can't help but feel like there's no point. You can't get away with turning arms against the police even if they are threatening your life in an unjustified/unwarranted manner. Try to turn a gun against a bunch of cops that bust in because they have the wrong door and didn't bother to check [or something similar], you're not going to survive, and if SOMEHOW you do, you probably won't get away with it in the long run, one way or the other. The police are the ones given the benefit of the doubt within the system, and by too much of the population.

But does a national conversation indeed need to be had without the words "oh it's such a tough job" coming into it? Yeah. It's one of the single most important domestic issues that should be talked about and addressed, but it won't happen. No one thinks it'll happen to them, and people are very picky and choosy about what "rights" they care about.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

Yes, they are. It's not just Pittsburgh, it's like this all over. While there are plenty of good cops, they're not really the ones we're complaining about. It is the bad cops that are the problems. Even if you claim to be a good cop, if you turn a blind eye to the bad ones then you are part of the problem. I'm also sick of the the excuse " they have a tough job". I have a tough job, does that mean I get to also randomly beat the hell out of someone to relieve my frustration?

There are no "good" cops, or at least too few to mention for the exact reason that you bring up. Its a great profession for bullies and sociopaths. Do whatever you want and you'll be protected.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

Its a great profession for bullies and sociopaths. Do whatever you want and you'll be protected.

What boggles my mind is how victims of domestic abuse need to go to the State Police for help if the abuser is a cop. Many don't know the State Police is an option so they suffer needlessly. Then that raises the question of what the wife/girlfriend goes if the abuser is a State Police officer.

Impact of police domestic violence: Police officer involved domestic violence | Abuse of power | Diane Wetendorf

Domestic Violence in Police Families

http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/pol.../policedv2.pdf

This has to be among the ultimate most frightening types of domestic violence

Just another example of abuse of power.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by bolillo_loco

Here's the crux of the problem. So many people have been indoctrinated by the boy scout Hateler Youth movement that defense against police brutality is nearly impossible. We're just supposed to accept our lumps because if we wouldn't have been speeding, drinking, or spitting on the sidewalk, we wouldn't have gotten the beat down and slapped in the county nick.

Our society in America is so rife with "police and soldier worship," as one poster put it, that defense against unconstitutional police searches, laws, and violence, that it's nearly impossible to defend oneself against it. Even if a victim of such abuse is vindicated in court, much of society still looks down on them in the same manner as a man who was wrongly accused of rape and or child molestation. The stigma attached to the innocent victim will follow them for life. These are clear signs of a police state in my opinion.

For the truly naive out there, I've got to ask you if the incarceration rates in America, which are several times higher than all other nations, including those that are considered dictatorships, communistic, and or police states, why you seem to feel that this is a sign of a lawless society rather than a police state.

America clearly isn't the "freest" nation out there. In fact, we largely fall down in the league of other countries that are considered barbaric. The saddest bit about police state USA is that we don't just do it on our own homeland. We're also the self appointed police of the world. Is it any wonder why Americans aren't very popular around the world? They're not jealous of our freedoms like the police powers that be would have you believe. They're upset with how we rape, pillage, and plunder their countries. Moreover, not only do we do this abroad, we do it to our own brothers and sisters.

Yes, we're clearly a sick society, but it's not from lawlessness, it's from overzealous police enforcement of Draconian laws.

You're going to upset some people on here with those last two paragraphs, but only because they haven't educated themselves to know what you're talking about. With any population of men you're going to have a relative number of "bad eggs"...even in our armed forces. When you put those men in a non combat situation surrounded by a captive foreign population, and give them immunity from local law (thanks to the status of forces agreement that we've forced on the host nation) the "rape" occuring that you mention is quite literal.

Whether its the terrorist attacks of 9/11, or Iran attempting to develop nuclear weapons the cause of it can usually be traced back to the clandestine activities of the US government over the last half century that the average American knows nothing about.