Do you trust SAPD??? (West: appointed, employment, school)

[TexasRedneck]

Any idea of what that costs, and how often they'd have to be replaced? Technology can be a good thing - but someone has to pay for it......and that means the taxpayer.

[Paka]

I listen to the whining (and admit some if it is truth unfortunately), HOWEVER having lost my only brother to those serving to protect and defend in the line of duty (and remember, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU RELY ON WHEN YOU PLACE THE CALL) feel this argument is unbalanced. IF you do not TRUST them, then DO NOT CALL ON THEM in your time of need....

[huckster]

Great Post Paka, "If you do not trust SAPD then do not call them in your time of need."
Similar to what I told my lawyer when he commented to me he did not believe in the Social Security system, that it is a Ponzi Scheme.
I told him , "If you don't believe in social security , When you turn 65 years old do not collect it then. " He replied,
" I will accept social security out of "Naked Self interest." A lot of hot air.

Originally Posted by Paka

I listen to the whining (and admit some if it is truth unfortunately), HOWEVER having lost my only brother to those serving to protect and defend in the line of duty (and remember, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU RELY ON WHEN YOU PLACE THE CALL) feel this argument is unbalanced. IF you do not TRUST them, then DO NOT CALL ON THEM in your time of need....

[todd00]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Any idea of what that costs, and how often they'd have to be replaced? Technology can be a good thing - but someone has to pay for it......and that means the taxpayer.

From a few hundred to a few thousand says this article below. Some departments have used seized money to buy this equipment. They could start with using them in the higher crime neighborhoods where violence and reports of police abuse have been the highest.

Speaking of who pays for it all. I was a cop back before they had computers in their cars, and even a printer to print off the ticket. I mean do they really need that? I don't know about the locals there, but the state patrols have them. They are really and truly ticket writing machines now. They still have a dispatcher and call in DL's and so on, so I don't see the need for over kill on the computer stuff. The Iowa State Patrol bought some new gadgets they think may reduce pursuits, they cost $5000 a piece. They shoot a suction cup kinda thing at the car and if it sticks they can track the vehicle by GPS. The things they shoot can break and cost 250 a piece to replace. And then what if after the cop disengages, the guy stops and pulls it off his car. I also wonder how well they will stick in wet conditions. It maybe better for southern states than up north. In the long run this could be very useful, but seems to need more work on it. Some departments are waiting on buying, which makes a lot more sense to me. They don't mind spending and overspending either. Up in the big city closest to me, the old Crown Vics have mostly been replaced but I question whether they needed so many new cars. But everybody wants new stuff.

Here's one good article about the body cams.

Cop watch: Who benefits when law enforcement gets body cams? - NBC News.com

[L210]

An MDT or MDC can do a lot now. There are several law enforcement agencies in the county that use them. They generally don't ask a dispatcher to run license plates and driver's licenses as long as the hardware, software, and network are working properly. Officers can even create their own key cards, add comments to them, and mark themselves out on traffic stops. For larger departments, this means you can potentially use one or two less dispatchers or make every other dispatcher's job less hectic.

[Texas Cop]

Hedgehog Mom..."we are taught to trust and obey police officers".....good try but if I had a dime for every time my presence was used by parents to get their child to act properly, I would've retired many years ago. I can't count the number of times while standing in a line behind a family and waiting to order food, a mother with a kid that's acting up will say...if you dont start acting right I'm going to give you to the policeman so he can take you to jail. Children of all races are taught to dislike/distrust police officers from a very young age and those lessons stay with them for a very long time. It's just a fact. And for those of you who don't trust us badge wearers, fine, don't call us when a bad person is doing something to you that you don't like or when someone breaks into your house or vehicle. You complain about us and whose the first person you call when you need help....a police officer!!!

[Texas Cop]

And how many of you have ever had a bad boss, supervisor or co-worker? Does that make all the bosses, supervisors and co-workers for your company bad and untrustworthy? Of course not.

[geargrinder70]

Originally Posted by Texas Cop

And how many of you have ever had a bad boss, supervisor or co-worker? Does that make all the bosses, supervisors and co-workers for your company bad and untrustworthy? Of course not.

Careful there Texas you are making the folks on here look at themselves and that just upsets them.

[Azure110]

Texas Cop: You say that to the general public but would you tell that 19 year old girl who was raped that she needs to call the cops if she is in trouble? What about her family, friends, and people close to her that are also affected by what that one policeman did? He is not worthy of wearing the badge because of people like him, the public has high distrust of police. It really doesn't take many "bad apples" to make the whole department look bad.

[prim8]

Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of it when the need arises. If you need the police, you should call them regardless of how you feel about them. It's their job to respond and be professional.

I guess you're suggesting they should take matters into their own hands instead? That would certainly give you guys more work to do.