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Personally I am against defunding the police, or even funding reallocations that include modifying the police budget and reducing the number of officers and especially replacing them with social workers.
HOWEVER
I will acknowledge, there are alot of bad apples out there that are cops, and many of them do not become prosecuted when they violate the rights of citizens due to Qualified Immunity, and/or favor from the department in general which runs rampant among cops. This, unfortunately incites public fear of police and also causes unnecessary escalations between the public and the police.
I am a black male and I do believe in racial profiling, but I do not believe cop misconduct is strictly restricted to race. I have seen cops abuse white ex-military veterans and arrest them without cause just as much as they would fire a bean bag on a BLM protester who is not actively posing violence but protesting peacefully and not interfering with the public or business. I've seen them beat up a white woman who was not in any way or form a threat to the officer but just not fully compliant to the officer and countless unlawful detainments as well as brutality of all races.
Another issue is, who really wants to be a cop? They are underpaid, hated by the public (even more so today) and have quite a dangerous job, therefore the typical contender to the badge is either A.) has a deep passion for the job or B.) is a total nutjob who is willing to undertake the risks and is probably a bit borderline himself to be willing to do so. ... and option B is typically the person who violates rights and gets away with it.
Some hypothetical thoughts on policing and racism...
I am not entirely sure if Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck only because he was black, as Chauvin seemingly displayed insecurity issues throughout his career. Quite possible that it had nothing to do with race and everything to do with Chauvin as a person, but I can't dismiss the race factor entirely. Floyd and Chauvin did clash together frequently in the past as they were both security gaurds in the same night club years prior, but its not clear if Chauvin recognized Floyd or not either. Overall, both were in the wrong IMO, there were no hero's in that incident.
On the otherhand, Rayshard Brooks 'was' shot and killed with legitimate reasoning after the officer was very cooperative with him, had a legitimate reason to arrest him, he resisted, and even grabbed the officer's taser, and pointed it at him.
That stated though, while I overall agree there have been alot of police incidents where the criminal was misrepresented as the victim, I also have to acknowledge that police brutality, violence and oppression 'is' a real problem in America, but I don't agree with the solutions of funding reallocations and becoming softer on legitimate crime. There needs to be a way to hold officers more accountable for their civil actions while maintaining their integrity to real law offenders.
As was mentioned I'd like know what "a lot of bad apples" constitutes.
I don't think what Chauvin did to Floyd was out of the ordinary for him. However, I do not believe he was deliberately trying to kill Floyd either. It was another day on the job. He just didn't give a shxt when he knelt on his neck.
Being a policer officer is no doubt a stressful job but it is still a job. But you can't take your problems out on the public because you're sloppy or having a bad day. You wear a badge. On the other hand it's unrealistic to think it won't happen given human nature.
So, what is the answer?
All I can suggest is a better job of screening officers before they are hired and looking closer at complaints.
At the same time just because someone cries racism or police brutality does not make it a fact. Right now, any video clip no matter how incomplete which catches a police officer involved with a Black suspect the officer esp. a White officer is automatically deemed guilty of something.
Well, when you can show proof a police officer is oppressive file a complaint.
In all other matters comply........it should not be so difficult to understand but it seems
to escape reason for some.
This is a great answer. I will add another suggestion if one finds their local police force corrupt or abusive. Vote in your local elections and hold the officials over the police responsible for their behavior. It is ultimately the responsibility of the community to regulate and manage its police force just as it is their job to do the same thing for local schools. Police issues are always a local issue.
This guy still has resisting arrest charges. What was the initial arresting offense? Nothing
Cops assault someone then end up using resisting arrest charges to limit the pay out but it won’t work
Please amplify. How many cops are bad apples, and how many are good cops?
I'm sure you wouldn't have said "a lot of bad apples that are cops" if you didn't have a pretty good idea of the actual numbers, or at least the actual ratio of good to bad.
So, please justify your statement?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
So I personally think this is trickier than it seems up front.. ..I don't think there really is a definite good vs bad ratio. I think the balance is actually more like a fluid than a solid, where a good cop can become a bad cop or a bad cop can seemingly act reasonably all depending on circumstances, situations and knowledge of the law surrounding those situations, past experiences, and even their mood at the time. I think, there are alot of factors that go into play that determine the outcome of the situation. I think a 22 year veteran can do everything right but step into the wrong situation and end up on the news.
So, you can't back up your statement that "there are alot of bad apples out there that are cops", hmm?
Don't want to tell us what studies or etc. you used to come up with that statement?
When people make up something out of thin air, this is often the kind of responses they give when challenged.
It would be nice if you could show us more reason to believe your statement than just "A lot of thugs and a lot of media is saying it loudly so it must be true."
The best thing anyone could do to avoid "Oppressive" cops is to not get into trouble.
They certainly do have a very difficult job to do and out Elected on the Left have not made it any easier, in fact I would say that they have made it far more deadly with their weak on crime policies.
I agree that the Police do profile. They will look twice at any young man of any colour that might be acting oddly while ignoring someone like me, a middle aged white guy.
There are a lot of cops that are ex military and depending on their experience in the armed Forces they could bring either their expertise or baggage.
Cops are human too and they do make mistakes. They do get all worked up and lose their cool and the best way to avoid their ire is to avoid them by not getting into trouble. The Police were called on George Floyd because he was high and trying to pass counterfeit bills. In the lead up to Chauvin showing up the other officers were being rather nice to him by trying to get him to sit in the cruiser, he claimed to be claustrophobic so they offered to leave the doors open for him but no he struggled and Chauvin put an end to it and rather sadistically, he put an end to Floyd.
There are plenty of times, and we have seen them on video where a suspect struggles, fights, goes for the gun and it does not end well. I could never understand that mentality. Is it the giant chip on their shoulder or is it plain arrogance or stupidity but if I was in a spot where cops are screaming at me to get down and they have their guns and tasers out I would get down so fast and follow all their orders. If they are in the wrong it will be figured out later but a late apology is better than being dead.
If the cop screams stop, you stop.
There are bad people in all jobs and when it comes to cops they are eventually weeded out and either put on desk duty or somewhere else that keeps them away from the volatile public.
The trouble is the cops are called to situations where they are dealing with the dregs of society and that has to make them hardened to life in a way.
Correct. The solution is not to draw the attention of law enforcement in the first place., If they are looking at you, you must be doing something suspicious or against the norm.
Actually a delivery driver is more dangerous than being a cop.
There are a lot of jobs more dangerous than being a cop.
IMO the answer is accountability. Body and dash cams have made a big difference and we need more of them. Also, I think the idea of requiring employers to have liability insurance for individual officers should at least be explored. If anyone will notice a pattern that makes a bad cop first, it's an insurance company and if they refuse to insure, that cop needs to find a different job.
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