Had a friend suggest a pretty radical idea that seemed to have some merit in regards to helping the situation of animosity between the civilian populace and police forces. The idea being that, like jury duty, a person registered to vote would also have the obligation of serving on local police forces for a time every so often. This idea kinda blew my mind in that it seemingly would negate the disconnect between communities and police. I mean, there would be everyday people serving as part of the police force all the time instead of just career officers. But to start a little discussion I'll lay out some of the aspects proposed to me that would define this program. Firstly, like jury duty, it would be only for a certain amount of service every so often, say a month every two years. Also, the entire force would not be this kind of service, as in one civilian to one officer. Also, their first time being called on would be a training course like the officers receive but to a slightly lesser extent as this won't be their career. And also like jury duty, there would be a payment for that obligated service. Probably less than career officers. And of course would only be available to those making the physical and mental requirements along with prior criminal records i.e. felons can't vote, can't serve. Lastly, like if a juror was seemingly biased they would not be considered so one could be ruled out for this service as well if found to hold certain biases. So what do you think of this idea bladies and blades? Would this help some of the policing issues were experiencing today? Would it make our populace more active in criminal justice? Like other ideas I've posted in here, it's pretty radical and unlikely but something fun (for me anyway) to think about. So let me hear yo thoughts!
I think it sounds like a good idea However, like most things that start off from good intentions, it will be warped and changed and used for something that has nothing to do with bridging the gap between police and society. Instead it will put citizens against citizens even more
In fact I think Obama has talked about creating a new police force that will answer to the federal government and bypass local law enforcement
Hmm interesting, didn't really see it as doing the opposite of bridging that gap between community and policing but like you said corruption can change anything for the worst. Hadn't heard of that "new police force" before. Do you recall what it was called or when he said that? Sounds interesting.
My thoughts exactly. I think in the end it would make tensions worse. What would the training be like? We would have the same issues but ten times worse. Police officers that have been in the force make mistakes judgement wise. I would NOT trust a citizen that may have NO interest in serving the public with my life and clearance to take it if seen fit. It's a good idea if you don't think about it, but all bad in the end and full of legislation weird exceptions and possible corruption down the line.
More good points. I'm thinking maybe the civilian force might not even carry a fire arm as the officer with them would. Maybe they would be trained almost exclusively in deescalation tactics. Perhaps they would serve more of a supportive and or accountability of the officer's actions that their with. And the part about legislation and everything to put this into action, it seems almost unfathomable but it's a scenario that's pretty much just food for thought.
Why not dearm most patrol police. Let them have bully clubs If they are scared of someone, maybe they should be right? Maybe they should leave people alone Why not reduce laws and regulations Get rid of laws that are viewed as tools for law enforcement Get rid of all those cops Do a better job educating people and teach them to rely on working, not on others by welfare or robbing people Creating another police force will only creat more layers of government More reasons for more taxes
The bold is terrible ideas. In a country with over 300 million guns, the police need firearms to protect themselves and others. If you disarm the police like that, good luck trying to keep employed. The inner cities would essentially be Aleppo. I agree that some laws need to be tweaked or outright eliminated, but to make the police defenseless isn't the answer. "If they are scared of someone, maybe they should be right?" I don't know if you actually believe this or if you're just playing devil's advocate, but it's a really stupid idea and really just unrealistic from a policing standpoint. There needs to be a balance; not an extreme. We don't need police to be armed to the teeth and militarized, and we also don't need them to be defenseless and useless.
So you think man can not take care of themselves? They need a babysitter to watchover them? I was being somewhat sarcastic. But sometimes I do believe police need to be dearmed. It kind of pisses me off whenever I get pulled over I see the cop walking up on me with his handgun drawn and ready to shoot me. Why? Because I was speeding???? Or I didn't use my turn single The inner cities are already overran with guns EVERYONE carries a weapon It is part of your daily habits Wear shirt, pants, bring cell phone, bring your gun. Why does a cop really need a gun for anyways? MOST people are not going to Shoot anyone, never mind a cop. Why can't the community take care of its self? Why does the government have to do it?
I am a huge advocate for gun ownership and gun rights. Of course I believe people are capable of it. But I also see the benefits of a society that has police. The reason why the cop is walking up to your car with his hand on his weapon is because he doesn't know whether or not your going to blast him in the face because you have drugs, guns, warrants for your arrest that you want to avoid, etc. Don't be so ignorant about it. This is what they're afraid of. Just as you said, "The inner cities are already overran with guns EVERYONE carries a weapon." The point is the cop doesn't know who is and isn't going to shoot.
How do I know the cop isn't going to shoot me? I have had the cops run up on me with ar15's and shotguns on a beach in the middle of nowhere with just my boxers on, (I was camping on north padre seashore) obviously not posting a threat to anyone. So my perspective on things may be a little different from yours The thing is, the cop shouldn't have to walk up to people worried about getting shot at. The fact is, The police have put themselves in the situation where the citizens are turning against them. Clamping down down even more and demonstrating force WILL NOT help the situation
I don't know man, it sounds like you just hate cops. You don't understand the nature of policing and you think you know better than the people who do the job every day. "the cop shouldn't have to walk up to people worried about getting shot at." Welcome to America.
Hate is such a strong word....I wouldn't say I hate the police, more like I disapprove having their intrusion into my life....maybe there is to much policing going on. I think the money spent on policing, justice system as a whole is to much and would be better spent elsewhere I think the justice system is set up to creat and divide the has and the has nots and to control the amount of people who are allowed to benefit off of the system and to be able to move about freely thoughout their life If you make one wrong mistake, you are in their system and you are punished for the rest of your life regardless that you have already been punished So to me, the police are the enforcement arm of the government. I disapprove of large government and I believe government should be as small and as limited as possible. And as far as knowing better, you only know what you have experienced Not sure if it makes sense, I think it was the prince that got me thinking about governance and ruling over people.... Do you think it is ok for a cop to be a target? It shouldn't be normal for a cop to worry about being shot at unprovoked. it's obviously a sign of a breakdown in the system when it has gotten to that level. No one is respecting the governments power. Instead of earning that respect back, the government is forcing it back. And that is not the proper way to rule over your populace if you want to keep them happy
I have to give you a +rep on The Prince. I will agree with you on the whole part of the police having too much to police. They're forced to pick up all of society's slack (mental health, drug addiction, etc), requiring more and more training (for duties they shouldn't be responsible for in the first place), forced to enforce a very wide range of laws, restrictions, traffic violations, etc, the new threat of terrorism and active shooting situations, all while getting paid the same as years prior. "Do you think it is ok for a cop to be a target? It shouldn't be normal for a cop to worry about being shot at unprovoked." In terms of philosophically looking at the situation, yes, it is okay for an officer to be a target. Given the nature of the occupation of policing, they're dealt the duties to police the criminals that plague society, protect property and people, etc. If you're a terrorist who wishes to attack the government, the everyday police officer is the low hanging fruit on the food chain. We also have to keep in mind that the police have to come in contact with the very worst that society has to offer. The drug addicts, the mentally ill (violent), street gangs (which can be filled with a combination of the first two), violent domestic disputes, the list goes on and on and on. All within a country of ~330m people with enough guns to arm every single man, woman, and child. Depending on what numbers you're looking at, there are roughly ~1-2 million police officers in the entire country. The police need arms in order to stay alive and in a position of power to police. You will not be able to get people to be police officers unless they have a side arm to use when things get bad. Not only do they need it for self-defense, they also need it to be able to enforce the law. What is the police officer supposed to do if he sees someone breaking into a house who is physically much bigger than him? "Sir, could you please stop prying that door open with that crow bar?" "Sir, please stop raping that woman." "Gentlemen, please stop throwing bricks at that store." In order to enforce the law, police officers need some type of deadly weapon. It's the threat of deadly force that will either make someone comply with commands, or it's the use of deadly force that will stop someone not comply with commands. Of course these situations are different from the next, and use of force should be decided accordingly. For example, you wouldn't get shot for refusing to drop a joint that you are smoking, but you would get shot for refusing to drop a gun or a knife. Also, I'm a firm believer that the police forces should stay operational at state and local levels, and never at the federal level.
So you think it is justifiable for the cop to shoot someone because they didn't listen to the officers orders to stop and get down? Or if they run away they should be shot? if the public knows the police are unarmed and not a threat to them, the general public will look more favorable upon the police Let's Look at other countries where the police don't carry guns....anyone have any experiences with that? Be nice to see the perspective on that end of the spectrum
Way too costly. You can't "require" a person to serve as a policeman...or at least you couldn't before we had an "emperor" instead of a president. Back when things were normal and the environment wasn't the greatest threat to our shores, the police were allowed to do their job and the "feelings" of the criminal didn't matter. If you really want to help the overall situation in the United States, I would start by cleaning out government, down to the janitor and the landscapers, and reset with people who aren't openly corrupt and willing to go outside the laws of this country to achieve personal wealth and political goals at the demise of the people who afford them the opportunity in the first place. The solution starts with getting real about what the problems are in the first place. Yes, we've got LOTS of problems in this country. But I guarantee you, the police force is not at the top of the list and I'm sorry, you couldn't pay me enough money to do what they have to do every day. The only problem with the police force is that the government won't let them do their job. TWW
I think having a bunch of untrained and un-vetted people being forced to be on a police force can only be a complete disaster. so many things would go wrong lmao..