12-06-2014, 12:33 PM
(12-06-2014, 07:06 AM)aussiefriend Wrote: The police are critical. They never pull you over when you do something right! Like, "the way you took that corner was awesome"......give you a little hat or some jelly or something like a sticker that says "AWESOME DRIVER" as a reward. Then everyone else on the road would know that you rock!
Goofball.My feelings regarding LEOs haven't changed in 30 years, despite more coverage of crime (and every other type of news) due to increased media venues.
Most LEOs are good -- they wanna do their jobs, serve and protect, and go home. Some are assholes in the process and some are cool -- same as every profession.
Some LEOs are bad -- they wanna hassle or dominate rather than protect and serve. They wanna fuck with people. They are a power-trippin' danger to society. There are also what I consider "bad" cops who are perfectly nice individuals, but lack the confidence or competence to be out in the field with a gun.
Both good and bad LEOs can find themselves in situations where they believe they have to kill a citizen (sometimes armed, sometimes not) to protect themselves or others. Whether those killings are justified should be investigated; this isn't a war. No matter where a cop is assigned, it's not the police vs. the community -- at least, it should not be. The perceptions that police in the US are becoming more militarized is a concern in some communities, and I understand it.
When a cop kills a citizen the fatal incident should be investigated thoroughly, whether the cop involved is generally regarded as a good one or a bad one. To assume that every shooting/death by cop is justified because they have a hard job or you don't want to question authority or you think anyone who ends up getting killed by a cop deserved it.... is dangerous and gullible thinking, IMO. Each fatal incident should be judged on its own merit.
So, what would help minimize the number of bad cops and unjustified killings by police? I think retraining certifications more frequently (if those even exist now) might help. Psych evals are required before hiring and after shooting incidents, I believe -- perhaps periodic evaluations would help.
What's already helping, IMO, is the increased transparency of fatal police incidents, via more media coverage. The resultant public interest/knowledge is helping to keep positive performance pressure on LE. I also think it's sending a message to bad cops and their departments that it's not so easy to create a false narrative surrounding a brutal or fatal incident, wrongly vilify the victim, and sweep it under the rug anymore. (ETA: Dash and body cams are helping in that respect as well -- I think they should be implemented in all departments nationwide.)