You have to understand that when cops screw up people die. I know you know that. You seem like a great guy.
All this is solved by removing the criminal and civil protections that cops enjoy. Send a few into bankruptcy and the rest will be more likely to think through before beating down.
Everyone in this country has contact with police. That is the problem. 900,000 cops in a country of 300,000,000.
The only time reason we have so many is because the sheeple demand more laws, so they need more cops, etc.
Every time one of those idiot motorcycle cops f-up the morning rush hour with a traffic stop on the shoulder of a congested highway I am reminded how truly stupid cops and cops bosses can be. Snarl up traffic, cause accidents, then bingo the sheeple demand more cops to control traffic. Give me a break.
“All this is solved by removing the criminal and civil protections that cops enjoy. Send a few into bankruptcy and the rest will be more likely to think through before beating down.”
DB, this can be a double edged sword. I routinely see kids coming out of the academy that are so ginned up about being sued they are damn near passive. Neither law abiding citizen or police agency can afford this. If you are interested in what happens, look up the Kyle Dinkheller video. He was killed by a VN vet who he had every right to defensively engage but did not and the prevailing theory is that he did not because he was just admonished about a use of force the night previous.
They do tell you in the academy that being sued is a mathematical certainty in this business. Me, I have been sued once in my professional capacity for use of force. After review by several outside parties, the complaint was unfounded and the court agreed. No harm to me or my agency because it was found that I had been in policy and the plaintiff’s testimony was patently unreliable. I would not have been able to finance my own defense nor should I.
It is a truism in police work that you almost certainly will have two things. A lawsuit and a second job.
I will agree we have too many officers but I believe that is because of the mantra on the War on Drugs/Citizens/Constitution.
I also believe that because we have so many cops, the standards have dropped. With so many officers, some agencies have to rely more on ticket revenue which is not what traffic enforcement is really about.