Posted on 09/22/2019 3:46:16 PM PDT by robowombat
KKTX-AM - Corpus Christi
Vermont City Councilor Considers Disarming The Town's Police Force posted by Bill Galluccio - Aug 27, 2019
If one city councilor in Burlington, Vermont has her way, the police in the town might have to give up their guns. Perri Freeman brought up the idea during a recent city council meeting and says that she hopes to spur a conversation about the expectations and training of police officers in the community.
Freeman, who is a progressive Democrat, pointed out that other countries do not have armed police forces.
"Realizing that there are actually several countries where they're not using firearms for their regular police duties. Just to name a few: the U.K., Ireland, Iceland," Freeman told WCAX. "I started thinking critically about what is the next step in terms of policing practices, whether that's having more sophisticated training for officers, having a different expectation."
The head of Burlington's police officers union blasted her idea because it ignores the fact that many Americans legally own guns. He explained that disarming the police would make them vulnerable, especially in potentially dangerous situations.
"There are a lot of guns around, and we as the police, try to put ourselves in the position of advantage all the time, and to show up to an armed incident unarmed? I can't think of anything more disadvantaged than that," said Dan Gilligan, President of the Burlington Police Officer's Association.
Her plan is unlikely to be enacted as she does not appear to have support from the mayor or other members of the council.
"I think it's really quite unrealistic to think they can do their job effectively and be safe themselves and keep the public safe if they were to be disarmed," Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said. "My sense is this is an idea that is really out of touch with the reality that the men and women of the Burlington Police Department face as they work every day to keep the city safe."
While Freeman admits there might be situations where officers need to be armed, she hopes her suggestion will lead to discussions about policing tactics.
"It's not an overnight thing. It's a gradual program. It's talking about how do we really shift and talk about doing things maybe differently in a way that might be better in the long run," she said.
My take on this is that the Left does not fold, they simply double-down on their efforts and they will never stop. They don't care about logical consistency. What they want is unrestrained power.
We can and should insist on a great many things. In order to have them, the Leftists must be removed from their positions of authority. Logical arguments and debate will not accomplish this. Voting still might. Otherwise...
I am not comfortable with heavily-armed Police forces and the pseudo-warrior mindset that is a part of Police training these days. I reject the idea of armed police and disarmed civilian population. I should be able to have any weapon that the police are authorized to have.
"I carry a gun because a Policeman is too heavy". (Anon)
Vermont is one of the few states that could probably get away with this (for the most part). It is, if I recall correctly, something like 98% white.
The trust fund babies are leaving Vermont? Where are they going?
LL Bean stock will take a nose dive.
When terrorists murdered the writers at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the first police on the scene were unarmed bicycle cops. They were shot down in the street begging for their lives. Consider when unarmed cops in your city are called to respond to a home invasion just what will they do? Simply standby and watch until the perpetrators leave? Ask the criminals to leave in a nice way? How about the home owners who are being beaten, raped or killed... will they be defended? We
“What they want is unrestrained power”
I agree, but if the disarmament was universal, they would have unprotected power. Unprotected power is no longer power. Pitchforks become meaningful again.
But it would not even get this far, as soon as they find they are vulnerable and will be in danger they will fold. Law enforcement would make sure it happened right away, they would put a hold on everything.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.