4 ms·

"Policing" and "law enforcement" are different. Policing: hey, you're not allowed to jaywalk, so stop. Law Enforcement: here's a $100 fine for your first jayw

"Policing" and "law enforcement" are different. Policing: hey, you're not allowed to jaywalk, so stop. Law Enforcement: here's a $100 fine for your first jaywalking offense. We have too many law enforcers, too few police.

mgraczyk 11y ago
By giving police the power to judiciate through selective enforcement of the rules, you are guaranteeing that there will be rampant abuse.
- Someone1234 11y ago
  Look at the UK. Police there have far more judicial discretion than is common in the US, but abuse/bribery/etc is incredibly low. Although it should be noted that UK police have no incentive to fine people, the department doesn't profit from it, whereas in the US a lot of departments are primarily financed through fines.
  - clock_tower 11y ago
    I think that that's the root of the problem, or at least a much bigger part of it than either political side is interested in letting on. Not everything is shaped by money, but when there's money involved, it's worthwhile to know what incentives it sets up...
- vkou 11y ago
  Except we already give them that power - see the all-too-common offenses of driving while black, contempt of cop, and the tried-and-true 'I'm pretty sure I smelled weed in the car'. On top of that, we also give prosecutors the power to judiciate selective enforcement.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  Replace the police with robots? No thanks.
- ectoplasm 11y ago
  But even just assigning someone to jaywalking duty is already selective enforcement. Even if the entire police force was on jaywalking duty, you couldn't catch all the jaywalkers in the city.
lancewiggs 11y ago
Real policing would ignore the so-called offence of jaywalking,unless the person is putting themselves in harm's way. "I know the nearest crossing is 80 meters away, but have a think about where and when to cross - the drivers of cars that come around that corner can't see you until the last second:
- derekp7 11y ago
  Not to mention, that the parking meter box is across the street, not on the corner, so to get to it legally you'd have to walk half a block down, cross with the light, walk half a block, put your money in, get the slip of paper, walk back half a block to the corner, wait for the light again, walk back to your car to put the paper on the dashboard (hoping you didn't get a parking ticket in the mean while), then go to your destination. Repeat every 2 hours. This is Chicago's parking meter system.
  - csn 11y ago
    Don't you have an app for that?
cryoshon 11y ago
We have too many murderers and abettors of murderers, and too few virtuous people in the ranks of the guards... the major concept suppressed is the idea that the guards are servants of the people rather than oppressors.

mgraczyk 11y ago

By giving police the power to judiciate through selective enforcement of the rules, you are guaranteeing that there will be rampant abuse.

Someone1234 11y ago
Look at the UK. Police there have far more judicial discretion than is common in the US, but abuse/bribery/etc is incredibly low. Although it should be noted that UK police have no incentive to fine people, the department doesn't profit from it, whereas in the US a lot of departments are primarily financed through fines.
- clock_tower 11y ago
  I think that that's the root of the problem, or at least a much bigger part of it than either political side is interested in letting on. Not everything is shaped by money, but when there's money involved, it's worthwhile to know what incentives it sets up...
vkou 11y ago
Except we already give them that power - see the all-too-common offenses of driving while black, contempt of cop, and the tried-and-true 'I'm pretty sure I smelled weed in the car'. On top of that, we also give prosecutors the power to judiciate selective enforcement.
fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
Replace the police with robots? No thanks.
ectoplasm 11y ago
But even just assigning someone to jaywalking duty is already selective enforcement. Even if the entire police force was on jaywalking duty, you couldn't catch all the jaywalkers in the city.

lancewiggs 11y ago

Real policing would ignore the so-called offence of jaywalking,unless the person is putting themselves in harm's way. "I know the nearest crossing is 80 meters away, but have a think about where and when to cross - the drivers of cars that come around that corner can't see you until the last second:

derekp7 11y ago
Not to mention, that the parking meter box is across the street, not on the corner, so to get to it legally you'd have to walk half a block down, cross with the light, walk half a block, put your money in, get the slip of paper, walk back half a block to the corner, wait for the light again, walk back to your car to put the paper on the dashboard (hoping you didn't get a parking ticket in the mean while), then go to your destination. Repeat every 2 hours. This is Chicago's parking meter system.
- csn 11y ago
  Don't you have an app for that?

cryoshon 11y ago

We have too many murderers and abettors of murderers, and too few virtuous people in the ranks of the guards... the major concept suppressed is the idea that the guards are servants of the people rather than oppressors.