3 ms·

Anecdotally, most people I know don't go out of their way to interact with police, so when police come into the picture it's usually not for something good. Fur

Anecdotally, most people I know don't go out of their way to interact with police, so when police come into the picture it's usually not for something good. Further, because it's not for something good, that makes the situation more tense and incongruous between parties involved. People try to actively avoid police and not deal with them. If most interactions are negative, this makes conflict resolution difficult if the sentiment towards one party is inherently distasteful. This might be a bad metaphor, but it's kinda like how people don't use customer service when they don't have a problem. If police want to be guardians of a community, it requires putting in time to listen to and understand the community, and it also requires the community be cognizant of their interactions with police. Like with customer service for any party involved, being shitty usually doesn't make things go smoother. With that being said, I think police could do a better job of being helpful and approachable. In the times police are actually needed, such as a car accident or something being stolen, adding a bit more effort would go towards establishing a better impression among the public. Further, changing the structure of police incentives could also help, where they should be rewarded and recognized for the positive outcomes created in the community, and not the number of tickets written to bring $X dollars into the station.

rhcom2 8y ago
I believe that this is the idea behind community policing. That the police officers should live and work in the same neighborhood because they will grow trust and be able to do their jobs better.
huhjjhdd 8y ago
I specifically avoid interaction with police unless absolutely forced to because they can essentially kill me at any time fpr any reason without any repercussions (beyond a paid vacation). Cops have repeatedly proven themselves to be state thugs without a modicum of human decency. There are no good cops.
- donkey-hotei 8y ago
  1312
mikepurvis 8y ago
These are anecdotes from Waterloo in Canada, but my two recent voluntary interactions with law enforcement were both neutral-to-negative: First was stopping to ask a cop idling in a parking lot if they'd considered more enforcement of the new yield-to-pedestrians law at a nearby intersection/roundabout. Cars consistently run through the pedestrian crosswalks while people are in them (I have many videos of this), which is supposed to be a $1000 fine, but I've never seen any enforcement of it, or heard of anyone getting such a ticket. She basically said that they don't have time for that and would need more funding to be able to do proactive enforcement. Although she was polite and took the time to speak to me, I was disappointed at the lack of interest in something I see as a critical issue impacting safety and walkability in the community. Second was a case where I'd witnessed what looked like a bike theft in progress at the side of the road, and then a moment later realised there was a police car half a block behind me. I pulled over and waved vigorously to flag him down, but I believe he was looking at his console (it's not clear in the video due to windshield glare) and cruised by without stopping. Either that or he saw and ignored me, which is probably worse. Obviously both were fine in the sense that I wasn't yelled at or shot, but neither experience gave me warm fuzzies either.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- ams6110 8y ago
  Police in cars are not just driving idly around most of the time. There's always something they are being dispatched to investigate (not always with lights/sirens). It's not that unusual that you weren't able to flag the car down. I witnessed a hit-and-run in Chicago, tried to flag down a cop that passed by less than a minute later, he did stop for a second but said he was on another call and to call 911 to report it.
  - HarryHirsch 8y ago
    There's always something they are being dispatched to investigate That's one of the problems right there. In America the cops' mission is to catch something, criminals, speeders or undesirables, and even their vehicles are camoflaged. In normal countries the mission of police is to keep the peace, and police vehicles and uniforms are designed to be visible.

rhcom2 8y ago

I believe that this is the idea behind community policing. That the police officers should live and work in the same neighborhood because they will grow trust and be able to do their jobs better.

huhjjhdd 8y ago

I specifically avoid interaction with police unless absolutely forced to because they can essentially kill me at any time fpr any reason without any repercussions (beyond a paid vacation). Cops have repeatedly proven themselves to be state thugs without a modicum of human decency. There are no good cops.

donkey-hotei 8y ago
1312

mikepurvis 8y ago

These are anecdotes from Waterloo in Canada, but my two recent voluntary interactions with law enforcement were both neutral-to-negative: First was stopping to ask a cop idling in a parking lot if they'd considered more enforcement of the new yield-to-pedestrians law at a nearby intersection/roundabout. Cars consistently run through the pedestrian crosswalks while people are in them (I have many videos of this), which is supposed to be a $1000 fine, but I've never seen any enforcement of it, or heard of anyone getting such a ticket. She basically said that they don't have time for that and would need more funding to be able to do proactive enforcement. Although she was polite and took the time to speak to me, I was disappointed at the lack of interest in something I see as a critical issue impacting safety and walkability in the community. Second was a case where I'd witnessed what looked like a bike theft in progress at the side of the road, and then a moment later realised there was a police car half a block behind me. I pulled over and waved vigorously to flag him down, but I believe he was looking at his console (it's not clear in the video due to windshield glare) and cruised by without stopping. Either that or he saw and ignored me, which is probably worse. Obviously both were fine in the sense that I wasn't yelled at or shot, but neither experience gave me warm fuzzies either.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
ams6110 8y ago
Police in cars are not just driving idly around most of the time. There's always something they are being dispatched to investigate (not always with lights/sirens). It's not that unusual that you weren't able to flag the car down. I witnessed a hit-and-run in Chicago, tried to flag down a cop that passed by less than a minute later, he did stop for a second but said he was on another call and to call 911 to report it.
- HarryHirsch 8y ago
  There's always something they are being dispatched to investigate That's one of the problems right there. In America the cops' mission is to catch something, criminals, speeders or undesirables, and even their vehicles are camoflaged. In normal countries the mission of police is to keep the peace, and police vehicles and uniforms are designed to be visible.