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I guess most people here have never been in public safety or law enforcement. The number of drug-addled, violent, danger-to-themselves-and-others people encoun
by kepler1 6y ago
I guess most people here have never been in public safety or law enforcement.
The number of drug-addled, violent, danger-to-themselves-and-others people encountered in the US is unusually high and increasing.
This is compounded by the inability (right now) of the justice system to either put them into either suitable treatment programs (with mandatory detention, essentially) or incarcerate them (a gradual but steady decline in prison space and willingness to hold and prosecute them - this is a real problem).
When you have someone crazed out of their mind, hitting/punching, shouting obscenities, spitting and biting at you and others on the street, being polite isn't going to cut it.
Of course it's worthy of debate whether administration of drugs like this are appropriate and desired by the public at large. But defined as a law enforcement tool just like non-lethal weapons, they are (currently) totally legitimate to use to subdue someone who's being violent and a harm to self and others.
The mistake here was the wrong dose, not the principle. Mistakes happen, it's our job to make sure they don't happen normally.
Please don't join the knee-jerk protest against some symbolism that police are using this to "torture" people or commit some atrocity. Especially if you've never even been near someone exhibiting psychotic rage (and who likely just committed property damage or violence against another person). You act based on a symbol - depriving public safety and law enforcement of tool after tool because you see one or two bad examples - but then don't ever have to deal with the consequences of your choices for the rest of the law abiding forces acting to protect you every day.
- wonnage 6y agoViolent crime has been on a decades-long decline.
- person1234 6y agoThat statistic specifically refers to violent crime. The original poster is referring to mental illness and drug usage. They are correct that occurrences of mental illness have increased over time: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.h... As well as overall drug usage (one way to measure is via overdoses): https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db329.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db329.htm
- AlanSE 6y agoLet me start with that first link, because it's a doozy. You said "mental illness have increased over time", but the paper said that _certain_ mental illnesses increased in _young_ Americans. Off that bat, that representation of the facts is not right. But even worse, you are applying this to a discussion about belligerence towards police, and the _types_ of mental illness mentioned by the paper starts with, that's right, depression. I do not envision depression making a person more likely to lash out in a police confrontation. In the comment chain here, this is also presented in a the-sky-is-falling kind of narrative about the danger of the streets in the US. I'm going to be honest, this is upsetting to me. I was willing to listen to where you're coming from. Is this how police think? I don't like that thought.
- antioink 6y ago> The number of drug-addled, violent, danger-to-themselves-and-others people encountered in the US is unusually high and increasing. The police have increased their recruitment numbers in recent years, yes.
- nitwit005 6y agoIf the police kill people, scrutiny should happen. The same is true of doctors, dentists, or any other profession with serious consequences to people's wellbeing. If you can't handle that scrutiny, change professions.
- hellomyguys 6y agoLook at the bodycam video[1] of this "arrest." Everything that happened to that man was a tragedy, not for any of the reasons you listed. It was a gross misuse of force against a completely innocent person. They treated him like he was subhuman and fabricated a storyline that led to his death. Even more disgusting, they went back to the site of arrest to take a selfie [2], essentially mocking this dead man. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uI9cBHgCS4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uI9cBHgCS4 [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/us/Elijah-McClain-aurora-police-officers.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/us/Elijah-McClain-aurora-...