3 ms·

Most laws are ignored most of the time and selective enforcement is essentially the corner stone of modern policing, there are many more laws that can be effect

Most laws are ignored most of the time and selective enforcement is essentially the corner stone of modern policing, there are many more laws that can be effectively enforced and which laws exactly are at any given time is based on available resources and public policy.

FpUser 6y ago
>"Most laws are ignored most of the time and selective enforcement is essentially the corner stone of modern policing" In this case it is not a law, not in spirit. Rather a tool for "law" enforcement to nail inconvenient people.
everybodyknows 6y ago
>based on available resources and public policy You missed a few criteria: - Cultural, political, racial grievances of police. - Cultural, political, racial prejudices. That is, maybe no ill will per se toward a citizen who looks a certain way -- but assumed guilt by association. - Personal ambition, to be pursued by making lots of arrests, on maximal charges. - Fear. End of month approaching, and beat officer is behind on quota of citations/arrests. Punishment expected from chief or DA, if revenue from fines, or prestige from high-profile arrests are lacking. So, it's the selection of offenders, rather than of offenses due to resource constraints, that makes selective punishment so ethically offensive.
- dogma1138 6y ago
  These technically fall under public policy, poorly aligned incentives and or insufficient judicial/executive oversight. If officers feel that they need to make their quota or even have an arrests/infraction quote then that's a clear failure of policy, if they feel that they can settled their own grievances by abusing their power it's again a failure of policy.
TrackerFF 6y ago
I remember watching this interview segment with some retired cop from Baltimore - he's now using his time to advocate stricter rules on law enforcement, or something like that - he got fed up with what he saw during his time in BPD. But, to the point: He drove the interviewer through the streets in Baltimore, and argued that it was close to impossible for any driver in Baltimore to simply drive down a street, without breaking some kind of law - or at the very least giving police probable cause for checking your vehicle. edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HyKlFUMBiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HyKlFUMBiA Starting around 4.05

FpUser 6y ago

>"Most laws are ignored most of the time and selective enforcement is essentially the corner stone of modern policing" In this case it is not a law, not in spirit. Rather a tool for "law" enforcement to nail inconvenient people.

everybodyknows 6y ago

>based on available resources and public policy You missed a few criteria: - Cultural, political, racial grievances of police. - Cultural, political, racial prejudices. That is, maybe no ill will per se toward a citizen who looks a certain way -- but assumed guilt by association. - Personal ambition, to be pursued by making lots of arrests, on maximal charges. - Fear. End of month approaching, and beat officer is behind on quota of citations/arrests. Punishment expected from chief or DA, if revenue from fines, or prestige from high-profile arrests are lacking. So, it's the selection of offenders, rather than of offenses due to resource constraints, that makes selective punishment so ethically offensive.

dogma1138 6y ago
These technically fall under public policy, poorly aligned incentives and or insufficient judicial/executive oversight. If officers feel that they need to make their quota or even have an arrests/infraction quote then that's a clear failure of policy, if they feel that they can settled their own grievances by abusing their power it's again a failure of policy.

TrackerFF 6y ago

I remember watching this interview segment with some retired cop from Baltimore - he's now using his time to advocate stricter rules on law enforcement, or something like that - he got fed up with what he saw during his time in BPD. But, to the point: He drove the interviewer through the streets in Baltimore, and argued that it was close to impossible for any driver in Baltimore to simply drive down a street, without breaking some kind of law - or at the very least giving police probable cause for checking your vehicle. edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HyKlFUMBiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HyKlFUMBiA Starting around 4.05