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Why is it that the same people who think that the solution to bad public schools is more funding also think that the solution to bad police departments is less

Why is it that the same people who think that the solution to bad public schools is more funding also think that the solution to bad police departments is less funding? If the police are substandard it means we need to pay them more to get better quality applicants into the system. We also need a better funded prison/drug rehab system so that police don't have to waste their time dealing with the sort of habitual offenders who should have been permanently removed from society a long time ago.

triceratops 6y ago
Why is it that the same people who think the solution to bad public schools is more oversight and accountability, seem to oppose increased oversight and accountability for bad police departments? There's no indication that funding is an actual problem that a lot of these "bad" departments face. Teachers regularly have to buy their own supplies for their classrooms. Have you ever heard of a cop needing pay out of their own pocket for ammo for their service weapon, gas for their patrol car, or batteries for their radios?
tenebrisalietum 6y ago
My theory: I'm betting in these communities where people tend to say this, schools are falling into disrepair, classes are overcrowded, and a substantial number of students rely on school free lunch and breakfast for their nutrition. So it's natural such communities would want less money to go to police, which they probably see as victimizing a community, putting people in jail for low-level drug crimes and messing with people's jobs and livelihood through bail/fines, and more money to go to schools, which they see as helping a community and providing beneficial services.
- hvdfhbj 6y ago
  It would seem such communities would be the ones with most to gain from a better funded police force and justice system, one that could permanently remove the criminals from their midst.
  - triceratops 6y ago
    The US already has the highest per-capita incarceration rate in the developed world. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Maybe these communities have seen what the justice system has to offer and want to try something else for certain classes of problems?

triceratops 6y ago

Why is it that the same people who think the solution to bad public schools is more oversight and accountability, seem to oppose increased oversight and accountability for bad police departments? There's no indication that funding is an actual problem that a lot of these "bad" departments face. Teachers regularly have to buy their own supplies for their classrooms. Have you ever heard of a cop needing pay out of their own pocket for ammo for their service weapon, gas for their patrol car, or batteries for their radios?

tenebrisalietum 6y ago

My theory: I'm betting in these communities where people tend to say this, schools are falling into disrepair, classes are overcrowded, and a substantial number of students rely on school free lunch and breakfast for their nutrition. So it's natural such communities would want less money to go to police, which they probably see as victimizing a community, putting people in jail for low-level drug crimes and messing with people's jobs and livelihood through bail/fines, and more money to go to schools, which they see as helping a community and providing beneficial services.

hvdfhbj 6y ago
It would seem such communities would be the ones with most to gain from a better funded police force and justice system, one that could permanently remove the criminals from their midst.
- triceratops 6y ago
  The US already has the highest per-capita incarceration rate in the developed world. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Maybe these communities have seen what the justice system has to offer and want to try something else for certain classes of problems?