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It seems like the more I read about the police, the more I realize that in their current form, they are unnecessary. For general policing, as in keeping the pop
by craftinator 6y ago
It seems like the more I read about the police, the more I realize that in their current form, they are unnecessary. For general policing, as in keeping the population safe and dampening crime, they don't need spy planes, they need legs; they don't need pistols, they need communication skills; they don't need body armor, they need to earn the trust of the people that pay them.
If 99% of police encounters don't involve violence, then 99% of police don't need to be equipped for violence. We need 1% of high speed, low drag, well funded SWAT teams, and the rest can just trudge around on foot.
- throwaway0a5e 6y agoPolice should be able to pack heat and use it pursuant to local laws. They should be able to fly whatever planes they want but in compliance with the same laws (including ones about intercepting communications) as everyone else, They are a civilian police force so they should get the same rights as other civilians. The double standards are the root issue.
- valuearb 6y agoYou aren’t totally wrong, but your view is a recipe for disaster because sooner or later most cops are thrust into that 1% scenario, and they need the ability to defend themselves and you. The better solution is to eliminate the drivers of friction between honest citizens and cops, especially those traffic create more violent encounters. No knock warrants, the war on drugs, civil forfeiture, vice squads and the criminalization of victimless crimes, the “trafficking myth” war on sex workers, etc.