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The police are granted tremendous power by the state. They have the authority to use their sole judgement to kill citizens on US soil. This is a power granted t
by UncleMeat 4y ago
The police are granted tremendous power by the state. They have the authority to use their sole judgement to kill citizens on US soil. This is a power granted to virtually no other group. As such, it is absolutely critical that this power not be abused and we should therefore have strong systems of state and citizen oversight over police behavior. That's the bargain. We give the police guns and let them kill people but the cost is that we get to watch them like hawks.
- nathanaldensr 4y agoI agree with your characterization. It's often described as a monopoly on force. States, counties, and cities all have the right to use force to injure or kill you. "With great power comes great responsibility." Civilized societies need police forces (not everyone is a rational actor) but we should nearly always err on the side of mistrusting the police when it comes to policies and laws. People should become police understanding that they will be under the microscope at all times. That's the price they should pay for wielding firearms, forcing compliance, and the ability to arrest people.