7 ms·

But I suspect it is a much less desired job in the US. And because of that the people who are drawn to it tend to be drawn to the negative aspects of it. You’

But I suspect it is a much less desired job in the US. And because of that the people who are drawn to it tend to be drawn to the negative aspects of it. You’ll have to pay a lot more to get a different class of people.

nerdponx 4y ago
> You’ll have to pay a lot more to get a different class of people. Plenty of people do currently join the police in the USA with good intentions, but plenty more would never join at any price. The toxicity of police culture is enough of an offset that basically no salary would cover it for a growing fraction of Americans. You want more and better cops? Make policing less toxic, then people might actually rebuild some respect for police in general.
woodruffw 4y ago
What is it they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results :-)? It's not clear to me, from the last 30 years of engorged police funding, that we can pay our way out of this one. Focusing on why it attracts people who are drawn to the negative aspects, for example, as you said.
heavyset_go 4y ago
> You’ll have to pay a lot more to get a different class of people. Cops in my state have higher salaries, better benefits and better retirement options than software engineers do. Pay isn't the problem with police recruitment funnels or policing in general.
hncommenter13 4y ago
I'm not sure lack of compensation is the problem, in California anyway: https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=Police&y=2021 https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=Police&... https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/careers/sworn-job-openings/salary-and-benefits https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/careers/sworn-j... Per this post, spending on police has increased faster than population in Vallejo specifically: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/84950dbe341d4d59ac3d6ef26693bcd8 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/84950dbe341d4d59ac3d6ef... https://www.ppic.org/blog/how-much-do-california-cities-spend-on-policing/ https://www.ppic.org/blog/how-much-do-california-cities-spen...

nerdponx 4y ago

> You’ll have to pay a lot more to get a different class of people. Plenty of people do currently join the police in the USA with good intentions, but plenty more would never join at any price. The toxicity of police culture is enough of an offset that basically no salary would cover it for a growing fraction of Americans. You want more and better cops? Make policing less toxic, then people might actually rebuild some respect for police in general.

woodruffw 4y ago

What is it they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results :-)? It's not clear to me, from the last 30 years of engorged police funding, that we can pay our way out of this one. Focusing on why it attracts people who are drawn to the negative aspects, for example, as you said.

heavyset_go 4y ago

> You’ll have to pay a lot more to get a different class of people. Cops in my state have higher salaries, better benefits and better retirement options than software engineers do. Pay isn't the problem with police recruitment funnels or policing in general.

hncommenter13 4y ago

I'm not sure lack of compensation is the problem, in California anyway: https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=Police&y=2021 https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=Police&... https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/careers/sworn-job-openings/salary-and-benefits https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/careers/sworn-j... Per this post, spending on police has increased faster than population in Vallejo specifically: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/84950dbe341d4d59ac3d6ef26693bcd8 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/84950dbe341d4d59ac3d6ef... https://www.ppic.org/blog/how-much-do-california-cities-spend-on-policing/ https://www.ppic.org/blog/how-much-do-california-cities-spen...