3 ms·

That’s like saying let’s not equip planes that won’t crash with black boxes. Only the ones that crash need it. Let’s split up crashing and non crashing planes.

bongodongobob 2y ago
No it's not. If something was stolen from your car or the neighbors music is too loud, you don't need a fully armed paramilitary with a 500 horsepower souped up car. A dude with a baton in a Prius is perfectly fine. If they need bigger guns, they can call them in if necessary.
vundercind 2y ago
What would traffic enforcement folks be doing that would require all kinds of tactical upgrades to their cars, once we take car chases (again: already usually a bad idea and danger to the public well in excess of their benefits, no matter how the cop cars are equipped) out of the picture? Scenario: ordinary traffic stop. Writes ticket or issues warning. Everything’s fine. Scenario: I’m driving with a suspended license and may have an outstanding warrant for a missed court date. I elect not to run. Normal cop car called, takes me in. I won’t attack the traffic enforcement officer, because this is all being recorded and that gains me nothing except lost time and more charges, since if… Scenario: The above is the situation but I elect to flee. No chase occurs, so this doesn’t turn into a prolonged risk to the public. Since I know the traffic enforcers don’t pursue and it’s well-publicized that their car and body cam footage is uploaded constantly, there’s zero reason to engage with or attempt to harm them. The remaining risks are things that aren’t really mitigated by car upgrades (someone driving off mid-stop, which is risky for the traffic enforcer already standing next to the stopped-person’s car) or the kind of risks also present at, I dunno, the grocery store (someone armed and crazy attacks you for absolutely no conceivable benefit to themselves) A bonus is that this would make non-traffic-enforcement cops a ton safer, since most of their deaths are from traffic accidents (not intentional attacks with a vehicle, to distinguish the two) and they’d spend way less time driving, or standing on the side of highways. [edit] I got that wrong, vehicle strikes and car crashes are more like ~40% of deaths on the job, not over half. Still, it’s way up the list of risks. Unclear how major injury causes break down.

bongodongobob 2y ago

No it's not. If something was stolen from your car or the neighbors music is too loud, you don't need a fully armed paramilitary with a 500 horsepower souped up car. A dude with a baton in a Prius is perfectly fine. If they need bigger guns, they can call them in if necessary.

vundercind 2y ago

What would traffic enforcement folks be doing that would require all kinds of tactical upgrades to their cars, once we take car chases (again: already usually a bad idea and danger to the public well in excess of their benefits, no matter how the cop cars are equipped) out of the picture? Scenario: ordinary traffic stop. Writes ticket or issues warning. Everything’s fine. Scenario: I’m driving with a suspended license and may have an outstanding warrant for a missed court date. I elect not to run. Normal cop car called, takes me in. I won’t attack the traffic enforcement officer, because this is all being recorded and that gains me nothing except lost time and more charges, since if… Scenario: The above is the situation but I elect to flee. No chase occurs, so this doesn’t turn into a prolonged risk to the public. Since I know the traffic enforcers don’t pursue and it’s well-publicized that their car and body cam footage is uploaded constantly, there’s zero reason to engage with or attempt to harm them. The remaining risks are things that aren’t really mitigated by car upgrades (someone driving off mid-stop, which is risky for the traffic enforcer already standing next to the stopped-person’s car) or the kind of risks also present at, I dunno, the grocery store (someone armed and crazy attacks you for absolutely no conceivable benefit to themselves) A bonus is that this would make non-traffic-enforcement cops a ton safer, since most of their deaths are from traffic accidents (not intentional attacks with a vehicle, to distinguish the two) and they’d spend way less time driving, or standing on the side of highways. [edit] I got that wrong, vehicle strikes and car crashes are more like ~40% of deaths on the job, not over half. Still, it’s way up the list of risks. Unclear how major injury causes break down.