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> ...was on purpose to put people on notice they cared (like driving around a neighborhood to let people know they are watching, showing the colors as it were
by tsumnia 14y ago
> ...was on purpose to put people on notice they cared (like driving around a neighborhood to let people know they are watching, showing the colors as it were
Police officers follow what is known as "force continuum". This basically outlines how much force they should be using in any situation. Without deviating from the topic, this is where the public gets upset when an officer oversteps their bounds to use excessive force on someone. The first 'level' of all continuum protocols is simply 'presence'. Knowing a cop is around does stop a majority of people who would do illegal activity. Think about how you act next time a cop is behind you on the road. It's a passive power-play move; they need to keep up this presence to ensure the public knows they'll be a moment's notice away if something happens.
Moving cops to social media sounds perfectly logical to me. A lot of none-the-wiser people put this information on the internet, thinking its safe. By making an online presence known, they look to quell some people's actions.
You could argue people will just find other ways to circumvent the system, but I'm reminded of the constant rat race between White and Black Hat security specialists; each party trying to top the other.
- steveklabnik 14y agoAt least in activist circles, this kind of situation has been around for years, and security culture evolves to deal with it. Of course, that's a bit more serious then a show, but it's the same basic problem.
- nickpinkston 14y agoHa, you're finally back on HN?
- nickpinkston 14y agoLOL - people hated this comment, but I thought it was funny that Steve (a personal friend) came back to HN to talk about police abuse (a hot topic for him).
- SethMurphy 14y agoIn NYC becoming an undercover activist for the purpose of spying on lawful activities is illegal, as it should be, because of the Handshu agreement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handschu_agreement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handschu_agreement
- ryguytilidie 14y agoI'm sure DAs around NYC will be prosecuting this with the full force of the law. /sarcasm
- regerg 14y agoThey are, but you don't see it because they send cops undercover to police stations to impersonate police impersonating activists.
- steveklabnik 14y agoHa, that's really amusing. Thanks for sharing. (For those of you who don't know, the NYPD are... yeah.)
- stcredzero 14y ago> Police officers follow what is known as "force continuum". This basically outlines how much force they should be using in any situation...The first 'level' of all continuum protocols is simply 'presence'. Wow. This set off a chain of fireworks in my brain. What kind of creature takes the role of someone big and strong, who keeps the peace through his presence and the implied possibility of force? What sort of being takes this role in primate behavioral biology? Police are basically the "alpha" primate proxies of the state. However, if you examine how we deploy and present police officers, it's clear that society is still in denial about our primate origins and nature. What would happen if you took an alpha male chimpanzee, and by modifying various visual and other socially significant sensory markers, you made him seem to be a member of a different group? I'm sure the result wouldn't be harmonious. What's more, what if you did something analogous to sending a couple of policemen in a cruiser through some neighborhood? It would be analogous to a couple of strange young chimpanzee males invading another group's territory. There is the concept of community policing, where officers are encouraged to be an integral part of the community they are policing. Still, it's clear that society is more interested in carrying forward traditions from the military origins of modern police forces than it is in acknowledging the primate origins of our psychology.
- regerg 14y agoBetas. Betas do the work for the alphas. Alphas mate.
- stcredzero 14y agoYou can complicate this discussion by bringing in different contexts and wrinkles of primate biology. The main point still stands. If you reduce the size of the group, then you get to the point where it's one alpha in the peacekeeper role. Also, the point still stands with betas anyhow.