Let’s stop with this means NO cops….
THAT is NOT want America needs or is gonna have happen…
There needs to be changes made so that the police and their communities they serve aren’t adversaries …
That does NOT mean cutting their budget’s so that there is less protection and services ….
Democratic politicians have HAD to signal that they ARE for the basic of Law and Order in order to NOT have Republicans saddle them with blame for lawlessness and the violence the came with the start of the protests that have turned peaceful for the most part now…
Democrats also do not want to lose union support from law enforcement and are reaching out to include police unions in any legislation they would have ….
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Sunday no one is going to defund the police, and instead called for a “reimagining” of police forces across the country.
“I would simply say, as I have always said, nobody is going to defund the police,” Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on CNN.
“We can restructure the police forces, restructure, reimagine policing,” he added. “That is what we are going to do. The fact of the matter is, the police have a role to play. What we have got to do is make sure that their role is one that meets the times, one that responds to these communities that they operate in.”
Protesters across the country have rallied behind a call to defund police departments following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and others. But top Democrats on the Hill have spoken out against those calls.
“The fact of the matter is, this is a structure that has been developed that we have got to deconstruct,” Clyburn told host Jake Tapper. “So, I wouldn’t say defund. Deconstruct our policing.”…
The meaning of defunding the police isn’t widely understood yet — but it’s polarizing
As Vox’s Matt Yglesias has explained, “defund the police” isn’t a firmly defined concept just yet:
The “defund” slogan dances ambiguously between abolition-type schemes and just saying officials should spend less money on policing at the margins. The Black Lives Matters #DefundThePolice explainer page argues that “law enforcement doesn’t protect or save our lives. They often threaten and take them.” By contrast, a Justin Brooks op-ed at the Appeal titled “Defund the Police Now” is an extended argument for spending somewhat less money on crime control and somewhat more on social services, as a win-win resulting in less crime, less punishment, and less police violence against civilians.
The latter perspective — a focus on spending priorities and narrowing law enforcement’s portfolio of responsibilities — seems to be gaining more traction among left-wing elected officials. Consider, for example, self-described socialist and New York state Sen. Julia Salazar’s take on the matter:…
Note….
Clyburn IS also giving cover fire to Democrats….Biden (Crime Bill/Strong Police support history), Harris (ex DA and AG), Klobuchar (ex-DA) , Demings (ex-Police Chief and cop for over 25 years)
image…postandcouier.com
In my experience,Police Departments are some of the worst bureaucracies around.
Most are top heavy .loaded with dead weight and in need of serious reform.
Sure their budgets should be subject to stringent review and,in many cases, can be drastically reduced without the average citizen even noticing.
As illustrated by your comments, most people,mainly from watching tv shows, have a romanticized view of police.
They are not near as bad as they are being depicted by some recently,nor as saintly as you try to imply.They perform a vital service but,,like the military and other bureaucracies ,have plenty of fat and waste.
It’s past time for a serious discussion as to how they function now and in the future.
Given how complex their job, in step with society as a whole, has become, I wonder if four or five months of formal police academy before cadets are sent (supervised) out on the streets is enough — particularly, as has been said on all sides by all sides, now that police are called upon more and more to handle social problems like addiction, homelessness, domestic strife, and the causes and results of poverty.
In one of his own fields, criminal justice, Jack might be able to tell us whether he thinks that the average cop today knows enough criminal law (and related civil and administrative law) to apply it correctly and intelligently.
Police work IS a complex job…
The requirements to get the job are long and detailed for most departments ….
Usually thousands show up to take the entrance test….
Those who pass with high marks first…Go thru physical, mental, and action course’s….
Those who make its thru those steps then go thru background check’s and often their investigator will visit the applicants home and speak to neighbours….
For some departments u have too have at least 2 years of college….
Some departments give veteran ‘s more bonus points on their original test scores elevating them on the list…
After all this which could take as little as year or several years…
They get called to come to the academy for training….
There are federal and state standards that train must meet….
And YES….
Police Departments ARE quasi-military….
They will probably ALWAYS have that part to them…
Cops are expected to know the law and follow orders….
Cops are tough to disregard slights and small actions that civilians would react to…
Cops are taught to handle situation that others would walk away from…
Cops ARE taught to be tough to defend themselves in violent situations…
Some cops are taught that it’s ALRIGHT to show their humanity…
Some are NOT taught that….
After all this?
The rookie is sent out to work….
Some departments have buddy system’s and training officers…
Most do NOT….
Where u go and who u end up at first could have a lasting effect on ur time working…
Some assignments are country clubs….
Little rough spots…
But like everything?
Some rookies are high stung and want to go where the action is…
And some are accident’s waiting to happen….
Weather they are flawed from the jump to working with bad cops that the department has NOT weeded out….
Along the way rookie learn the law….
But like going to college?
That’s in the classroom…
Out in the streets it’s whole different story…
Police Officers ARE expected to be different things to different people…
Most want to do their job and go home to their families…
But the job of b being a police officer carries with the ability to affect deadly physical force…
And THAT involves making split second decisions based on situations, actions, someone mental state, someone’s fears, the time of day, persons history, training and a whole LOT of other things….
In the end?
Cops ARE people sent to do a job…
And like others…
Most are Good regular people…
They work with some that have no business being in the uniform…
And those should be weed out and gotten rid of…
Mistakes by cops are almost always put under review by DA’s….
But remember….
DA’s get their cases from cops…
New efforts move serious cop case from the local DA to the states AG, who do not work as close the department as the county DA does….
Nobody is gonna defund police police dept’s….
But there should efforts to work WITH local cops to get rid of the ‘them vs us’ culture that is being fanned right now in the media…
Money should be going to community policing efforts…
MORE money…NOT less should be spent to bring cops CLOSER to community…
Bringing back the ‘local beat’ cop….
Hiring more minority cops….
THIS the effort that should be undertaken to keep ‘law and order ‘ and NOT make it fearful and a adversarial thing…
“Defund the police” has awakened discussion of policing expenditures and priorities. “Defund the private prison system” can broaden the discussion. Defunding means re-prioritizing. This is necessary in so many areas as the priorities that have been funded have, in large part, not been in the interest of the great majority of people.