Defunding the Police and the War on Cops

[jsbhike]

I'm all for LEO's having the gear they need. And none of that gear should be illegal for citizens to own. If the state gov wants to outlaw standard capacity magazines, NFA items, etc- LEO's should not be exempt.

The tiered classes of who can own this and who cannot- needs to go.

I do feel that there should be MUCH more training, better training and more consistent training on use of force methods, deescalation and just better overall training in general.

I'd also like to see the war on drugs ended. It's a money pit that has done more harm than good and needs to go away.

I'd love to have more money going to combat mental health issues. That's the root cause of the drug problems anyways. The people that do crazy shit on drugs are typically crazy regardless of the drugs.

Most people can take a few drinks, tokes or snorts and not go apeshit crazy and end up hurting others or destroying/stealing property, but crazy people get anything in there system and it takes their crazy to the next level.

We need to combat the problem, which is mental illness.

I'd also like to see more accountability and stricter penalties for LEO's that do criminal shit. The risk should be so great that it outweighs any potential reward for LEO's to break laws themselves. No more pat on the wrist, collect your benes and move to another jurisdiction wash rinse/repeat BS.

It's a tough job and I have the highest respect for those that wear the badge and serve their communities, but I do feel there is always room for improvement, my personal thought is that it all goes back to better and more consistent training, which means bigger budgets, not defunding.

All very legit positions.

[jsbhike]

The basic fault lies with the legislature and the governors. Then, it trickles down to the Commissioners and the chiefs. We wouldn't have a militarized force if the "higher-ups" didn't want it. War on Drugs, war on something else, any excuse will do. Whether they want to impress, or have a private standing army is another question. Do we have some characters getting in so they can bully people and get away with it? Likely. Should they be weeded out? Yes. Why aren't they? Open to argument, but the fact that they aren't, until something gross happens suggests the bosses want it that way. The rest follow orders. Before one faults that, ask yourself what good they would be if they didn't.

We need a shakeup, at the higher levels, and they will have to take care of the problems in the ranks. If they don't, someone else will be glad for the job. See yah'. A big reason police lose support and gain animosity from the general public is they often won't do anything for you/protrect you, but sure will harass you over chicken-shit. Whose issue is that? Legislature, again, deciding what "crimes" require "enforcement". And, often the reason they don't do something is political, again, orders from the bosses. Needs to be looked into, and the bosses replaced. Will I hold my breath? No. The commissioners get where they do by politicking, then the chiefs do the same because they want to "get somewhere." Until one figures that out, this stuff will go on.

I will say, however, in the Minneapolis case, that in my opinion, it was first degree murder. Shocking? I suppose. But, let's go to the videotape. Look how long Chauvin had his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck. He had plenty of time, and other officers, to secure him and take him away. He certainly had enough time to think - and, here's my point - what he was doing. It wasn't a fight between two street lifes, and one fell and hit his head and died. Over in a few seconds. The case there would be between accidents, and reckless disregard /manslaughter. Count off the seconds. Remember Ofc. Chauvin was a professional, at least that's what they would have told us before; and, he was trained; and he was not a rookie. He had time to think, and in the words of "The Screamer" Nancy Grace, intent can be formed in the blink of an eye.

And all of this.

[m4hk33]

And all of this.

I think that both THCDDM4 and REDinFL have really good takes on whats going on.

Bottom line is if the LE is abusing their authority, that is directly coming from above. Its coming from the pointed chief from the elected mayor, or city council. The people are electing the government that is setting the policy.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when one political group is given absolute authority for generations.

[jsbhike]

I think that both THCDDM4 and REDinFL have really good takes on whats going on.

Bottom line is if the LE is abusing their authority, that is directly coming from above. Its coming from the pointed chief from the elected mayor, or city council. The people are electing the government that is setting the policy.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when one political group is given absolute authority for generations.

Unfortunately, that seems to be yet another one that transcends parties.
This area is red, but it is not unheard of for an occasional LE to pop up as abusive and keep up the behavior, sometimes for years, unless/until they land in federal court.

It also doesn't speak well of others actively/passively witnessing it either.

[Diamondback]

We need a shakeup, at the higher levels, and they will have to take care of the problems in the ranks. If they don't, someone else will be glad for the job. See yah'. A big reason police lose support and gain animosity from the general public is they often won't do anything for you/protrect you, but sure will harass you over chicken-shit. Whose issue is that? Legislature, again, deciding what "crimes" require "enforcement". And, often the reason they don't do something is political, again, orders from the bosses. Needs to be looked into, and the bosses replaced. Will I hold my breath? No. The commissioners get where they do by politicking, then the chiefs do the same because they want to "get somewhere." Until one figures that out, this stuff will go on.

A large part of this is the shallow-minded "We Must DO SOMETHING!" thinkers in the electorate who knee-jerk to every distasteful headline with "There Oughtta Be A LAW!" and the politicians who prey on them. Take "distracted driving" and DUI for eample, those were both already covered by existing Reckless Endangerment statutes but rather than apply existing law the Virtue Signaling Retards needed to be seen "DOING SOMETHING"... Not that I approve of driving while intoxicated, I don't nor does any rational person, the point here is advocating for clear, concise, common-sense law and the application thereof, and a police culture that sees itself more as "keepers of the peace" (which many of our brothers in blue here already sound like they fit, and my hat's off to you) than "enforcers of the law."

[OH58D]

Just reporting in that my encounter yesterday with law enforcement was positive. I wasn't tased or shot in the back.

On my way to Las Vegas, NM yesterday evening, I stopped at the Fort Union Rest area along I-25. While going back to my truck, NM State Police had a driver pulled over and was attempting a sobriety test when the obviously intoxicated Mexican took a swing at the officer. They struggled and the officer put him on the ground, face down. I ran over and held the drunk down applying force on his legs while the officer cuffed him from behind. He then sat the guy up and leaned him against a light pole. It took about 15 minutes before another State Police vehicle showed up.

Even the intoxicated man got out of this with only a scrape on his right arm, probably from getting knocked to the ground. NM State Police took my information down and indicated I might be called to testify. Glad another drunk is off the road. I don't think his civil rights were violated either.

It's amazing how the average person can go thru life without being tased or shot in the back, just by living a decent lifestyle and don't get into fights with law enforcement, and don't drive drunk.

[Diamondback]

Such CLASSY people, those blindly-raging cop-haters...
https://tennesseestar.com/2020/06/30...ally-donation/

[Averageman]

It's amazing how the average person can go thru life without being tased or shot in the back, just by living a decent lifestyle and don't get into fights with law enforcement, and don't drive drunk.

Just a couple of casual observations.
I'm a bit biased, but nature being what it is, it takes a Man to turn a Boy in to a Man. Every time you do something as a man, you can bet that your kids are watching. This imprints the values you have on to your Son. There are a lot of single Mothers out there who do a great job, I'm not putting them down, but that is just nature. Without a good male role model that Boy is going to feel his oats one day and when he does, well, we are watching the results.
LBJ owns this one.
If you are the mayor of a Blue City, deep inside a Blue State, run by a Blue Governor and you're now sitting in a pile of ash, perhaps there were errors along the way? I'm just saying that training gets you the Police force you want, investing time and money in your Police force is the only way to get the results your looking for.
If however you are this Blue Mayor in a Blue State and you ignored Law Enforcement and tried to budget cut them along the way and disregard training because it is expensive and time consuming and those guys aren't out on the street when they train and on and on. Well again, you can see these are the results.
The Mayors and Governors own this one.
But lets add insult to injury here;
Lets nominate Joe Biden for President.
Take a look at his interactions with the Black Communities, civil rights, the courts and sadly his dementia. That's not going to stop this or even slow it down. It didn't work for Obama and it's not going to work for Biden.
The economy will tank, these issues will go on and nothing will get fixed and Heaven help us if we have anything near to the effects of Covid-19 if he takes the helm.

[OH58D]

My interaction with that State Police officer wasn't because he enlisted my help - he didn't. I was within a short distance of the altercation, and stepped in to hold the drunk's legs from kicking around. That State Police officer is probably @ 25 years old. He seemed appreciative and has offered to buy me coffee and breakfast some morning in Las Vegas.

I want a robust police presence in the United States because they deal with people on a daily basis I don't want to interact with. I don't want to come into physical contact with druggies, drunks, thieves and just all around human debris. I don't want them in my life. Your average cop on the street gets their fill with that scum more than I would care to. And maybe I don't have the patience to not take the butt of a rifle and hit these people in the head.

[flenna]

Such CLASSY people, those blindly-raging cop-haters...
https://tennesseestar.com/2020/06/30...ally-donation/

We are in a time where good citizens are threatened, boycotted, doxxed and fired if they:
1. Support the police
2. Support President Trump
3. Stand for the National Anthem

Yet, somehow Conservatives are constantly labeled as hateful, bigoted and violent people.