Buy it and read or listen to it.
Balko does a deep dive into the state of policing today, and talks about how we got to this point.
One interesting thing he mentioned about SWAT Teams;
That a large percentage of the guys who volunteer for SWAT Team duty are precisely the wrong type to be on such a team.
And FWIW, this statement;
always saying it's a tough job or it's a thankless job or they are putting their lives on the line for our safety. And this is all true.
Is not AT ALL true.
They get applauded all the time, but so what?
It's not that "tough" to be a cop. It's a club made up of armed gang members who protect each other.
And it isn't that dangerous, not in the least. When you look at cause of death statistics, a cop is more likely to die from being stupid (car crashes, etc.) or health issues than he is from being killed by a suspect.
The police are out of control in this country, they have an endemic "Us vs. Them" mentality and many of them look at all members of the public as their enemy, or at the very least, potential suspects as opposed to merely citizens, black men particularly so.
An illustration of this was done where a white guy was walking down the street carrying an assault style long gun over his shoulder and he was politely approached by cops who asked him what he was doing and then let him go on his way. In the same area a black man was filmed doing the exact same thing and the cops came screaming up on him, lights and sirens blazing, was shouted at and ordered to drop his weapon while they pointed their weapons at him.
I recently put this up on
another thread, and I think it is an idea that needs to gain some traction and would make a big difference;
In the Securities Industry there exists what is known as a "U4" which is the "Uniform Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer". That form and the database into which the information is entered follows a Stock Broker throughout his/her career, recording every single complaint against the broker or the firm that is filed by a client and must be updated with each complaint filed and every time a broker is hired by another firm. The database is also, and this is the really important part, accessible and searchable by the public. FOR ANY WRONGDOING OF ANY KIND! As long as that wrongdoing is reported by the offended party. So if a broker blatantly rips off your Aunt Polly, or even suggests or tries to steer her toward investing in something unsuitable for her, and Polly doesn't say a word about it to Dewey, Cheatham and Howe, Securities Brokers, it doesn't go on the U4. Infractions need to be reported for the system to work, and for the most part, they are.
This country needs something along those lines for cops. If each and every oath taking police officer in the country also had something like a U4 that was publicly searchable, that followed him from department to department, that was updated on a weekly, monthly or as needed basis, it might just lead to more accountability. Something like a cop sleeping on the job, captured on film, or reckless driving, or as in this case, physical abuse of a "suspect", particularly resulting in injury or death, or violation of, or utter ignorance of, as in many cases, civil or other rights, or ...you get the point - ALL of it can and should go on that cops "U4" or whatever it would be called. Provided any complaint is indeed legitimate.
We DESPERATELY need this sort of thing in this country. The Securities industry learned long ago that trust in it's institutions and dealings was important, if not critical to their ongoing operation, and while they haven't always been successful in keeping that trust, for the most part the Brokerage Industry is well regulated. Of course, regulations and oversight are only as effective as the enforcing entity, whoever that should be.
There is no way in hell a police department should be allowed to investigate itself for wrongdoing, and this is particularly evident the smaller the department. The biggest threat to the safety of individuals when encountering police in otherwise innocuous situations seems to be simply not giving them the information they want you to give them, even though you are under no legal obligation to do it.
The police in this country are simply out of control, and if you don't acquiesce to every demand for obedience, you are immediately suspect and ultimately subject to intimidation and threat of bodily harm in the very least, and arrest and incarceration or even death at the most. Often for nothing more than "Contempt of Cop".
ALL police should be required immediately and without hesitation to answer the question "What is your Name and Badge Number?" and failure to do so should result in disciplinary action, up to and including loss of job. Once a citizen improperly questioned or harassed by a cop has attained that information, an immediate call to their supervisor with a complaint should instantly result in an entry on the officers U4 or equivalent.
Fuck these assholes, and fuck them again.
WE NEED A POLICE EQUIVALENT OF A U4 SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY!!
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