Fine, history clearly indicates that if you go into the police with the intent of being an honest cop and reporting abuses, that either you will be fired, or you will be dead. Before we can create the atmosphere for honest and moral individuals to put on the badge, we have to begin with a change of the environment. You can't grow apples in a shed designed to grow mushrooms after all. In that shed, you are limited to growing mushrooms.
First, we have to pass laws and make the punishments stick. In California, two police officers beat a man to death on video and they were found not guilty. In Texas, an officer arrived at the scene of a mentally disturbed individual and shot him in less than twenty seconds after arriving. It's very rare that a cop goes to jail for his abuses. So rare that if it happened any less then you could say that punishment was non-existent.
How do we change this? First, public awareness. Most people just don't know how corrupt the police are, and those who do speak out are labeled as criminals who are upset at the system etc. Or as people who have an axe to grind. The first way is by polygraphing the police. If they can't pass a polygraph every six months showing that they have not lied under oath, lied on official forms, used excessive force, and are unaware of anyone doing any of the above, then they must turn in their badges and are unqualified to be cops.
Secondly, you must mount video cameras that are not capable of being tampered with or turned off on the officer. If that is done, the officer's testimony in court would be "Look at the video".
In the 1970's, when people were aware of the police abuses, the larger cities started civilian review boards. These fell out of favor a decade later, and now are not in use anywhere I am aware of. The watchers must be watched.
The culture of corruption exists at every level, and starting to clean it up is almost an impossible task. You can't use the federal authorities, because they are just as likely to lie, and use the same abusive techniques as a street cop in a small town. Think about the enormity of the situation.
Christopher Dorner tried to report his fellow LAPD officers for abuse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Dorner
Have you ever seen as determined a manhunt as was launched for Dorner? The Washington Sniper search did not include checkpoints where police aimed automatic weapons at cars before searching for the fugitive. The only time you see that response is when one of them is threatened or killed. The Boston Bomber search went into overdrive after a university cop was killed. Before that, it was an investigation, now a cop is dead, and the tanks are rolling into the streets. Thou shall not threaten a member of their gang, and God help you if you actually harm one. Two police officers shot up a pickup truck they thought Dorner might be in, it was the wrong make, model, and color, but that didn't slow them down. Why were those cops not charged with attempted murder?
Why is it a felony to lie to a cop, but it's perfectly acceptable for a cop to lie to you? Make it a law that if the cops lie to you, you get all charges dismissed without prejudice. The cops will try lying about the lying.
There are so many things wrong, that where to begin is impossible. The very first place to begin, is integrity checks. Polygraph testing for every cop, if you fail, you're not on your way to jail, but you are not eligible to be a cop anymore. That would weed out a vast majority, and that would be the very first step to tearing down the mushroom shack, and making it possible for decent people to grow in the environment. Next, mandatory civilian oversight of the police. Make it elected, or appointed. Make a three judge panel responsible for selecting interested civilians who want to serve their community. The how is something we can discuss, the what is sadly overdue.
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