I'm sorry but it's the truth. The very nature of the job attracts authoritarian assholes, bullies and psychopaths. And years of seeing humanity at it's worse finishes off any remaining connection they might have had with the rest of us. In order to boss us around and even be willing to kill us, they have to create a wall and then live behind it. There have only been a precious few that I've known over the years who seem unaffected. Those seem to possess a protective suit that they wear while on the job.

- But most of the cops over the past 75 years have all been war-damaged walking PTSD cases that have no business in-charge of jackshit. And certainly not armed.

K&R

ncjustice80

(948 posts)

12. Switching to an unarmed, British style police would fix most of the problems I think.

Reply to DeSwiss (Reply #7)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:04 AM

Dec 2014

ColesCountyDem

(6,943 posts)

20. Against an armed populace?

Reply to ncjustice80 (Reply #12)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 07:21 PM

Dec 2014

Good luck with that.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)

22. There's the catch-22 of it, I guess.

Reply to ColesCountyDem (Reply #20)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 08:35 PM

Dec 2014

If not for the millions of belligerent, half-crazed assholes owning military-grade weaponry, I would be all for disarming regular beat cops.

ncjustice80

(948 posts)

29. Dont let the pig apologizers get you down.

Reply to nomorenomore08 (Reply #22)

Mon Dec 8, 2014, 12:20 AM

Dec 2014

Cops mostly shoot unarmed people as it is now. If we took their guns away there would be zero change as far as cops getting hurt. If they see a man with a gun, they sill have to either engage with a tazer or retreat and call for the armed response team. It would seriously cut down on the overall loss of life.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)

30. "It would seriously cut down on the overall loss of life." You may very well be right about that. nt

Reply to ncjustice80 (Reply #29)

Mon Dec 8, 2014, 12:42 AM

Dec 2014

VanillaRhapsody

(21,115 posts)

26. I have a friend who is a Capt in the Fire Dept and a Paramedic....he scared the hell out of me

Reply to DeSwiss (Reply #7)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:45 PM

Dec 2014

telling me stories about how cold and jaded and completely racist nearly all of them are....I finally ended a 30 yr friendship because I couldn't take knowing it anymore..

longship

(40,416 posts)

8. What a fucking great article.

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 03:13 AM

Dec 2014

Well worth a click through.

There is no way to characterize it with four paragraphs. Just click through and read it all. And yup! You will have to click through to read all four pages. But you will not regret doing so.

Frank Serpico has been fighting the same battle since Al Pacino played him in the early 1970's. His story does not end with that. Him speaking out again now is important. One hopes that some will listen.

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)

9. Over 400 views and counting

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 03:37 AM

Dec 2014

I hope most of them read the article.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)

10. K&R.

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 03:45 AM

Dec 2014

NBachers

(17,099 posts)

11. An excellent read. Thanks for posting this.

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 04:25 AM

Dec 2014

G_j

(40,366 posts)

13. Thank you! from the article:

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:12 AM

Dec 2014

The sum total of all that experience can be encapsulated in a few simple rules for the future:

1. Strengthen the selection process and psychological screening process for police recruits. Police departments are simply a microcosm of the greater society. If your screening standards encourage corrupt and forceful tendencies, you will end up with a larger concentration of these types of individuals;

2. Provide ongoing, examples-based training and simulations. Not only telling but showing police officers how they are expected to behave and react is critical;

3. Require community involvement from police officers so they know the districts and the individuals they are policing. This will encourage empathy and understanding;

4. Enforce the laws against everyone, including police officers. When police officers do wrong, use those individuals as examples of what not to do – so that others know that this behavior will not be tolerated. And tell the police unions and detective endowment associations they need to keep their noses out of the justice system;

5. Support the good guys. Honest cops who tell the truth and behave in exemplary fashion should be honored, promoted and held up as strong positive examples of what it means to be a cop;

6. Last but not least, police cannot police themselves. Develop permanent, independent boards to review incidents of police corruption and brutality—and then fund them well and support them publicly. Only this can change a culture that has existed since the beginnings of the modern police department.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160_Page4.html#ixzz3LDmHI64e

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)

14. What a great American Mr Serpico is. Truly New York's finest.

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:29 AM

Dec 2014

Cooley Hurd

(26,877 posts)

15. The whole article is fantastic!

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:31 AM

Dec 2014

His summary nails it!

1. Strengthen the selection process and psychological screening process for police recruits. Police departments are simply a microcosm of the greater society. If your screening standards encourage corrupt and forceful tendencies, you will end up with a larger concentration of these types of individuals;

2. Provide ongoing, examples-based training and simulations. Not only telling but showing police officers how they are expected to behave and react is critical;

3. Require community involvement from police officers so they know the districts and the individuals they are policing. This will encourage empathy and understanding;

4. Enforce the laws against everyone, including police officers. When police officers do wrong, use those individuals as examples of what not to do – so that others know that this behavior will not be tolerated. And tell the police unions and detective endowment associations they need to keep their noses out of the justice system;
5. Support the good guys. Honest cops who tell the truth and behave in exemplary fashion should be honored, promoted and held up as strong positive examples of what it means to be a cop;

6. Last but not least, police cannot police themselves. Develop permanent, independent boards to review incidents of police corruption and brutality—and then fund them well and support them publicly. Only this can change a culture that has existed since the beginnings of the modern police department.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160_Page4.html#ixzz3LDrHRxUH

avebury

(10,952 posts)

16. From the article:

Reply to shraby (Original post)

Sun Dec 7, 2014, 10:34 AM

Dec 2014

"And today the Blue Wall of Silence endures in towns and cities across America. Whistleblowers in police departments — or as I like to call them, “lamp lighters,” after Paul Revere — are still turned into permanent pariahs. The complaint I continue to hear is that when they try to bring injustice to light they are told by government officials: “We can’t afford a scandal; it would undermine public confidence in our police.” That confidence, I dare say, is already seriously undermined."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160_Page2.html#ixzz3LDrwuJxf

That ship has so long sailed.