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Why give the police the benefit of the doubt?

ThoughtEx.

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Graphic Video Shows a Half-Dozen Cops Pummel Man as Their K9 Tears Him Apart

Many people on here claim that if you just comply, it will go better. The police are only trying to ensure their own safety. And while we focus on those who resist and are shot, or are just shot sometimes. We are ignoring the reason why many try to run or resist. Here are four videos, and after you watch them ask yourself. What if they weren't caught on video? Would anyone believe the men who were beaten? And if we catch this many, how many get away with it? How do you stop resisting when a k9 is tearing at your throat? Despite these men's crimes, they are not entitled to one free beating by the police after surrendering. And looking at this, how can we keep giving officers the benefit of the doubt?
 
In soviet Russia 1 unarmed man gang beats 7 cops

 
All those are good examples of brutality. And I think the cops should be fired and the criminals relieved of their charges.

Now... are there a lot of occasions where people whine, and the cops were in their full right to do stuff? of course...
but these are all good examples.
 
4 internet videos prove that da poleese is bad?

4 internet videos is but the tip of the iceberg, sad to report. Numerous police body cams have shown similar situations. Police brutality is a fact of life, no matter how much of it is censored by the media.

Like climate change, it is real and it is happening, no matter how censored and suppressed from public discussion it is.
 




Graphic Video Shows a Half-Dozen Cops Pummel Man as Their K9 Tears Him Apart

Many people on here claim that if you just comply, it will go better. The police are only trying to ensure their own safety. And while we focus on those who resist and are shot, or are just shot sometimes. We are ignoring the reason why many try to run or resist. Here are four videos, and after you watch them ask yourself. What if they weren't caught on video? Would anyone believe the men who were beaten? And if we catch this many, how many get away with it? How do you stop resisting when a k9 is tearing at your throat? Despite these men's crimes, they are not entitled to one free beating by the police after surrendering. And looking at this, how can we keep giving officers the benefit of the doubt?


I live in a neighborhood that has about 10 cops living here. I like that.

One lives directly across the street from and one lives directly across the back yard. One is white and one is black. To be more accurate, one is pink and the other is caramel colored.

Both are great guys, maintain nice homes for their families, are there to help and are, in every way I can see, good people and good neighbors.

THAT is why I give cops the benefit of the doubt.

Do you know any cops? Work with them? Live near them?
 
In cases like these, things like media bias are very real. Absolutely there are cops that show brutality on camera, and some off camera, but there were around 705,000 sworn in police officers in the united states in 2010, and statistics show that only a tiny tiny fraction of them engage in misconduct.

In 2010, there were 4,861 unique reports of misconduct, with 6,613 sworn in officers involved in the incidents. Lets give a little more just to account for undoubtedly undocumented cases, so the total is now 9,000 involved. This means that only .009% had documented misconduct against them, and an estimated .012% in total.

Should we just generalize that most officers are brutal, and that our police force is corrupt, when 99.988% of officers are estimated completely innocent? Even with my probably wide margin of error, that is still a very honorable statistic.

America likes to latch on to media bias. In the summer of 2001, everyone was getting up in arms about the dangers of sharks. Vacations to beachy areas were canceled, and even time magazine had a shark featured on their front page. Despite all this hooplah about sharks, shark attacks had actually been down from 11 casualties to 4 that very year. While everyone was declaring a war on sharks sharks were munching on other foods instead.

So while police brutality is a terrible thing, it's been blown out of proportion by the media and internet wanting something to latch onto, and skewing statistics in our minds that the police are out of control and not our friends. This has negatively impacted the police's ability to regulate crime, because they don't want to appear racist and lose their jobs, and or reputation. So do we give them the benefit of the doubt? Generally, yes, but not to dismiss the case either. If the percent of perfectly capable and honest officers is that high, assuming that they're part of that 99.988% isn't a long shot, though they shouldn't ignore the .012% chance.
 
In cases like these, things like media bias are very real. Absolutely there are cops that show brutality on camera, and some off camera, but there were around 705,000 sworn in police officers in the united states in 2010, and statistics show that only a tiny tiny fraction of them engage in misconduct.

In 2010, there were 4,861 unique reports of misconduct, with 6,613 sworn in officers involved in the incidents. Lets give a little more just to account for undoubtedly undocumented cases, so the total is now 9,000 involved. This means that only .009% had documented misconduct against them, and an estimated .012% in total.

Should we just generalize that most officers are brutal, and that our police force is corrupt, when 99.988% of officers are estimated completely innocent? Even with my probably wide margin of error, that is still a very honorable statistic.

America likes to latch on to media bias. In the summer of 2001, everyone was getting up in arms about the dangers of sharks. Vacations to beachy areas were canceled, and even time magazine had a shark featured on their front page. Despite all this hooplah about sharks, shark attacks had actually been down from 11 casualties to 4 that very year. While everyone was declaring a war on sharks sharks were munching on other foods instead.

So while police brutality is a terrible thing, it's been blown out of proportion by the media and internet wanting something to latch onto, and skewing statistics in our minds that the police are out of control and not our friends. This has negatively impacted the police's ability to regulate crime, because they don't want to appear racist and lose their jobs, and or reputation. So do we give them the benefit of the doubt? Generally, yes, but not to dismiss the case either. If the percent of perfectly capable and honest officers is that high, assuming that they're part of that 99.988% isn't a long shot, though they shouldn't ignore the .012% chance.

No we shouldn't generalize anything at all, right now, there is a big push to get police officers to count as a protected group. Meaning that if, like above, officers decide to beat a person who runs. They can also charge them with a hate crime for "resisting". I believe our police are to violent and to militarized. We need more Andy Griffith and less Judge Dredd on our streets. The drug war has failed, study after study, country after country, has made more progress with decriminalization and treating it as a health crises in the last 5 years than we have in the last 30 cracking down. Most gang violence and the dangers they pose revolves around drugs. Remove the profitability of drugs, and what do they have to fight over? Remove the threat of prison and what do they have to resist over? They profit from harsher laws, so the harsher they are the more they can charge.

Almost all of these confrontations are unnecessary. I can't support this flavor of law enforcement. The kind that sets them above us. And for what? So we can boast the highest prison population per capita in the world? So many problems would just resolve themselves if we offered these hard drugs through hospital outreach programs safely and in controlled environments. We could treat the addiction, not make it more profitable for anyone willing to risk the minimum sentences. And with our prisons free of non violent drug offenders, we'd have more room for the violent ones.

And of course law enforcement wants to continue the drug war and convince us it's necessary. Marijuana alone brings billions of dollars into their pockets. There is an entire industry completely dependent on catching unwell people addicted to something and subjecting them to brutal treatment. And they fight and lobby to keep the conversation about drugs about protecting people from addicts, and not treating the addiction. Just so they can keep making their money. And that doesn't sit well with me. Either you think addiction is a health problem, like doctors, scientists, and Portugal. Or you just wanna keep the violent profit cycle spinning on our dime.

Our police are to violent and apart of the problem, they are trained to violence to fight the drug war, and they are conditioned to overlook other officers discretions. We need to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt on what was necessary force. That is my opinion.

TL: DR version. It's not all cops being brutal, its more that the Drug War has conditioned all cops to cover for one another.
 
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All those are good examples of brutality. And I think the cops should be fired and the criminals relieved of their charges.

Now... are there a lot of occasions where people whine, and the cops were in their full right to do stuff? of course...
but these are all good examples.


It looked to me like all of these "beatings" took place after a chase,, So I will assume that none of these stops were of a law abiding citizen that just happened to roll through a stop sign.. While these "beating" were probably not justified, dropping charges on the man in the silver truck would just not set well with me, Multiple felony charges ( assault) Driving reckless through a neighborhood full of kids ( as the news reported) speeds of up to 100 mph while swerving through traffic..

To be really honest I would have to say he was a very real threat to the police and public running from the police at high speed. And police are supposed to use lethal force when a suspect endangers them or the public. He got off lucky as far as I am concerned.


edit: Cops do need to be held accountable

djl

(see below)
 
I live in a neighborhood that has about 10 cops living here. I like that.

One lives directly across the street from and one lives directly across the back yard. One is white and one is black. To be more accurate, one is pink and the other is caramel colored.

Both are great guys, maintain nice homes for their families, are there to help and are, in every way I can see, good people and good neighbors.

THAT is why I give cops the benefit of the doubt.

Do you know any cops? Work with them? Live near them?

A good friend of mine growing up, became a cop. And there are not 10 cops in my whole town. All of them are great people, who I respect and get along with. I am not commenting on their behavior. Last time one of them had to pull a gun, it was to shoot a rabid dog 7 years ago. They know everyone in town, know their kids. They care about the people, even when they are arresting them for drugs. Which my buddy at least hates doing, because it just ruins peoples lives that are already suffering. They don't pursue, because they feel it endangers the public. I do think if you break a law you should see a jury. I just don't think you need to be treated like an animal before you do.

The Drug War hasn't touched our local police, and I hope it never does. That's why I care.
 
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A good friend of mine growing up, became a cop. And there are not 10 cops in my whole town. All of them are great people, who I respect and get along with. I am not commenting on their behavior. Last time one of them had to pull a gun, it was to shoot a rabid dog 7 years ago. They know everyone in town, know their kids. They care about the people, even when they are arresting them for drugs. Which my buddy at least hates doing, because it just ruins peoples lives that are already suffering. They don't pursue, because they feel it endangers the public. I do think if you break a law you should see a jury. I just don't think you need to be treated like an animal before you do.

The Drug War hasn't touched our local police, and I hope it never does. That's why I care.

Everything you wrote indicates that you DO give cops the benefit of the doubt. It also seems to be a justified and well supported position.
 
Many people on here claim that if you just comply, it will go better. The police are only trying to ensure their own safety. And while we focus on those who resist and are shot, or are just shot sometimes. We are ignoring the reason why many try to run or resist. Here are four videos, and after you watch them ask yourself. What if they weren't caught on video? Would anyone believe the men who were beaten? And if we catch this many, how many get away with it? How do you stop resisting when a k9 is tearing at your throat? Despite these men's crimes, they are not entitled to one free beating by the police after surrendering. And looking at this, how can we keep giving officers the benefit of the doubt?
According to some, any movement whatsoever qualifies as "resisting".

I don't think we can ever answer the larger question until we first clearly define exactly what "resisting" is.
 
A cop looks at his paycheck and feels like s**t so when a punk does all to resists the many downsides of the cops job come out in the form of violence. Beats me why anyone would be a cop or a teacher with a masters degree making next to nothing while being insulted and beaten and spit on by punks.
 
I live in a neighborhood that has about 10 cops living here. I like that.

One lives directly across the street from and one lives directly across the back yard. One is white and one is black. To be more accurate, one is pink and the other is caramel colored.

Both are great guys, maintain nice homes for their families, are there to help and are, in every way I can see, good people and good neighbors.

THAT is why I give cops the benefit of the doubt.

Do you know any cops? Work with them? Live near them?

But these beat downs are something that I might expect from The Hells Angels MC. It looks exactly the same.
 
If there were abundant examples of the criminal justice system actually seeking justice in any given case of police misbehavior and/or criminality, I think most people would give the police the benefit of the doubt.

Sadly, too many cases are just the police being protected by the system. A few exceptions, but not many.

Brandeis: when the law is respectable, it will be respected.
 
If there were abundant examples of the criminal justice system actually seeking justice in any given case of police misbehavior and/or criminality, I think most people would give the police the benefit of the doubt.

Sadly, too many cases are just the police being protected by the system. A few exceptions, but not many.

Brandeis: when the law is respectable, it will be respected.
Any objective person has to wonder how many of the recent prosecutions would have been prosecuted had there not been video.
 
But these beat downs are something that I might expect from The Hells Angels MC. It looks exactly the same.

The "beat downs" are real and we expect and demand of the cops that they exercise nearly super human restraint in dealing with folks who are often deliberately provocative in situations that are often very dangerous.

Given the nature of the job, the advent of the violent outbursts is really not that frequent.

Earlier this week, 4 cops were attacked on one day across the nation in unprovoked murder attempts. That is the world that they work in every day. When anyone, cop or civilian intercedes in any situation, there is a potential for an unpredictable outcome.

When a cop intercedes, the outcome may be fatal to the cop or to those he is trying to stop or help. The cop needs to be vigilant and sometimes the vigilance will go beyond the peaceful exercise of force.

The simple fact is that the cops is often thrust into situations that are explosive. Sometimes they explode.
 


Last video wouldn't fit in op.


There are bad cops out there and I am not sure that anybody but a few just give the cops a pass...

...that said, and while I agree once you give up you should be treated well... for all we know these guys running just shot at a cop or did something like wanted for murder... and also... THEY RAN FROM THE COPS.

DON'T RUN.
 
Like climate change, it is real and it is happening, no matter how censored and suppressed from public discussion it is.

Police Abuse is a naturally occurring phenomenon like Climate Change ??
 
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