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Stop Training Police Like They’re Joining the Military

Rogue Valley

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Stop Training Police Like They’re Joining the Military

If policing is to change, the spotlight must turn toward police academies, where new recruits are first inculcated into the folkways of their profession.

defense-large.jpg


6/10/20
The majority of law-enforcement academies in the United States are loosely modeled on military boot camps. Proponents of this approach argue that cops are a lot like soldiers: They have to follow orders regardless of their personal feelings; they have to run toward gunfire, not away from it; and they have to remain cool and professional in the face of chaos, threats, and harassment. In this view, paramilitary training takes undisciplined young recruits and turns them into lean, mean fighting machines, ready to handle the rigors of street patrol. In most police departments, paramilitary traditions extend well beyond the academy. Senior police officials commonly refer to patrol officers as “troops,” chain of command is rigidly enforced, and it’s undeniably true that many departments have made enthusiastic use of federal authorities such as the Defense Department’s 1033 Program, which provides surplus military equipment—including armored vehicles and grenade launchers—to domestic law-enforcement agencies. The paramilitary aspects of police culture are so deeply entrenched that most officers and police chiefs take them for granted. But the paramilitary model is as pernicious as it is ubiquitous, and any meaningful approach to police transformation needs to confront it head-on. From their inception, and in contrast to earlier models of law enforcement, these newly created police departments in the 19th century were paramilitary in nature.

From their inception, and in contrast to earlier models of law enforcement, these newly created police departments in the 19th century were paramilitary in nature. Today, a century and a half after the emergence of professional police organizations, American policing is in crisis. As the protesters pouring into the streets are reminding the nation, police in the United States kill roughly 1,000 people a year, a per capita rate of violence unparalleled in other democratic countries. Federal programs that allow the provision of military equipment to domestic police departments are only part of the problem, however. Although tightening the restrictions on such programs would be a good first step, the training that police recruits go through must also be reformed. In another hopeful sign, Washington, D.C., police training is also moving in the right direction. The Metropolitan Police Department has brought civilian teachers and adult-learning specialists into many senior police-academy positions, instead of staffing the academy solely with sworn officers. Georgetown’s Innovative Policing Program teamed up to host a national gathering of police-academy directors from more than 20 major police departments. First up on the group’s agenda: considering alternatives to paramilitary approaches to police training. The topic was controversial, and the discussion is continuing, but it was a start.

I believe the gist of this article is correct, i.e. many of the problems with modern policing in the United States originates in the police academies.

It is also a mistake I think, when the Federal government arms small to medium size police departments with surplus military weaponry and APC's.
 
Stop Training Police Like They’re Joining the Military

If policing is to change, the spotlight must turn toward police academies, where new recruits are first inculcated into the folkways of their profession.

defense-large.jpg




I believe the gist of this article is correct, i.e. many of the problems with modern policing in the United States originates in the police academies.

It is also a mistake I think, when the Federal government arms small to medium size police departments with surplus military weaponry and APC's.
Why does policing have to "change"? Isn't enforcing the law the function of policing? The police is organized as a hierarchical structure like the military. That's worked pretty well, but not perfectly, for decades. What's needed is a better way to weed out the bad seeds quickly.

Or maybe this is what you have in mind:

Replacement cop.jpgReplacement cop.jpg
 
Should we not be training them to be calm in the face of danger or to run toward gunfire rather than away from it? About the chain of command, I work with a lot of patrol officers and they still have a ton of discretion. Most of the higher ups have more of an administration function rather than a command function.
 
Stop Training Police Like They’re Joining the Military

If policing is to change, the spotlight must turn toward police academies, where new recruits are first inculcated into the folkways of their profession.

defense-large.jpg




I believe the gist of this article is correct, i.e. many of the problems with modern policing in the United States originates in the police academies.

It is also a mistake I think, when the Federal government arms small to medium size police departments with surplus military weaponry and APC's.

Considering the number of officers we have in this country verses the number of times they come into contact with the public for anything from a traffic violation to murder.A thousand people a year killed by cops is minuscule, especially if you take out the justified deadly force. If cops have to use deadly force then I want them to be able to use it.

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpp15.pdf
In 2015, an estimated 21% of U.S. residents age 16 or older about 53.5 million person had experienced some type of contact with the police during the prior 12 months.


How Many People Are Killed by Police Each Year? - The Atlantic
1,146(26% were black people IE 298 black people killed by police) and 1,092(26% were black people IE 284 killed by police) victims of police violence in 2015 and 2016, respectively

• U.S. law enforcement officers 2018 | Statista
In 2018, there were 686,665 full-time law enforcement officers employed in the United States. The number of full-time law enforcement officers reached a peak in 2008 with 708,569 officers, and hit a low in 2013 with 626,942 officers.
 
I wonder if the gangs and drug dealers will also become more docile?
 
Considering the number of officers we have in this country verses the number of times they come into contact with the public for anything from a traffic violation to murder.A thousand people a year killed by cops is minuscule, especially if you take out the justified deadly force. If cops have to use deadly force then I want them to be able to use it.

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpp15.pdf
In 2015, an estimated 21% of U.S. residents age 16 or older about 53.5 million person had experienced some type of contact with the police during the prior 12 months.


How Many People Are Killed by Police Each Year? - The Atlantic
1,146(26% were black people IE 298 black people killed by police) and 1,092(26% were black people IE 284 killed by police) victims of police violence in 2015 and 2016, respectively

• U.S. law enforcement officers 2018 | Statista
In 2018, there were 686,665 full-time law enforcement officers employed in the United States. The number of full-time law enforcement officers reached a peak in 2008 with 708,569 officers, and hit a low in 2013 with 626,942 officers.

So your position seems to be 'move along nothing to see here' ?

You cannot trust a system that allows for any officer killing any citizen unless to protect their life or someone elses.
 
So your position seems to be 'move along nothing to see here' ?

My position is that the number of innocent people being murdered by cops is being blown way the **** out of proportion.

You cannot trust a system that allows for any officer killing any citizen unless to protect their life or someone elses.

Actually yes you can trust a system that allows cops to use lethal force to protect their lives and others lives.They wouldn't be very effective cops if they couldn't use lethal force.
 
So your position seems to be 'move along nothing to see here' ?

You cannot trust a system that allows for any officer killing any citizen unless to protect their life or someone elses.

You all have lost it. There’s never going to be perfection but the claim that there’s all this deadly police violence isn’t true. Most people, minorities included, call the police when they need help. There were a whole bunch of rioters and looters that felt perfectly safe and comfortable committing crimes not only in front of the police but toward them which is extremely odd if any encounter between an officer and a black person means almost certain death.
 
You all have lost it. There’s never going to be perfection but the claim that there’s all this deadly police violence isn’t true. Most people, minorities included, call the police when they need help. There were a whole bunch of rioters and looters that felt perfectly safe and comfortable committing crimes not only in front of the police but toward them which is extremely odd if any encounter between an officer and a black person means almost certain death.

I have not lost ****, thank you for asking.

Oddly I feel as if you were talking to everyone else but, not actually me. I do not recall saying anything at all that even slightly resembles that pile of crap that you just gave me. Seriously either honestly talk to me or ignore me all together.
 
My position is that the number of innocent people being murdered by cops is being blown way the **** out of proportion.



Actually yes you can trust a system that allows cops to use lethal force to protect their lives and others lives.They wouldn't be very effective cops if they couldn't use lethal force.

Pay more attention... you just repeated what I said in the quote. You cannot trust a system that allows for any officer killing any citizen unless to protect their life or someone elses.
 
FBI 2019 statistics


Officer Profiles. The average age of the officers who were feloniously killed was 40 years old. The victim officers had served in law enforcement for an average of 13 years at the times of the fatal incidents. Of the 48 officers:

45 were male
3 were female
40 were white
7 were black/African American
1 was Asian.

Circumstances. Of the 48 officers feloniously killed:

15 died as a result of investigative or law enforcement activities
6 were conducting traffic violation stops
4 were performing investigative activities
2 were drug-related matters
2 were interacting with wanted persons
1 was investigating suspicious person or circumstance
9 were involved in tactical situations
3 were barricaded/hostage situations
3 were serving, or attempting to serve, search warrants
2 were serving, or attempting to serve, arrest warrants
1 was reported in the category titled “other tactical situation”
5 were involved in unprovoked attacks
4 were responding to crimes in progress
2 were robberies
1 was larceny-theft
1 was reported in the category titled “other crime against property”
3 were involved in arrest situations and were attempting to restrain/control/handcuff the offender(s) during the arrest situations
3 were assisting other law enforcement officers
2 with vehicular pursuits
1 with foot pursuit
3 were responding to disorders or disturbances
2 were responding to disturbances (disorderly subjects, fights, etc.)
1 was responding to a domestic violence call
3 were involved in vehicular pursuits
2 were ambushed (entrapment/premeditation)
1 was serving, or attempting to serve, a court order (eviction notice, subpoena, etc.).

Weapons. Offenders used firearms to kill 44 of the 48 victim officers. Four officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons. Of the 44 officers killed by firearms:

34 were slain with handguns
7 with rifles
1 with a shotgun
2 with firearms in which the types of firearms were unknown or not reported



A lot of cops are killed doing their duty in America. It's like a war.
 
It has to do with the psychological profiling of police recruits. They are trained to be inflexible, emotionless, and follow orders, like soldiers. The problem is that this profile is similar to psychopaths, and this has been pointed out by critics for a long time now.

The other problem is that police officers are being made to fill the role of many other de-funded service providers, like crisis support workers, social workers, mental health workers, etc. There are some things the police should not be sent to deal with, but they are and it results in calamity.
 
There is a REASON that policed academies are teaching a more militaristic approach to policing. Being a police officer has gotten much more dangerous over the years. Making the police a "kinder, gentler" police force isn't going to make criminals any nicer or gentler.

A bunch of coddled, spoiled brats want the police to be "nicer". Careful what you wish for, those police are the only thing between you and the criminals. There are BAD PEOPLE out there...
 
There is a REASON that policed academies are teaching a more militaristic approach to policing. Being a police officer has gotten much more dangerous over the years. Making the police a "kinder, gentler" police force isn't going to make criminals any nicer or gentler.

A bunch of coddled, spoiled brats want the police to be "nicer". Careful what you wish for, those police are the only thing between you and the criminals. There are BAD PEOPLE out there...

There are BAD PEOPLE all over the place... so why do American cops kill far more people, many of whom are innocent, lie more, create confrontations more, etc... all other democratic Western nations?
 
I wonder if the gangs and drug dealers will also become more docile?

The question is why are cops assuming that we are all out to kill them like gang bangers?
 
You missed my point. I'm not arguing for a status quo situation. It's obvious that either because of training, leadership or the natural of some recruits that more has to be done to weed out the marginal individuals and establish a higher degree of professionalism and discipline.

I heard this afternoon that San Francisco is going to stop sending uniformed cops to situations like domestic disputes or violent arguments. What could go wrong with that? I tend to look at facts and data rather than emotion-laden hyperbole.
 
There are BAD PEOPLE all over the place... so why do American cops kill far more people, many of whom are innocent, lie more, create confrontations more, etc... all other democratic Western nations?
How do you know that? How do you determine whether the cop or the civilian caused the confrontation? How many people did the cops kill who weren't trying to kill them?

See the deal here is that you'll RARELY EVER see wide media on the thousands of interactions that go well, even cordially.
 
The question is why are cops assuming that we are all out to kill them like gang bangers?

My experience they are not.

Why do people struggle with cops when being detained/arrested. Take the Brooks incident. Drunk driver falls asleep in the drive up / parking lot in McDonalds. LEO's wake him up. The discussion was very polite on both sides. Brooks fails the DUI test. Police try to handcuff him and the brawl was on.

That said. imo, the LEO was NOT justified in using lethal force even though Brooks had taken a taser from one of the LEO's.

My question, why did Brooks escalate the situation. Thought the report said he was barely over the legal limit for DUI. He would have been released on bail or his own signature. Just take it to court. Instead he had to fight.
 
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How do you know that? How do you determine whether the cop or the civilian caused the confrontation?

In this case by simply watching the video. The guy started the fight and the cop took it way too far.

How many people did the cops kill who weren't trying to kill them?

Probably the majority...

See the deal here is that you'll RARELY EVER see wide media on the thousands of interactions that go well, even cordially.

Uh-huh.
 
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My experience they are not.

In my experience they absolutely are power grabbing and confrontational jerks...

Why do people struggle with cops when being detained/arrested.

Why are cops using force and detaining so many innocent people that have not done anything wrong?

Take the Brooks incident.

Cops initiate almost all of the physical confrontations.

Drunk driver falls asleep in the drive up / parking lot in McDonalds. LEO's wake him up. The discussion was very polite on both sides. Brooks fails the DUI test. Police try to handcuff him and the brawl was on.

Yep. And there is no reason that to have shot him. He was not an actual threat... except the cop decided to chase him.

My question, why did Brooks escalate the situation.

Because he was drunk. And since the cop was not drunk he should have been thinking better than a drunk guy.

No reason to take it to the level that he did.

Thought the report said he was barely over the legal limit for DUI. He would have been released on bail or his own signature. Just take it to court. Instead he had to fight

A fight is no reason to shoot a person... and the reason to shoot a person is even less when the guy is running away with a non-lethal weapon.

The cop should be fired and used as an example of what not to do to future cops.
 
One video? Really?

Great arguing skills... yes. One video. That is all that I am basing my argument on. Well played sir.

:lol:
 
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There are BAD PEOPLE all over the place... so why do American cops kill far more people, many of whom are innocent, lie more, create confrontations more, etc... all other democratic Western nations?

What makes you think that American police officers are somehow different than the American citizenry from which the ranks are filled? There are excessive people on both sides of this equation, yet you see one side as the villain and one side as the victim. We have an excessive number of violent people. We have an excessive number of guns. We have an excessive amount of drugs and drug addicts. We have plentiful and cheap alcohol.
 
What makes you think that American police officers are somehow different than the American citizenry from which the ranks are filled? There are excessive people on both sides of this equation, yet you see one side as the villain and one side as the victim. We have an excessive number of violent people. We have an excessive number of guns. We have an excessive amount of drugs and drug addicts. We have plentiful and cheap alcohol.

Sounds like Americans should just accept that then and not worry or complain about police murdering people or planting evidence then. Thank you for justifying police violence in a way that makes it every person's fault but the cops...
 
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