WSJ article on militarized police

[dmancornell]

Rise of the Warrior Cop

Is it time to reconsider the militarization of American policing?


The introduction of the article talks about a Utah man who defended his home against violent armed home invaders and subsequently faced the death penalty for doing so. He committed suicide after government apparatchiks working for the entity as the deceased home invader (good riddance) refused to consider the legality of the home invasion in regards to the murder charge.

Another example of a homeowner slapped with a murder charge for defending his home against violent home invaders: Cory Maye - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ogden UT was the location of another home invasion resulting in the murder of the homeowner:

[video=youtube_share;cSfOBPlY2n0]http://youtu.be/cSfOBPlY2n0[/video]

It was ruled justified, of course.

Perhaps the gun rags should show advertisements showing homeowners defending themselves against the police, because that is a far more likely scenario than some guy in a balaclava.

Read More

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

The guy in the balaclava is probably a cop. Bad guys usually don't wear one, they don't care if you can identify them. They know the chances of getting caught are slim to none anyway.

 

[Kevatc]

I am increasingly discouraged with the notion that every interaction is "high risk" and needs a SWAT team. I want cops to go home after their shift just like I want everyone else. But LEO's have to remember they chose their line of work and that their safety and lives are no more or less important than anyone else's.

And while I am on a roll ... There has to be serious repercussions for raids served on the wrong address. Every single raid should have a warrant. Heads should roll and large settlements paid out when LEO's screw up. "I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it.

 

[Cuthbert Allgood]

I am increasingly discouraged with the notion that every interaction is "high risk" and needs a SWAT team. I want cops to go home after their shift just like I want everyone else. But LEO's have to remember they chose their line of work and that their safety and lives are no more or less important than anyone else's.

And while I am on a roll ... There has to be serious repercussions for raids served on the wrong address. Every single raid should have a warrant. Heads should roll and large settlements paid out when LEO's screw up. "I'm sorry" just doesn't cut it.

As long as LE has their union, that union will continue protecting the bad apples within. Take away their union and I'm almost certain you'll begin to see more accountability for the screw-ups that occur almost too often nowadays.

 

[Stevenav]

large settlements do not work. We've seen that. Kevatc.

The money isn't the cops money.. .it's the tax payers that get to foot the bill.

I propose instead the following.

Police get a budget and sign a contract collectively.
They agree that for a certain period of time that they as a group accept the money from that budget to pay their salaries and operating expenses.

If they bubblegum up the situation... and they are found liable for something... let the settlement come out of the money for their contract.
If they want to get paid... they better stop screwing up. If they keep it up.. their budget funds dry up to nothing and they have nothing to operate with. End of police dept and everyone is furloughed or fired.

This would force accountability on them because instead of being bailed out by the tax payers... they simply start loing their budget... eventually it'll cause them to lose their wages collectively. It would also break the stupid blue line, because then noone would be willing to tolerate bad cops anymore because bad cops would cause good cops to potentially lose paychecks.

LAPD for example. If they had to pay for their screw ups out of their own pockets they'd stop being such jerks and would clean up their own acts.

But so long as cops don't actually have any monetary penalties enacted against them personally... nothing will change.

 

[U201491]

large settlements do not work. We've seen that. Kevatc.

The money isn't the cops money.. .it's the tax payers that get to foot the bill.

I propose instead the following.

Police get a budget and sign a contract collectively.
They agree that for a certain period of time that they as a group accept the money from that budget to pay their salaries and operating expenses.

If they bubblegum up the situation... and they are found liable for something... let the settlement come out of the money for their contract.
If they want to get paid... they better stop screwing up. If they keep it up.. their budget funds dry up to nothing and they have nothing to operate with. End of police dept and everyone is furloughed or fired.

This would force accountability on them because instead of being bailed out by the tax payers... they simply start loing their budget... eventually it'll cause them to lose their wages collectively. It would also break the stupid blue line, because then noone would be willing to tolerate bad cops anymore because bad cops would cause good cops to potentially lose paychecks.

LAPD for example. If they had to pay for their screw ups out of their own pockets they'd stop being such jerks and would clean up their own acts.

But so long as cops don't actually have any monetary penalties enacted against them personally... nothing will change.

Damned great idea.

 

[DMax]

Add every other gov union organization starting with the teachers union next.

 

[Kevatc]

large settlements do not work. We've seen that. Kevatc.

The money isn't the cops money.. .it's the tax payers that get to foot the bill.

I propose instead the following.

Police get a budget and sign a contract collectively.
They agree that for a certain period of time that they as a group accept the money from that budget to pay their salaries and operating expenses.

If they bubblegum up the situation... and they are found liable for something... let the settlement come out of the money for their contract.
If they want to get paid... they better stop screwing up. If they keep it up.. their budget funds dry up to nothing and they have nothing to operate with. End of police dept and everyone is furloughed or fired.

This would force accountability on them because instead of being bailed out by the tax payers... they simply start loing their budget... eventually it'll cause them to lose their wages collectively. It would also break the stupid blue line, because then noone would be willing to tolerate bad cops anymore because bad cops would cause good cops to potentially lose paychecks.

LAPD for example. If they had to pay for their screw ups out of their own pockets they'd stop being such jerks and would clean up their own acts.

But so long as cops don't actually have any monetary penalties enacted against them personally... nothing will change.

Not a bad idea but one I think would be very difficult to implement. Perhaps it would be easier to fire cops and supervisors when it can be shown there was gross negligence.

I want to go on record that I recognize SWAT teams are necessary for a narrowly defined purpose and I want them to have all the gear they need to do their jobs. But it seems that it is becoming common place to have some LEO special units acting like they are Delta Force squadrons. its ridiculous and has turned the whole " to protect and serve" on its ear.

 

[unklekippy]

As far as cops "going home at night", I personally don't give two bubblegums whether someone paid to stomp on the people goes home or not. I would actually give a bubblegum about them if there were about 10% "going home at night". We do not need 1,000,000 cops on the street here. It is exactly what our founder's tried to protect us against. They can show up in vehicles that you or I drive, not tanks. They can have the exact same weapons as you or I. Think magazine bans would go far then? Those are two very simple examples of their license to kill. That they can't be prosecuted(where do you think Lon Horiuchi spends his tax dollar retirement? Fiji? Hawaii?) is even more BS and when they are finally "held accountable", the system is rigged in their favor. Mach Schnell, Motherbubblegumer's.

 

[Brutus57]

And in case you didn't see it...did you know that NASA and the Department of Education have their own "Special Forces" SWAT teams. Education, WTF for. It is completely out of control. Truly, it looks like Protect & Serve is now for the gubmint and not the citizen.

Brutus Out

 

[dmancornell]

^

It's to educate the plebs about the supremacy of the state, by demonstration.

 

[wjv]

And in case you didn't see it...did you know that NASA and the Department of Education have their own "Special Forces" SWAT teams. Education, WTF for. It is completely out of control.

In case some kid shows up at school wearing an NRA T-shirt and needs to be taken down hard. . .

Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Kevatc]

Sure says a lot when even the left leaning Huffington Post runs an article critical of the militarization of our local LEO organizations.

John W. Whitehead: SWAT Team Mania: The War Against the American Citizen

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Seems like "shock and awe" is the MO of SWAT teams these days. Flashbang em to disorient, come in guns drawn and off-safe, looser engagement restrictions than the U.S. Military clearing (supposed) civilian houses in enemy territory. Not taking the extra 2 minutes to make sure it's the right address, etc. Good times (that was sarcasm for those with their detector off)

 

[Misterbill]

These people need to start being charged routinely with negligent homicide, murder, false arrest, making false statements, etc.

If you want to see a change, start taking EVERY significant claim of abuse before a grand jury, specifically seated to oversee police abuse. Start sending these thugs to prison, I guarantee you'll start seeing a change in behavior.

Let a grand jury decide if a crime or abuse has been committed, not an internal investigation. And start sending them to JAIL not "suspension" when they've abused their authority, beaten an innocent person, etc.

Fines don't get it. Not even kinda. If I had shot that dog in Hawthorne the way that cop did, I'd be looking at mulitple felony charges guaranteed to send me to prison for some number of years. ythe worst that POS cop is going to get will be "administrative leave" and a serious "talking to."

That's two entirely different standards of justice. One for us "little people" and another for the state's enforcers.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Is anyone still ignorant enough to believe they are 'free'?

 

[dmancornell]

Is anyone still ignorant enough to believe they are 'free'?

But... but... muh bad apples.... :huh:

The whole tree is rotten to the core.

 

[Nightcrawler]

As long as LE has their union, that union will continue protecting the bad apples within. Take away their union and I'm almost certain you'll begin to see more accountability for the screw-ups that occur almost too often nowadays.

The unions have nothing to do with the comment you responded to. Kevatc mentioned raids served on wrong addresses . .. the union can't protect them from that one.

 

[unklekippy]

Is anyone still ignorant enough to believe they are 'free'?

While I completely understand your point, I am in fact free. I will be free as long as I am alive, because no one will relieve me of my freedoms. They may relieve me of my life or I theirs, but they will not have my freedom. But there's really only one way to test that, isn't there?

 

[Certaindeaf]

The unions have nothing to do with the comment you responded to. Kevatc mentioned raids served on wrong addresses . .. the union can't protect them from that one.

Perhaps the reason for the government gearing up on trucks, arms, ammunition, personnel etc. is for the potential collapses/bankruptcies coming down the pike (look at Detroit and a few others in line).. due to the unions.