The other day I happened upon this news story and it really hit a nerve (I used to play guitar in the subways) - although clearly there are far more horrible scenarios taking place on a daily basis.
NYPD Assault Arrest Musician for Playing a Song Even After Verifying He Hadn’t Broken Any Laws
Isn't it time that we re-assess our approach to upholding law and order? What we need are "Peace Officers." IE: cops who can properly assess a situation and diffuse it with the appropriate actions - the least of which should be the use of force - especially as in this case where there is absolutely no need for it. This example took 3 officers away from possibly preventing or assisting elsewhere, where they might really have been needed. And for what? To remove a harmless individual - doing nothing to interfere with anyone or anything. It's a failure of leadership from the top down.
I don't want to have cops go through sensitivity training. Why are we even giving a gun to someone who needs 'sensitivity training?' I want to hire cops that don't need sensitivity training. We need to stop giving policing jobs to personality types that thrive on being figures of authority - and are inclined to abuse the power that comes with it. If I were a cop - I would call every day that I came home without having to draw my gun or beat someone's head in a victory. I'm afraid that a lot of cops these days prefer it the other way around.
I get it; it's a tough job - in the big city you have to be assertive - tough. You cannot show weakness. You have to take control. This does not mean you have to show callous indifference and apathy to those you are supposed to be protecting and serving. It has turned into an 'It's us against them' mentality when cops hit the streets. The lack of respect officers are shown these days is directly related to exactly this kind of abuse of power and lack of discretion. From the relatively benign scenario of removing someone from a specific location all the way up to unleashing a hail of bullets when likely one bullet would do. We need to empower and urge our police force to exercise the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation - with a focus on the least disruptive and most peaceful outcome.
This effort would likely mean paying cops more - to do less enforcing and more policing. The first step should be putting in place personality testing requirements to screen out those individuals that display a tendency towards violent resolution / excessive force. If one has an inferiority complex - they have no business being a cop. (These are probably the only personality types applying for the job these days.) And a serious effort made to hire police directly from the communities that they reside in. They need to be a part of the community and have a vested interest in it - rather than being an outsider looking in.
I realize this is utopia-like pipe dream - but we've got to get a handle on this. I'm sick of former high-school bullies walking around with guns and nightsticks - and looking for any opportunity to use them. They start out on the street and before long they are promoted to leadership positions and hiring more bullies just like them. These are not the type of individuals who should be charged with keeping the peace.
NYPD Assault Arrest Musician for Playing a Song Even After Verifying He Hadn’t Broken Any Laws
Isn't it time that we re-assess our approach to upholding law and order? What we need are "Peace Officers." IE: cops who can properly assess a situation and diffuse it with the appropriate actions - the least of which should be the use of force - especially as in this case where there is absolutely no need for it. This example took 3 officers away from possibly preventing or assisting elsewhere, where they might really have been needed. And for what? To remove a harmless individual - doing nothing to interfere with anyone or anything. It's a failure of leadership from the top down.
I don't want to have cops go through sensitivity training. Why are we even giving a gun to someone who needs 'sensitivity training?' I want to hire cops that don't need sensitivity training. We need to stop giving policing jobs to personality types that thrive on being figures of authority - and are inclined to abuse the power that comes with it. If I were a cop - I would call every day that I came home without having to draw my gun or beat someone's head in a victory. I'm afraid that a lot of cops these days prefer it the other way around.
I get it; it's a tough job - in the big city you have to be assertive - tough. You cannot show weakness. You have to take control. This does not mean you have to show callous indifference and apathy to those you are supposed to be protecting and serving. It has turned into an 'It's us against them' mentality when cops hit the streets. The lack of respect officers are shown these days is directly related to exactly this kind of abuse of power and lack of discretion. From the relatively benign scenario of removing someone from a specific location all the way up to unleashing a hail of bullets when likely one bullet would do. We need to empower and urge our police force to exercise the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation - with a focus on the least disruptive and most peaceful outcome.
This effort would likely mean paying cops more - to do less enforcing and more policing. The first step should be putting in place personality testing requirements to screen out those individuals that display a tendency towards violent resolution / excessive force. If one has an inferiority complex - they have no business being a cop. (These are probably the only personality types applying for the job these days.) And a serious effort made to hire police directly from the communities that they reside in. They need to be a part of the community and have a vested interest in it - rather than being an outsider looking in.
I realize this is utopia-like pipe dream - but we've got to get a handle on this. I'm sick of former high-school bullies walking around with guns and nightsticks - and looking for any opportunity to use them. They start out on the street and before long they are promoted to leadership positions and hiring more bullies just like them. These are not the type of individuals who should be charged with keeping the peace.
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