[Maru]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

This isn’t about condemning a police force. I’m sure many of us would agree that most police officers are decent people who put their lives on the line every single working day. This is the fault of the system. A system that is turning policing into a dangerous game of us against them. It was the system that criminalized homelessness, and being drunk without being disorderly; it was the system that decided mental illness should be handled by armed cops trained to enforce compliance. That’s because each convicted man is money in the hands of those who have shares in the private prison systems. They are no longer trained in community policing and they certainly aren’t trained in recognizing and dealing with mental illness. Its all a numbers game where cops are expected to compete with one another.

Um, what?... this is the weirdest post here. I know for a fact a lot of this is false. My husband is law enforcement and has been on the outside and the inside dealing with the mentally ill. He works in one of the most comprehensive in-jail mental health units in the country where we are now and he has dealt with the homeless, the drunks, the outraged in Baltimore streets as security before and after they get carted to jail. He knows for a fact how those people got there and knew a lot of people knew by name. Patrol would also tell him when they got picked up and they would always ask him if he had seen them because the spot he worked was a major hub for cash and booze. There are definitely major issues with how mental illness is treated in this country and with police brutality going unchecked. I agree 100% with this. Positions of power will always attract corruption though and like our govt, it needs to stay in-check.

A system that is turning policing into a dangerous game of us against them.

I could agree with this to an extent, especially with our knee-jerk response to the threat of terrorism after 9/11. I actually think instead the major issue is that the system is expecting more and more and more results from law enforcement officers and when put under so much pressure without strong clear guidelines from the departments, you have some that feel they are encouraged to take it too far and go too extreme. A manpower shortage exacerbates that issue.

Ironically enough, a lot of this can also be exacerbated with the 'cover your ass' games that a public-facing institution constantly deals with when under heavy scrutiny by the local community. The people up top don't want to take credit so very often you end up with responsibility going further and further away from the source until ultimately it is an overly bureaucratic outfit that is structured so the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. That's not really corruption as much as an accountability and management problem, but it does lead to rampant corruption and abuse of power if left unchecked by the public and the govt.

I know with the people I am connected to, they are all are constantly trying to keep up a guideline/line between too much force--too little that is constantly changing and seemingly blurred. What was fine 5-10 years ago now is completely up in the air and public officials are scrambling trying to find that sweet spot where they can please the public and still maintain peace and order.

It's fairly clear what the public expects to an extent but translating that into a police force that can be manageable and yet avoid higher turnover, because turnover, suicides and depression is already rampant in law enforcement, and yet remain effective is a much larger job than most people give credit. It's not easy on morale either, to constantly find yourself in-between the public and a dept that could just as easily turn against you on a dime because you were only doing what you were told. That means many are relying on the union more and more, which presents it's own problems and corruption issues

American cops are rewarded on how many arrests they make each day.

I'm assuming this absolutely depends on the agency () because I know this is 1000% false with where the agencies in our area. I don't know any officer that is going out of their way to arrest people. That's actually not what they want because it usually leads to confrontation which puts their lives in danger. Especially in the times we are living now. Crime has actually seen an increase in most cities in the US which seems to be increasing with the sense of unease in the public and civil unrest. Right now is not a good time to be a cop in the city... and yes, they are afraid to do their job but they have to because they can actually be prosecuted themselves for 1) not doing their job/insubordination 2) cowardice.

Many depts, especially ones in the metros are constantly are dealing with a manshortage issue and so that usually means they are riding alone. The last thing they want to do is risk avoidable confrontation. Now they do have to write a certain amount of tickets per month... but I hardly call writing speeding tickets 'playing a dangerous game' with the public.

It was the system that criminalized homelessness, and being drunk without being disorderly (You can't arrest someone for being drunk...)

I see plenty of homeless in Houston and being homeless is not a crime in Baltimore. There's several camps near where I live and none of those have been raided. I've gotten used to seeing the same faces anytime we go to the grocery shop. Being homeless is not considered a crime, at least in our community. Our city in particular I am proud to say is very charitable and many churches and facilities open their doors and run drives to feed the homeless and the starving. We also run cooling centers during the summer months. The homeless hold their signs along with the other charity drives/groups that stand on the corners asking for donations.

The issue is when people trespass, refuse to leave and want to fight security. Drunks very quickly become disorderly here, especially if they are overheated. A lot of times they're only held for a short period at the jail to detox/dry up. My husband works those tanks as well and he's gotten used to people coming in who are freaking out on drugs. Funny enough, quite a few of these people are glad to be taken into custody actually because it means a few nights on off the street, in an actual bed, with food and TV and free medical care. My husband knows of a man in Baltimore that purposely sought conviction to go to prison because he knew he could get the dental surgery that he's unable to afford.

I will say though universally they prefer the prison over jail. The prison life is considered much better.

Plenty of public drinking in Houston. This city LOVES it's clubs and the abundant sunshine. Drunk driving is a major problem though and I would be glad if more of these people got picked up. Maybe you're talking about the northeast departments, because I know in MD they are overly suspicious and the law enforcement there are knee-jerk. I've heard similar about NYPD, but again no personal experience there outside of DC and Baltimore and what we know of NJ, PA and Virgina area.

It was the system that decided mental illness should be handled by armed cops trained to enforce compliance.

Sources please. Otherwise, this is 1000% false.

It was the system that decided mental illness should be handled by armed cops trained to enforce compliance. That’s because each convicted man is money in the hands of those who have shares in the private prison systems.

Uh no. Most people would be outraged to know exactly how much we are paying in hospital care everytime a doctor needs to fish out some of the implements some of these inmates are shoving up orifices. My husband told me a story one time of a one guy who wanted badly to cut off his own junk. With him alone the medical costs were astronomical and there are a lot of similar (though necessarily as extreme) cases where the state is literally paying through the nose to pay care for. There's no money being made here or any secret conspiracies. They're taking up the bill because getting them treatment is humane but ultimately they belong in a mental facility.

They are no longer trained in community policing and they certainly aren’t trained in recognizing and dealing with mental illness. Its all a numbers game where cops are expected to compete with one another.

Uh no. 100% false. If anything, training and classes involving skills dealing with the public is increasing. My husband's dept has a unit they are testing on the street for dealing with mental health issues in the field. They are paid additional for the training and multi-lingual studies and this is encouraged due to our city's high minority population. In fact, if my husband ever goes to patrol it's possible he may enter the program. The program has been expanding and many agencies are looking to it as a model. Though the jail is not a mental institution like it should be, there are agencies doing things to expand their own programs to make it work as best it as they can.

Outside of that program, they are required to take classes that involve handling problem situations humanely which require group participation and demonstration, proper use-of-force and other sensitivity training. Depending on the field and area they are working in, they are required to take related to that area if they ever wish to change specific departments. To receive certain classifications many of the classes you say are ceasing to exist actually are required to receive an incentive pay increase so definitely they are not discouraging training in areas dealing with cilivians and inmate populations,

There are levels to certain positions and achieving a higher level requires more training and different programs are always being adjusted/added so training is on-going. Obviously this varies by agency how these programs work, but I disagree that in general there has been an decrease in training in law enforcement with regards to dealing with the community...