[DemolitionRed]

I sometimes ask myself, do I have too much empathy but then I see what most other people post and I reassure myself that I'm just healthy.

The videos of the two black guys being executed are sickening enough but how many people get shot down like that without anyone getting any camera footage.

So far this year, ten investigations are going on across America regarding cops needlessly killing black men.

But its not just black men, (though you are in far more danger of being shot if you're black) its poor people, red necks and the homeless.

This video is of a homeless man who is pleading with the police for his life. When they encourage him down from a rock they shoot him numerous times in the back and then decide to set the dog on him. Its not only disturbing, its very frightening because without a doubt its an execution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2ghdM66U4Y

Back in the 80s around 3,000 SWAT team raids were reported across America each year. Last year was around 40,000 raids. This isn’t because of a rise in crime, its because SWAT teams used to be used for special situations but now they can be used for something as minor as having a little pot in your house. SWAT teams aren’t just armed police, they are combat style military police in balaclavas carrying Glock pistols, 12 gauge shotguns and sniper rifles. All they need is a whiff of something to swarm your home and terrify your granny, shoot your dog (which happens a lot) and traumatize your children.

Anthony Gregory reported that “about as many Americans have been killed by police since 9/11 as died on that day.

And its not just criminals or people who failed to put a new bulb in their brake lights; school kids are being pepper-sprayed. In some American districts its fine to use a taser on an unruly kid.

Puppycide is now so big in America that thousands of inoffensive dogs are shot by the cops each year. Nobody has yet been able to take action against a police officer shooting their dog, even if it was securely tied up in the backyard.

When we look towards American style policing are we looking at our own future? I've got a horrible feeling we are.

[Northern Monkey]

It's so the government can conduct false flag ops and lock everybody up in FEMA camps by force.(jk)
Probably due to the amount of guns there are in the hands and houses of crazies now in America.The police are ****ting themselves.Hence all these shootings by trigger happy cops.I think 'trigger happy' is the wrong term tbh.They are scared.

[arista]

DR: this is because so many Drug cartels
are fully armed with Sub Machine Guns,
in their USA hideouts

Its the only way to keep folks safer

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

[LeatherTrumpet]

Yaah

lets have some more uncontextual hysterical videos and gnash our teeth and say "omg its awful"


ffs

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Yaah

lets have some more uncontextual hysterical videos and gnash our teeth and say "omg its awful"


ffs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...xpletives.html

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...xpletives.html

thats great Girth you found that in a huge employer you get bad people



I would be much more impressed if you found a similar scale employer who did not

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

thats great Girth you found that in a huge employer you get bad people



I would be much more impressed if you found a similar scale employer who did not

You finally acknowledge there is police bruality. I knew we'd agree.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

You finally acknowledge there is police bruality. I knew we'd agree.

No girth I am just exposing you and your vendetta against one organisation

Its quite sad

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

No girth I am just exposing you and your vendetta against one organisation

Its quite sad

Vendetta???

These vids appear nearly every week, definitely one a fortnight. I dont look too hard to find them.

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

[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...

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Maru

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.



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



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.



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.



Sources please. Otherwise, this is 1000% false.



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.



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...

[Maru]

Final thoughts: My thoughts are if you have any concerns about how situations are being handled in your local community, find a cop-ride-along program or go to the station yourself. Form a group. It's very easy to do this.

My particular county has a lunch with a cop program (I forget exactly what it is called) where the sheriff and other local officials sit and eat with local civilians. There are plenty of outreach programs across the country.

There's just no excuse to believe everything you read on the internet and to automatically assume your concerns will go ignored. Our government issues cannot be solved through Twitter or Facebook. Reach out to your local politicians and get involved. I am involved with the local rescue community and I always encourage people to attend primaries and rallies and get involved in what is happening in their local area.

If you're expecting the police to adopt a stronger culture of self-accountability, it has to be both ways.

[arista]

"My particular county has a lunch with a cop program (I forget exactly what it is called) where the sheriff and other local officials sit and eat with local civilians. There are plenty of outreach programs across the country."


This is Good Maru,
and the Way Forward
well done "Lunch with a Cop" program

Sign Of The Times

[Maru]

Originally Posted by arista

"My particular county has a lunch with a cop program (I forget exactly what it is called) where the sheriff and other local officials sit and eat with local civilians. There are plenty of outreach programs across the country."


This is Good Maru,
and the Way Forward
well done "Lunch with a Cop" program

Sign Of The Times

Yeah. Sign of the times somewhat but I think that public outreach is an big part how a good law enforcement agency should ideally function. After all, they have to double as a social worker, EMT, emergency response, natural disaster response (especially in Houston's case) and now terrorism detection, etc. There are some groups though that will never be happy and that the local agencies can only do wrong but that will always be the case.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Maru

Final thoughts: My thoughts are if you have any concerns about how situations are being handled in your local community, find a cop-ride-along program or go to the station yourself. Form a group. It's very easy to do this.

My particular county has a lunch with a cop program (I forget exactly what it is called) where the sheriff and other local officials sit and eat with local civilians. There are plenty of outreach programs across the country.

There's just no excuse to believe everything you read on the internet and to automatically assume your concerns will go ignored. Our government issues cannot be solved through Twitter or Facebook. Reach out to your local politicians and get involved. I am involved with the local rescue community and I always encourage people to attend primaries and rallies and get involved in what is happening in their local area.

If you're expecting the police to adopt a stronger culture of self-accountability, it has to be both ways.

...such wise words Maru.....the internet is a tremendous source of information and a great thing but so much can also be designed to sensationalise and sadly so much manipulated as well...whether it be concerns about policing or anything else etc..there is only one way for me also to feel concerns in the community and to feel 'the truth' and that is to talk face to face with that community, to all around you and hear personal experiences etc...


..I'm loving hearing all of your thoughts and experiences ..I'm a huge fan.....

[DemolitionRed]

@Maru

You heavily contradict what I’m saying about homeless and mental illness but then go on to say, “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.”.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --*The National Alliance on Mental Illness*(NAMI)*today warned the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that criminalization of people living with mental illness has reached "crisis proportions" and called for support of federal, state and local reforms to overcome failings in both the mental health care and criminal justice systems. - See more at: https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Pre....9wT3yD2n.dpuf

What you are clearly saying is, things are not uniform from state to state or agency to agency. Whilst Baltimore cops don’t get rewarded for arresting as many people as they can, other states do.

Surely man shortage issues means something is going wrong within the system?

Whilst homelessness may not be illegal in Houston and Baltimore it certainly is in other states/cities. Its the same in the UK. Certain areas of this country have become no go areas for those who sleep rough whilst other boroughs, like your example of Baltimore, get action plans going to try and help these people, especially during cold periods.

Anti Homeless Laws Have Risen Rapidly in the U.S. http://www.upworthy.com/anti-homeles...gton-responded and https://www.nlchp.org/documents/No_Safe_Place
A study from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty analyzed 187 U.S. cities between 2011 and 2014 and found criminalizing homelessness is pretty popular nowadays. Bans on sitting or lying down in certain public areas, for instance, have spiked 43%.

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

And that’s tragic, don’t you think?

training and classes involving skills dealing with the public is increasing.

Yes but from what I’ve read, these classes aren’t mandatory and they really need to be because for those taking these classes, they are seeing very positive results. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...health/280485/ and so whilst some forces will dedicate and encourage their force to take such courses, others won’t.

Militarization of Law Enforcement in America http://www.globalresearch.ca/militar...ontrol/5398855

People with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...lice/77059710/

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Maru

Final thoughts: My thoughts are if you have any concerns about how situations are being handled in your local community, find a cop-ride-along program or go to the station yourself. Form a group. It's very easy to do this.

My particular county has a lunch with a cop program (I forget exactly what it is called) where the sheriff and other local officials sit and eat with local civilians. There are plenty of outreach programs across the country.

There's just no excuse to believe everything you read on the internet and to automatically assume your concerns will go ignored. Our government issues cannot be solved through Twitter or Facebook. Reach out to your local politicians and get involved. I am involved with the local rescue community and I always encourage people to attend primaries and rallies and get involved in what is happening in their local area.

If you're expecting the police to adopt a stronger culture of self-accountability, it has to be both ways.

Great post

the answer why people dont is they are too lazy and selfish and its far easier to just blame someone else.

simple

[Maru]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

@Maru

You heavily contradict what I’m saying about homeless and mental illness but then go on to say, “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.”.

That's not the description of a contradiction. Why would there be a contradiction? The system is imperfect. Of course there are issues. We need to increase programs and admittance to mental institutions for those people who can't afford private care and fix our very broken and corrupt healthcare system. I agreed with you there. The rest of your post though went into some funky conspiracy-y territory and I took issue with the extreme statements you've made because there is is no drip of truth to it.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --*The National Alliance on Mental Illness*(NAMI)*today warned the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that criminalization of people living with mental illness has reached "crisis proportions" and called for support of federal, state and local reforms to overcome failings in both the mental health care and criminal justice systems. - See more at: https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Pre....9wT3yD2n.dpuf

What you are clearly saying is, things are not uniform from state to state or agency to agency. Whilst Baltimore cops don’t get rewarded for arresting as many people as they can, other states do.

Of course things are not uniform. The US is a massive! Have you ever looked at it on a map? It's huge! Joking aside. Your posts make it sound as if it is all like this overwhelmingly dramatic trend that is occurring across the board and I'm just citing here from actual experience and facts that this is not the case. I have lived here my entire life and have never even heard of half the things you mentioned and I grew up with in a minority so you think I would've heard things which is why I find it bizarre.

To give you an idea of my background, I lived the first 19 years of my life in a minority community in the inner city. As an example, I went to school with 2700 other students and only 2-3 kids were white. It was serious culture shock for me when I moved to the northeast to be around white people for the first time. I could talk all day long about the issues in white culture.

My family has genetic disabilities running rampant through it (and some mental) so yeah. My mother has both aggressive Dystonia (think Parkinsons) major emotional and major psych issues that keeps her in the mindset of a 12 year old. That was my parental structure, so there's that. I had to be independent from a very young age. My grandmother who lived in the home used to work in a nursing home and did care-taking for the elderly. I've learned a lot from her and I've done care-taking as well. I have a number of chronic health problems myself and I could write a novel on the failings of the health and mental system. As well as the number of issues I have with white culture. I'm very sensitive to issues of lack of care for the mentally ill and other social injustices.

For discussion sake here though, can you give examples of which states or agencies have gone extreme with this. Please don't waste my time posting articles showing small links. It's not to be mean, but I don't have unlimited time to reply to these posts and it is exhausted to walk in circles. Show me solid examples of agencies where the problem has gone beyond systemic and that they've created some overboard policies so I can use that as an example to people locally here of what not to do in this city. I've never heard of a single one that has gone to the level your describing.

Surely man shortage issues means something is going wrong within the system?

Whilst homelessness may not be illegal in Houston and Baltimore it certainly is in other states/cities. Its the same in the UK. Certain areas of this country have become no go areas for those who sleep rough whilst other boroughs, like your example of Baltimore, get action plans going to try and help these people, especially during cold periods.

Ok, so what areas would you like to discuss where this happens?

Anti Homeless Laws Have Risen Rapidly in the U.S. http://www.upworthy.com/anti-homeles...gton-responded and https://www.nlchp.org/documents/No_Safe_Place
A study from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty analyzed 187 U.S. cities between 2011 and 2014 and found criminalizing homelessness is pretty popular nowadays. Bans on sitting or lying down in certain public areas, for instance, have spiked 43%.

There is an increased trend. I would agree with this. We live in a society where people spend significant energy going out of their way to ignore major problems. I know in my own local area certain shops will go out of their way to call the cops anytime they see a homeless person and they are quite suspicious. I don't see how that's a policy issue. If a homeless person refuses to leave their property, they have a right to get them removed for trespassing. There are shelters setup everywhere and programs exist to get these people off the streets. The issue is many are addicted to drugs and have other dysfunctions and refuse help. We offer it here but what can we do if they refuse?

The other concern a lot of people in the community here is that it attracts crime. I know there a lot of people in my immediate area that wish something was done about the homeless camps because they feel it attracts crime and brings down property values. I personally am fine with it, as long as they are not hassling people at shopping centers and following them around. They're at the same corners and places that a lot of the other charities stand.

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

And that’s tragic, don’t you think?

No, they can just cater more to them in the prison than they are willing to do in the jail. You do realize jail and prison are supposed to be deterrents right? Many inmates do better in a structured environment in the system than they do out on the street. That's why so many of them come back, they unravel once they go back to the streets.

Many of these people cannot function in a normal environment. While some may have a mild mental condition that is treatable, it's exacerbated by behavioral and environmental issues. There is no cut and dry method for the system to fix that. The inmate has to be willing to be rehabilitated and you'd be surprised how many of them refuse treatment. What are they supposed to do?

The jail has programs that they involve group sessions and my husband has said they've actually had issues recruiting people because many of them are resigned to dysfunction. A good portion will actually say they will fight the staff if they go because they don't want to be forced to. Some of these people have to be moved from a cell that has a TV/other perks and they would rather have that than try to get better. They say outright they don't care.

Not all mental patients stay in jail though, they do eventually get sent to a state hospital. They have to be evaluated completely before they are cleared to stand trial.

training and classes involving skills dealing with the public is increasing.

Yes but from what I’ve read, these classes aren’t mandatory and they really need to be because for those taking these classes, they are seeing very positive results. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...health/280485/ and so whilst some forces will dedicate and encourage their force to take such courses, others won’t.

Many agencies are making it mandatory (included ours) and awareness is increasing across the board if you need some reassurance. If you are getting most of your opinions from what you read on Google, then that's half your battle. Things are getting better and many agencies are looking to follow the right model(s).

Militarization of Law Enforcement in America http://www.globalresearch.ca/militar...ontrol/5398855

People with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...lice/77059710/

Yeah, all you have to do is look at the psyche profiles of the perps in the mass shootings to get that statistic. Though seriously, can police really say "Oh you seem to be mentally ill. Hold on let me go get the therapist, but please don't shoot anyone while I'm gone OK?" Of course there are going to be more fatalities when a schizophrenic doesn't get medication and they have to do drastic measure to protect others. Their safety and public safety has to be taken into account as well.

I think that statistic will always be more be substantially higher (unfortunately), because even mental health is still a relatively young field and we are still learning to better detect problems. Usually it's the family or friends that have to detect it and the public is very poor at detecting potential problems (they think it's a behavioral problem) unless they are grossly exhibiting symptoms.

Maybe I need to get my husband to post here. He can more detailed.

[DemolitionRed]

Thanks for the reply Maru. We are ten miles offshore at the moment and my internet is unreliable so I'll reply with a better response tomorrow.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

Thanks for the reply Maru. We are ten miles offshore at the moment and my internet is unreliable so I'll reply with a better response tomorrow.

Oh that's funny, so is my husband. He is on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico right now on a deep sea-fishing trip with my uncle. No joke.

Take your time, there is no rush.

[DemolitionRed]

I imagine its much nicer being ten miles off the Gulf of Mexican than ten miles out in the North Sea!!

First of all, let me just say that its great to have someone with so much experience on this particular debate. I apologies if my statements seemed extreme, I tend to stay away from conspiracies and stick with main media stories. Unfortunately, we get lots of bad news regarding how American cops treat people and because we live on an island where the law of the land is run directly from one government, its easy to think it’s the same the world over, regardless of a countries size.

I do have a tendency to click on videos that have been linked to me on social media and a lot of them are about police brutality in the U.S.

My best friend lives on a marina in Baltimore for 6 months of the year and she doesn’t have a bad word to say about it. I however, watched ‘The Wire’ just after she left for her first summer and spent months worrying about her safety. I know, The Wire wasn’t real but it still influenced my thoughts on Baltimore.

The only thing she slates is the medical system but that’s because when her sister, who lives in NY, got cancer of the throat last year, her medical insurance, of which she’d paid for years tried everything to stop her being able to make a claim.

I too have a family member who suffers from mental illness and my grandpa, who died three years ago, like your mum had Parkinsons. My dad is a consultant psychiatrist and raised me to better understand mental illness and to be pro-active when it comes to fighting their corner. The trigger for me writing this thread was after watching that video of a mentally disturbed man being gunned down by a bunch of cops. It just made my blood boil.

I’m not going to go looking for links to send you because after listening to you, I don’t know which American papers are likely to conspire and exaggerate things and I don’t know if the English papers have done any homework with due diligence. Trump made **** up about England having ‘no go cities’ and I’ve been in a few discussion groups where Americans have brought this subject up. Sometimes, when we hear something often enough it starts to stick and becomes part of our belief system.

We also have problems with homelessness and we also try and help these people but inevitably, some slip through the net whilst others don’t want to be helped. Whilst you won’t find rough sleepers in Knightsbridge and Chelsea (expensive areas) because the police hassle them too much, you will see plenty in the poorer boroughs of London.
Unlike the U.S. we have an NHS but our care for the mentally ill is hugely reliant on friends and relatives. Care in the community hasn’t worked for those who have no family and a lot of these people are sleeping on park benches or shop doorways because their illness doesn’t allow them to function in society like you or I. When I said it’s a shame that these people prefer prison to being on the street, what I meant is, they should be able to get a structured environment in the outside world and not behind locked doors. I don’t think institutions are the answer but we, the human race should be able to help these people more than we do and when I say ‘we’ I mean the government. I’m pleased to hear that America is starting to follow the right model; the UK certainly isn’t.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

I imagine its much nicer being ten miles off the Gulf of Mexican than ten miles out in the North Sea!!

What's wrong with the North Sea? My husband caught some red snapper yesterday so that dinner today

I wrote a really long reply. I have to come back to reply to some of the other bits... Sorry it is already so long...

I wanted to give you a bit more context to what you are reading. I'm not a definitive source for law enforcement news in the US, but I can at least help provide general information that can help people decimate some of the news that comes out of here.

It's interesting what news you guys get. Sometimes I see things here that I haven't even heard of and I live here

I get the feeling most of what goes abroad is going to be a regurgitation of national news. National on the whole has gone way overboard and is more about ratings and entertainment level politics than taking a hard look at issues/discussing facts. I can't watch national for more than a few minutes. Especially this year, 100% of it is Trump National News Network. Most people are quite disgusted by it.

There are smaller networks and we have BBC World if on certain cable packages depending on how much you pay. Though BBC tends to be more international which is fine, because US international is non-existent. My husband loves to follow BBC in the radio form and would take it over ours any day. I hear more about what is going on in Europe and Asia on this site than I do through US news which is really sad.

I have a friend in Osaka that is like family and I've known him 15 years. When the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis happened, thankfully I can read Japanese so I followed it through the native newspaper. None of the English websites were covering it and they were delivering all kinds of facts and measures they were taking to get it under control. Japanese news is very fact/data driven. Got bits and pieces in English, but it was usually days late or never printed at all.

We are in our area to have good local news. We have about 10-12 stations that have been around since analog and I think about 50+ digital (over the air, not cable) now. Of those that were the original, 5 have a news crew/news show and are most are of them are very competitive. Some of them put out helicopters during the morning news for traffic and they tend to show more light-hearted stuff going on locally and within the community but we get good national news coverage as well. We still get crime reports like the others, but it's not nearly as dire as Baltimore.

Texas if you cut it off from the US (it's the only state with the ability to quit the union/secede in it's constitution), we would probably be just fine since we have a very robust economy and have access to the Gulf of Mexico and have strong import/export relations with other countries. We also have access to our own energy sources such as natural gas/petroleum as well. In fact, one of my Japanese friends who is living here on VISA with his wife works for a Japanese company that deals in natural gas and they are working on starting to outsource to Japan.

My husband is a native to Baltimore and I moved there in my early adulthood. Stayed almost 8 years and realized how much I took for granted back home. The local news in Baltimore is murder telly. It's mostly murders, shootings, robberies and doesn't seem to be as strong of a focus on the community. The people feel very plastic, very lifeless comparatively. The DC station is a little better, but they're not that competitive either, so it's mostly just some smaller spots on White House/Congressional politics. From what I saw, most people in MD watched national news.

Maryland is very blue/democrat/liberal, which usually means higher taxes and more social programs. To compare based on the size, Houston's sales tax is 8.75% (one of the highest) and MD is 6.25%. Houston/TX does not have an income tax which means we only file with the federal/US level, whereas in MD you have to pay both state and federal. MD also is considered an illegal "sanctuary state", so there were a lot of South Americans and Mexicans living in that area. They tend to be easier going about giving out benefits. They also give driver's licenses to illegals. I remember having to get basic licensing was like 15 minutes... in TX, it's more like waiting in a full lobby with other sweaty, hot, annoyed people for 9 hours and they are very inhospitable comparatively

Maryland Law PDF: http://www.procon.org/sourcefiles/Ma...mmigration.pdf

Law Description:

The law allows people without social security numbers to obtain a driver's license if they have filed a Maryland tax return or were claimed as a dependent of someone who filed a Maryland tax return for the past two years. The driver's license must have a design or color to distinguish it from other driver's licenses and identification cards, may not be used for federal identification purposes, and may not be used to purchase a firearm.

The gun laws in MD are very strict. It is nearly impossible to get a carry permit and they deny for spelling errors, etc. Basically, it's a headache which translates into a deterrent. It is not a gun friendly place and the populace on average are afraid of people who talk about them much less own them. Very weird place to live because people are very suspicious and sheltered.

DC also had a gun ban for a long time until recently it was lifted. Ironically enough, both DC and Baltimore have high crime/murder rates. When I was at the apartment a lot, the husband had to warn me if I did have an intruder, to hide in the bedroom before I took action... in MD, it is possible for the criminal to file suit against you for harming them for entering your home, whereas in TX trespassing is just cause.

People there tended to be very paranoid and sensitive about things that were out of the ordinary. I couldn't tell you what color, gender, or anything about 99% of my neighbors there. I walked to the bus stop everyday a few miles and honest truth. Nobody went outside. Immaculate homes and lawns, but they were more like facades. Whereas here, everyone is outside all the time working in their yard, talking to neighbors or at dusk walking the trails. My neighborhood was not particularly high income, though the homes were worth a lot more than they used to be, the town itself tried to preserve itself because it had some historic connections to the general area.

The police also seemed to be more knee jerk and severe when dealing with the populace. Most were not hospitable at all. Versus here where it's a little bit more laid back and they're much more willing to talk to you. In fact, it's part of the job and they like to ask questions about things they've had questions about in the area on patrol. They will take any information you give them and it's encouraged to be a good samaritan.

MD cops side-eyed if you tried to have a conversation with them... even though the area was low crime, they were constantly suspicious. I figured they needed they needed the validation and all since the area was low crime . For example, my husband once got the police called on him for carrying his guns in a case into the house from the trunk of his car. The cop didn't say he did anything wrong, but he did was curious about what he owned Most of his guns he would collect as antiques and some European/historic rifles used by Russia, Germany, etc.

The other thing about the northeast, space is limited and there are a lot of hills. NY, DC and Baltimore concentrated in those areas, which means housing is not cheap at all. A single family home that is a considered starter size (probably about 1000~1200 sqft) is going to run at least $250K and will be an older home. Most homes cost in the ballpark of $250~500K, and apartments cost at least $1000/mo for a studio/1 bedroom and those are very hard to find.

Also opening a small business, not only the cost of opening one, but the cost of maintaining, more often than not the smaller business cannot compete. So in MD, it's 10-20 to 1 chain to small business... meaning everything is pretty much national chains. Whereas in TX, it's the opposite, with small business/small chain being the majority and then your occasional chain.

Why is this relevant? Well, Baltimore is one of the cities that I mentioned because in the recent years, it's had BLM riots and the police/public have been clashing for ages. The corruption issues more than just suggestion, it's very well published that it has major problems. It's largely a black city and it's in trouble. Guess where your cheapest housing is? Baltimore. Guess where your crime is? Baltimore. I saw the income disparity too daily when I would take a bus from a smaller town to my job and college. The bus system there was very low income (ran every 2hrs) so not as fancy as the metro in Houston and limited route. So yeah, poorer people struggling to afford the cost of living there living next to people who had govt contracting jobs that were being paid in excess of 100K+ to do paper pushing that could afford the mortgage for a half a million dollar home. Huge contrast.

We lived in-between Columbia and Laurel. Columbia is a DC suburb and Laurel used to be a decent sub, but it's gone done hill since a lot of the crime element has moved into the cheaper housing there. Howard County which is where Columbia is has one of the highest income disparities in the country. Actually, crime related, Columbia had a shooter in the mall murder some employees... I used to work there across from the shop it occurred I just remembered.

Baltimore is a about 15-30 minute drive depending on where you are located in that general area. It's also close to areas like DC, the NSA, NJ, Ft Meate, The FCC (it claims it's an FCC, it's probably NSA... has huge satellites within a dome surrounded by a black fence and is never open .. ), and a bunch of other contractors that more or less fuel the income in this area. There is PA as well, which is cheaper to live, but it's still a 2-3hr drive out of the cities.

So all these great well-paying jobs exist, but nobody on the bottom can get access to them so they're stuck working at the very expensive chain stores that pay minimum wage. So they can't ever leave the ghetto because everything within a reasonable distance is not only overpriced but jobs are limited and the ones that are accessible are low-paying... oh and aside from community college, the university very likely will put you in the hole on student loans for $50K~100K.

Pretty easy to see why Baltimore spiraled out of control, why the attraction to gangs and crime is so strong and why the police are having trouble keeping it under control. When they do try to do more as the public asks them to do, they're accused of doing it too much and then it just yo-yos back and forth as one politician with a scandal get oust to open the door for another that's just as corrupt to repeat the cycle again.

So overall, NY, Chicago, cities that are older and are in more densely populated areas particularly with high income disparities in their immediate counties are areas where you would probably see some police forces becoming more about enforcement rather and less working with the community.

I know NYPD has been another one of the big names and that's largely been the spectacle of the likes of websites like Gawker Media (though they filed bankrupcy recently) which is heavily left leaning that have put out hit pieces on TX and NYPD and the police in recent years for not fitting that agenda. I will say for their website though, they do have a wonderful commenter base and some surprisingly well-reasoned commentary comes out of there. So if you do read Gawker, read for the comments. A lot of people post first-hand information... and even if it is second-hand, you at least get some other ideas from that. If you can accept it's left-leaning and very biased, it's a good source for the conversation going on on the side of over-militarization/anti-gun/pro-immigration, etc....

The national media for some reason only seems to focus on California and the Northeast. TV national media is particularly bad about this. There's a lot of great places to live that don't have half the issues some of the Northern states have in the south and even in the midwest (partially because they have more space and are younger areas). That's why you probably hear from those areas, they're not generating the kind of headlines that support the type of doom and gloom, "but we're 'Murica', we're great" narrative that the national media likes to spin now. The northeast metros in general are more densely populated, the cost of living much higher and the media and populace there tend to have a more globalized way of looking at things (DC, NY particular). Though like anywhere, it depends on where you live within the grand larger scheme of things. Whereas in central US and southern US, it's more of a laid back, rural, small town way of thinking, plenty of space to grow, lots of un-populated land still and newer cities/construction... Baltimore is a good model to read up on if you want to know what a struggling city in the US looks like (), especially in relevance to BLM issues

Houston is a good contrast city because it's massive and has a long-standing minority community, is not as old as some of the other cities and good access to natural resources nearby which means it can run cheaper than some other places while delivering a reasonable quality of life. It has a stable economy and even during the recession, it didn't hurt that bad (especially since oil was so high) and we have petrol refineries in the city though that does mean higher pollution and cancer rates are higher. Most of Texas is not as densely populated or not heavily populated at all, so this area has all the space to just keep growing and growing for a very long time to come.

We're building a third Beltway around the city now and it is developing massively that direction. The only issue we're having though now is that it's covering flood plains with cement and is causing more volume to need to drain and so floods are more common now. It's also very flat and very easy to build into a grid. Land is also cheap. Cost of living is very reasonable and pricing, etc is very flexible.

There is a strong progressive movement here in the West side of town. Healthy and vocal LGBT community here. They have their own district where there are a lot of clubs. I've been to shops with transgender shopkeepers. Doesn't feel out of place at all. Our last mayor was a gay woman and just ended on a term limit. Lots of older buildings being demolished or reused in some fashion to be more modern style (square/cube buildings). There is a vast trail network between the bayou/waterways system. The Houston Bike Plan is about to be looked at and hopefully if they pass that, we'll have more lanes for riders and some of the trails are supposed to get paved for bikes. So we have all the benefits the progressive movement encourages without going too overboard.

Houston is also a port city so there's even more jobs if you're willing to ride a boat and those and come go through the Ship Channel. We also have two airports and a couple of smaller ones as well as NASA and other airspace related industries and all that other jazz. I'm sure there's more I'm missing.

We bought a home for sub $100K about a year and half ago. It would've cost us $350K+ or so to live in MD and with less jobs, especially blue collar work where most people there were paid minimum wage, you can open your own shop here as long as you're willing to work to network for your clientele...

Just to give you an idea of the size of the Grand Parkway that is being built...

When it's finished:


Versus Ireland


This page lists a few other places:
http://www.chron.com/houston/article...p#photo-901719

I think I'm done lol

[Geistkrieger]

Hi folks. I'm Maru's husband. I'm sunburned to a nice shade of red after being out in the Gulf of Mexico!

She asked me to weigh in on this discussion so let me get one thing out of the way since she's given enough info to where a little bit of searching will tell you exactly where I work.

Anything stated from this point forward is my opinion and is not the official opinion of my agency and I am not an official spokesman for my agency. To that end, I am an individual participating in a conversation that could possibly be had at any other time and place.

I'm not sure if that clarifies anything, but the fact that I need to make a disclaimer should give you all an idea of how much "CYA" needs to be done, even in our personal lives. This extends to our conversations outside of work where we aren't allowed to discuss some things for fear of giving unauthorized information in regard to ongoing criminal investigations. Needless to say, this sort of compartmentalization does create a sort of detachment at times in the personal lives of many officers which can cause the kind of disconnect from the public I see mentioned.

Anyways, I see lots of commentary about how the US police interact with the mentally ill. I'm glad to see the interest in the welfare of others. Its important to understand some of the major reasons that the jails and police are constantly interacting with the mentally ill is that the US started closing facilities for the mentally ill in the 1950's. During the 1960's the US changed how those that remained functioned. In doing so, the Federal Government suddenly had to shoulder the financial burden and it was in its own interest to shut down additional facilities, thereby reducing the financial footprint. By shutting these facilities down, those who had been housed there were released into a world they were/are ill prepared to function in. When these individuals would have interactions with the "normal" populace, the immediate response was/is to call the police. The police are suddenly thrust into the role of trying to provide services to these individuals who often have a distrust of authorities and have problems communicating, further exacerbating the issue.

The mentally ill often know that the police are there to take care of a "problem" and catch the "bad guys". Imagine the surprise and dismay someone goes through when they're told they are the problem when they are doing things they consider perfectly normal. Add into that the inability to communicate thoughts or ideas.

Let's take this a hypothetical direction. An autistic individual is stopped because he's trying to talk to everyone going into a Starbucks late at night. Eventually, the police are called. The police show up and the autistic person is stopped. I don't know how much you know about autism, but for some, they are hypersensitive to stimuli. This can result in confusion. Additionally, normal social interactions are out the window. Some will refuse to look people in the eye. Some will yell will speaking will do. Some will make nervous movements. For this example, we'll say our individual is digging around in their pockets and shuffling his feet.

Let's shift gears to what the police see. Let's suggest the officer arrives alone at first. While trying to speak to this individual they've never met before, they see him fussing with his pockets. Does he have a weapon? A gun? A knife? How close are they? Generally speaking, within 21 feet a knife wielding assailant can be stabbing you before you can draw your weapon. He's shuffling his feet. Is he getting ready to rush the officer? He seems confused and won't look the officer in the eye. He keeps twitching and shying away when looking at the officer standing by the flashing lights on his car. Is he on drugs? Individuals who are high on drugs can have inhuman strength because internal stop signs (pain) don't function anymore, allowing the muscles to function beyond the point their brain would tell him to stop. This means "less lethal" options like tasers and OC Spray are useless. Why's he yelling? The officer isn't that far away. He won't respond to the officers orders and seems to be getting more agitated. The patrons see the police arrive and are watching every move the officer makes. Are they in the line of fire if things go bad? The officer doesn't want any innocent bystanders hurt, so he starts telling them to back away. The individual he was called to speak to starts getting more agitated. The officer has to turn his attention back to the individual while trying to tell the patrons to clear the area for their own safety.

All of these things run through an officers mind the moment he makes it to the scene. This is just one example of what happens when an officer is expected to come and resolve a situation because that is what the public expects him or her to do and has to do it correctly.

Let's get back to our example from the point of view of the autistic person.

Anger is often a secondary emotion to frustration and fear. This generates hostility. The officer is yelling commands at the autistic individual. The autistic person is scared and the flashing lights are confusing. The autistic person isn't understanding what is going on and becomes even further confused. Unable to communicate, he gets frustrated and starts getting angry. He knows there's a bus station on the corner nearby but he needs to get away from the all the stimuli and the only way to get to that bus stop is past the flashing lights. He starts running. He's running towards the officer who is now forced to make a decision.

What do you do? Remember, 21 feet is all it takes to determine if you go home or go out in a bodybag, and that's assuming good reflexes. Let's suggest backup arrives behind the officer. All they see is a guy with his hands in his pockets running at the initial officer. They're forced to make the same decision. Maybe they can't see everything the officer in front can and they make the decision to shoot.

I understand this is a long hypothetical situation but the point is that we have the luxury of time to analyze our options. For those familiar with American Football, there's a saying called "Monday Morning Quarterbacking". Since most games are played on Sunday and people talk about the games on Monday, it's easy to sit down and analyze all the mistakes made and say what a player should or shouldn't have done.

If you'd rather, there's a 30 second officer bodycam clip that will let you visualize a similar situation to the one I just posited and I want you to consider how much time you have to react. It's a video that is shown in some of our trainings and I will give you an unfair advantage. Your reaction time starts on when you hear the squeaking of shoes. That squeaking is when the officers say the individual charged them.

https://youtu.be/-aALArJP4rw


Now understand that I don't say this to excuse shooting individuals down. I say it in an attempt to show you how quickly a situation can turn lethal. Shortly after this happened as well as a couple of other shootings, a local rights activist named Quannell X was offered a chance to go through some of the same Shoot-Don't Shoot scenarios that Law Enforcement goes through. Watch how he fared as well as how another activist and a reporter fared in Phoenix, AZ.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/a-wal...lice/148779412

https://youtu.be/yfi3Ndh3n-g

I know that in the UK, firearms are very strictly legislated. Some folks I've spoken to have said that if firearms were subject to similar restrictions in the US, there'd be less crime. I can also say after having worked as a security officer in the streets of Baltimore that a good number of the people I was interacting with were more heavily armed than I was. Luckily, I knew how to speak to them and eventually, after the initial interaction, we were usually at least amicable. I knew that many of them didn't want to carry a weapon, but I also knew that what they were exposed to gave them a high chance of being victimized and that they had no alternative method to protect themselves. Compared to other U.S. states, Maryland has some of the most draconian firearms laws in the nation but it's important to remember that criminals are already intent on breaking the law. A firearms law isn't something they really concern themselves with.

When you understand how small the city is and how high the murder rate is for a city of its size, it makes more sense. For those who have seen "The Wire", it does sensationalize some things but there are portions of it that are accurate portrayals of the area with some stories pulled straight from the headlines. Probably the funniest thing about "The Wire" is that the city of Baltimore was so unhappy with the light it was being portrayed in, they banned the producers from filming in Baltimore anymore. Not to be deterred, they moved production to Philadelphia, PA which acted as a stand-in for the city of Baltimore when needed.

In the example of Baltimore, you should also be aware that 63% of the population is black, almost 31% is white, and almost 25% of the city is considered impoverished by the Federal Government. If most of your population is of one race, it's somewhat impossible to say that one race is being targeted over another. There's simply a higher chance of encountering someone who is black rather than white in Baltimore. Obviously I can't speak for other places and won't but to suggest otherwise would be akin to being surprised to find someone of Asian descent in China. I think it's also pertinent to mention that among black males in the US, Homicide is the leading cause of death for age groups 15-24 and 25-34 per the US Center for Disease Control.

In terms of militarizing the police, what you're seeing is an evolution of weapons and tactics on both sides of the law. One could say something similar about being under the ever watchful CCTV cameras in use by the Metropolitan Police Service. The MPS utilizes CCTV for the obvious reasons that it allows them to review the footage for potential evidence where there might have been none otherwise. In the US, booby-trapped doors and things of that nature are seen in areas of high drug traffic. One man booby trapped the door to his trailer in 2013 with a "Spring Gun" (essentially a shotgun rigged to go off if the door is opened) and accidentally shot his niece who had come to give him his eviction papers. Another individual holed up in his house in Houston after already having shot two officers. It resulted in the SWAT team bringing in an armored vehicle to create an entry and the individual still firing at officers. He was taken into custody alive.

Probably one of the most enduring tactics and equipment related reasons has been the North Hollywood Bank of America shootout. Two individuals armed with illegally modified rifles to allow for fully automatic fire and body armor entered a Bank of America and robbed it. At the time, most officers only carried a 9mm pistol or a 40 cal pistol. Additionally, a 12 Gauge shotgun might have been in the trunk of an officers car. Both of pistols were incapable of penetrating the armor worn by the bank robbers. Additionally, the robbers were more able to engage officers due to them being limited to the range at which a handgun can be fired accurately versus a rifle. The officers on the scene ended up going to a nearby gun store and borrowed semi-auto rifles to give themselves a fighting chance until SWAT arrived because they were unable to stop the robbers with their standard equipment.

Simply put, the police need equipment to ensure they safely make through each day. As threats grow more numerous in size, style, and scope, the amount and types of gear needed to respond to each threat increases. As the Scout saying goes, "Always be prepared". SWAT stands for Special Weapons And Tactics. This means that they are by definition going to be extensively equipped compared to your standard officer on the street. Agencies also have their own take on SWAT. HROU (High Risk Operations Unit) for example is inherently dangerous as the name implies and are also extensively equipped.

Finally, on the brutality of the police, I think it's a fairly obvious comment that a regular old traffic stop that results in a ticket for speeding isn't going to make headlines or stoke outrage. The public won't seize upon things like that. It's inherently boring and pedestrian and that's the point. You won't see stories about that sort of thing. It's not newsworthy. Even this story about Deputies who stopped and played basketball with some local kids got a quick little blurb and then was forgotten in the local news and wasn't ever picked up by the national media.

http://abc13.com/news/video-deputies...-kids/1172984/

In regard to US media, Maru is pretty much spot on with her analysis of US news. I listen to the BBC sometimes because it is one of the only places I can get news about the US without it having a political spin attached to it. Basically, they don't seem to pull any shenanigans because they don't usually have anything to gain from doing so. Any time you read US news, one has to ask if there's a bias. There are websites that have sprung up purely to fact check the US media and are doing exceptionally well during the new election cycle. The priority is sensational news to get people to tune in and increase their ratings. I'm sure many of you have clicked on a link with an outrageous title only to have it be bogus or an exaggeration. There are many times that those outrageous titles are simply a cover for an agenda, often times using shreds of truth to try and tie together the narrative they want you to believe.

Personally, I feel inclined to let you folks know that we have patrol units with a civilian clinician working alongside a specially trained deputy. I also feel you should know that we are seen as a model for other agencies around the country that others are starting to mimic. Our unit has had a few documentaries come through as well. We also have a jail-based unit that, in addition to the standard required training, also has approximately 120 hours of additional coursework based completely in Mental Health related issues and tactics for deescalating situations. We also work hand-in-hand with the jailhouse SWAT team and act as negotiators in an attempt to gain compliance before that team is deployed. We also interact and speak with inmates who make claims of being actively suicidal or having thoughts of suicide. While not clinicians or doctors, we play a valuable role in gaining information from the inmates so that the doctor has some idea of the individuals issues, history, etc. It should be noted that we screen every single inmate who comes to our jail for both physical and mental health issues. It slows down our processing but in the long run is beneficial to our inmates. This is all in addition to managing the care, custody, and control of our own mentally ill inmates that are housed within our unit. On a personal note, I would say that the population can be broken down into thirds. 1/3 have legitimate psychological issues. Whether that's the result of drug use or just how they are doesn't matter to us. Another 1/3 have issues that can be controlled with medication and as long as they are compliant with their medications, we see a marked difference in their behavior. The final 1/3 are malingerers. I've been told by individuals there that they made the claim to try and beat their case. They also said they did it to get prescription medications to use as currency for favors. There have also been statements made that they did it so that when they leave the jail they can claim to have mental issues and be given a free disability check. Finally, there are constant reports that the malingerers routinely make claims so that they are assigned to the mental health housing areas because the mentally ill are easy prey when it comes to taking things which do not belong to them.

I started to talk about some of the things I've personally done and experienced, but I don't want to pat myself on the back. What I will say is that officers often appear distant because they spend their day looking for deception, knowing that one mistake can cost their lives. It can make folks cynical. I think it's important though to leave you with one last bit of something for thought. A few days ago, an inmate approached me and asked if we (the officers) see them (the inmates) as just a herd of people to be controlled or if we see them as individuals. I told him yes on both counts and explained that while there are certain precautions that I and other officers take when dealing with inmates as a general rule for our safety, I much prefer to speak to people on an individual level and that being respectful on both sides of the spectrum works much better for everyone involved. It's much easier to hear someone's problems out when they aren't cursing you and everyone you've ever known.

Lastly, I'm happy people want to be a part of change, however I also think talk is just that, talk. Until they participate in being part of the changes, nothing will change. I've said it before and continue to say it when people ask about change in Law Enforcement. "Be the change you want to see!"

I do hope some of this has been insightful and is somewhat explanatory. There are other topics I've seen mentioned here that I wanted to address from my perspective, but my time is limited, so have a good night!

P.S. - GET A LIFE! BIN THAT KNIFE!