This department's approach to stopping systemic racism could be a blueprint for America
In 2012, their police department disbanded. The new police force has become the gold standard for police and community relations.

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https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/protests/stopping-systemic-racism-in-police-departments-protests/65-c8f377a4-c2d4-4659-86e0-3fd13ec3dbc2

the feds do it. Everyone has to reapply, no unions. A very lengthy process to be hired. No sheriffs or Chiefs.

It will take a long time, but it will be the same process wherever a citizen goes. Can also change the job descriptions, which is very important.

If states, then it will be run like the state troopers. They also have huge issues.

I am sick of people in other states voting away my rights.

All communities have their specific problems and needs. Until Trump and Bill Barr are gone the feds need to stay a million miles away, and even after that their involvement should be limited to civil rights complaints and consent decrees.

State use the cops for funding the local economy. It’s why they shake down the poor areas. No one who lives there can afford a attorney for a lengthy fight.

Got to remove the financial incentives. Only a federal budget can fix.

to enforcing federal civil rights laws, which is where all those consent decrees came from, and which Trump's DoJ has vacated. The House is working on legislation to prohibit certain police actions, but in the absence of directed federal legislation (which might not pass at all, at least not yet), the federal government can't just take over and reform local police departments.

cities have rolled over for the so-called police federations that have hamstrung all efforts at reform. If the departments themselves have been drastically reorganized and significant funding directed to non-law-enforcement functions, the cities would have a lot more leverage to negotiate. And maybe some reformist cops, if there are enough, would choose a different union to represent them.

For one thing, a precinct can't just "disband," since it's only a geographic division of a city police department (in a city big enough to have precincts). The city government would have to do that, and what they would do is simply merge or reorganize existing precincts. More importantly, nobody is talking about actually disbanding, that is, eliminating any police department anywhere. The conversation is about drastically restructuring them so they are demilitarized and functions not involving serious crime are spun off to other, non-police personnel like social workers. "Disbanding" is a misnomer that the GOP will use to their advantage if we don't immediately recognize it as such.

Kind of policing with better laws. My take on it is this is the only way around the strong unions that are keeping these bad cops in their job. To totally disband and start anew gets rid of the union.

I guess the new employees could form a new union but I am not sure how it would work.

State, County and City Officials and legislative bodies that fail to do their duty to pass laws that prevent overreach by Police and to negotiate contracts with the Police Unions that are fair to the workers but also protect the public are where the answer lie.

they call themselves federations - are, in fact, a huge part of the problem. Unlike most labor unions, they are extremely conservative, and they don't limit their efforts to negotiating wages and working conditions. What they do is protect the worst officers and prevent all attempts at disciplining them, let alone firing them. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html

since my parents were steelworkers were little different.

They pushed for better wages and working conditions.

They spent on political campaigns for elected representatives that would look favorably on their causes. Now giving the steel mills a hard time, now cutting them slack when they were in steep decline and needed help.

They spent money for lawyers in defending their members against charges of negligence or incompetence. This, in addition to the grievance procedures already in place, with layers of appeals after an initial decision was reached. From time to time if the rank-and-file was pissed at a manager, there'd be several grievances filed per day. Even if every single one was dismissed, it would be a mess for the plant and for the guy involved as he tried to defend himself, and sometimes after the first 20 or 30 they'd just dispose of the manager not for anything he did wrong but just because of the mob.


The student employees' union (UAW affiliated) where I was a grad student did the same kind of thing. Protect current workers, always saying that if there was more pay suddenly they'd be much better workers.

The difference isn't process but the specifics of the outcomes.

The new Camden PD uses far more community-oriented policing methods.

Crime is down there, and goodwill between cops and citizens is up.

Minneapolis may be looking at doing the same thing. It may be the most pragmatic way to purge the racist bulletheads from the force and bypass the pushback from police unions.

And I really don't like the framing of "Defund the police" or "Dispand the police" - bad wording, bad framing, it'll tie us in knots trying to explain nuance while FOX "News" goes to town.

has a wonderful, chock full of information last night called, Policing. Chalk full of info that will allow you to be a part of the conversation. I sent it to a 27, 25, and 22 year old insisting they all listening so they will know what conversation to have, since they converse, to many. Many their age.