General Discussion

IdaBriggs

(10,559 posts) Wed Jun 25, 2014, 06:11 AM Jun 2014

Guns & Police - Evidence vs Anecdote?

Disclaimer: My (deceased) father spent his thirty year career involved with law enforcement. He carried a concealed weapon for personal protection due to regular death threats. To my knowledge he never aimed his weapon at a human being.

There have been a rash of stories about children, dogs and elderly people being shot/killed by active duty police officers. This creates a perception of an out of control militarized police force being more dangerous to law abiding citizens than to dangerous criminals.

As a believer in our citizenship government, with citizen oversight of public issues including safety from criminal attack, this concerns me a great deal.

1) I don't want to be shot.

2) I don't want my family to be shot.

3) I don't want friends and other community members (including police officers) to be shot.

I believe guns have two actual purposes: to shoot and to intimidate with the threat of shooting.

I know that levels of training for conflict resolution vary by jurisdiction and budget. I know that perception of the level of danger from someone who appears to be behaving erratically due to either emotional upset, chemical mood alteration or mental handicap can vary between reasonable individuals. I know that domestic disturbance calls can go "bad" very quickly when more than one of these issues comes into play.

I know that police officers have been killed during routine traffic stops by "normal" appearing citizens with criminal history. I know there are entire communities where police officers are viewed as corrupt liars who unfairly target vulnerable law abiding citizens. I know "don't talk to the police" can be good advice regardless of whether one is breaking a law or not.

So I have a few questions for discussion purposes.

Are there any actual studies on how often "pointing a gun by law enforcement is necessary" versus "maybe it could have been handled differently?"

Is there regular reporting to citizens (who pay for the equipment) about its use?

Are these types of issues truly common place, with rare media attention being drawn some of the most blatant egregious abuses of power, or is the perception of danger being fed by the sensationalism of a few cases?

What citizen oversights are currently in place in your community to make sure "bad apples" stay out of the barrel?

How safe do you personally feel when interacting with the law enforcement community?

3 replies

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Highlight:

Guns & Police - Evidence vs Anecdote? (Original Post) IdaBriggs Jun 2014 OP

The biggest issue imo pipoman Jun 2014 #1

The whole warrior mentality has to end damnedifIknow Jun 2014 #2

A police officer's primary priority is to go home unhurt at the end of the shift Lurks Often Jun 2014 #3

pipoman

(16,038 posts)

1. The biggest issue imo

Reply to IdaBriggs (Original post)

Wed Jun 25, 2014, 09:07 AM

Jun 2014

Is the defense of those who behave badly and lack of discipline of those who do make bad decisions or behave badly. Another problem is the militarization of street cops. Another problem is asset forfeiture making copping profitable. Police aren't really charged with providing safety from criminal attack, they are charged with investigating criminal acts after they occur. ..something they rarely do when a fellow police officer is involved.

damnedifIknow

(3,183 posts)

2. The whole warrior mentality has to end

Reply to IdaBriggs (Original post)

Wed Jun 25, 2014, 09:57 AM

Jun 2014

Stop sending war toys to the police. Treat them as if they are in a war and they start to believe it. The main thing in my opinion is to start prosecuting these so called bad apples which just might put a dent in the number of abuse cases. If the police think they are above the law then we have a major problem on our hands.

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)

3. A police officer's primary priority is to go home unhurt at the end of the shift

Reply to IdaBriggs (Original post)

Wed Jun 25, 2014, 10:12 AM

Jun 2014

They spend most of their time dealing with a public that doesn't like them and sometimes wants to kill them. They get to respond to calls that often show the worst people can do to each other and they are the ones who get to deal with the results. They work crappy hours, on holidays and in horrible weather. Divorce rates are high and they often suffer from heart and back problems. They have to make life or death decisions in a second or two. And what do they get from us in return: contempt, hate, and criticism more often then not and we rarely give them the benefit of waiting for all the facts before we judge them in the court of public opinion.

Having said that, yes I think that the use of SWAT has gotten out of hand, I think that being able to seize the money and property of people needs to be re-evaluated and most of all, I think that prosecutors need to start charging the officers that truly break the law and that police departments need to be able fire officers for cause more easily, something that police unions are far too successful at preventing.

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