Originally posted by qaz:
Gee, I didn't know you were making the rules for this topic.
I realize that you are trained to take control of situations, but save that for the job, ok?
It's my topic, I started it, and if I want to bring politics into it, I will.
You don't want me to bring politics into it, not because it's irrelevant (it is very relevant), but because you don't feel comfortable discussing politics as related to police issues.
It is most certainly not relevant to the discussion at hand. Your motivation in introducing politics here is becoming more evident all the time. I was trying to keep this from turning into a flame fest. Obviously you can't resist.
It's all about power, isn't it? Who polices the police?
You bring up cases where departments have been sued. Very nice. I might suggest that a little keeping the department in order would go a long
way towards making sure that those cases don't get won. (They are, after all, determined by a jury, are they not?) But, of course, that would require admitting that the department isn't perfect,
which you can't do because you want people to (1)fear and (2)respect the police (and are trained to make them do that via psychological techniques).
And now you have turned it into a personal attack on me. Sorry, not going to fall for it. Think what you will. I am secure in the knowledge that I spent a great many years, before I became a police officer, and held the same values and beliefs that I do today. I know you can't accept that, because for you, it is impossible to conceive of a world where everyone does not think and behave as you would. Must be the reason you are so frustrated. If you can't see the wrong in the example I cited, then I pity you, for your view on the world is even narrower than I suspected.
"conventional wisdom" is that people don't fear and respect that which has admitted it has flaws.
Am I now getting to the crux of the matter here?
Show me anything that doesn't have flaws..... in other words, you are arguing here for the sake of arguement.
Apparently someone has recognized a problem, since "community policing" seems to be an attempt to improve the public image of the police.
Brian
No, again you are mistaken. Community Policing is an effort to increase police effectiveness through community involvement. A side benefit is that it increases the public image of the police. See the quote:
"You yell something's got to be done to fight crime, but you can't be bothered to get involved."
I suspect that fits you rather well.
