Politics BLM protests across the US

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If even the Daily Mail - the newspaper that supported Hitler - say the stats are horseshit, that's probably not great.

 
"America has a gun problem", in what way? I have guns but I'm not shooting anyone. The people who go on to mass murder merely use firearms as a means to an end. Because of mental health issues, an inability to cope, or out of frustration whether at themselves or the people around them. Odd how it's the school victim of bullying that goes on to murder, not the captain of the football team. There needs to be debate about mental health and support as much as gun control. There is a lot to unpack here.
 
The way I see it, America has a policing problem. And BLM shouldn't be protesting to defund the police, but to provide better funding. Normally I try to avoid coming across as the smug European who tells the Yanks what they're doing wrong, but policing is one of the few things I'm convinced is done better in Europe. And here's why: 18.000 police departments, 90% of which with 50 employees or less? That's a recipe for chaos.

We pay higher taxes over here in Western Europe and our municipalities have large budgets, yet still I'm certain my hometown could not properly 1. fund, 2. recruit, 3. train and 4. equip a police force to the highest of standards. There's a reason why in most countries law enforcement falls under the purview of higher subdivisions or even the central government: It's costly and requires thorough standardisation.

I'm told some American police departments provide as little as 18 weeks of training. I'm not surprised that officers this ill-prepared would be prone to over-reacting on streets more dangerous than our own. And yet European police agencies train their officers for 2 years and more, despite our crime rates being lower and gun violence being relatively uncommon. I can't help but see a link there.

These inadequacies could be solved by better funding. And since no one likes tax raises (particularly stateside), the other (and better) option would be to make policing a matter of the state. I just see no reason for local communities to run their own police departments, especially if they're too small or too poor to generate decent revenue. A reorganisation like that would also make policing more cost-effective (economies of scale).
 
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The way I see it, America has a policing problem. And BLM shouldn't be protesting to defund the police, but to provide better funding. Normally I try to avoid coming across as the smug European who tells the Yanks what they're doing wrong, but policing is one of the few things I'm convinced is done better in Europe. And here's why: 18.000 police departments, 90% of which with 50 employees or less? That's a recipe for chaos.

We pay higher taxes over here in Western Europe and our municipalities have large budgets, yet still I'm certain my hometown could not properly 1. fund, 2. recruit, 3. train and 4. equip a police force to the highest of standards. There's a reason why in most countries law enforcement falls under the purview of higher subdivisions or even the central government: It's costly and requires thorough standardisation.

I'm told some American police departments provide as little as 18 weeks of training. I'm not surprised that officers this ill-prepared would be prone to over-reacting on streets more dangerous than our own. And yet European police agencies train their officers for 2 years and more, despite our crime rates being lower and gun violence being relatively uncommon. I can't help but see a link there.

These inadequacies could be solved by better funding. And since no one likes tax raises (particularly stateside), the other (and better) option would be to make policing a matter of the state. I just see no reason for local communities to run their own police departments, especially if they're too small or too poor to generate decent revenue. A reorganisation like that would also make policing more cost-effective (economies of scale).
I'm a cop in California and you bring up good points. I don't necessarily feel like breaking this post down right now but here's something to consider - the way law enforcement in the US has been treated by the media and politicians in the last few years has made the job less desirable. We have more people retiring and less people coming on to replace them. For many, this is no longer a lucrative career and most departments are struggling to recruit. While I agree that more training is needed, municipalities will only continue to lower standards (such as prior education and work experience) and training to hire enough warm bodies. This is what directly led to the hiring of at least some of the officers involved in the Memphis incident. I doubt a 2 year training program would have made some of those guys better cops or human beings.

Think of it this way - if a European-style training regimen gets implemented, it will only serve to cut down on an ever dwindling pool of recruits, leaving us in an even worse situation. A revamp of police training in the US needs to go hand in hand with a revamp of how society (IE the left wing media and other associated groups) views us. In short, we're fu*ked.
 
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Speaking from New Zealand, police are struggling to recruit as we lower the standards, which means we're not the winning team anymore, and it becomes a self-fulfilling cycle. We're getting those with no higher education, work experience, or life skills. Or values for that matter. So as crime goes on unabated, we are feeling good about ourselves because we more diverse and inclusive and tolerant*. And the people coming into the job want to be treated special because they were told they are when recruited. Making them difficult to work with. And we start at the beginning again.

*Tolerant of people we agree with.
 
You're right about the self-fulfilling cycle. In the US, most large metropolitan police departments are no longer overwhelmingly white (or at least now have more minorities). So the media and politicians are trying to spin the old "racist white cops" angle into a general hatred for all things police. When race no longer fits the narrative, they just go on an all out attack. I've been on the job for 7 years so I don't consider myself too much of a veteran. But I have 25 years left until retirement and I don't know if I will get there. At this point I'm just taking it year by year, which is sad since this is all I ever wanted to do since I was a child.
 
Just to finish my point, yeah, I'm riled... The department ignores the 80-90% majority trying to appeal to / accommodate / appease the 10% margin, who will never be happy with enough, and the majority don't care about because they're too busy trying to get through the day and make end meet. And, it's not as if the criminals are trying to meet the same inclusiveness targets, because they don't care, either.
 
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:mad: :mad: :mad:
 
If even the Daily Mail - the newspaper that supported Hitler - say the stats are horseshit, that's probably not great.

those stats are true, or very close. its not hard to corroborate.
 
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I live 40 miles from Baton Rouge and it's a combat zone. All southern cities are now lost, soon to come your home towns. I remember back to the interference in South Africas affairs when we can't take care of our own problems at home. So much pandering taking place you can now steal rape rob and pillage and be rewarded for it.
 
Well this kiddo rang on the wrong doorbell.

Worth reporting because BLM are now protesting in this city, by the look of it a 16 year old black teen without a criminal record whose mistake might have been to confuse an address. Not good.

 
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Rang the wrong doorbell.
Entered the wrong house.


Approached the wrong house.


Begged the neighbors?

But he is fine apparently.

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Meanwhile...

 
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