Have we overmilitarized our police forces?

Rational discussion of "hot" issues that affect Asturias, the US, etc.<br>
Discusión racional de temas acalorados que afectan a Asturias, EE.UU., etc.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Xose
Posts: 332
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:13 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.

Have we overmilitarized our police forces?

Post by Xose »

There seems to be a trend in this country whereby the police are becoming less and less civilian protectors of the people and more and more of a military-type shock force, willing to use unjustified force to subdue suspects or borderline illegal coersion to trick people into giving up their civil rights.

More often than ever you see police officers in military-style clothing, with military-style weapons and tactics (for example, my home town, with a population of a scant 7,000 people, has a K-9 unit—why?). It's only natural, then, for the officers to begin to think of themselves as a military unit, not a part of the population in general.

You see an example of the first problem cited above in the video of a recent tasering incident at UCLA. The police there taser a student multiple times instead of simply handcuffing and arresting him. More troubling is that his charge was not being in possession of his student ID. Hardly a major offense.

The second problem, that of coersion of suspects by trickery or intimidation, can be seen simply by watching the show "Cops." Time and again, suspects stopped for a minor infraction are told that the cops will go easy on them if they consent to a search of their vehicle. This is not true. The cops cannot "go harder" on you if you do not cooperate, and you are under NO OBLIGATION to grant a search of your vehicle, which is why the police ask for permission. Check out this great instructional video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 0501823&q=
police+aclu+know+your+rightshttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8520847761350501823&q=police+aclu+know+your+rights) by the ACLU advising Americans of their rights when confronted by the police. It should be required viewing in civics classes (as if they still taught civics nowadays).

Also troubling is the habit of police officers to refer to the general populace as "civilians," as if they somehow have a lower status. In fact, the police officers are civilians as well.

I fully understand that being a police officer is a demanding, dangerous, and many times, thankless job. That's why I'm very grateful to the citizens of this country who choose the calling to protect and serve us. But having a dangerous, important job does not give a police organization or individual officers free reign to trample over the rights of the populace.
User avatar
Eli
Moderator
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:00 pm
Location: Luray, VA. US

Post by Eli »

You don't want to get me started on this subject.... lol
User avatar
Xose
Posts: 332
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:13 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.

Post by Xose »

Sure I do, that's why I asked!

8)
User avatar
Art
Site Admin
Posts: 4489
Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2003 4:50 am
Location: Maryland

Post by Art »

Elí, do the cops have your name?

¿Elí, los polis tienen tu nombre?
User avatar
Eli
Moderator
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:00 pm
Location: Luray, VA. US

Post by Eli »

Instead of rehashing something that will likely get me going again, I'll post a link to where I vented at the time http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=771024
there I went by elids the service is now defunct.
---------------

En vez de repetir lo que me molesto tanto, simplemente voy a poner un enlace al lugar donde me desfogue en su oportunidad
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=771024
en ese lugar hiba por elids ya cancelaron el servicio.
Post Reply

Return to “Political Discussion - Discusión política”