The problem with the police

I've seen a lot of examples in the protest forum of police abusing their power. It seems like every day, someone new is getting arrested even though they haven't broken any law or done anything wrong. Weather it's someone being arrested for reading the constitution, or some collage student being brutally and violently arrested for asking John Kerry a question at a political forum, there is something seriously going wrong with the police in this country.

I don't like the police in america. I don't like them, I don't trust them, and I don't think that they are doing their duty to serve and protect.

But I'm not an anarchist. I like the idea of police. I think that, if it wasn't for people being afraid of getting arrested, there would be a lot more rape/pillage/murder/stealing/chaos going on. True, there are certain anarchic situations where this fear isn't neccecery for maintaining a safe environment (such as at a Rainbow Gathering where, when two people get in a fight, everyone around them does everything they can to break it up and maintain a state of peace), but I think that these situations are more of a product of culture than of structure.

So I like the idea of police. I think that they are nessecery in order to maintain the peace. However, I do think that the police (at least in america) are corrupt. And I do think that the problem is structural.

Police in america are overworked, underpaid, and undertrained. You don't need to go to collage to become a police officer. All you need is a highschool diploma and a brief stint at a police acadamy. Most people who become police officers do so because it's one of the only jobs they can get. In the words of a speech that I heard on the internet: "if the only people who apply at the police department are highschool jocks who couldn't make the football team, and ex-military men with a propensity towards violence, then the only people who become police officers will be highschool jocks who couldn't make the football team, and ex-military men with a propensity towards violence."

I think that we, as a government (on both a local and national level), need to start treating our officers better. We need to start giving them the training they need to do their jobs right, giving them the pay they need to be motivated to do their jobs right, and being more selective about who we let on our force.

True, this won't be an easy thing to accomplish. It will take a lot of money and effort. Money and effort which I think this country would have, if we weren't spending it all on Iraq.

Anyway, that's just my two cents. If you disagree with me, then please post and let me know why, and hopefully I'll grow as a person because of it.

Peace,
-Bubble

 

bingo.

 

Yeah I agree! I collected all those links about police abuse and people being arrested for no reason and I'm trying to spread it everywhere to spread the word. Its really not right and we really need to do something about it. Otherwise we can say bye bye to democracy!

 

In WV a state police officer only needs a GED. They have up to a YEAR of employment before they have to attend the academy. They receive only about 4 hours of instruction on handling mental patients. The head State cop is corrupt. State police officers are forced to resign if they don't comply with his orders, even if they're illegal orders. They get "frozen out" if they try to report any wrongdoing on fellow officers. The Dept. of "Military Affairs and Public Safety" is over the State Police, but you don't hear much about that... That's Homeland Security. The Governor pretends to be over the State Police, but he is in cahoots with them and supports a bill that makes it easier for the cops to search your home WITHOUT a warrant. Our local law enforcement organizations sport about a 50% crime rate within ranks. They shoot to kill, love playing with their big toys, and only investigate each other when something goes awry, most times finding nothing was done wrong (of course). They cause much evidence to "disappear", from pot to meth, from guns to money. They lie, even under oath, instigate trouble, and vandalize peoples homes and possessions.

Now, there are those who think I'm a fruit loop for saying these things, but it's all documented. And there are those who will say it's only the "criminals" who complain. Well, who better to KNOW what happens behind closed doors? Who better to know than an eye witness?

Yell it from the rooftops! Even if folks don't want to hear it. THIS is the police state they talk about, the one that effects everyone. We're losing our rights and our ability to care? We're letting ourselves get railroaded by a bunch of organized crime goons with gangster mentalities. Ever hear of being so mad you stop being afraid?

Off the record, I wonder what mind controlling drugs or other system they are using to create such mindless and evil zombies to carry out the orders of-WHO? Some rotten Hitler-like creature behind a big desk somewhere? It's CRAZY how this stuff is becoming so much the NORM any more... It is acceptable to be an American terrorist with a badge and a gun?

Well, I got mad and got even. Check this out. It's just local for this area of WV. Any activists out there? I'd love to see LOTS of folks doing similar stuff for THEIR areas. They don't WANT a citizens review board? Screw that! We can review 'em anyhow, whether they like it or not! http://calhoununderground.wordpress.com
Maybe if enough folks voiced their displeasure on the internet for all the world to see, these guys might start to actually THINK before they act...

 

This applies everywhere, not just in this country, but the police and the military is nothing different than a gang.

The only difference is that the police and the military are supported by your hard earned tax dollars.

They can beat the hell out of you, unjustly, and you still get to pay for it.

 

Anybody have any creative ways to fight back?

 

Although, I do not support war and violence.
I reserve the right to protect myself and family, even from rogue cops for that matter.

That's why I would never support total gun control.

 

Be informed and educated, and when confronted stay reasonable and communicative. Guns will not win this thing, education and reasonable response will.

 

It may serve us all well to carry microrecorders, and insist on having our rights read, and an attorney present.

 

Guns will make someone else think, cops or otherwise, before doing something stupid.

Yes, being informed, educated and ahead of the game and the learning curve is one way to assure one's own, including family's survival and well-being, because no matter how much they so self-righteously proclaim, cops may not always look after your own well-being.

They're basically people who are paid to protect certain interests, including protecting their own ass.

 

Guns do one thing, they kill. Hard to argue or reason with a dead person.

 

That's probably why despots love them.

 

Guns will only do one thing ....kill someone else, or give them the permission to kill you.

 

Flashing a gun when approached by the police will do only one thing. Get you shot.

 

Nope, guns will not help, as they always have bigger guns and more man power. They see you with a gun and imagine that you are a threat to them and they shoot to kill.

"Informed and educated" is the number one best weapon against them. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!!

But I'm not too sure about communication. Cops are skilled at twisting and using anything you say to their advantage. I was questioned by a cop about a year ago having to do with a prowler and all he did was take everything I told him and try to turn it around somehow to match his ideas, and in the end he started yelling at me and calling me a liar. And I yelled back and told him "look buddy, look me in the eye! I'm not a liar!" So he left mad and he never did actually investigate what really happened... He just tried to turn the situation around and make the victim into the criminal. Actually I caught HIM lying, and it appeared he was trying to cover his ass, because he seemed to have also lied to his fellow cops...

Have discovered ONE thing. A fence and gate at the end of the driveway will MOSTLY keep them out unless they have a warrant... Otherwise they can waltz right up to your front door for ANY reason they can dream up.

Folks have been railroaded for years around here due to FEAR of the cops. But one guy who is mentally retarded figured it out!!! The cops tried to railroad and intimidate him because he was an "easy mark", and I suppose because he had watched a lot of TV, he knew enough to clam up and ask for a lawyer.

 

Oh yea, the dude that clammed up and asked for a lawyer... The cops got pissed and figured they could treat him anyway they liked because he was retarded, so they just kept badgering him. In the end they had to declare a mistrial because of the cops screwing up so much and not allowing him his rights...

The best ways to fight them are LEGALLY. Cops seem to be STUPID in general, and a lot of the time they screw the case up for THEMSELVES.
Things I have discovered that help are

1. keep having your case held over for as long as humanly possible. When it finally goes to trial, chances are the cop has forgotten some important facts and a decent lawyer can make it obvious when they are lying to cover what they forgot...

2. Make sure the lawyer demands to view ALL evidence. They may have "lost" it...

3. Don't volunteer SHIT! Cops run on guesses and lies. If they can fake you into thinking your buddy said something they really didn't or they know something they really don't, it's all over with. BIGGEST thing to remember actually. COPS LIE. Don't believe one single word that comes out of their mouths. EVER. It's the safest way to deal with them.

4. Think twice, thrice, and then think again before calling 9-11. "Trying to help" can and often does go horribly wrong when you turn your troubles over to the police. BOYCOTT them if at all possible.

There is lots more, but these are things I and others around here have had to learn from experience.

ALSO, as far as education goes, spread the word far and wide about "jury nullification". Look it up. This COULD be the best weapon against the police state as we know it. And almost NO ONE knows what it is... And it's something EVERY SINGLE PERSON REALLY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. Can't stress this strongly enough! I know folks all the time who get notices of jury duty and everybody tries to figure out how to get out of it. DON'T! You have no power to do any good if you quit! Jury Nullification is where it's at, but you have to BE on a jury to do it.

 

Earthmother all very good points. The system can work, but you have to be an educated participant in it.

By communicative I meant stay reasonable and don't lose it. Repond to their statements only as much as you have to, never volunteer anything. Don't give them an exuse to use force.

 

Cops are like vampires without a warrant they can't enter your home unless you invite them. But Bush and his homeland security may change this.

 

It takes a certain mentality to be a cop, and it's not surprising that most of them aren't that bright or educated, since they're easier to brain wash that way. Furthermore, most cops are way too agressive, the number one drug abused by them being steroids.

What gets me is the sheer numbers of cops in this country. I can't drive more than a couple of miles down the road without passing at least one cruiser, and most of them have nothing better to do than pull you over, even if you've done nothing wrong, particularly if you fit the profile of a liberal, which is what they're trained to despise. After all, the liberal notion of questioning authority makes their job more difficult, so if they can bully us all into submission to where we're always afraid, we won't get out of line, right?

Go to European countries and you won't find hardly any cops. Maybe it's 'cause people are better at governing themselves in Europe (I think that's true to some extent), but I think it's also 'cause their legal system has better things to do than worry about whether you're smoking a joint in public. I'm sure their prisons have way less non-violent criminals than ours do.

Don't get me wrong, I respect the profession, assuming their purpose is to protect rather than harass, but too often it's the latter.

Earthmother makes some good points about dealing with cops. I also found some good stuff in an article on the ACLU web site entitled "what to do if you're stopped by the police". Basically the key is to cooperate, keep your mouth shut, and document everything that happens as best you can so that you have recourse if your rights are violated.

check it out:
http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14528res20040730.html

 

13 year old girl arrested for writing on a desk. What next?

http://www.radiofreechimp.com/node/45

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_095170448.html

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