this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2024
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THE POLICE PROBLEM

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    The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.

    99.9999% of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct is never investigated, never punished, never makes the news, so it's not on this page.

    When cops are caught breaking the law, they're investigated by other cops. Details are kept quiet, the officers' names are withheld from public knowledge, and what info is eventually released is only what police choose to release — often nothing at all.

    When police are fired — which is all too rare — they leave with 'law enforcement experience' and can easily find work in another police department nearby. It's called "Wandering Cops."

    When police testify under oath, they lie so frequently that cops themselves have a joking term for it: "testilying." Yet it's almost unheard of for police to be punished or prosecuted for perjury.

    Cops can and do get away with lawlessness, because cops protect other cops. If they don't, they aren't cops for long.

    The legal doctrine of "qualified immunity" renders police officers invulnerable to lawsuits for almost anything they do. In practice, getting past 'qualified immunity' is so unlikely, it makes headlines when it happens.

    All this is a path to a police state.

    In a free society, police must always be under serious and skeptical public oversight, with non-cops and non-cronies in charge, issuing genuine punishment when warranted.

    Police who break the law must be prosecuted like anyone else, promptly fired if guilty, and barred from ever working in law-enforcement again.

    That's the solution.

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Our definition of ‘cops’ is broad, and includes prison guards, probation officers, shitty DAs and judges, etc — anyone who has the authority to fuck over people’s lives, with minimal or no oversight.

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INFO

A demonstrator's guide to understanding riot munitions

Adultification

Cops aren't supposed to be smart

Don't talk to the police.

Killings by law enforcement in Canada

Killings by law enforcement in the United Kingdom

Killings by law enforcement in the United States

Know your rights: Filming the police

Three words. 70 cases. The tragic history of 'I can’t breathe' (as of 2020)

Police aren't primarily about helping you or solving crimes.

Police lie under oath, a lot

Police spin: An object lesson in Copspeak

Police unions and arbitrators keep abusive cops on the street

Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States

So you wanna be a cop?

When the police knock on your door

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Officers showed up at the home and found a man struggling with a woman over a knife. An officer opened fire and struck the man, killing him at the scene. Only later did they discover the man who was killed lived at the home and was struggling to fend off the woman who had broken into his home.

Police say Brandon Durham, 43, had called 911 and reported multiple people outside his home shooting, then told the 911 operator that someone had entered his home through the front and back doors and he was locking himself in the bathroom.

He also told the 911 operator that he was home with his 15-year-old daughter, according to police. Officers kicked open the door after arriving on scene and hearing someone screaming as well as damage to vehicles parked outside the property, police said.

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[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I remember reading about major police fuck ups in 2000 when I was first really getting online. It never gets easier to look at these miserable excuses of policing. Best part is that the officer involved in this shooting was born at roughly the same time I became aware of this shit.

[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

There's no better place to be a murdering son of a bitch than one's local police force. And that's a hundred fold now that's it's going to be the new Gestapo

[–] SquatDingloid@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Every leftist in this country needs to own a gun before they start banning gun sales based on political affiliation

Only YOU will be able to ensure your own safety in the next 4 years.

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[–] repungnant_canary@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Attacking the wrong person aside, opening fire during a knife attack (not directed towards cops) seems like a huge overreaction.

[–] BluesF@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

Games should have friendly fire more often to remind everyone not to fire into a melee

[–] irish_link@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Also, person in undies vs a person in a hoodie and jacket. Who looks like they just got woken up out of bed vs was outside a moment ago.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

...that seems like one of the few times where shooting is justified.

If someone is literally about to kill a victim police should use force. Obviously, they shouldn't shoot three wrong person, but defending people from attackers is the entire reason for police to be armed.

[–] repungnant_canary@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But why shoot them? Why not at least tase them? To me it seems that taser would be as effective as a gun in this case but not as deadly

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Tasers ate good for someone who's unarmed. They're not reliable enough to stop someone who is actively trying to kill someone with a weapon.

[–] _lilith@lemmy.world 75 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

"After Brandon Durham falls to the floor the officer shoots him five more times."

Sounds like a fucking execution.

[–] CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Dead people can't sue. Also shooting isn't to disable, shooting is to kill. You are trained to keep shooting until you are confident the threat is neutralized.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

"Dispatch told us the lady who called for help had a really low-pitched, masculine voice. Not our fault."

[–] Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 104 points 3 days ago (39 children)

Guy had some violent criminals outside his house trying to break in and hurt him and his family. Calls the cops. Now he's got an extra violent criminal with a gun who breaks into his house and kills him. Why does anyone call the cops anymore???

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[–] wildcardology@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Shoot first, investigate ourselves later. The lesson here is don't call the police? There's a good chance that you'll overpower the attacker than be rescued by undertrained police.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

My dad once called the police to help his friend who was having a bit of scary episode. He was threatening to hurt himself. My dad, in a panic and feeling helpless, was hoping the police could help bring him down from the edge. All they did was make the situation worse, barking orders and making demands, escalating emotions. The night ended with the friend being tazed and arrested.

My dad no longer calls the police for things. Honestly, we're extremely lucky he wasn't shot.

[–] BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I always laughed at these house signs that say: we don't call 911 and two revolvers. Now i think they are actually right, just for the wrong reasons.

[–] 4lan@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

In 2025 you have to protect yourself from police in America. They could come to the wrong door and bust in and try to kill you. You have a right to defend your life and that includes killing a police officer.

The next president has already said he's going to give them blanket immunity. That means cops can do anything they want now

Forget about 911, buy a gun and train often. The police will not only not protect you, they will kill you even if you are innocent

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 254 points 4 days ago (7 children)

As a person of color, we do not trust the police.

This is why.

[–] aphlamingphoenix@lemm.ee 54 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I'm the whitest white guy who ever whited, but I don't trust the police for the same reasons.

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[–] Freefall@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

As a person of personhood, this is likely the best default.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 87 points 4 days ago (10 children)

About a year ago I had a very disruptive neighbor. Every night he would bring tons of women over and play loud music, and yell over the music with the people he had over.

Then, in the daytime he had a girlfriend, who worked nights. Every day she'd come over and they'd yell for hours and hours. She had a legitimate reason to be angry at him. He was the father of his child. He never married her, and in the 6 months he'd been a father he got 2 other bitches pregnant. Her words, not mine. On top of that, he was calling off work to invite MORE bitches over, and making up the lost money by pawning her jewelry. Which only got him $23 because the pawn dealer ripped him off. She says it was real gold, real diamonds. And the jeweler convinced him to sell for $23.

On top of that, he wouldn't even let her and his son move in with him because it would "clash with his business". Essentially he was just giving excuse after excuse after excuse.

Why she didn't just leave him, and sue for child support, I don't know. He was clearly using her. He didn't love her. They fought daily. Neither of them were happy. And as they fought, the baby cried and cried and cried.

I asked him to keep it down. Others in the building asked the same. His indoor voice was louder than most peoples "onstage without a microphone" voice.

In short, for 8 months it was a daily struggle to sleep.

But I only complained to the landlord. Never the police. When my sister found out, she couldn't imagine what I meant by "This isn't something to be resolved by the police".

My sister is a Karen. A real bad one. She wants all her problems to go away with a complaint from her to someone else.

But she never stops to put herself in others shoes. I restrain myself from saying I "hated" that neighbor. Only because I reserve hate to be powerful and meaningful. So I don't hate him. However I do think he was highly inconsiderate not only to his girlfriend/son, but also all around him at any given time.

A real "main character" complex.

Still though, I didn't call the police, because I didn't feel his inconsiderate behavior prompted a risk of death.

IF (any that's a big IF), If police could be trusted to arrive, handle citizen resolution in a fair non-violent way, then yes, I'd have called the cops. I certainly felt it was a job they SHOU LD do. It just didn't feel like a job they COULD be trusted to do.

And none of my family/white friends could understand why. All of my black friends did.

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 22 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

I understand your motivations, but I think that guy would still have found his tires running flat on a regular basis. And his power going out. And any other petty things I could think of to make his life worse.

I hate that guy, whether you say it or not. He is bringing unwanted, unloved children into a world where they will always be at least a step behind their peers, and without any understanding of why their world is so hard. And the reason is THAT GUY. So fuck him. He deserves what he gets.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 18 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Sadly this is the reality of it, he was targeted simply because he was a man attacked by a woman and society is often as misandrist as it is misogynistic.

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[–] LANIK2000@lemmy.world 56 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Person that looks like they were just outside, with crime hoodie and all? Probably not the suspect. Some guy half naked in his evening wear? POW POW POW!!!

Shit like this will be the police's downfall, because once the people don't trust you, you're not a policie force, but civilian suppression force.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

you’re not a policie force, but civilian suppression force.

Corporate has asked you to describe the difference between these two pictures.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 155 points 4 days ago (1 children)

an officer-involved shooting occurred

Only the officer was involved in shooting.

[–] PwnTra1n@lemmy.world 39 points 4 days ago

that and the homeowner he wrongfully shot i guess but yeah mainly the cop shot while everyone else just got to be a part of being shot at

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 22 points 3 days ago

Typical day on the job for police then

[–] nucleative@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

When seconds matter... The cops are minutes away

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

He would've been better off if they were hours away!

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