this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
311 points (99.1% liked)

THE POLICE PROBLEM

2476 readers
184 users here now

    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.

♦ ♦ ♦

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.

♦ ♦ ♦

RULES

Real-life decorum is expected. Please don't say things only a child or a jackass would say in person.

If you're here to support the police, you're trolling. Please exercise your right to remain silent.

Saying ~~cops~~ ANYONE should be killed lowers the IQ in any conversation. They're about killing people; we're not.

Please don't dox or post calls for harassment, vigilantism, tar & feather attacks, etc.

Please also abide by the instance rules.

It you've been banned but don't know why, check the moderator's log. If you feel you didn't deserve it, hey, I'm new at this and maybe you're right. Send a cordial PM, for a second chance.

♦ ♦ ♦

ALLIES

!abolition@slrpnk.net

!acab@lemmygrad.ml

r/ACAB

r/BadCopNoDonut/

Randy Balko

The Civil Rights Lawyer

The Honest Courtesan

Identity Project

MirandaWarning.org

♦ ♦ ♦

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

♦ ♦ ♦

ORGANIZATIONS

Black Lives Matter

Campaign Zero

Innocence Project

The Marshall Project

Movement Law Lab

NAACP

National Police Accountability Project

Say Their Names

Vera: Ending Mass Incarceration

 

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 12 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 88 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Why would that ever not be the case?

[–] seaQueue@lemmy.world 78 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

It's pretty common for cops to open with "do you know why I stopped you?" to give you an opportunity to incriminate yourself.

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"do you know why I stopped you?"

Well officer since I'm not black, don't have a large amount of hard currency, drugs, weapons or food with me I am bereft of any reason beyond you are bored or you wish to coerce sexual favors from me under threat of physical harm and detainment.

[–] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 25 points 10 months ago

And that, kids, is the story of how I got fucking shot.

[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"I'm sure you're about to tell me" is the only appropriate response.

[–] ReverendIrreverence@lemmy.ml 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That's too many words and could be considered "disrespectful." "No," Nope," or "I do not" are better alternatives

[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 2 points 10 months ago

But those don't tell the cop what they're next words are to be.

[–] bigfish@reddthat.com 8 points 10 months ago

The property reply after this new law is, "I think that's your job"

[–] BeautifulMind@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

“do you know why I stopped you?”

Officer if you have to ask me that question why did you stop me?

[–] TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago

The first time I was ever pulled over I asked if I had done something. The cop responded "You're on an Alberta road, we can pull you over whenever we want!" Then proceeded to check my registration and insurance and let me leave. I was on my way to pick my kids up from school and he even waited until I was in a school zone to pull me over, so when all the other parents drove by they thought I was speeding in a school zone.

ACAB is why it would ever not be the case.

[–] JustUseMint@lemmy.world 49 points 10 months ago

I can't possibly fathom how this isn't already a federal law. Which is part of the police problem.

[–] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago

How the fuck is this not already a law