Protect and Serve

I have written this before and I believe it is true. Our politicians have replaced the idea of "enforcing the law" with the idea of "war on X". We have a war on drugs, and a war on crime. Law Enforcement Officers now see themselves as soldiers and not LEO's. If you are in a war, then you must have an ENEMY! And since this enemy is not always readily identifiable, we ALL are possible enemy combatants. Makes cops hyper vigilant to the point that ANY questioning of their authority becomes in their minds an act of aggression that if left unchecked will evolve into a full blown act of violence so they use pre-emptive force to deflate the situation immediately. For the last 10 years I have been telling people that I have seem more and more cops out of control, more improper uses of force than I believe people saw in the past. I thinks cops in the 70's and 80's were taught to use their heads more and talk situations down. The 50's and 60's gave us images of policemen, usually in one part of the country, using dogs, nightsticks and water cannons to put down the civil rights movement. Those images gave law enforcement around the country a black eye and so cities starting urging PD's to teach their officers how to de-escalate a situation without resorting to violence first. My younger brother was a LEO for 11 years and only drew his weapon twice. Cops used to have a sense of pride about NOT having to draw their weapons. Now you see them drawn on routine stops. When police have a warlike mentality, they behave like warriors and not like cops.
 
WRL said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdYPNsuUn_o&feature=related

A 125lb woman handcuffed, and 7 officers are required forcefully strip search her??? Oh yeah it 'technically' wasn't a strip search, if you can really believe that, they ripped her cloths off. Two males where present...
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That one's okay. You can tell it's reasonable because the male cops aren't sniggering and joking about her tits. All the officers are also very quiet and under control. Sure it looks unpleasant but when someone has threatened to harm themselves and they have to have all objects, including clothing, removed from them, they object. They have to be restrained and that was done. I can't see anything wrong in this one.
 
Socrtease said:
I have written this before and I believe it is true. Our politicians have replaced the idea of "enforcing the law" with the idea of "war on X". We have a war on drugs, and a war on crime. Law Enforcement Officers now see themselves as soldiers and not LEO's. If you are in a war, then you must have an ENEMY! And since this enemy is not always readily identifiable, we ALL are possible enemy combatants. Makes cops hyper vigilant to the point that ANY questioning of their authority becomes in their minds an act of aggression that if left unchecked will evolve into a full blown act of violence so they use pre-emptive force to deflate the situation immediately. For the last 10 years I have been telling people that I have seem more and more cops out of control, more improper uses of force than I believe people saw in the past. I thinks cops in the 70's and 80's were taught to use their heads more and talk situations down. The 50's and 60's gave us images of policemen, usually in one part of the country, using dogs, nightsticks and water cannons to put down the civil rights movement. Those images gave law enforcement around the country a black eye and so cities starting urging PD's to teach their officers how to de-escalate a situation without resorting to violence first. My younger brother was a LEO for 11 years and only drew his weapon twice. Cops used to have a sense of pride about NOT having to draw their weapons. Now you see them drawn on routine stops. When police have a warlike mentality, they behave like warriors and not like cops.
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Sorry to have to quote your whole post just to say - I agree. Now I feel I have to enlarge on that response. I haven't had much to do directly with any cops in the US since 1996, which was of course pre-9/11.

9/11. I remember that for many months after the events of that day that cops (among other emergency workers) were reporting how public respect for them had increased (this is from various sources). I remember thinking at the time that in time it would go back to pre-9/11 and it would be the usual mouthing of contempt for cops. I was wrong. Instead it appears that cops have gone military and have turned, for whatever reason, on the citizenry. That's why I have to express agreement with your post, it's right on the money.
 
Desh said:
There was not need for the males to be there.

The females could have done it.
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The need was for physical strength to restrain her. If there were only two or three female officers available then it stands to reason that a number of male officers (because all female officers were attending) had to be there. The paradox is that if the female officers had beaten the shit out of her then the blokes wouldn't have to be involved because she would have been subdued by brute force applied by the female officers.
 
There are many great cops out there who would nver cross the line to abuse. Some departments are just being run badly I think.
 
Desh said:
There are many great cops out there who would nver cross the line to abuse. Some departments are just being run badly I think.
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The problem with abuse is that it's sometimes so incremental that you don't see the change. I have to generalise to make the point and yes, you're quite right, most cops are very reasonable people. However I do think that in the US in policing circles, since the months after 9/11 there has been an increase in militarism and a more authoritarian approach to policing. As has been mentioned, the war metaphor has been cranked up. From material I've read it seems that civilian police in the US have been encouraged to see themselves as the frontline in the domestic version of the War on Terror. With that mindset continually being reinforced then it's small wonder that authoritarianism is on the rise.
 
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