My Solution to Police Corruption

[Towlie]

In addition to racism, the problem, as I see it, is that it's difficult to convict police officers. Apparently it's much more difficult than convicting regular citizens, largely due to the influence of police unions.

This is exactly the opposite of the way it ought to be. Instead of holding police officers to lower standards, they should be held to higher standards. An elite class of law enforcement officers should be created who voluntarily waive many of the rights that ordinary citizens enjoy, and subject themselves to swifter justice and more severe penalties when they betray the public trust. They should be held personally responsible for making sure their body cameras and other means of oversight are always in place and operational in order to ensure, for their own sake, that they can prove their innocence in cases where they're accused. In the absence of the required oversight measures they should be assumed guilty until proven innocent. This elite class should aspire to a reputation of pride and superiority over ordinary police officers, in the spirit of The Untouchables.

This could start out of as an experiment conducted by some relatively small community, and as the ranks grow, those communities that decline to follow might ultimately be assumed by the general public to have corrupt and untrustworthy police, thus pressuring them to join.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...

(On the other hand, maybe I am the only one. )

[Mike 03]

1. We need to create an environment where good officers don't even want to be

near bad cops. Somehow we need to incentivize good cops to turn in bad cops. The unions often stand in the way of that, as you point out, by creating an environment where they run to the defense of bad officers and shame anyone who criticizes law enforcement, no matter how bad what they've done is.

Instead of there being repercussions and stigmatization for turning a bad cop in, there should be rewards for turning a bad cop in.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. What needs to happen is,

Citizen Police Revue Boards staffed by non City Council Member appointees. Next a State Wide Police Officers Professional Licensing and Testing Organization. If you can not pass the testing policy,you can not be a Cop. Also included is annual Training in interpersonal as well as external personal skill building. And if you fail your License is immediately revoked. Some states already do use a POST system,but,the appointment of the Revue Boards are in the hands of the Good Old Boy Network.