Don't like the look of someone in your town? Get a job with the control.

[marym625]

[marble falls]

1. Its worse than that: a lot of cops don't live in the communittees they work in. Here in Austin ....

80% of cops live outside of Austin. Are they patrolling or are they an occupying force?

[hobbit709]

2. Most city employees here live outside of Austin.

They can't afford to live IN Austin.

[strawberries]

3. Bingo

In my time you knew your local cop. My father was a cop and you had to live in the town that you worked in. Then they relaxed the law a bit and aloud a certain radius in miles for which you could live and work in the town you wanted or got accepted into.

They also walked a beat back then, so you knew the cop. If you got caught drinking they would take your beer/alcohol and send you home. Your only fear was they were going to tell your parents.

Today there is none of that and therein lays the problem. This is just my opinion I have no statistics to back me.

[mwooldri]

6. I too have no statistics and I share your opinion.

I don't know the names of any police officers, save for the county sheriff. Here it's not as bad because people can afford to live in Greensboro. I think it would be a good idea that the local law enforcement did proper community outreach so that any resident of the area at least is made aware of a few names of officers who patrol their community and a means to reach out to them.

[pangaia]

7. That must have been quite a while ago.

requiring police to live in the town where they work is pretty impractical in many places now..

Oh aloud = allowed.

[marble falls]

5. Austin cops are the highest paid cops in US:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2006/02/austin-has-highest-paid-cops-in-nation.html

Austin has highest paid cops in nation
Via Officer.com, Austin, Texas has the highest paid police force in the country when compared to the cost of living, according to PolicePay.net. Plano, Lubbock, Corpus Christi and Dallas also made the top twenty. (Wanna bet that makes them the highest paid cops in the world?) Here are the wage scales for police in various Texas cities:

http://www1.salary.com/TX/Austin/police-officer-salary.html

Median salary is $50,000. They can afford to live in Austin.

[marym625]

4. I would assume in Austin

That has to be hard. Only place in Texas, that I know of, that has a greater democratic population.

Judging from all the stories, I would have to say the latter.

[Fred Sanders]

8. A citizenry armed to the teeth and doped up on hate TV and radio must be tough to serve and

protect.

Why do folks forget exactly how dangerous American civilians as a group, are?

[marym625]

9. Not forgotten

But the militarization of the police and the lack of training to deal with nearly anything, is part of the reason for the civilian population arming against the government.

The current idea that a cop can use his gun to kill someone without even sizing up the situation or taking any risk is horrific. The job involves risk. It is a noble and righteous profession. Until the idea that risk should not be involved.

The police are at war with civilians because of the police lacking any moral or ethical training.

I believe that the majority of people who decide to become police officers did so with altruistic intention. Unfortunately, some did not and they're taking over.

[Fred Sanders]

10. All I am saying is put yourself in a cops moccasins. Going out every day to streets and homes

bristling with firearms, now openly carried into any cafe or mall or whatever.

And it is not a racial thing, white folk are clearly more heavily armed than others.

It is a bad, bad atmosphere for everyone, the constant fear and suspicion brought about in a country resembling an armed camp, a tribally divided camp at that.

WTF are Americans so scared of, Canada?

[marym625]

11. Each other

I don't blame cops for fear. I blame them for their inability to conquer it or to realize that their lives are at stake inherently by the job they chose. To decide they should not have any risk, and in so choosing kill someone, is not acceptable.

[Fred Sanders]

12. The individual cases involving perfectly safe cops killing folks for no apparent reason....with you.

It is all part of the matrix of guns, guns, guns, everywhere, each one a sacred symbol and immune from prosecution when used as intended.

[marym625]

13. I hate guns.

Hate. Hate hate hate.

I will agree with that. But not excuse the use.

[DavidDvorkin]

14. The citizenry is not armed to the teeth.

[marym625]

15. I agree

But it's sure getting too close to that for comfort

[DavidDvorkin]

16. Fewer people own guns than in the past

But those who do, own more.

The total has increased, but the weapons aren't spread evenly. They're concentrated.

[marym625]

17. I don't have statistics

But I would bet that those that own guns now own more, for lack of a better word, dangerous weapons.

And who really needs a semi automatic weapon to hunt with? Unless you're planning on hunting others with semi automatic weapons.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. Right, that too

I haven't seen numbers on that, but I suspect that in the past, gun ownership was limited to a pistol for home protection and/or a rifle for hunting. Now it's an arsenal of immensely powerful weapons.