From the Orwellian department: police recruits tour Holocaust museum, learn about duty, decency

[chalmers]

Something tells me these jackbooted thugs aren't going to learn jack shit.

Norfolk police recruits tour Holocaust museum, learn about duty, decency and service

http://www.pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/norfolk-police-recruits-tour-holocaust-museum-learn-about-duty-decency/article_ed05cf21-c0fb-5a9f-8f67-4156f6f666c2.html

RICHMOND

The old Jew shuffled inside, leading a flock of Norfolk police recruits into the boxcar.

Rick Cohen, 81 years old, told the fresh-faced 20-somethings the role it played in the murder of 13 million Jews, gays, political dissidents and anyone else the Nazis found undesirable. This is where the Nazis, often with the help of local police, crammed 100 to 120 Jews for five- to seven-day trips to concentration camps. They had no food or water. They couldn’t budge.

So, Cohen continued, they urinated where they stood. They defecated where they stood. They threw up where they stood. And when the person next to them died, there was nothing they could do to escape death.

Norfolk police took a new batch of some 25 recruits to the Virginia Holocaust Museum earlier this month. Sending them to Richmond was a first, but Chief Michael Goldsmith had made two other classes tour the National Holocaust Museum in Washington over the past year. His aim in both cases is to show them what can happen when power is untethered from duty and decency.

[LanternWaste]

1. I see this as the absolute opposite of Orwellian.

"His aim in both cases is to show them what can happen when power is untethered from duty and decency..."

I see this as an absolute opposite of Orwellian. It seems the Chief is invested in educating newer recruits in the fundamentals of humanity.

[chalmers]

2. Like I said

You think that is going to sink in with any of those cops. It's more like a "how to" manual for those jack boots in blue.

[Rose Siding]

4. They are recruits. Do you want better cops or no cops?

[Rose Siding]

3. How is this not a good idea?

These are recruits, not yet full fledged 'jackbooted thugs'. We need some law enforcement, right?

This will be more impacting than watching some sensitivity video. I imagine the goal needs to be to hit 'em with something hard enough that they take it seriously. I've been to the one in DC and it sure does hit you.

Every attempt should be made 'to show them what can happen when power is untethered from duty and decency'.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Do you live in Norfolk?

Since you've been posting VP stories??

[Throd]

6. Seems like a good idea to me. Not Orwellian at all.

[justiceischeap]

7. I don't think you know what Orwellian means. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Oh for fucks face

Regional Police Academies have been doing this for many years. The San Diego Regional Academy goes to the LA museum as part of their training...

[Glassunion]

9. I don't think the article means what you think it means.

[leveymg]

10. What decency they bring with them is what they'll get out of it. Duty is what caused the Germans

to carry out orders. There is a tension between the two. It isn't clear which will prevail or what the lesson really is here.