Tired of the "Defund the Police" label

[Jedi Guy]

28. A few questions, if I may.

We don't need mini-militaries.

Define "mini-militaries."

We don't need cops doing jobs for which they have zero training. We don't need to train cops to do jobs for which other people are better suited.

Regarding this, I assume you mean having cops respond to calls for people who are in a mental health crisis or similar. On the whole I'm inclined to agree, as cops don't have the kind of training required to deal with situations like those. However, if the person in question is behaving violently towards others (and particularly if they are armed), I feel like an officer should at the very least accompany the mental health professional, with the understanding that they are in charge and will direct the officer if/when they need assistance.

We don't need to pay cops more.

You get what you pay for and nothing more. If your argument is that police departments aren't attracting and retaining quality people, one way to change that is to offer a higher salary and be much more selective in those who are ultimately chosen. If you want high-quality people, you have to pay them accordingly. This is true of any field.