If we had any sense at all we'd develop actual officers of the peace and dump the law enforcement garbage. No drug war, no vice squads of any sort, no speed traps, no check points, no shake downs.
The entire focus should be keeping people from encroaching on the next guy and the being apart and above the community aspect is unacceptable. The whole "civillians" shit makes me want to puke. Hell, Officer of the Peace maybe shouldn't even be a career gig, it could be a community service type program like the Peace Corps or non-career military service. Do a two year tour or two and hand it over to the next guys.
The need for experience greatly reduced by a drastic change in mission at least for the beat type cop, we'd need hard crimes investigation of course and career people are desirable there. White collar should also be a focus for professional path.
What people think we have are protectors of the community when what we have are law enforcers who protect the property of the upper crust. Protecting property can be a part of protecting the community from predators but the prime directive must shift. A cop can roll by you flailing and waive for aid as long as they don't see a crime in progress, they are not in it for us at all. An Officer of the Peace would be in deep shit for not communication with a fellow citizen and rendering aid if need be.
An Officer of the Peace would not execute a "Terry Stop", be prohibited from interfering with or questioning with the expectation of response, defference, or honesty the movements of a citizen not interfering with the activity of another. "How are you tonight?" is fine and dandy "what's your business tonight?" not kosher or rather can be reponded to with "fuck your mother, pig" and a fart in their general direction, retaliation dealt with harshly and every moment recorded.
We've now militarized the mess as well and that was a serious error as any if we have any desire to be a free or a secure people.
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