The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[Malthus]

Well, if they have a better plan, I'd be all for it.

I my opinion, policing can be improved with the following:

1 - get rid of the encroaching militarization of the police.
2 - police better integrated into the community.
3 - better training in de-escalation, particularly when dealing with the mentally ill.
4 - most importantly: strict oversight by an entirely separate and independent investigative agency with real teeth, preferably at the state (or provincial) level, to investigate every case where a police interaction leads to harm to a member of the public, with the power to recommend prosecutions.
5 - more accountability at every level: records of police/public interaction to be made as available as possible, records of disciplinary proceedings to be public, etc.

I, too, am all ears for ideas on how to improve policing, and the wider justice system.  What we have isn't great.  But here's my feedback on your suggestions.

1 - this is not the US.  We don't give surplus military equipment to our police.  We do have police tactical units, but they're fairly small and not widely used (although I almost hate when they are because then I get notes and reports from a dozen or more officers)

2 - what do you mean "integrated into the community".  I know EPS has specific "beat cops" for one neighborhood that has lots of bars, and also lots of homeless.  It's very effective, but it's really, really expensive way to assign several officers for just one street.  It's not really scalable.  Wanting police to live in the community?  Maybe as a condition of employment, but difficult in jurisdictions with really expensive real estate, and not sure how much it helps.

3 - police are absolutely taught de-escalation, at least in this country.  They are taught to use distance and to speak.  Problem is when the mentally ill person rushes at you with a weapon there's no time for de-escalation.

4 - we already do that.  In Alberta it's called ASIRT.  In Ontario it's SIU

5 - privacy, privacy, privacy.  Let's say someone has a bad day and police come on a suicide watch.  Does that person want that record made public?

You make some good points.

1. I agree, this point was aimed at our US friends, where militarization is a big problem. My comments were for both sides of the border and I should have said so up front.

2. I mean more use of beat cops where that would make sense, cops to live within the communities (including subsidized housing were required), police forces to better reflect the local community were possible, police allocated to visit with community groups, etc. I know this would be expensive.

3. Again I agree the situation is better on this side of the border.

4. A critique of the Ontario SIU is that it lacks teeth. I don't know anything about the Alberta version. I agree the concept is good, but the execution needs to be rigorous.

5. We deal with privacy all the time - a mechanism to redact personal information could be used to preserve privacy. The purpose of this is to assure the public that, in a violent interaction between the police and the public, the police are not covering up for each other.

[Valmy]

The current crisis does give me a rare feeling of hope that maybe things might be better at some point in the future. But then I am not on social media so...

[11B4V]

"A few bad apples"

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/57-buffalo-cops-resign-to-support-suspended-officers-who-pushed-down-elderly-man/

57 Buffalo cops resign to support suspended officers who pushed down elderly man

The entire Buffalo Police Department Emergency Response Team — a total of 57 officers — has resigned from the team in support of the two officers who pushed 75-year-old Martin Gugino to the ground, seriously injuring him.

They are still employed, but no longer on ERT.

According to Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans, the cops who pushed Gugino down were just following orders.

"Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders," Evans, said in a statement.

This is a developing story. Check WIVB4 for updates.

Jesus Christ. Talk about tone deaf. Circle the wagons!

Fuck them. They lack moral and ethical courage anyway. Moving on.

[Zoupa]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

What follows is right on brand though. That's a lot of small-dick energy on display.

[11B4V]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

What follows is right on brand though. That's a lot of small-dick energy on display.

And his weight on her neck. Fucking tools.

[merithyn]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

These are just painful.

[merithyn]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

It's pretty clear if you slow it down and watch it frame by frame.

[Valmy]

Even if it was accidental that is not how you respond to a woman having her boob grabbed.

[Zoupa]

You guys need to get rid of the 2nd amendment. It'd take a lot of wind out of the cops sail when they argue "I feared for my life so I shot him".

[11B4V]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

It's pretty clear if you slow it down and watch it frame by frame.

Yea that's the main takeaway.

[merithyn]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

It's pretty clear if you slow it down and watch it frame by frame.

Yea that's the main takeaway.

I'm not sure I understand this post.

[Josquius]

Got to say. As a white foreigner who has never had to deal with American cops, all these videos of police brutality is doing a lot to build empathy for black Americans and deep unease.  I hope I am not alone in this. The protests are working.

[11B4V]

Cop securing woman grabs her boob. She tries to wrest free in reaction, gets nightsticked by cops for her insolence.

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1268391718086422528?s=20

To call that a purposeful boob grab is diluting the cop abuse brand IMO.

It's pretty clear if you slow it down and watch it frame by frame.

Yea that's the main takeaway.

I'm not sure I understand this post.

Figure it out.

[Sheilbh]

You guys need to get rid of the 2nd amendment. It'd take a lot of wind out of the cops sail when they argue "I feared for my life so I shot him".

It is weird isn't it. School shootings happen with grim regularity, but we can't get rid of the guns but we need it to defend ourselves against tyranny, but then you've got a President wanting to "dominate the battle space" of American cities and it feels like I've heard not a fucking peep from the pro-gun lot.

It's like it's all, maybe about something else.

[11B4V]

Got to say. As a white foreigner who has never had to deal with American cops, all these videos of police brutality is doing a lot to build empathy for black Americans and deep unease.  I hope I am not alone in this. The protests are working.

They are much to Trump's angst.