THE POLICE PROBLEM
The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.
99.9999% of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct is never investigated, never punished, never makes the news, so it's not on this page.
When cops are caught breaking the law, they're investigated by other cops. Details are kept quiet, the officers' names are withheld from public knowledge, and what info is eventually released is only what police choose to release — often nothing at all.
When police are fired — which is all too rare — they leave with 'law enforcement experience' and can easily find work in another police department nearby. It's called "Wandering Cops."
When police testify under oath, they lie so frequently that cops themselves have a joking term for it: "testilying." Yet it's almost unheard of for police to be punished or prosecuted for perjury.
Cops can and do get away with lawlessness, because cops protect other cops. If they don't, they aren't cops for long.
The legal doctrine of "qualified immunity" renders police officers invulnerable to lawsuits for almost anything they do. In practice, getting past 'qualified immunity' is so unlikely, it makes headlines when it happens.
All this is a path to a police state.
In a free society, police must always be under serious and skeptical public oversight, with non-cops and non-cronies in charge, issuing genuine punishment when warranted.
Police who break the law must be prosecuted like anyone else, promptly fired if guilty, and barred from ever working in law-enforcement again.
That's the solution.
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Our definition of ‘cops’ is broad, and includes prison guards, probation officers, shitty DAs and judges, etc — anyone who has the authority to fuck over people’s lives, with minimal or no oversight.
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RULES
① Real-life decorum is expected. Please don't say things only a child or a jackass would say in person.
② If you're here to support the police, you're trolling. Please exercise your right to remain silent.
③ Saying ~~cops~~ ANYONE should be killed lowers the IQ in any conversation. They're about killing people; we're not.
④ Please don't dox or post calls for harassment, vigilantism, tar & feather attacks, etc.
Please also abide by the instance rules.
It you've been banned but don't know why, check the moderator's log. If you feel you didn't deserve it, hey, I'm new at this and maybe you're right. Send a cordial PM, for a second chance.
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ALLIES
• r/ACAB
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INFO
• A demonstrator's guide to understanding riot munitions
• Cops aren't supposed to be smart
• Killings by law enforcement in Canada
• Killings by law enforcement in the United Kingdom
• Killings by law enforcement in the United States
• Know your rights: Filming the police
• Three words. 70 cases. The tragic history of 'I can’t breathe' (as of 2020)
• Police aren't primarily about helping you or solving crimes.
• Police lie under oath, a lot
• Police spin: An object lesson in Copspeak
• Police unions and arbitrators keep abusive cops on the street
• Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States
• When the police knock on your door
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ORGANIZATIONS
• NAACP
• National Police Accountability Project
• Vera: Ending Mass Incarceration
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I did that for a cop that was busy on their computer waiting for a left turn at a light. They didn't notice the 2 cars ahead had made the turn and noone behind them could tell or dared honk. I was beside them watching. They eventually looked up, I think we're confused because the cars were long gone so their autopilot didn't think "ok follow now", then slammed on the gas and then slammed on the brakes as the light had gone red and cross traffic was proceeding. I sent the car number, licence plate and description of the officer, as well as time of day, to the complaints number.
The response I got back was "thanks so much, we looked into it. Bye."
It is still important to report each incident. They are supposed to keep records of this type of thing. They may well be keeping those records but unable to tall you results. If there are records, a long list of complaints will build up. Even if there are not, just enough people complaining will get someone annoyed enough to do something.
We are on the same page.
Just don't anybody get their hopes up.
I just remembered another time a distracted cop made me unhappy.
There is a weird intersection that leads in from a right bend, then you must go north or south at lights, and there are 2 left turn and 1 right turn lane. It also sucks as there is another light to the south (left) that often backs up into this one.
At least sometimes, the intersection was under construction so everytime I went through (once a week sometimes, sometimes not) I would get blindsided by "surprise the middle lane for left turn is closed!" Or "psyc! The middle lane is for right only and the right lane is closed!" Whatever, but you didn't get to know that until you came around the bend.
So I'm coming slowly around the bend, and there is already a lineup in the leftmost lane. Is this because the centre is closed? Because the centre is the only left lane? Because Toronto traffic? Who knows?!?
So I round the corner and it's because the centre lane is for right turning today and the right is closed right at the intersection. So I immediately start to look for a friendly soul to let me in. Low! A cop car, leaving a full car length of room ahead of them! I approach slowly and merge in. Sadly I'm a truck so my butt is sticking out slightly, but because the right lane is totally closed ahead there is 1 3/4 lanes to get around me. I wave a thank you at the cop.
Oops.
The cop rolls down her window and squeezes in along side my angle, blocking the bike 'lane' or whatever space was there before the temp barrier for construction.
I get a dressing down, how I'm cutting her off, blocking the other lane and I should line up like everyone else (I don't point out that 3 cars have gone around me and are now signalling and butting in while blocking right turn traffic.)
I passive aggressively say "sorry, I guess you were distracted and that's why you left the space!" And as soon as the car ahead gave me an inch I weaslesd back out and into the centre lane. I wait for the people butting in to get out of the way and I make a right, make a left into a lot and turn around and pull out. And as I drive through the intersection I can see her still 2 cars back from being able to turn. So from then on I just did that if I got caught in the wrong lane.
And to the officer I say: if you don't want people to think you are being a thoughtful driver, pay some fucking attention. Also maybe pull over one of the countless asshats who were blocking traffic and forcing their way in? So strange you didn't bother doing that as I'm sure if you WERE WATCHING you would have noticed many....
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.