Police brutal force; acceptable to you? Are we giving tacit approval by doing no

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   ptosisposted 7 years ago

   Police brutal force; acceptable to you? Are we giving tacit approval by doing nothing?
   
   We Pay A Shocking Amount For Police Misconduct, And Cops Want Us Just To Accept It. We Shouldn’t! 7 point restraint  - not being transported.  25-year-old Ohio woman is suing police in Dayton for cruel and unusual punishment after she was detained in an isolation cell, confined to a restraint chair and then repeatedly pepper-sprayed.   Why this should concern you? Because you - the taxpayer, is the one who foots the bill for out-of-court- settlements.  How many out-of-court settlements in your town or city have resulted in paying off the victims?
   
   

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   Ericdierkerposted 7 years ago

   If we strike out in emotional response we will miss the boat. Some things in society rely on the individual to accept the responsibility to act civilly. In all walks of life there are those anomalies where the individual(s) cannot act within the law or other social more's  The doctor, the lawyer, the judge, the nurse, the politician and even the plummer and house painter and military suffer from whacked out idiot sadists.   
   Sadly we just cannot operate on prior restraints as the sick mind cannot conform. So as much as it is hateful, we must deal with each circumstance as it comes up. Maybe stiffer penalties, but that would not restrain the sick minds.
   We all must take a look at the larger puzzle. The percentages of mentally screwed up priests and cops and school teachers are a very very small sub 1.%, maybe like -- 0001 percent. You simply cannot legislate mental health.
   So if we are looking at local police misconduct, which we are, it must be handled at the local level with clear civilian oversight and if need be civil disobedience. Vigilance by those most effected by the abhorrent behavior and local civil servants and activists are required.
   So yes the local folks are liable for wrongful acts that cause injury. Juries of peers decide these things - even the risk of that going badly should force the LEA's to accept responsibility via cash. Although we all dang well know that cash cannot cure or replace the loss or injury to a loved one.
   Yes, cash liabilities should force LEA's to act responsibly. Lawsuits and lawyers are not the problem. In most cases they are a better solution than riots which we all know are basically ruined by maniacs fanning the flames and committing violence.
   Our system actually does quite well if you look at the ratios of a million cops against bad cops.
   Don't let the media convince you that this is an epidemic. After all what you hear are the bad cops getting busted.

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      ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      excellent answer.  Just as there is a tyranny of the majority   - there is an opposite. ! Most wise and reasonable answer. Thank you. Gives me hope and trust in the society as a whole.

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      Ericdierkerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Since this answer my friend, I am now sitting on a waiting list to be on our county sheriff civilian oversight committee. We have an awesome Sheriff department. But maybe that is not true. The committee is filled with cronies, outsiders not welcome.

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   Pax Pacisposted 7 years ago

   There are something like 750,000 local and state police officers in the USA. The vast majority are working hard every day to protect and serve their local residents. You may get 5-10 stories every year about truly stupid or criminal acts by police officers. 5-10 out of 750k is an excellent track record.
   
   For the real dummies, they are held liable in the civil and criminal systems. As they should be. However, you shouldn't judge the 99.995% of cops based on what 0.005% do (and are punished for, they don't get off for free).
   
   Civil payments are to punish departments who have allowed one of their officers to run wild. It reduces funding for patrols, training, tools, etc. The civil payments are brutal to a police station and have an immediate, drastic effect on standards and procedures.

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      ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I hear 2-3 stories/week & 10/year stories is untrue, you're confused that 41/7years convicted.

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   fpherj48posted 7 years ago

   Police brutality is a complex topic and certainly a controversial one.  This is not new, in fact, as long as there have been "groups" established to defend and protect the masses against wrong-doings & crimes of others, the guys in the white hats have had their share of bad guys.
   This can't be surprising when we simply consider that human beings are fallible.  Human nature is stronger more often than training and adherence to rules & policies. 
   Further, there will always be the "exception to the rule."  Perfection is not a possibility although serious attempts at near-perfection are encouraged!
   I'm not familiar with the situation regarding the 25 yr.old woman from Dayton, Ohio, which you mention here.  Therefore, to comment or offer an opinion would be not only futile but foolish as well.  All that I will say about this is that I would hope that this case was thoroughly investigated for truth and validity.  If this woman was abused due to blatant wrong-doing by Police officers, they most definitely should be charged, tried and punished for this.
   I think it's safe to say that we have all seen videos of alleged cases of police brutality and situations where a citizen is calling for charges against law enforcement officers for "excessive" force or in some severe cases, where a suspect actually died in police custody.  More recently, cases like these have caused civil unrest and community uprisings and revolts. 
   This type of violent response makes all matters much worse and efforts to discourage such behavior are immediately set up in cities & towns where this occurs.  The vicious cycle begins.
   With the use of cameras now, both in vehicles and worn on an individual, (plus anyone with a cell phone has the capability to record actions) there is visible & audible record of most of what occurred.  When these video feeds are included with testimony & witnesses, plus any evidence of the situation, a much more accurate investigation is possible, leaving less room for false memories, lies or police misconduct.
   Whatever the case may be, it should always be dealt with by the authorities and go through the proper channels of our justice system.
   As tax-paying members of any community, we must not sit idly by and do nothing about problems that plague our towns & cities.

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      ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      You are using the "bad apple'logic. I feel that it is a systematic such as the recent case of a man dying of thirst after 7 days of no water. It wasn't a single person who did this but an entire dept of people who knew what was going on.

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