WTF is wrong with the police?

[Scott Free]

The internet is what's wrong. It skews your perception.


The stories of abuse are coming from all over the globe. That means millions and millions of faulty human beings that you're drawing your pool of examples from. Of course there will be screw ups and abuses of power. But, very few of them actually apply to us here and now. I don't see a single example (although I know there are many) here from Canada.

It's much like parents who read the daily news on the net and see 50 children who've died in assorted horrific accidents. It's nerve wracking, it makes it feel like your own kid could die any second. But the fact that they're global stories, designed to shock, designed to distress you and keep you coming back to the papers for more, seems to escape many. You're really much safer than the news would like to make you think.

I disagree. I have seen many abuses by police that weren't put on the Internet.

Also when I was 14 I had the misfortune of having to console my best friend because his dad, a cop, had admitted to murdering an 18 year old boy.

I am safer than the papers would have me think because people, by and large, aren't the raving psychopathic killers the elite would have us believe they are. The original intent of police was to protect the property of wealthy people and light lamps at night. It is a fairly new and contrived justification that they "keep the peace."

If we were to believe the modern justifications for armed goons wandering our streets it is that people are all mad crazy nut jobs just waiting for any chance to rob you. I find this generalization very distasteful and a blatant lie. There are a few bad apples to be sure but they sure as hell don't justify these para military goon squads prowling our streets. We would do just fine with unarmed police that could, in extreme circumstance call for weapon support. Maybe special armed gang branches that left normal folks alone but went after direct threats. Regular police don't need body armour and freakin' guns on normal Canadian streets! It's just ridiculous and little wonder to me so many people are getting hurt by these savages.

 

[VanIsle]

Huh??? That's just so unreal as to be insane

Tyr, qualify what you have to say because to the best of my knowledge, Cannuck is on target except that it is not just Vancouver mounties, but mounties Canada wide.

 

[Cannuck]

Huh??? That's just so unreal as to be insane

Yes it is.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I grew up with complete and total respect for the Military &
Law Enforcement. I have no direct personal experience with
the Military (Many friends and family have served), so I still
have that complete and total respect for the Military despite
the many negative things in the news & on the internet. :-|

Through several ugly and unfortunate interactions with "local"
Law Enforcement by friends, family, and myself, my opinion
of many in Law Enforcement has changed from what I was
taught to believe. The ugliness found on the internet merely
reinforces this opinion, but it didn't create it by any means.

By having corruption and ineptitude directly affect myself &
members of my circle of family and friends (none of whom
could even remotely be considered criminals) have modified
my indoctrinated respect of Law Enforcement from my youth.

Twenty-Five years ago, I would have been able to argue as
passionately in favor of all Law Enforcements actions as
IslandPasific. There are still many GREAT men & women in
Law Enforcement, but the number of officers that do not
fit into that category is truly stunning.

At this point nobody seems to have tried to answer the question
that was asked in the title to this thread....8O

I believe a very significant part of the problem comes down to
accountability with Police Departments investigating themselves
upon a complaint (Police policing the Police) and the rubber stamp
society currently called a "Public Complaints Commission" that until
recently would have been called the "Police Complaints Commission."

There is nothing Public or unbiased in a Public Complaints Commission
what-so-ever. Change this system, and the Publics perception of Law
Enforcement will change. Maintain the current status quo and the Publics
perception of Law Enforcement will only steadily decline further into the
current "us vs. them" mentality found inside (& out) of Law Enforcement.

 

[lone wolf]

Ten years ago, my son graduated at the head of his class. He turned down RCMP only because he wanted to remain relatively close to home. Last year, he left Toronto Police. The "Church" was pressuring him into giving testimony in support of a corrupt cop. He took a position in Edmonton. Now, he is working for the railroad because the "Church" expected him to uphold "the Code" again....

 

[karrie]

Ten years ago, my son graduated at the head of his class. He turned down RCMP only because he wanted to remain relatively close to home. Last year, he left Toronto Police. The "Church" was pressuring him into giving testimony in support of a corrupt cop. He took a position in Edmonton. Now, he is working for the railroad because the "Church" expected him to uphold "the Code" again....

Oh good... I thought maybe you were going to say he was working for the police force here, which has some major corruption issues at the moment.

 

[lone wolf]

Oh good... I thought maybe you were going to say he was working for the police force here, which has some major corruption issues at the moment.

He was a constable in Edmonton for about eight months. That's why he's with the railroad now....

 

[karrie]

He was a constable in Edmonton for about eight months. That's why he's with the railroad now....

They've had some major problems. It would be nice to see their force subject to external overview.

 

[Ron in Regina]

They've had some major problems. It would be nice to see their force subject to external overview.

By whom though?

 

[karrie]

By whom though?

that's the tricky bit isn't it? No matter who you get, they're human too.

 

[Ron in Regina]

that's the tricky bit isn't it? No matter who you get, they're human too.

I was think'n of the Blue Line or Blue Wall or Church or whatever it's
called locally wherever you happen to reside. An outside Law
Enforcement Agency would still have a Blue Line or Blue Wall or Church
or whatever...it would have to be a non-politically appointed body made
up of Civilians, and I can't imaging (at this point yet) that ever being
allowed.

When the day comes, they can start with the "Public Complaints
Commission" in their external overview and work backwards to the Police
Department....reviewing every complaint file starting with the most recent
and working until there are none left, and banning the ability of the Police
immediately to destroy these complains that are older than six years old.

 

[JLM]

"I asked a ligit question and you get uppity?"- Sorry about that, I just get a little uppity when asked "WTF" I did something- I did it for a good reason, when I opened the thread there was nothing there. I'm basically pretty civil, except when someone else is being a jerk.

 

[Tyr]

Tyr, qualify what you have to say because to the best of my knowledge, Cannuck is on target except that it is not just Vancouver mounties, but mounties Canada wide.

Nobody is "forced" to hire underqualified or incompetant staff as Cannuk claims. They do so because they themselves are underqualified and incompetant

The claim that that is what is wrong with Vancouver RCMP is just infantile and grossly misinformed

 

[Tyr]

As I said on the other thread about the Vancouver mounties, they are being forced to hire unqualified and incapable people. Blame political correctness.

nice racist way of saying they're hirng minorities. The message is there if the words are not

 

[Cannuck]

nice racist way of saying they're hirng minorities. The message is there if the words are not

You can take it that way if you choose. It was not intended that way.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Nobody is "forced" to hire underqualified or incompetant staff as Cannuk claims. They do so because they themselves are underqualified and incompetant

The claim that that is what is wrong with Vancouver RCMP is just infantile and grossly misinformed

Do you have an opinion as to what is wrong, and thus a starting point
on an idea to correct what is wrong?

"They themselves are underqualified and incompetant." OK then...how can this
be fixed? How did this come about so it can be avoided in the future?

 

[Cannuck]

"They themselves are underqualified and incompetant." OK then...how can this
be fixed? How did this come about so it can be avoided in the future?

They lowered the minimum hiring standards and they don't pay enough to get and keep competent members. On top of that, most municipalities turn their force into little more than tax collectors.

Our local RCMP detachment consists of six officers. One is 50 lbs overweight and couldn't outrun most 50 year old men. One is 125 lbs if he's 10.

We need to pay our police more. We have to turn them back into protectors and not tax collectors and we need to cut out the political correctness and re-establish some minimum height and weight restrictions as well as a stricter psych evaluation. That would be good for starters.

 

[lone wolf]

There needs to be a national standard for policing and reprimand. That stops cops, washed out from one department, from landing police duties in another jurisdiction without some correction. It's not only teachers and clergy who escape justice by moving.

 

[shadowshiv]

We would do just fine with unarmed police that could, in extreme circumstance call for weapon support. Maybe special armed gang branches that left normal folks alone but went after direct threats. Regular police don't need body armour and freakin' guns on normal Canadian streets! It's just ridiculous and little wonder to me so many people are getting hurt by these savages.

I disagree with this statement. The fact that the street gangs are so well armed nowadays makes it a requirement for officers to be armed and wearing body armour. There is NO way that police could ever be unarmed in today's society.

I will say that there are police out there that do act like thugs(as evidenced by news stories) and can be considered criminals. However, that can be said for any profession. There are bad apples that unfortunately spoil it for the honest, hard-working ones.

 

[CDNBear]

As I said on the other thread about the Vancouver mounties, they are being forced to hire unqualified and incapable people. Blame political correctness.

Bingo!