Police brutality and aggression

[The Question]

Found an interesting article on the Huffington Post on the subject:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/radle...use-of-force-swat-raids_b_1123848.html?page=1

I agree with the general thesis of the article, I think our police forces have ramped up aggression in raids and implemented military style tactics to the point where it is putting civilians in very serious danger, and I think it needs to stop. To be clear, my opinions are directed at policy, not at individuals.

What do ya'll think?

 

[Visceral]

i disagree

 

[The Question]

EDIT: The thing I was responding to went away, so never mind.

 

[bkong0]

Well sure, there's really no way to argue that police have ramped up their aggression to the point where it threatens more civilians than it has before, that's all statistics and shown pretty clearly. People might want to believe otherwise but they're just deluding themselves.

Realistically, allowing no-knock raids and giving military equipment to police was guaranteed to ramp up aggression. Particularly when dealing with non-violent criminals.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I'd say the very idea of police is going to lead to serious problems. It's essentially a force that exists to pacify people through force and intimidation.

The idea is that a society has law and order and that police enforce those laws to keep the order. But most of our societies evolved (some have yet to evolve) from petty feudalism. Back when tyrants ruled over people, and used violence to enforce their rule, by having thugs trounce the little people. Modern police are essentially an evolution of petty thuggery. They carry clubs in the 21st century to beat people.

We have seen what police do without oversight, even in developed countries. It's not pretty. There's a reason the word "police" takes on a negative connotation the moment you put it in front of say a word like "state".

Police essentially exist to threaten people into obedience. The amount of brutality they are allowed depends on the public.

 

[Baramos]

Half the problem is the war on drugs which has pretty much been a failure and has led to record incarceration rates, most of which are merely users instead of dealers. The other problem is this war on drugs being taken to extremes--raids on people selling pot or whatever out of their house. I'm all for stopping major drug deals or catching murderers/enforcers but these SWAT raids on low-level dealers are pretty ridiculous and seem mostly about making favorable media coverage as opposed to actually stopping the problem at its source.

Plus turning low-level dealers into informants seems like a better strategy at catching the important people anyway. Find the source and then stage a raid.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Half the problem is the war on drugs which has pretty much been a failure and has led to record incarceration rates, most of which are merely users instead of dealers. The other problem is this war on drugs being taken to extremes--raids on people selling pot or whatever out of their house. I'm all for stopping major drug deals or catching murderers/enforcers but these SWAT raids on low-level dealers are pretty ridiculous and seem mostly about making favorable media coverage as opposed to actually stopping the problem at its source.

Plus turning low-level dealers into informants seems like a better strategy at catching the important people anyway. Find the source and then stage a raid.

Well, that wouldn't be profitable.

 

[Baramos]

Yeah, the privatization of the prison system is also a huge problem. Justice is hardly being served by things like criminals being allowed to pay to have their cell to themselves, but it adds more profit to the coffers.

The fact that the recent Arizona immigration law to imprison illegal immigrants for a set jail-term instead of just deporting them was financed by the biggest private prison outfit in that state should have sent up some red flags. The more prisoners the more money they make off the state.

 

[Victarion]

Odds are you won't be hit with brutality/aggression if you just treat them politely, regardless of who's really in the wrong. Plus, you know, not be breaking the law. I agree with Baramos on the privatization; it seems like the prisons could get stuffed with inmates whose offenses are minor compared to the people let loose because there's no room for them.