What do we do about the police in this country? So many people say “Not all police…” when someone mentions the bad things that are happening. Well, I agree that it’s not all police who do the bad things, but it sure looks like the “good” police aren’t doing anything to keep the “bad” police in line, and that may be the problem. If you are not willing to stand up and say “Hey – you shouldn’t be doing that” when you see a fellow police officer doing something he shouldn’t – like kill someone, pull a gun out when not appropriate, plant evidence, or numerous other things – then perhaps you are not as good as you thought you were.
I know a lot of people are saying defunding the police is not the answer, but I am starting to understand that a lot of people think that means just do away with the police entirely. How about if we take a lot of things that the police are not adequately trained for off of their plates, allowing them more time to be adequately trained for things they should be dealing with. Maybe other professionals, like social workers, would be better at handling some things. Â And what if we were to really hold police accountable for things they do, instead of sweeping things under the rug and allowing them to do anything they feel that they can get away with.
I agree that all police are not “bad,” and I also see that a lot of “good” police are sometimes caught doing things they shouldn’t be doing. I don’t know what the answer is. Do we need to scrap everything and start over?
I do think we need to stop treating the police like military forces – I do believe this is part of the problem.
And not all police are racists, but I do think we need to find a better way to keep racists off of the police force.
I wish I had the perfect answer, but I don’t. I do know, however, that things need to change.
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