I used to think that reforming cops would involve such things as training, screening, etc.
Maybe being able to carry a gun should be an earned privilege, not available to rookies…
perhaps that would help dissuade power-trippers from joining.
Police reform begins on a more fundamental level:
TV Programming
Turn on the tv… what do you see? Cop shows everywhere, all the time, & this has been true for decades! We have been brainwashed to believe that cops are here to selflessly protect us from harm, and sometimes that pesky Constitution gets in the way of Proper Justice being done.
The cops themselves seem to believe this bullshit themselves… “Oh, we put our lives on the line every day wahh wahh wahh…”
Please.
Their job isn’t even in the top 10 of most hazardous jobs in the country. At least the Crab Fishermen & Loggers have a series of their own. I doubt we will ever see a series on Garbage Collectors.
A cop’s job is mostly boring drudgery, which is why a sizeable portion of the force turns out when a car chase occurs.
As it is, cops are a force unto themselves & must be reined in. I would start with the dress code.
No shaved heads.
I don’t care if you shave your head to conceal your male pattern baldness, you grow it out so you need a haircut every so often.
No tattoos
This will rankle ex-military, but they need to decompress, anyway.
Body camera required
It’s part of your uniform. ‘Forgetting’ to turn it on is a fireable offense.
Of course, training must change. They must have the ‘Protector’ mindset vs. the ‘Warrior’ mindset, which seems to be prevalent today.
There is more, but this post is far too long already.
What happened to Elijah McClain is an abomination.
