by Outcast_Searcher » Tue 08 Sep 2015, 20:19:41
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('C8', 'I') ask a simple question: what happens now that police work has becomes such a high risk job that fewer people want to do it?
Is it really such a high risk job? Certainly it is in certain neighborhoods, but not overall. (See stats in various posts above). If it is perceived as being too high risk in certain places, then the salaries will have to go up, or those areas will have severe shortages of cops.
So, aside from more rules and regs, I suspect most cops working in decent areas in most towns and cities haven't been impacted that much. Technology, such as the body and cop car cams may well help alleviate some of the rules and regs as well. Nothing like objective evidence to help settle a he-said she-said argument about what happened.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')What happens when, if you make a lighting quick decision to save somebody's life (or your own)- and BEFORE an investigation is even started:
1. you get national condemnation
2. become a front page figure commented on even by the White House
3. have your family threatened
4. house picketed
5. threatened a not-so-fair prosecution by inner city politicians who may want to score one for their blood thirsty constituents (or they will riot)
I don't like the public witch hunts that have occured, especially when once the facts come out that the "victim" is a criminal who was clearly at fault, the witch hunters largely completely ignore such facts.
OTOH, how is it that cops are now legally allowed to confiscate "large" amounts of cash with NO warrant, NO trial, no proof of a crime, etc. It's called "civil asset forfeiture", and all a cop has to do is say they believe the money was involved in a crime. And by the way, the police are often allowed to keep the money for equipment, etc. and there is often very little oversight of how such money is spent.
Is this supposed to garner respect for the police? Respect is EARNED. It's a two way street.
Finally, if you think only the police have it harder in their jobs in this new "global" economy where downsizing, outsourcing, cost cutting, etc. are the norm, instead of valuing employees and trying to work WITH them to help them grow and benefit the company over a productive career -- you're delusional. Cops are just one example of a job where some aspects of it have gotten worse and employees are shown less respect.
Other examples, off the top where I've witnessed the negative changes, include many corporate professionals of many job types, teachers, and white collar workers in general. The blue collar jobs continue to be impacted of course -- but for them this trend started much earlier, with jobs in steel production being a prime example.