[Kylon]

What will be the future of the police force you think?

I'm thinking that as society breaksdown they are going to see a massive number of individuals either drop out of the force, or select an early retirement, further making it difficult for the remaining cops to fight off the forces of crime.

As the number of cops decreases, the likelihood of catching a criminal will decrease, decreasing the risk for criminal behavior, and increasing the potential rewards. This in turn will make it harder to make a living as an honest citizen, further moving more people towards crime. This in turn, will make it harder on cops, causing more to leave the force.

So in turn, the number of cops will decrease dramatically without either A) special privileges/benefits for cops (such as the ability to maybe exact tribute from local organizations, and freedom to use force with less reprocussions) or B) A law enacted that says you can't leave the force, or C) a combination of A and B.

So I see the future for cops as gloomy at best.

[emersonbiggins]

I think we'll see cops go blackwater as the upper classes draw nearer their own personal security forces to guard their families and property.

The remaining forces will be more subject to corruption and injustice, a la Mexico, as they struggle along with the rest of us towards making ends meet in a regressive economy.

I've considered becoming a cop when TSHTF, if only to be among the few civilians that will be legally armed (yep, those days of a 'safe' public are a-comin'... )

[Kristen]

Hopefully we can still make citizen's arrest!

[east2west]

3 words- Private security forces

Funded by private companies or even by communities, much the way it's done here in China in large cities.

Many small neigborhoods pay a very small tax to fund neighborhood security guards.

[jato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') think we'll see cops go blackwater as the upper classes draw nearer their own personal security forces to guard their families and property.

The remaining forces will be more subject to corruption and injustice, a la Mexico, as they struggle along with the rest of us towards making ends meet in a regressive economy.

[max_power29]

In a slow drawn out collapse, cops will be our overlords. Their pepper spray will be recalled and they will be issued bull whips and cat-o-nines as well as being issued clubs again.

they are the teeth to the rich peoples power.

Any resistance to the slave masters and your house will be burned down, bombed, or bull-dozed and then they will shoot your family as you flee it.

the sheople will not sympathize or be of any help because they will be in consensus trance denial until the day they die

[eastbay]

east2west,

What is the authority of these Chinese private security guards? Can they legally detain or beat a burglar, thief, or trespasser, for example, or do they have to call the 'regular' police when some idiot enters into the housing area with illegal motives.

In the US private security generally has very little authority and can't do too much other than be their employers eye's and ear's.

Thanks

[frankthetank]

A police officer right now (atleast up here) has pretty much everything he does/says recorded. All cars have video, the officers carry mics that must be turned on in certain situations. All cars have GPS units in them (for tracking), laptops (internet), and printers (yes, printers!). Reports are no longer hand written (typed/computer). A cop told me if they jam anymore junk into his squad, he's going to have to tow a trailer along with him.

Is this normal in other places?

Did anyone catch the story on the salaries of cops in Boston (me thinks) Avg yearly wage was like 100K or more (around here its low 40's--me thinks).

A cop is more a less a tool of the rich/powerful, and will probably become ever more obvious in the future.

[perdition79]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'I')'ve considered becoming a cop when TSHTF, if only to be among the few civilians that will be legally armed (yep, those days of a 'safe' public are a-comin'... )

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Even now you can see the trends it will follow when things become harder and resources are tighter. They will likely start only responding to "priority calls".

This means if some rich guy's house gets broken into... they will answer the call. If there's a shootout (lets not forget the testosterone factor here) they will respond.

So for the average person, if you see a drunk driver and can show the cops where they live etc and have 30 witnesses... it will take them 4 hours to respond and of course by that time the drunk will have sobered up if they even think to check which they didn't in this instance (real story).

Or you can call the cops and tell them you just beat up your kid and it takes them 6 hours to respond, with 6 cars and flashing lights that don't actually make it to your door before they turn around and go to something more important.

I think the biggest change is that people are going to find themselves more and more often left on their own to deal with situations... unless there are weapons involved of course. Then I am sure you will get more attention than you want.

[max_power29]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('perdition79', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'I')'ve considered becoming a cop when TSHTF, if only to be among the few civilians that will be legally armed (yep, those days of a 'safe' public are a-comin'... )

[pup55]

I have known a lot of cops, and I would say that personality-wise, there is a really fine line between a cop and a thug. Aggressive type personality, controlling, , typically risk takers and action seeker a lot of them pretty big physically.

A lot of those guys are over in Iraq right now, getting some additional training in community relations and law and order.

What keeps them on one side of the fence or the other is a loyalty oath. If things got bad, there would be a renegotiation of this. You would end up with 1930's Chicago, with some good, and some not so good. Mexico today, fueled by drug money, is an appropriate guinea pig.

[gg3]

On the other hand there really are those who do believe in protecting the public and serving the community. Yes, really.

---

Likely scenario: Bifurcation depending on the ability of locales to pay property taxes. In cities that span both rich and poor populations, resources will be stretched, and rich areas will hire private guard forces as supplementary patrols. In poor areas, God help them. In middle-of-the-road small towns, probably a shift toward less energy-intensive methods, for example bicycle patrol and greater reliance on citizens' watch before dispatching an automobile to a scene.

---

Realistic forecast for those of us planning ahead: Network with your neighbors, establish a community watch, strengthen it over time. If the lawful order starts to break, ramp up and be prepared to use firearms when the baddies come to town. Few things are as easily implemented as communications networks that enable people to respond to emergencies quickly: even a system of two-way radios with one-time verbal codes that are changed after every event, is viable.

Different types of crime, and different types of criminals, are likely in rural and urban areas. It's difficult to forecast but the best bet is probably to be aware of local trends and take steps to put a halt to any new development, for example gang recruitment in a rural area.

Grassroots support for the justice system can be of much help during budget crises: volunteers doing things such as washing patrol cars, sweeping up at the courthouse, bringing home-grown veggies to the county jail, and so on, can help scarce tax dollar go further by being focused on essentials such as wages & salaries for police, judges, public defenders, and so on. Over time it might be necessary for volunteers to pick up jobs such as administrative support and so on.

But it will be worth the effort.

You do not want to find out what it's like when criminal & civil justice systems break.

Or rather, if you want to see what it looks like, look up conditions in Somalia, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan... you get the idea.

[TITAN]

I think something along the lines of the way the police acted in V for Vendetta is what we can expect. In fact, I think we can expect many aspects of that movie to come true...

Recently, I have been giving serious thought to not re-enlisting again in the national guard. One of the main reasons I may stay is the fact that I would prefer to be the police and not the policed...

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '
')
---

Realistic forecast for those of us planning ahead: Network with your neighbors, establish a community watch, strengthen it over time. If the lawful order starts to break, ramp up and be prepared to use firearms when the baddies come to town. Few things are as easily implemented as communications networks that enable people to respond to emergencies quickly: even a system of two-way radios with one-time verbal codes that are changed after every event, is viable.