five men beating up an unarmed citizen - to death

[samsingh]

there is no training issue. No one should believe they can keep hitting some one who has fallen to the ground and is not a threat.

No lack of training excuses. There should be zero tolerance so these vicious criminal police will know that their brutal actions WILL result in punishment and no shrugging or lies about being afraid are going to work.

Nothing gives them the right to beat someone to death because they felt like it.

[Elessar Zappa]

1. We need better psychological screening

before hiring. And yes, better training.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. The screening does exactly what it's supposed to do: Find people who will succeed in this position.

[Lunabell]

2. I absolutely cannot watch the video.

But he was calling for his mother! God help me, isn't that enough to make a normal human being step back and reevaluate what they're doing?

These men are monsters and deserve life in prison. No possibility of parole. And as former cops, they will not be allowed in general population. For their own safety, they will be put in solitary confinement, and that is a hell of its own.

I think the death penalty is less cruel than 23 hours a day staring at 4 walls, no visitation, nobody to talk to except correctional officers, nurses, doctors and occasionally a therapist. Your drinking water is over your toilet and you only get one fresh vegetable or fruit once a day.

[secondwind]

6. Yes, life in prison is way worse than the death penalty.

[Lunabell]

11. No, solitary confinement is.

People go crazy in solitary. Literally. I've worked in many prisons and the suicide rate for solitary confinement is 74% higher than general population. I'm not saying that the death penalty is even warranted in this case at all. It's not a capital murder case.

Just that solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment. Former law enforcement officers in prison are required to be in "administative close management" and for their own safety, are not allowed in general population.

So, basically, if these cops are convicted of 2nd degree murder, they will essentially be in solitary confinement for the rest of their lives.

And yes, I am not anti death penalty in SOME capital murder cases. I'm not pro death penalty, if it were abolished in the US, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all. But, solitary confinement is definitely cruel and unusual punishment.

[Picaro]

3. The core issue is qualified immunity

Qualified immunity translates to almost absolute power and absolute power is absolutely corrupting. Cops are pretty confident that they can get away with damn near anything. They’re usually right.

Combine that with the 3rd party “training” that teaches a number of toxic concepts such as their number one priority is to get home alive, that they’re noble warriors watching over stupid, sheep-like citizens, and they can do anything no matter how violent to enforce compliance.

Policing in this country is horribly sick and deranged. The more people push back the more violent the police become. Cameras are helping, but aren’t the answer.

The problem is that the core ideas behind policing are simply wrong.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. Cops killed people before QI.

[7wo7rees]

8. I don't speak much of this, but yes, power is corrupting.

My uncle (with 5 degrees from UT-Austin in the 50's) moved to California in late 50's and became a police officer...detective for Anaheim. Oh the stories he had to tell....
He left the "force" in 70's. He busted a bunch of bad cops. That is just how we all were raised. To do the right thing. It cost him his career and lasted in years of harassment. Anaheim PD was determined to take him out. They did finally succeed.

Uncle left "force" and went back to school for another degree. Law, he decided he would be an attorney. But....he worked for a bondsman while getting his law degree (he did get his law degree, passed the bar). Uncle L figured out while working for bondsman that he could make lots more money being a bondsman than he could being an attorney. He became the #1 bondsman in Orange Co, CA through the 80's, 90's, the early 00's.

But Anaheim PD never quit pursuing him for exposing the corruption. They finally got him. Uncle L was a collector (possibly to say, hoarder), and that is how Anaheim PD finally put him in prison.
An ancient Nazi gun from World War 2, hanging very high up on a wall, out of reach, never taken off wall. It was just there, a novelty.

I lived with Uncle in '80 through end of '81. I fled back home to Texas. He was very much "do as I say, not how I do". Did not work for me. As explained to me by him, there is black and there is white and "I walk a thin Grey line in between".
There was so much criminality in all he did in his "business", for all Anaheim tried, the best they could do was take him out for a relic.
Uncle L was the go to guy for the Hells Angel's till the end.

So anyway, never meant to write this much just to say, Absolutely, power corrupts. I have 1st hand, personal experience from a member of the "police force" and what happens if you cross them.

[Woodswalker]

7. Like many other horrible things

You don't see French, Spanish, or German police doing these things to the people of those countries. Not a new problem and has been going on here a long time. Surveillance has exposed it.

[debm55]

9. samsingh, I posted this on another thread, but it applies here too. Memphis was in need of cops. So

they did the following:

1. Drop college credits down to 20 from 54. If you worked in the corrections department that could be used toward your 20. I cop did.

2. All physical requirements were done away with. Which accounts for the 5 looking like they were on roids and/ or so out of shape.

3 Let 2 felony complaints be the cut off. So Memphis has felons policing? WTF

[samsingh]

10. thanks for this information

[debm55]

12. Your welcome. The changes came about in 2021 or 2022. Perhaps because of Covid? I don't know. But

it did say that the Memphis Police Department was in need of close to 500 cops.

[panader0]

13. You are correct of course, but I jumped in to congratulate you on your 22nd anniversary today.

Quite a feat!

[samsingh]

14. thank you panader0!