It is time for law enforcement officers to be held to a higher standard of behavior

[randr]

These are the people we put out trust in to keep us safe and secure. The have authority to question and apprehend based on principles of justice. If they violate our sacred trust in them they must be held accountable in a much higher regard that anyone not in their position of authority.
They have not only broken the law, they have done so under sworn oath to protect and defend.
Penalties for such behavior need be more aggressively sought and applied.

[tonyt53]

1. When so many of them are cops only because they really want to have power over others,

this is what we get.

[randr]

2. Try to remember that it is still the very small minority of cops

that act out their racist fears. A larger problem is the large numbers who will not come forward to help fix the situation.

[randr]

17. That is my implication

[Igel]

11. The same is true for a lot of others.

School administrators, for example.

Or, perhaps, politicians.

And this is what we get.

The more power, the more perverse.

Power not only corrupts, it attracts the corrupted.

[Humanist_Activist]

14. True, but with police, there are more immediate and fatal consequences of such abuse of power. n/t

[CrispyQ]

18. Occupations where one has power & authority over others

seems to attract the very people that shouldn't have power & authority over others.

[Orrex]

3. Or to any standard at all, frankly.

I think we can all agree that the standard should be higher than "Must be able to give a half-assed excuse for summarily executing a black man in the street."

[randr]

4. Absolutely---They have been hiding behind their badges

and executing good American citizens, with our black community suffering the most.

[Orrex]

6. I'm just a basic white dude watching from the sidelines, and I'm horrified

It's a sick, circular system, too: cops murder black people because of perceived hostility, which might very reasonably inspire an air of hostility, which cops use to justify the murder of black people, which can reasonably inspire further hostility, etc.

[Dr. Strange]

5. Seriously!

I'm not asking for "higher"--just don't fucking shoot unarmed innocent people for no reason.

[uponit7771]

9. There it is then

[onecaliberal]

7. When you have 5 cops pit on trial for killing a man and not even one of them is

Convicted in the two or three that have been tried you can see how they would be emboldened. It's pathetic. These cops need to be convicted and thrown in prison like the murderers they are.

[Logical]

10. The legal system love cops and does not want to piss off cop unions. Nothing will change. nt

[Humanist_Activist]

12. Generally I'm pro-union but it seems the Police Unions exist to cover up criminal activity....

particularly when it comes to malfeasance by cops. Frankly speaking, police are too powerful, individually and as a group, to need union protection.

[hunter]

13. If a cop needs a gun to do their job they are doing it wrong.

I don't have a high opinion of most cops.

If a seventeen year old hooker can disrupt entire police departments, imagine what people with real power and money are doing...

[ecstatic]

15. My thing is, if they're so fucking scared, don't pull us over.

Don't accost us. Leave us the fuck alone if you're too scared and trigger happy to properly do your job!

[ansible]

19. They can't because they have ticket quotas

They'll never admit it publicly of course or use vague terms like "performance goals". That's the real root of the problem, policing has becoming an extortionist racket.

[GaYellowDawg]

16. There are people who will call this an anti-cop stance.

It's just the opposite.

If LEOs are held to a higher standard, and they act to a higher standard - if they are less likely to use force and they treat EVERYONE like they treat white people (and I'm a white man saying this) - then they will face a lot less hostility and their jobs and lives will improve. Asking for higher standards for cops is pro-cop.