Theres an entire liberal defund the cops movement because of one trespassing cop? Seems a little extreme.

Maybe not one, but certainly wayyy less than 1%! You were alive in 2020 right?

In Kansas KLETC ( Kansas law enforcement training center) is 14 weeks and KHP academy is 22 weeks last I knew.

Ya. Heard a criminal overdosed around then.

There's good cops and bad cops. To lump all officers into one category is no different than saying I don't like someone because of there religion or race.

I'm retired now, eleven years. When I started I had never seen cocaine before. I knew people did some pretty crappy things to each other but I wasn't exposed to it until I became a cop. The things you see, the way people treat you effect everyone differently. Not making excuses for anyone just saying.

I will tell you this though, I've never seen a career field where, "EVERYONE" knew more about my job than I did.LOL

Take it as you will, I'm enjoying my retirement!

Very true but Often the good cops tend to cover for the bad ones though making people's perceptions of them worse. Ther is no way I would want to be a cop today. No mater what they do they are in the cross hairs.

My academy was 28 weeks long with a 14 week FTO. so quite a long time. If you like reading books a really great read is emotional survival for law enforcement officers. It shows a glimpse of what officers go through and the emotional hypervigilance roller coaster that we experience on a daily basis. Controlled aggression and violence of action is great and what is needed in (certain circumstances). But for 90% of this job it's verbal and learning how to communicate to people. Filming encounters is always a great idea, especially if something happens, and you have a valid complaint then you have proof. Most agencies wear body cameras now which are great! I have a love hate relationship with mine just because it can be difficult to work occasionally but it gives me a documented point of view and the physical evidence in case anything goes wrong.

Your wrong, There's no such thing as a GOOD cop covering for a BAD cop. That makes two bad cops

Police work in the year 2022: If you hurt someone's feelings, you are instantly a bad cop/ Heavy handed or too aggressive...and if none of those fit, well your just racist.

Removing soveriegn immunity from all levels would go a long way to clearing up issues. When city/county/state officials are put on the hook personally they'll clean up their act.

Seems to me the length of training is short compared to plumbing and electrical both these require 4 years classroom training and thousands of hours on the job and how to use the code books before qualified to even take the test for masters license plus required ongoing yearly training. I am not anti police but there seems to me that there's room for improvement , I would think the body worn cameras shouldn't be allowed to be muted. Seems like it could be a type of evidence tampering. JMO

Are you talking bout the first part of the videos that are usually muted?

You call it sovereign immunity, I've only heard it as qualified immunity. I'm sure there the same thing. What qualified immunity is if the officer acts within the scope of the law and department policies the officer them selves cannot be sued in civil court. It's not a go do what ever you want and not be held responsible.

Keep in mind that state laws vary so what happens in one state may not apply in another.

I would like to bring up one point that seems to be an issue that several bring up and that's the training. Regardless of the amount of training we were all new at one time. Part of the hiring is a background check. If your able to pass the background check you probably you weren't exposed to a lot of the things you encounter as a LEO and it takes a lot out of some officers mentally. They may have came in able to pass a psychological but not after some time on the job. In my opinion it's not the training as much as it is mental aspect.

Please understand I'm not taking up for bad cops some of them are just as lame as some of you have described. I've arrested some officers during my career so I know they do exist.

My biggest issue is this. While I know most LEO are generally good well meaning individuals they are at the end of the day just average joes. They have all the flaws as any of us.

I don't have much faith in us, especially when given that kind of power. And the higher up the power ladder the worse it gets.

So LEO ends up being the front line actors of power from above. As such they often get a bad rap.

But what if they not only had the power but the personal responsibility to weigh every action and the freedom to say no.

But you say they already have that power. Do they really? When you weigh in the life pressures of living and retirement economics, which we all face, coupled with the carrot of immunity and that power wanes.

The old "I don't make the law, I just enforce it" saw. Seems we've heard that one before but in german.

And that's just for the constitutionally and philosophically conscious joes. The sad truth is many if not most of us are a generation or more removed from any sort of thought along those lines.

As an example of the end state of things just look to the federal alphabet LEO and their blatant unconstitutional acts and now active role in subverting the electoral process.

And as in all things electoral the much needed change must arise at the local level.

You are spot on with a lot of your comment. I will add that LEO's have been stripped of some of the common sense type of policing that used to take place years ago. Example little Johnny gets caught shop lifting. If time allowed I used to take them to the juvenile detention center and have the detention officers give them a tour of the jail and take them home. Did it help I don't know but I felt they needed to know what was in store for them if they continued down that path. People with misdemeanor warrants, if they were at work I would tell them they had a week to take care of it or I would have to arrest them at work next time. The one that really got me, guy going to prison didn't show up to for his bus ride to prison, I don't know why he was released. I get to the house and he answers the door. I tell him I was sent to get him. He ask's if he can get his little on the bus for school before I take him. I agreed to it, bus shows up he gets his brother on the bus and I take him in. Didn't think anything of it. years later he see's me in walmart, he comes up shakes my hand thanks me and started to cry.

Those days are gone with law enforcement in large because of civil suits. Sorry about the long drawn out stories but they memorable to me and how I later got to know some of these people. Not all them turned out good, ended arresting some of them over and over. But those that I had to arrest again were polite to me. I miss that part of law enforcement, some of the people.

This exact thread, and all of the statements provided whether I agree with them or not, are all reasons as to why you should be required to have a permanent connection to where you are trying to work at as a LE officer. Not a spot? Ok, next town over, next county, next parish, etc. Nothing better than working in your own community with people you know, grew up with and can be held accountable for your actions. It also would prevent people who have never lived there, don't know the people, or don't even live close from just getting a job and potentially causing a very bad incident.

Agreed

I can recall when my end of county went from from one deputy who lived in the community to a substation system where he was transferred out and the substation staffed by deputies that let's just say would not have been welcome in the community off duty. There were serious issues including at least one rape by a deputy.

The same can be said of our local schools. I've watched the change over three generations where my grandfather was principal of his local high school and my grandmother taught math there, to my own mother having taught, taught with or went to church with all of my teachers, to my brother being ousted from his principalship at a local jr high and sent across the county and told bluntly to forget all hope of a local position and his career would be at an end if he didn't play ball.

BTW, my brother now has his own private school and much happier.

Are you talking bout the first part of the videos that are usually muted? [/quote]
No not the first part but anytime after the contact has been made. Seems like muted conversations could be to trump up retaliation charges or at least gives that perception of hiding something.