Petition to President Obama

Petition



I got sucked into the whole "militarization" of the police schtick when the Cato Institute report was released a fairly long time ago.  I've debated writing an editorial or article, but we know facts don't matter in issues like this.  It's optics and illusions.  We've been using variants of the same equipment for centuries, but the public, press and politicians ignore the main area we've changed in: training and management.  I daresay that at no time in American policing has as much administrative and training emphasis been placed on the cultural and social aspect of our role as a means of social control, particularly when it comes to race, ethnicity and demographics.  We've also undergone a quantum change in law and policy regarding the use of force in any given situation.  People want us to return to Mayberry - style policing, but forget that as that program was running from 1968 to 1971 America as a nation was undergoing drastic and often traumatic changes in the social and civil rights arenas.  It was a time of untrained attack dogs, CN, water cannons and hickory to the head.  Your performance was evaluated on how many stitches you accounted for, and you likely didn't document anything, because to paraphrase one chief from just slightly before then, writing wasn't important because he didn't want cops who thought too much.



Remember, we are always on camera.  Also remember not to get too frustrated.  Petitions are easy to start, and closed minds can't be opened with the jaws of life.  If the job was easy, politicians and activists could do it.  Literally, always fight the good fight.