But I also fully understand and appreciate the fact that American police culture is dispicable in the way it regularly interacts with ordinary citizens engaged in no criminal act, with reckless abandon of safety and basic common manners.

I’m sorry, but this is an absolutely absurd statement. The vast, vast majority of police officers are very well mannered, highly trained, and intelligent actors who have an incredible level of tolerance despite having to deal with uncompromising and almost inhuman elements of society on a daily basis. The emphasis they put on safety is regularly so extreme that the officer is highly disadvantaged against his foes when forced into combat. Don’t do an Abu Ghraib and use a tiny incident to define a whole population.

This is an appalling example – and the officers should indeed be removed from duty. Alas we rarely hear about the other side, when police officers wait for hours with motorists awaiting rescue on snowy nights…

The best we can do is praise individuals when we can, and fire officers who misbehave so badly…

And the best THEY can do is apologize to this hapless victim… It would be really disappointing to learn that this police system was advised not to apologize by its lawyers…

All cops do not behave like this. The vast majority of police officers do not behave like this. the vast majority of police officers, however, stand aside and allow the small minority that do behave like this. Competition needs to be allowed within the policing industry, because police departments are becoming increasingly militarized and indifferent to the communities they serve.

Regards,
TDL

Where is the public outcry of RACISM and HATE CRIME that would be on the front page of every newspaper in the civilized world if that video showed a black paraplegic being dumped out of his wheelchair by a white deputy???? Oh, that’s right, it’s not racism if the victim is white….

Here is another question that has to be asked: is police corruption/incompetence growing or is police corruption/incompetence being more effectively exposed? My argument for competition stems from stems from the fact that more oversight yields little if anything. This is the experience of a Chicagoan, so the experience may vary from locale to locale. Alex Tabarrok has written and researched extensively on the topic of police/security competition. Radley Balko has also written extensively on “no knock” raids and the militarization of police; Radley Balko continually notes how more oversight and pledges to act against police corruption/incompetence typically results in minimal outcomes. The vested interests (unions, politicians, & prosecutors) will play a role in oversight and water down in order to minimize their loss of power and job security (this is my theory.)

Regards,
TDL

P.S. Relevant links: Radly Balko at http://www.theagitator.com/

Alex Tabarrok writes at MarginalRevolution.com and this is a search on his blog specific to “police”:
http://www.google.com/search?q=police&btnG=%C2%BB&domains=www.marginalrevolution.com&sitesearch=www.marginalrevolution.com

Lastly, apologies for the long comment.

Has anyone considered the fact that hiring standards have been lowered in order to obtain a more “Politically Correct” cross section of police officers? Never mind that the person may be less qualified than hoped for, departments have to meet quotas.

This is my first visit to this particular site. I have enjoyed it and find it a large step above much of the dribble I find elsewhere.

I was involved in law enforcement in 1960-1977 and saw many changes in procedure in that time. Some of these procedures were necessary and good. Others, in my opinion, were designed make the public “feel good” about their police agencies.

I gave up police work after a friend was shot to death by a 14 year old juvenile with no previous history of violent behavior. This situation occurred in an apartment complex. A previous killing of a police officer by a juvenile occurred when the officer pulled over a reportedly stolen vehicle. The suspect, 13 years old, thought he had to kill the officer or the officer would kill him. Sounded to me like a lawyers lame attempt to set up a self-defense defense.

I left law enforcement because I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t kill some kid that aimed a gun at me.

In addition, I thought the unions took all,or most, of the fellowship out of being the good guys. It became just another job like a plumber or electrician which my grandfather and father had been.

On the subject of politeness, I was always polite to the lawabiding public. I found it difficult to be polite though to child molesters, wife beaters, thieves, rapists and others.

But then I did quit. Maybe the deputy featured in the above film clip should think about quitting. With the police unions of today she should be able to get some kind of stress pension which is what many officers today are
waiting for.

Personal experience means nothing to me… Maybe you should elaborate some more.

Charming. I’ll relate one set of comparisons which are pretty typical in my experience in engaging police officers in the three countries noted below.

• Bury St. Edmund, UK (Sept, 2007): I am in a car looking for parking at a cathedral in a complex old town with lots of curved one-way streets. I apparently drive the wrong way down an abandoned street that is apparently one such one-way street. A police officer on foot flags me down, asks me if I am lost and gives me a tourist map.

• Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan (July, 2005): The sole on my leather shoes has come loose while I am walking on the street and I ask the officer at the local “police box” for the nearest place to get shoe repairs. He calls the nearest shoe stores to ask if they do repairs, and on the third try finds a store that does repairs on the spot. He draws me a map and I am on my way.

• Manhattan, New York, USA (Nov, 2004): I am on foot in New York at around 50th/6th, and it is freezing cold as I look for a building near Lexington and 50th. I know NY OK but had never lived there as of this time, and as the avenue “Lexington” isn’t numbered I don’t know if I should go east or west. I politely ask an officer standing on a curb chewing gum which way, and he says, “What do I look like, the yellow pages?” He does not answer my question.

That’s enough on this topic from me, you’re welcome to have the last word.

Manhattan, New York, USA (Nov, 2004): I am on foot in New York at around 50th/6th, and it is freezing cold as I look for a building near Lexington and 50th. I know NY OK but had never lived there as of this time, and as the avenue “Lexington” isn’t numbered I don’t know if I should go east or west. I politely ask an officer standing on a curb chewing gum which way, and he says, “What do I look like, the yellow pages?” He does not answer my question.

Well, that may have more to do with regional sensibilities more than anything else. For every negative experience you’ve had with police officers, I can offer a positive one that I’ve had.

The DoD is currently funding the acquisition of armored vehicles for any municipality that wants one.

Ha! What evidence do you have for that? The DOD can’t afford to purchase vehicles for police forces… it simply can’t and has other priorities. We can’t even afford to purchase new model combat search and rescue refueling aircraft to replace the 43 year old junkers we have now. The idea that the DOD is just throwing money out at any municipality that wants it is just absurd.

Armored vehicles are not necessary for peacekeeping in a developed nation.

I guess you’ve never read the news stories related to some of the major narcotics stings they’ve been forced to do, or having to crack down on neo-Nazi militias.

Small towns are now fielding SWAT teams, units that use military assault tactics to take down violent targets.

What do you want, a mall security guard to deal with them instead?

WAT teams are necessary in rare cases and use of these tactics requires a high level of training, which can be argued is not being provided by the majority of police departments that field SWAT teams.

What do you know about SWAT teams (which, by the way, are not as prolific as you’re making out… most medium-sized to small towns have SRT duty assignments, but it’s a secondary job). SWAT teams are highly trained and there are dozens of schools for them in the U.S., both public and private. And if you had to Google SRT, then you know nothing of the issue.

In Virginia, for an example, SWAT are deployed to serve misdemeanor warrants; this is a matter of policy not opinion and it is a dangerous use of this type of element.

Example?

The use of military tactics, hardware, and high capacity weapons is a sign of militarization.

And why is this “militarization” happening? It can’t possibly be related to special tasks like having to deal with hostage crises, violent and heavily armed drug groups, and the proliferation of high powered weapons in the hands of thugs, can it?

Where are the private armies that justify the acquisition of such tactics and hardware?

I suggest you visit Los Angeles or Miami or New York or Chicago or Detroit and get a briefing from the police departments there. They will enlighten you.

Well, that may have more to do with regional sensibilities more than anything else.

Yes, it’s not police officers who are assholes, it’s New Yorkers!

Wow ! A New Yorker was rude! Wait until the media gets that story!

My brothers BMW was Keyed in Toronto. Probably because of the Illinois plates on his car. At police station was told to get the fuck out of Canada! But I dont think this is indicative of Canadian police or Canadians. This was one rude cop, other police officers there were very polite and symphathized with him. So get a grip!! Cops are people and most are reasonably polite. Could you post the international standards for police behavior in the developed world!? Some examples

British police shoot kill unarmed man on subway!

Canadian police taser suspect who dies.

As they used to say in San Francisco many years ago,”Next time somone hits your sister and steals your car, call a Hippie”. We all know cops can’t do anything anyway. Riggggght!?