Btw 'getting your ass kicked' seems to imply that it was some kind of fair fight and I lost it. Are you really thinking of it as a fight? Not that I don't think he could have won in a fair fight. He was like 6' 3" 250 lbs and had at least some fighting and combat experience and I was a 5' 6" 140 lb geek with almost no fighting experience. I think I had actually been writing code that night and was getting a pizza afterward. But calling it a fight is ridiculous. I *knew* I couldn't fight back. I wanted to but I knew that if I did I really would be charged with assault against a police officer and god knows what else. So I didn't try to defend myself or 'resist' until it was too late and I was pinned under a 250 lb guy unable to breath or even speak before being asphyxiated. And indeed that's how it would have probably ended if the other cop had not pulled him off of me. BTW if this were just a made up story to make cops look bad because I hate them why would I include that last part? That seems to show that at least some cops (say 1 out 15 or so) are willing to actually intervene to stop a murder.
>I suspect that you recall this through more than a little bit of bias and have twisted it to suit your point of the argument
Yes you do. For emotional reasons rather than logical ones. This is what you *want* to believe because it makes you feel better to not think badly of American police. Makes you feel safer and less in danger for your life when you have interactions with them.
Of course it already seems like in interactions with them you treat them as if they are dangerous and mentally unstable gang members with itchy trigger fingers. That's good. Because that is indeed exactly what they are.
>It is also interesting that you, like so many others stopped at sobriety check points, question the legal validity of said stops.
They *are* illegal in 5 US states, but I don't and have not questioned their *legality*. What I questioned was their morality and their constitutionality and indeed such a violation of human rights is consistent with neither.
>Also, I doubt that you were "conversational" in your protestations.
Yes I know. I've met a lot of people like you over the years. It's why I took a plea bargain despite badly wanting to tear apart the cops ridiculous, illogical, and inconsistent story at least some of which I could *prove* was a lie. In any account of events people like you will *always* choose to believe the cops side of the story. Why? Again for emotional reasons. It makes you feel better. Safer. Otherwise you'd have to accept that there are a significant number of cops who are liars and very bad people.
>Having been through more than a few of these check points the cops were never assholes.
Because in your view *no* cops are assholes. Am I right?
>Every time I remained calm and respectful regardless of their inappropriate attitude or actions.
What inappropriate attitude or actions? I thought they weren't assholes.
>One, they calmed down and started to act more rationally.
So they were acting irrationally? Really. I find that so surprising. I thought cops were perfect human beings which is why you always choose to believe their story.
>Two, they generally either reduced the infraction or charges or outright let me go with a simple warning or admonishment to deal with my issues
Did you miss the part where I said, "Fuck you!" quietly but with an angry voice? He *was* provoked, but his overreaction (attempted murder and then false charges) was impressive. Good luck calming a cop down after saying 'fuck you' right to his face. Maybe you are talking about speeding tickets or something.
>NEVER EVER did I get pissed or mouthy with them.
You would not get angry if a cop swore at you for complaining about something? As far as being mouthy yes most people aren't mouthy with the police because they are afraid of them. I was afraid of them as well, but it just got me so mad that he could swear at me like that and that I was not allowed to swear back. Like he is a higher class of citizen. He can verbally abuse me, but I am not allowed to verbally abuse him back?
>He escalated, you responded and escalated
I was out driving to get a pizza. They stopped me and detained me for no reason other than the fact that I refused to answer their stupid questions. I was complaining about how wrong these roadblocks are and he escalated by saying something like, "Shut up you asshole. Then I escalated by saying, 'fuck you'. Then he escalated by attempting to kill me. That last escalation is what I have a problem with. Only a violent psychopath who thinks he can get away with anything would actually do that. It's just crazy. In fact it is so crazy that I think a lot of people would choose not to believe my story. Another reason I took a plea deal.
The whole system of beating + cover charges works quite well really. Otherwise I may have complained about getting beaten for swearing at the cop. Swearing is 100% legal. Beating people up is not. I say 'may have' because complaining about a cop who is
>The only solution, both short and long term, is to stop burning stuff.
So basically you are advocating either the death of the majority of our species or nuclear power dependence on a massive scale such that every country becomes basically like France? Or you could just be stupid. A third option.
Also how can you argue that short term matters? Isn't that a ridiculous argument not supported by any of the evidence?
I hadn't had much contact with US law enforcement (just speeding tickets) until I got stopped at a DUI roadblock one night. I was not drunk. I rarely drink. Scored 0.00% 5 times in a row when they tested me at the station. So they had to drop that charge at least.
Basically I made some comment about it being a violation of my rights to have to be detained by them etc. That it was wrong. That they were bad people for doing it. I was polite about it though just speaking conversationally as if they were human beings like me. A cop swore at me for this and I swore back at him. Then he proceeded to beat me and choke me nearly to death in front of at least 10-15 other officers. The only reason I am alive is because one of the 'not so bad apples' pulled the maniac off of me so that I could breathe again. After I had been saved from death and was lying in a bloody mess with my face smashed into the gravel the cop who beat me started going over his 'story' with another cop. They did this not in whispers, but in loud voices that not only I could hear but the other 15 or so cops who were there including the guy in charge of the whole operation. So I guess making up stories to back 'cover charges' and justify beatings and attempted murder were routine to most of them. They charged me with assault and battery against a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon (what weapon?) and many other so called 'cover charges'. I guess I was lucky they didn't actually plant a gun or knife in my car or something to make the 'deadly weapon' more plausible..
It is true that one of those cops saved my life (the only time a cop has ever done something helpful for me in any way), but he and all those other guys went along with the "bad" cop and not a single cop there questioned what happened in any way or seemed at all disturbed by the situation. I was badly injured and nearly killed for saying, "fuck you" and then falsely charged with serious crimes and not a single one of the 20-30 officers made any attempt to amend the situation or cared even the slightest about what happened. I think most cops would be on the side of the cop who beat me because I disrespected him.
They are just evil people. I remember a Star Trek: TNG episode with this black blob that was supposed to be all of the condensed bad/evil from an entire society that was sloughed off and made into a separate thing. That is like what American cops are for our species: the lowest and most evil of all human beings. They would have become criminals except that they are too cowardly, too afraid of going to jail for their thirst for violence if they had no badge to hide behind. Some also have parents who were cops. So they choose that path.
I know the way bullies think very well because I grew up with one as a child. I have a kind of bullydar. It's like some combination of anger, sadism, sociopathy, and deep cruelty. My own bully as a child used to put firecrackers in frogs asses or mouths and blow them up. Great fun for that kind of person. Every cop that *I* have met in my life were bullies. Every single one. In the US they always seem to have that personality type: tough guy / thug / bully. Cops in most other countries are often just normal people doing a job to make money. They aren't out there to prove how tough they are or to satisfy their bloodlust. It's just a job to them. In the US being a cop is like a whole lifestyle that has a lot more in common with being a gang member than anything else, but unlike those gang members there are no limits at all on their actions. They are not only above the law, but they have no sense of right or wrong, no moral center. No compassion or empathy. And a deep hatred of all 'civilians'. Most of them are very stupid too. Luckily the cop who attacked me was too stupid to invent a coherent and consistent story. I don't even really see them as human beings anymore.
Now probably most cops would not go as far as that crazy one who flipped out and tried to kill a person because they dared to say 'fuck you' to him, but at
I was told by a defense attorney that my state or maybe the city I was in used to have cruiser dashcams (which would have helped greatly in my case), but they were removed because statistically in court it tended to hurt the prosecution more than it did the defense. I guess someone did an analysis. Police routinely lie on the stand and any audio or video footage makes that much harder to do.
To anyone living in the real world this shouldn't be very surprising of course, but most people probably have had too little contact with real police officers to know this. There is a strong tendency for people to believe in the police image as portrayed in TV and film. But those people are actors who themselves don't really know what it is like to actually be a cop.
Just keep in mind that those cops who routinely beat and murder people are still out there and they aren't quitting their jobs anytime soon. They are very dumb but if this policy is implemented nationally they, as a group, will figure out away around it. Just give them time. Maybe they will ask their smarter friends who make a living doing something other than beating and murdering innocent people and their pets..
But yes it is a huge step forward and all police should be required to wear them and turning off or smashing or otherwise intentionally disabling the cam before beating or murdering a suspect should be severely penalized. I'd suggest summary execution.
They also make suspects act like someone's watching
Right. Because an actual police officer standing right there in front of you doesn't make you feel like you are being watched. Because the suspect knows a jury will believe him rather than the police officer. Yep. Makes sense. Police testimony is routinely thrown out of court because everyone knows they routinely lie on the stand. Oh wait...
I think it comes down to emotions. People want to feel safe from violent cops. So they simply choose to believe that only a tiny percentage of them are violent or dangerous without really knowing either way. Most of them have had zero contact with real life police and only know what they see on TV and in movies which has almost nothing to do with how cops behave in the real world. This is also one reason jurists tend to choose the word of a cop over their victim when there is no evidence either way. They want to believe that most cops will not lie in court. So they do believe it. It's like magic.
When we start seeing videos on YouTube of white people being tased to death, or shot way too many times or in the back or both, or being choked to death while being unarmed and non-hostile, then you can claim this has no racial component to it.
Actually most of the youtube videos I've seen have been of white people getting beaten or tazed. Like that 12 year old girl in Arizona or New Mexico or something getting tazered in the head a while back. The point actually penetrated her skull and punctured her brain.Just googled for it but there are so many similar cases it has been buried.
I did find an 8 year old girl who was tazered though and she wasn't black. But the most recent preteen tazered by our courageous police force is apparently a 12 year old black girl from St. Louis. Lucky our police have weapons or they would surely get wasted by preteen girls on a daily basis. In some places there just aren't enough black people to beat and murder. So they have to resort to beating/murdering white people too. Presumably not their first choice I'll admit, but I'm sure it still satisfies their bloodlust well enough and they go home well sated.
Having the camera, makes the guy less defensive, as he knows if something does happen to him there will be evidence
Yeah. I am thinking this is not such a strong motivation for anyone who has had dealings with the police. Maybe he will get suspension with pay for shooting you in the face. Maybe if you are lucky it will be without pay. Although that seems unlikely.
Even if you are not killed all it really means is you may have a defense against false accusations and cover charges. People not afraid of the police usually haven't had much experience with them. Everyone else gives them a wide berth at all times. For good reason. They are dangerous. I'd sooner approach an angry rattlesnake than a cop in the US.
However, now the suspects also cannot just claim mishandling/brutality/unprofessional behavior by the cops every time they are arrested. Until now, a great amount of claims were simply made up or grossly exaggerated.
Citation? How do you know this? It seems implausible to me.
Like when a rapist decides not to rape the girl wearing sexy clothes because he knows he will be recorded helps everyone 'behave better'.
Like when a lion is caged or tied up so he cannot chase the gazelle helps both the lion and the gazelle 'behave better'.
On the one hand you have a heavily armed, body armored group trained in the use of violence. On the other hand you often have a single individual with no weapons or training. A pack of wolves versus a single sheep. Hmm. Who should we give the credit to if the expected violence does not occur? I wonder.
While I'll grant you that the data can be explained by competing theories, in this case only half the officers had cameras on. That certainly suggests that it's not limited to officer behavior.
Police rarely go into situations alone. If 50% of police are wearing cameras it often means that the situation in question is being recorded by someone. That may be enough of a deterrent to greatly reduce routine beatings and the resulting 'cover charges' at the very least. Those guys are addicted to violence but it isn't a literal addiction. They can go without it for a while until their little masochistic brains can figure out a way to continue their behavior with less risk. Never forget that police are mostly cowards. So it is not that hard to deter them with simple measures.
Very few people have the balls or are crazy enough to actively confront a police officer, especially in the US. Very, very few. And for that tiny percentage of crazy/violent people I don't think body cams are going to be a much greater discouragement than batons, tazers, pepper spray and a Glock with a hair trigger. I think we need a little common sense here.
and more about the two parties not wanting to become the next "officer shot an unarmed suspect" news story.
Yes because getting shot isn't enough of a deterrent. Getting shot and getting a video of it put on youtube is just so much worse that it deters people from attacking those poor helpless police officers.
Treating the symptoms often enable a cold to end sooner by giving the body more strength to fight the virus
Citation needed. The body's reaction to a cold virus such as a runny nose is a defense mechanism. When you disable it you are reducing the body's ability to fight the virus. Yes you are made more comfortable but so is the virus.
It's not that most officers are bad people. It's that authority corrupts people.
Actually it's both. The job simply attracts the wrong sort of people in the US and the police force does nothing to actively prevent people with a history of violence and bullying from joining. Yes those experiments you are probably thinking of do show that seemingly normal human beings can turn into monsters when given authority, but I think most of the police in the US were already that way. Otherwise how would you explain the relative lack of violent police in most other countries?
However, a longer term fix is for cops and their detractors to come together and determine how best to handle the threats their communities face.
Like wolves and sheep deciding on a menu? Cops themselves are mostly incredibly stupid and dishonest. They won't really add much to your brainstorming session. In addition to body cameras the US needs to stop accepting violent, amoral sociopaths onto the force and treating them as if they are normal human beings when they clearly are not. There are psych tests that can help determine if someone is a sociopath.
A zero tolerance policy for violent and sociopathic tendencies could go a long way to cleaning up the force. Another interesting tactic might be to introduce quotas for female police officers. It would be nice if at least 50% of police were female. Even if they are also sociopaths (the job really does attract them) at least they will usually be much less violent. The idealization/admiration of violence is more of a male thing I think. Most of the female cops I've met seem much better than any of the male ones. Some even seemed to have at least some degree of empathy for suspects in their custody.
Another idea would be to automatically disqualify anyone with a past history of bullying or violence. Even as children. Actually investigating these people for evidence of such behavior would probably do wonders. It would not surprise me if 9 out of 10 would be identified as bullies by former schoolmates. Just go interview people from their high school and middle school classes. People who knew them but weren't friends. The bullies who become cops tend to be much worse than the ones who don't. So I think you'd find a lot of stories about cruel and violent acts. Torturing animals. Beating up smaller students. All of that. People like that don't (usually) just transform into monsters overnight. They will often have a history. In fact why not make the person making hiring decisions liable for their actions if/when someone they hire murders someone? After getting rid of the amoral sociopaths in American police the next step would be to weed out the District Attorneys and prosecutors in general with sociopathic and amoral tendencies.
Essentially we really have to fire 90% of the people currently working as police and hire new candidates who demonstrate that they have actual feelings and care about not hurting people and would actually feel guilty if they did. And surely law enforcers should have a sense of right and wrong. Like in the movies. In real life there is a distinct lack of this sense among police in the US. A police force full of females and sensitive, ethical males? Damned right! That is what we need.
However, I'd suggest that these folks account for a small percentage of officers.
Any particular reason why you'd suggest this? Would you say the same about a street gang? Because that is exactly what the police are essentially. I think it is more complicated sociologically than you imagine.
It has a lot more to do with the sorts of people who are attracted to law enforcement professions in the US. It attracts bullies and thugs with something to prove and who glorify and worship violence. It doesn't seem to be like that in most of Europe or Asia or even Latin America where law enforcement jobs mostly attract normal people.
Body cameras are great for making those crazy sociopaths in blue have to work harder to get away with all the illegal and unethical and downright cruel stuff they do on a daily basis, but bad/evil people will remain bad/evil. They will just turn off or break their cameras before beating/murdering/framing people.
Still, these are not very bright people we are talking about here. Not only are they the most violent cowards in American society, but they are also some of the least intelligent. Violence and low intelligence are often linked. So the cams will probably discourage and limit a lot of bad behavior.
Cameras are replacing trust in police officers, and trust in the servants of the law is a very good thing.
Are you serious? Only totally retarded cave dwellers trust the police in the US. It's almost all 'bad apples'. Servants of the law? I hope you are joking.
This is quite obviously *not* any sort of general replacement for chemical fuel due to the low thrust. A Nuclear Salt Water Rocket or Fission Fragment rocket otoh might do it. I wonder if this tech would be useful for micro-ships.
What has happened to slashdot? It scares me that you think you know what you are talking about. Go solve the link budget equations for your two examples and get back to me. I am so sick of people who quite literally have no idea what they are talking about, but think they are experts.
Right. Because there was still that one guy who kept coming back to the US for a holiday. Let's make sure that guy never comes back. He's a nuisance and takes away airline seats from everyone else who has no choice but to go to the US for some reason. Airline seats are scarce and precious. Let's keep them as empty as possible. To be fair I guess it does make their jobs easier to keep tourists away.
Only stupid people think everyone else is even more stupid. The guys who come up with schemes like this have the IQs of monkeymen. So of course they are going to assume that jihadists or whoever are going to be even dumber than they are. Morons.
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Btw 'getting your ass kicked' seems to imply that it was some kind of fair fight and I lost it. Are you really thinking of it as a fight? Not that I don't think he could have won in a fair fight. He was like 6' 3" 250 lbs and had at least some fighting and combat experience and I was a 5' 6" 140 lb geek with almost no fighting experience. I think I had actually been writing code that night and was getting a pizza afterward. But calling it a fight is ridiculous. I *knew* I couldn't fight back. I wanted to but I knew that if I did I really would be charged with assault against a police officer and god knows what else. So I didn't try to defend myself or 'resist' until it was too late and I was pinned under a 250 lb guy unable to breath or even speak before being asphyxiated. And indeed that's how it would have probably ended if the other cop had not pulled him off of me. BTW if this were just a made up story to make cops look bad because I hate them why would I include that last part? That seems to show that at least some cops (say 1 out 15 or so) are willing to actually intervene to stop a murder.
>I suspect that you recall this through more than a little bit of bias and have twisted it to suit your point of the argument
Yes you do. For emotional reasons rather than logical ones. This is what you *want* to believe because it makes you feel better to not think badly of American police. Makes you feel safer and less in danger for your life when you have interactions with them.
Of course it already seems like in interactions with them you treat them as if they are dangerous and mentally unstable gang members with itchy trigger fingers. That's good. Because that is indeed exactly what they are.
>It is also interesting that you, like so many others stopped at sobriety check points, question the legal validity of said stops.
They *are* illegal in 5 US states, but I don't and have not questioned their *legality*. What I questioned was their morality and their constitutionality and indeed such a violation of human rights is consistent with neither.
>Also, I doubt that you were "conversational" in your protestations.
Yes I know. I've met a lot of people like you over the years. It's why I took a plea bargain despite badly wanting to tear apart the cops ridiculous, illogical, and inconsistent story at least some of which I could *prove* was a lie. In any account of events people like you will *always* choose to believe the cops side of the story. Why? Again for emotional reasons. It makes you feel better. Safer. Otherwise you'd have to accept that there are a significant number of cops who are liars and very bad people.
>Having been through more than a few of these check points the cops were never assholes.
Because in your view *no* cops are assholes. Am I right?
>Every time I remained calm and respectful regardless of their inappropriate attitude or actions.
What inappropriate attitude or actions? I thought they weren't assholes.
>One, they calmed down and started to act more rationally.
So they were acting irrationally? Really. I find that so surprising. I thought cops were perfect human beings which is why you always choose to believe their story.
>Two, they generally either reduced the infraction or charges or outright let me go with a simple warning or admonishment to deal with my issues
Did you miss the part where I said, "Fuck you!" quietly but with an angry voice? He *was* provoked, but his overreaction (attempted murder and then false charges) was impressive. Good luck calming a cop down after saying 'fuck you' right to his face. Maybe you are talking about speeding tickets or something.
>NEVER EVER did I get pissed or mouthy with them.
You would not get angry if a cop swore at you for complaining about something? As far as being mouthy yes most people aren't mouthy with the police because they are afraid of them. I was afraid of them as well, but it just got me so mad that he could swear at me like that and that I was not allowed to swear back. Like he is a higher class of citizen. He can verbally abuse me, but I am not allowed to verbally abuse him back?
>He escalated, you responded and escalated
I was out driving to get a pizza. They stopped me and detained me for no reason other than the fact that I refused to answer their stupid questions. I was complaining about how wrong these roadblocks are and he escalated by saying something like, "Shut up you asshole. Then I escalated by saying, 'fuck you'. Then he escalated by attempting to kill me. That last escalation is what I have a problem with. Only a violent psychopath who thinks he can get away with anything would actually do that. It's just crazy. In fact it is so crazy that I think a lot of people would choose not to believe my story. Another reason I took a plea deal.
The whole system of beating + cover charges works quite well really. Otherwise I may have complained about getting beaten for swearing at the cop. Swearing is 100% legal. Beating people up is not. I say 'may have' because complaining about a cop who is
>The only solution, both short and long term, is to stop burning stuff.
So basically you are advocating either the death of the majority of our species or nuclear power dependence on a massive scale such that every country becomes basically like France? Or you could just be stupid. A third option.
Also how can you argue that short term matters? Isn't that a ridiculous argument not supported by any of the evidence?
Nice upgrade from 300GB/month. 1 TB is much more reasonable. I wonder if the cap will still be hidden deeply in the ToS.
I hadn't had much contact with US law enforcement (just speeding tickets) until I got stopped at a DUI roadblock one night. I was not drunk. I rarely drink. Scored 0.00% 5 times in a row when they tested me at the station. So they had to drop that charge at least.
Basically I made some comment about it being a violation of my rights to have to be detained by them etc. That it was wrong. That they were bad people for doing it. I was polite about it though just speaking conversationally as if they were human beings like me. A cop swore at me for this and I swore back at him. Then he proceeded to beat me and choke me nearly to death in front of at least 10-15 other officers. The only reason I am alive is because one of the 'not so bad apples' pulled the maniac off of me so that I could breathe again. After I had been saved from death and was lying in a bloody mess with my face smashed into the gravel the cop who beat me started going over his 'story' with another cop. They did this not in whispers, but in loud voices that not only I could hear but the other 15 or so cops who were there including the guy in charge of the whole operation. So I guess making up stories to back 'cover charges' and justify beatings and attempted murder were routine to most of them. They charged me with assault and battery against a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon (what weapon?) and many other so called 'cover charges'. I guess I was lucky they didn't actually plant a gun or knife in my car or something to make the 'deadly weapon' more plausible..
It is true that one of those cops saved my life (the only time a cop has ever done something helpful for me in any way), but he and all those other guys went along with the "bad" cop and not a single cop there questioned what happened in any way or seemed at all disturbed by the situation. I was badly injured and nearly killed for saying, "fuck you" and then falsely charged with serious crimes and not a single one of the 20-30 officers made any attempt to amend the situation or cared even the slightest about what happened. I think most cops would be on the side of the cop who beat me because I disrespected him.
They are just evil people. I remember a Star Trek: TNG episode with this black blob that was supposed to be all of the condensed bad/evil from an entire society that was sloughed off and made into a separate thing. That is like what American cops are for our species: the lowest and most evil of all human beings. They would have become criminals except that they are too cowardly, too afraid of going to jail for their thirst for violence if they had no badge to hide behind. Some also have parents who were cops. So they choose that path.
I know the way bullies think very well because I grew up with one as a child. I have a kind of bullydar. It's like some combination of anger, sadism, sociopathy, and deep cruelty. My own bully as a child used to put firecrackers in frogs asses or mouths and blow them up. Great fun for that kind of person. Every cop that *I* have met in my life were bullies. Every single one. In the US they always seem to have that personality type: tough guy / thug / bully. Cops in most other countries are often just normal people doing a job to make money. They aren't out there to prove how tough they are or to satisfy their bloodlust. It's just a job to them. In the US being a cop is like a whole lifestyle that has a lot more in common with being a gang member than anything else, but unlike those gang members there are no limits at all on their actions. They are not only above the law, but they have no sense of right or wrong, no moral center. No compassion or empathy. And a deep hatred of all 'civilians'. Most of them are very stupid too. Luckily the cop who attacked me was too stupid to invent a coherent and consistent story. I don't even really see them as human beings anymore.
Now probably most cops would not go as far as that crazy one who flipped out and tried to kill a person because they dared to say 'fuck you' to him, but at
I was told by a defense attorney that my state or maybe the city I was in used to have cruiser dashcams (which would have helped greatly in my case), but they were removed because statistically in court it tended to hurt the prosecution more than it did the defense. I guess someone did an analysis. Police routinely lie on the stand and any audio or video footage makes that much harder to do.
To anyone living in the real world this shouldn't be very surprising of course, but most people probably have had too little contact with real police officers to know this. There is a strong tendency for people to believe in the police image as portrayed in TV and film. But those people are actors who themselves don't really know what it is like to actually be a cop.
Just keep in mind that those cops who routinely beat and murder people are still out there and they aren't quitting their jobs anytime soon. They are very dumb but if this policy is implemented nationally they, as a group, will figure out away around it. Just give them time. Maybe they will ask their smarter friends who make a living doing something other than beating and murdering innocent people and their pets..
But yes it is a huge step forward and all police should be required to wear them and turning off or smashing or otherwise intentionally disabling the cam before beating or murdering a suspect should be severely penalized. I'd suggest summary execution.
They also make suspects act like someone's watching
Right. Because an actual police officer standing right there in front of you doesn't make you feel like you are being watched. Because the suspect knows a jury will believe him rather than the police officer. Yep. Makes sense. Police testimony is routinely thrown out of court because everyone knows they routinely lie on the stand. Oh wait...
I think it comes down to emotions. People want to feel safe from violent cops. So they simply choose to believe that only a tiny percentage of them are violent or dangerous without really knowing either way. Most of them have had zero contact with real life police and only know what they see on TV and in movies which has almost nothing to do with how cops behave in the real world. This is also one reason jurists tend to choose the word of a cop over their victim when there is no evidence either way. They want to believe that most cops will not lie in court. So they do believe it. It's like magic.
When we start seeing videos on YouTube of white people being tased to death, or shot way too many times or in the back or both, or being choked to death while being unarmed and non-hostile, then you can claim this has no racial component to it.
Actually most of the youtube videos I've seen have been of white people getting beaten or tazed. Like that 12 year old girl in Arizona or New Mexico or something getting tazered in the head a while back. The point actually penetrated her skull and punctured her brain.Just googled for it but there are so many similar cases it has been buried.
I did find an 8 year old girl who was tazered though and she wasn't black. But the most recent preteen tazered by our courageous police force is apparently a 12 year old black girl from St. Louis. Lucky our police have weapons or they would surely get wasted by preteen girls on a daily basis. In some places there just aren't enough black people to beat and murder. So they have to resort to beating/murdering white people too. Presumably not their first choice I'll admit, but I'm sure it still satisfies their bloodlust well enough and they go home well sated.
The vast majority of officers are doing their jobs with no illegal behavior.
Do you personally know the 'vast majority of officers'? Or are you pulling that out of your ass?
Having the camera, makes the guy less defensive, as he knows if something does happen to him there will be evidence
Yeah. I am thinking this is not such a strong motivation for anyone who has had dealings with the police. Maybe he will get suspension with pay for shooting you in the face. Maybe if you are lucky it will be without pay. Although that seems unlikely.
Even if you are not killed all it really means is you may have a defense against false accusations and cover charges. People not afraid of the police usually haven't had much experience with them. Everyone else gives them a wide berth at all times. For good reason. They are dangerous. I'd sooner approach an angry rattlesnake than a cop in the US.
However, now the suspects also cannot just claim mishandling/brutality/unprofessional behavior by the cops every time they are arrested. Until now, a great amount of claims were simply made up or grossly exaggerated.
Citation? How do you know this? It seems implausible to me.
The summary says "everyone" behaved better
Like when a rapist decides not to rape the girl wearing sexy clothes because he knows he will be recorded helps everyone 'behave better'.
Like when a lion is caged or tied up so he cannot chase the gazelle helps both the lion and the gazelle 'behave better'.
On the one hand you have a heavily armed, body armored group trained in the use of violence. On the other hand you often have a single individual with no weapons or training. A pack of wolves versus a single sheep. Hmm. Who should we give the credit to if the expected violence does not occur? I wonder.
While I'll grant you that the data can be explained by competing theories, in this case only half the officers had cameras on. That certainly suggests that it's not limited to officer behavior.
Police rarely go into situations alone. If 50% of police are wearing cameras it often means that the situation in question is being recorded by someone. That may be enough of a deterrent to greatly reduce routine beatings and the resulting 'cover charges' at the very least. Those guys are addicted to violence but it isn't a literal addiction. They can go without it for a while until their little masochistic brains can figure out a way to continue their behavior with less risk. Never forget that police are mostly cowards. So it is not that hard to deter them with simple measures.
Very few people have the balls or are crazy enough to actively confront a police officer, especially in the US. Very, very few. And for that tiny percentage of crazy/violent people I don't think body cams are going to be a much greater discouragement than batons, tazers, pepper spray and a Glock with a hair trigger. I think we need a little common sense here.
and more about the two parties not wanting to become the next "officer shot an unarmed suspect" news story.
Yes because getting shot isn't enough of a deterrent. Getting shot and getting a video of it put on youtube is just so much worse that it deters people from attacking those poor helpless police officers.
Treating the symptoms often enable a cold to end sooner by giving the body more strength to fight the virus
Citation needed. The body's reaction to a cold virus such as a runny nose is a defense mechanism. When you disable it you are reducing the body's ability to fight the virus. Yes you are made more comfortable but so is the virus.
It's not that most officers are bad people. It's that authority corrupts people.
Actually it's both. The job simply attracts the wrong sort of people in the US and the police force does nothing to actively prevent people with a history of violence and bullying from joining. Yes those experiments you are probably thinking of do show that seemingly normal human beings can turn into monsters when given authority, but I think most of the police in the US were already that way. Otherwise how would you explain the relative lack of violent police in most other countries?
However, a longer term fix is for cops and their detractors to come together and determine how best to handle the threats their communities face.
Like wolves and sheep deciding on a menu? Cops themselves are mostly incredibly stupid and dishonest. They won't really add much to your brainstorming session. In addition to body cameras the US needs to stop accepting violent, amoral sociopaths onto the force and treating them as if they are normal human beings when they clearly are not. There are psych tests that can help determine if someone is a sociopath.
A zero tolerance policy for violent and sociopathic tendencies could go a long way to cleaning up the force. Another interesting tactic might be to introduce quotas for female police officers. It would be nice if at least 50% of police were female. Even if they are also sociopaths (the job really does attract them) at least they will usually be much less violent. The idealization/admiration of violence is more of a male thing I think. Most of the female cops I've met seem much better than any of the male ones. Some even seemed to have at least some degree of empathy for suspects in their custody.
Another idea would be to automatically disqualify anyone with a past history of bullying or violence. Even as children. Actually investigating these people for evidence of such behavior would probably do wonders. It would not surprise me if 9 out of 10 would be identified as bullies by former schoolmates. Just go interview people from their high school and middle school classes. People who knew them but weren't friends. The bullies who become cops tend to be much worse than the ones who don't. So I think you'd find a lot of stories about cruel and violent acts. Torturing animals. Beating up smaller students. All of that. People like that don't (usually) just transform into monsters overnight. They will often have a history. In fact why not make the person making hiring decisions liable for their actions if/when someone they hire murders someone? After getting rid of the amoral sociopaths in American police the next step would be to weed out the District Attorneys and prosecutors in general with sociopathic and amoral tendencies.
Essentially we really have to fire 90% of the people currently working as police and hire new candidates who demonstrate that they have actual feelings and care about not hurting people and would actually feel guilty if they did. And surely law enforcers should have a sense of right and wrong. Like in the movies. In real life there is a distinct lack of this sense among police in the US. A police force full of females and sensitive, ethical males? Damned right! That is what we need.
However, I'd suggest that these folks account for a small percentage of officers.
Any particular reason why you'd suggest this? Would you say the same about a street gang? Because that is exactly what the police are essentially. I think it is more complicated sociologically than you imagine.
It has a lot more to do with the sorts of people who are attracted to law enforcement professions in the US. It attracts bullies and thugs with something to prove and who glorify and worship violence. It doesn't seem to be like that in most of Europe or Asia or even Latin America where law enforcement jobs mostly attract normal people.
Body cameras are great for making those crazy sociopaths in blue have to work harder to get away with all the illegal and unethical and downright cruel stuff they do on a daily basis, but bad/evil people will remain bad/evil. They will just turn off or break their cameras before beating/murdering/framing people.
Still, these are not very bright people we are talking about here. Not only are they the most violent cowards in American society, but they are also some of the least intelligent. Violence and low intelligence are often linked. So the cams will probably discourage and limit a lot of bad behavior.
Cameras are replacing trust in police officers, and trust in the servants of the law is a very good thing.
Are you serious? Only totally retarded cave dwellers trust the police in the US. It's almost all 'bad apples'. Servants of the law? I hope you are joking.
This is quite obviously *not* any sort of general replacement for chemical fuel due to the low thrust. A Nuclear Salt Water Rocket or Fission Fragment rocket otoh might do it. I wonder if this tech would be useful for micro-ships.
What has happened to slashdot? It scares me that you think you know what you are talking about. Go solve the link budget equations for your two examples and get back to me. I am so sick of people who quite literally have no idea what they are talking about, but think they are experts.
Right. Because there was still that one guy who kept coming back to the US for a holiday. Let's make sure that guy never comes back. He's a nuisance and takes away airline seats from everyone else who has no choice but to go to the US for some reason. Airline seats are scarce and precious. Let's keep them as empty as possible. To be fair I guess it does make their jobs easier to keep tourists away.
Only stupid people think everyone else is even more stupid. The guys who come up with schemes like this have the IQs of monkeymen. So of course they are going to assume that jihadists or whoever are going to be even dumber than they are. Morons.