• BussyCat@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    This unfortunately is the problem with the police. People who see the police as problematic are unwilling to join so the majority of people who join are the ones who just want to have power over others.

    There are many variations on the quote but a cop who doesn’t report a bad cop is themselves a bad cop, so you could be the actual good cop who reports their coworkers until you get fired from the corrupt org but if enough people did that we might actually see some change.

    Cops also have a surprising amount of freedom to choose to enforce laws so you could also just not enforce laws you consider corrupt.

    I am saying this as a person who wouldn’t want to associate with a cop but would love to have some cops who aren’t bastards but unfortunately #ACAB

    • TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 month ago

      You’re right. the institution of policing protects the interests of the wealthy and the status quo. that’s why all cops are bastards. we can definitely have better or worse human beingd entering the institution.

      Sadly the majority of them are from the bottom of the barrel. We definitely need more cops sympathetic to the interests of the people

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      but unfortunately #ACAB

      If American Cops Are Bastards, you may be out of luck. My wife’s sister is a cop (not American) when she’s not Ambulance (or volunteer fire! She’s an over-achiever). I’ve known her longer than I’ve known my wife, and she’s stayed a really great person despite the horror (and poop) she’s seen.

      But yeah, we need to pay American cops more so they can get better applicants and can then screen out and weed out the bastards.

      • BussyCat@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        It varies on localities but cops can make a shit ton especially in cities.

        Seattle will hire you with only a high school diploma starting at over $100k/yr with a $7500 hiring bonus and are still understaffed and keep lowering the requirements to become a cop

        They also have eligibility for tons of overtime and can make over 200-300k/yr after just a few years on the force

        Yet still they have an abysmal police department Which is why acab stands for all cops are bastards

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I always wondered if the overtime is part of the problem. A lot of it is pretty sketchy, so it’s training cops to be sketchy

          In my state, police unions have been pretty aggressive about requiring construction sites to pay for police details. I have no idea whether it has the safety benefits they claim but

          • city is happy because someone else is paying their cops
          • cops are happy with opportunity to make bank

          But we all pay a little more, cops have a conflict of interest acting as an authority figure for a private company, and the requirements are sketchy on both sides for something other than what they were hired for

          • BussyCat@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            From what I have heard their overtime numbers are largely bullshit and used as a way to inflate their income and it’s considered an “acceptable practice”

            But even with all of that we still can’t find good police…