Welcome home, fellow Gator.

The Gator Nation's oldest and most active insider community
Join today!

Why Are Police So Bad at Their Jobs?

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by wgbgator, Jun 2, 2022.

  1. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Why Are Police So Bad at Their Jobs?

    What's the point of policing? Its definitely not to solve crime. If your answer is to violently enforce the social order, you are getting closer to the truth.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Best Post Ever Best Post Ever x 1
  2. exiledgator

    exiledgator Gruntled

    10,962
    1,889
    3,128
    Jan 5, 2010
    Maine
    I'd say the point is for government monopoly on violence that is required for a functioning government. It breaks down when/if a state's forces don't act justly.

    So, to me the point is clear but the implementation broken and in need of repair
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Is that the same thing as me saying 'violently enforcing the social order?'
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  4. exiledgator

    exiledgator Gruntled

    10,962
    1,889
    3,128
    Jan 5, 2010
    Maine
    Yes.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  5. wci347

    wci347 GC Hall of Fame

    They are underpaid. There is no incentive to risk their lives for 40-60K a year. Governments have to be willing to pay police not only a higher salary (close to 6 figures to start), but they must also allow them to get a percentage (in cash or crypto) of the seized property of criminals that they apprehend. This will eliminate the level of corruption that permeates every police force in this nation. If police know that by arresting a drug dealer, they will be compensated for what they seize (in the sale of his cars, jewelry, and of course cash), the criminal element will not be able to flip law enforcement over to the other side. I say compensate the police more, and demand more accountability from them. As salaries skyrocket for police, more people will want to take that risk. With a larger pool of candidates, any police officer with a slew of complaints will be subjected to automatic dismissal, and be barred for several years from seeking a law enforcement job.

    With greater screening in the selection, the overall cultural complexion of law enforcement will change. Law enforcement must be required to reside within the geographic neighborhood in which they work if they are uniformed. Obviously, undercover detectives would not be under such a restriction because of the nature of their deployment. By assigning police to neighborhoods with which they are familiar, there will be greater trust and less of a rush to judgment. The role model of the drug dealer being the one who rose up out of the neighborhood and became "successful" would be replaced by the law-abiding citizen who did who because of his restructured salary, can now afford a nice car, apartment, or condo (which incidentally any law enforcement officer should get tax abatements on to encourage them to be parts of the community),

    If we had elected officials with visions and legislation like this, we could turn this violent trend in America around in three years.
     
    • Disagree Bacon! x 6
    • Funny x 2
    • Like x 1
    • Agree x 1
    • Optimistic x 1
    • Creative x 1
    • Come On Man x 1
  6. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    They are underpaid even after supplementing this through robbing people and scamming taxpayers for overtime for doing nothing? Like how much do you have to pay the dumbest guy you knew in high school to actually solve crimes?
     
    • Winner Winner x 5
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  7. gator_lawyer

    gator_lawyer VIP Member

    16,837
    5,779
    3,213
    Oct 30, 2017
    I know it's easy to poopoo on solutions offered by others, but the bold is a truly terrible idea. That will only incentivize more corrupt behavior and cops depriving people of their constitutional rights.
    Cops Use Traffic Stops To Seize Millions From Drivers Never Charged With A Crime
    Texas sheriff under investigation for routinely seizing cash from undocumented immigrants
    Highway robbery? Texas police seize black motorists' cash, cars
    There was $100K in the car when police pulled them over. There was no crime — but they took it.

    Have you watched "We Own This City"? You're basically proposing that we legalize some of the criminal behavior those cops were engaging in (robbing criminals).
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Winner Winner x 3
  8. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Also, you don't have to "risk your life" to solve most crimes with abysmal clearance rates. I don't expect an officer to take a bullet for a stolen car or to solve a rape. Like 500 cops total died last year, almost all of them from COVID, and most of those dinguses refused to get vaccinated.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  9. homer

    homer GC Hall of Fame

    2,625
    820
    2,078
    Nov 2, 2015

    Let me give it a try. This is all over the placer, so apologies


    People call the police. Since they have a duty to respond they do. When there are more people, there need to be more police due to more calls. If not, the response time is too long. When you don’t have enough police for the amount of citizens calls, they are prioritized according to importance. Since all calls require action they back up in the system. When you have to worry more about getting back in service rather than completing your investigation the call doesn’t get properly serviced and evidence is lost and clearance rates suffer. I experienced this in January of 1978 as a rookie on Tampa PD. I can’t imagine what it’s like now.

    As to defunding or eliminating the police this is usually a small portion of people saying this. Every time, to my knowledge people are given a vote to do either it easily fails to happen. The silent majority speaks at the voting booth.

    As to the state of Florida we have an elected sheriff in each county. They are constitutional officers that have the ultimate power to enforce criminal statue. If for instance a municipality or small town with a police force decides to eliminate their department the sheriff in that county takes over policing. For that reason florida will not be without policing. If there becomes a need the county will increase man/womanpower. What I like is only the governor of Florida can fire a sheriff and it has to be due to some type of negligence. Yay for Florida on that.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2022
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 2
  10. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Also the same people who are like "the cops shouldnt risk their lives for low pay" are the ones who are like "everyone should own a gun and carry it around."
     
  11. Gatorhead

    Gatorhead GC Hall of Fame

    17,647
    5,743
    3,313
    Apr 3, 2007
    Philadelphia
    wg,

    Of course you know the answer. Just look up the "origin" of police.
    "The Pinkerton Agency" ring a bell???

    The first "Police" were head bustin thugs, usually felons or convicts, hired by capatalist bosses to stop Union formation in mines, railroads and steel mills.

    It ain't changed...............not really............
     
    • Like Like x 1
  12. tampagtr

    tampagtr VIP Member

    17,553
    2,782
    1,618
    Apr 3, 2007
    Exactly. That IS the job description. And by that standard, they are very successful. This is a Pogoesque issue. We are the problem, the enemy. Police do the job society demands..

    Now there has been excessive protective self interest not directly explained by simply doing the job that society assigned them, but even then, the support they get for enforcing the social order permits them to take liberties in avoiding accountability
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  13. g8trdoc

    g8trdoc Premium Member

    3,527
    472
    353
    Apr 3, 2007
    Police in my part of the country do an excellent job. We have a pro gun society here so criminals know police aren’t the only ones that are willing to take care of situations. Sure there are drug problems but they mostly keep to certain areas because they know better than to go into the nicer neighborhoods. That’s about the best you can hope for.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  14. gator_lawyer

    gator_lawyer VIP Member

    16,837
    5,779
    3,213
    Oct 30, 2017
    Sounds to me that we should be hiring specialists to handle the good percentage of calls that they're better suited than the police to resolve. But if we tried to advocate for that, we'd get accused of "defunding the police."
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  15. dudehead

    dudehead Junior

    196
    19
    103
    Apr 25, 2007
    I think policing is a lot harder now because our general populace does not respect government or public servants anymore. That doesn't surprise me because a common cry in the political discourse during the 40+ years of my adult life has been that government is bad or evil. Now, millions of Americans believe that even if their mother or father is a teacher, policeman, or fireman. Words have meaning and impact and I think these words by many over many years have brought about this lack of respect for our public servants and institutions.
     
    • Like x 4
    • Agree x 1
    • Disagree Bacon! x 1
    • Winner x 1
    • Come On Man x 1
  16. WC53

    WC53 GC Hall of Fame

    4,706
    994
    2,088
    Oct 17, 2015
    Old City
    You have police handling mundane calls because you need X amount of staffing to handle in progress and other violent crimes. They handle mundane in between, otherwise they are not doing much.
    Even then the call loads in huge sections of cities is very low and often driven by traffic and thefts, versus other sections of cities with high levels of disturbance calls, etc.
    For small cities, an armed robbery or two can use up every available resource they have. If you cut staffing for intervention specialist types, you lose that ability. In general day and night are different animals.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  17. oragator1

    oragator1 Premium Member

    22,886
    5,580
    3,488
    Apr 3, 2007
    Of course we could look at why, but “cops suck” is the bee liberal mantra and just be maintained. There can’t be other reasons right?
    Here is an article on the causes in NYC. Spoiler alert, there are other reasons besides incompetence.
    Last Year the NYPD Solved 5 Percent Less Crime. Here’s Why

    One thing not listed here is that over time violent crime has become less domestic and more gang related, which is harder to solve too.
     
  18. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    That's not really the issue is it? The issue is that they are clearing like a quarter of reported crimes, and to "clear" a crime, you only have to make an arrest for it. There are enough cops to respond to someone's car theft or whatever (even if its not a priority), but if all they can do is be like "we'll call you if we find it" when everyone knows the only way they will find it is basically by accident rather than actively looking for it, what is the point of all that? At the most recent community meeting in our area, the cops said "we cant actually prevent crime." They couldnt even really do anything about people's complaints on noise or street racing. The last is understandable, because we dont need cops pursuing maniacs on street bikes and suped up cars. This was an area with maybe a dozen reported crimes in 4 months, almost all of them property crimes, and people were still pissed about things. Probably one of the safest places in the city, and people are at their wits end about crime. Its mental.
     
  19. Gatorhead

    Gatorhead GC Hall of Fame

    17,647
    5,743
    3,313
    Apr 3, 2007
    Philadelphia
    Exactly. That IS the job description. And by that standard, they are very successful. This is a Pogoesque issue. We are the problem, the enemy. Police do the job society demands.

    tampa - And "WHY" are "WE" the problem?
    I will answer my own question:

    The United States, much like India is culturally stratified, stratification here is defined on many levels: primarily

    Wealth / Capital
    Race
    Education
    Trade Skills
    Labor

    If the United States and the citizens that reside therin share ANY common cultural attributes, it was and is, the desire to accumulate wealth.

    The wealthy needed asset and physical safety protection and created what we now refer to as "police".

    The only way to keep the "masses" under control is to convince the population (the masses) was that the primary role of the "police" is to enforce, just laws, related to what politicans call an "equal society". (LMAO) All of which is pie in the sky bull-shit. (for the consumption of the masses)

    Of course the "REAL" reason is asset protection and the protection of the social order that the rich and powerful created to benefit..........THEMSELVES.

    So yes "We" are the enemy because "WE" represent the 98-99% that don't have the assets, capital or influence to capatalize on that sweet capatalist honey that only a few enjoy.

    "We" are the termites that must be controlled, manipulated and set to the work tasks to prepetuate those gilded classes that get the honey.

    Republicans represent the gilded class in todays politics, Democrats as well, but to a slightly lesser extent.

    "We" have been snookered so much that the Citizenry is so zombified by the propoganda, lies, laws and control mechanisms of the powerful that we "FIGHT" amongst OURSELVES for - (To quote my favorite line from Braveheart)

    "FIGHTING FOR THE SCRAPS FROM KING LONGSHANKS TABLE".

    The Two Party System, the Senate, the Supreme Court, all bought and paid for by the Kings and Queens of Capatalism.

    "Take the RED PILL" - (Welcome to THE REAL WORLD).
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  20. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,780
    1,840
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Maybe they don't respect them because they suck at their job and cant do anything? One way they could earn respect is actually deliver the goods.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2