https://x.com/Jaybefaunt/status/1878482335236001939
And in case you want to read the article without giving the NY Post any ad money: https://archive.is/h8SHL
Here's some mind-bending stuff from the article:
Luckhurst, 42, now serves as a cop in Benavides, about 150 miles from San Antonio, according to Benavides Police Chief Andre Hines, who said the 2023 hiring “reflects the department’s commitment to honesty and accountability.”
[...]
Bizarrely, that same year, [note: not 2023] Luckhurst was accused of defecating in one of the San Antonio police department’s female restrooms before wiping a brown, feces-like substance on one of the toilet seats, reported the San Antonio Express-News. He reportedly never denied being behind the bathroom incident.
[...]
Hines said Luckhurst’s record in Benavides “has been exemplary, with no complaints or issues reported, and said “a thorough background check” helped ensure “all aspects of his history were carefully considered.”
Apparently "honesty and accountability" is when you harass women and the homeless with your weird poop fetish.
Here's the reason, it's actually hard to hire "qualified", decent cops.
My daughter got to be friends with another girl, we ended up getting to know the parents just a bit. Both law enforcement lifers, only got to know the mother. Works at a prison, now.
She described, in our area, a total inability to hire people she'd want to work with. She talked about rejecting several individuals once, and then eventually admitting them when they tried again, because there were no other real candidates, for long periods (year or two+). She talked about how leaving the position unfilled is its own disaster, and she really struggled with filling positions with people she knew were badly suited to it. She's a rare one who gives a shit, really does, but the only people applying are psychos and losers. Bad mix.
Look - ACAB - I won't flinch from saying that until they change their approach and stop protecting the worst among them. No sympathy either, really, ACAB because every department has their monsters, swept under the rug. Fuck em, they've never helped me once.
On the other hand, decent people trying to turn that ship basically can't, and we have no solution for them. I don't know what to do about that.
Make crime less opportunistic and generally unnecessary by improving everybody's quality of life through provisions like education, healthcare, minimum basic income, a sense of community, etc.
It statistically lowers crime. Which would lower the need for as many law enforcement agents. Which could lead to better hires. Etc. etc. etc.
Also massively reform the prison system (ban private prisons and have them focus on rehabilitation over punishment, amend the consitution to remove the clause allowing slavery for prisoners, etc.).
There is a clear financial inventive to label more people as criminals, so "crimes" like selling cannabis to adults in half the country can land you in prison.
Of course, this is all US-centric, but the general idea applies to other countries. Norway is probably doing it the best right now (not perfect, but no system is).
They reject hard working and honest people all the time because of their backward policies... And now they've shown with their actions plenty of times that policing is not a place for honest people to thrive so nobody wants to sign up.
That's definitely true in some areas. I've heard of rejections over too high of an IQ score or similar (I think it even went to the Supreme Court, IIRC). Definitely not what she was describing in our area, but I know it happens elsewhere.
The problem has morphed into "decent people don't want to join the racist psycho gang for any amount of money" and I don't see that changing without radical reforms.
I always have thought if we reduced the amount of cops we have, strip them or the ability to issue tickets and only keep the police who work crime cases. Instead create a new service that strickly relies on traffict infractions and what not.
Dont issue any weapon, and i dont think they should pull warrents either, simple assholes who write you a ticket no matter what. It would attract a different type of person to apply and it would reduce our reliance on having so many cops.
Of course im not saying dont have cops, but they can wait at the office instead of patrolling the streets looking for crime.
I've thought for a while that road patrol was the laziest form of policing. This is compounded with the supreme court codifying that cops don't have to know the laws they are enforcing and thereby allowed to make up probable cause. Combine that with the "us vs. them" mentality that is both heavily promoted in training, and is the character trait drawn to police work, and it's like a perfect storm of shitty outcomes.
I like the idea of getting rid of traffic cops and actually doing real police work. They'd have to hire smart people though.
They have some smart people, i hope, tv shows/movies makes it seem like they do.
If someone served in the military, they already proved some abilities which overlap with police.
A psychological screening and a shortened training could work. I mean most soldiers I talked to seemed way WAY more stable than police.
"Poopy mc poop smear" would probably have a hard time in today's military (they had scandals too but learned from them afaik... or at least try. The police is like the opposite way around)
The military (Marines specifically) have an insurrectionist problem though, and they’re ignoring it just like the police largely ignore their metaphorical cross burners.
Some of those who work forces, are the same who burn crosses.
Aren't most (a lot) cops ex military?
Possibly... but if I compare the reactions of the military towards accusations regarding mistreatment of civilians with the reactions of the police, I see a vast difference between 2010 and today (in almost every western military), while the police(s?) has developed backwards in terms of transparency and consequences for their actions.
But maybe that is massively biased due to the "social media war" vs Russia which paints western/ukrainian military almost "woke" as a harsh counter to the homophobe orcs. Idk man, the world is crazy.... GEN-Z should play fortnite, not fight drone wars.
You really don't want the military and the police to mix. The people end up becoming the enemy that way.
End qualified immunity and abolish police unions. They're the bastions of the bad apples that bottleneck better candidates.