What has happened to our Law Enforcement anyway ??

Happyflowerlady

Happyflowerlady

Vagabond Flowerchild
Location
Northern Alabama
I was reading this article about law enforcement breaking into a local animal shelter that had taken in an orphan fawn. They came in, not to save the fawn, but to kill it ! I read this, and wondered what became of the kind policemen of yesteryear ?? (link at bottom of post)

I grew up in a small town, and most of our police officers were well-known locally. My perception was the familiar "Norman Rockwell" patrolman, helping a little old lady cross the street.
Now, even though most crime is lower than it has been for many years, we are seeing more and more of militarization in our law enforcement agencies. Even small towns and rural communities often have SWAT teams, and they are being used, not just for dangerous situations, but for everyday warrant services, and other small crimes.

It used to be that the police would knock and identify themselves when serving a warrant; but now they do what is called a no-knock entrance, where they simply bust down your door, usually in the wee hours of the night. If they shoot you by accident, they are not going to even lose their job for it, but if you try to protect your family (not knowing who is even breaking into your home at that hour), you will likely be shot, and if you DO shoot one of the SWAT team, you can be sure that you will be prosecuted for murder.
As a part of the Homeland Security, the huge armored tanks, like we use in a war, are now being given to communities, many of whom have no real use for these MRAPs, but take them because they are free.

Slowly, our perception of what law enforcement does has changed from the old motto of "To Protect and Serve" that we used to think of , to the current picture of the highly armed LE swarming through the streets of a city, and searching all houses along the way, with no warrant. We watched it on national television in California, and then again with the search for the Boston bombing suspect.

http://www.examiner.com/article/bab...-lawsuit-bizarre-government-take-down-of-fawn
 

The more I know the happier I am to live at the end of the road in the middle of nowhere. I see videos of police behavior on the internet that give me nightmares for my family living down there in the "real" world. So sad.
 
This is why I cringe every time I hear these TV shows and talking heads call all police "heroes". Yeah, those 13 were real tough heroes. :mad:

I'm afraid this is our new reality, and our only hope is to stay as far under their radar as possible. Granted, that's becoming more difficult each day with the advances in technology, but technology can also be used for the good of the citizens ...
 

I remember the street cops who patrolled on foot in my neighborhood. We were friendly with them, they weren't out to set anyone up, or demonstrate their power. They were there to make sure nobody was being harmed, and were anxious to help anyone in need. Now, they're trained to suspect that everyone's guilty. Now, even if you're not armed, they'll spray you, tase you, and you're lucky they don't shoot you.

I'm with Lonely, best place to be, especially when the $hit hits the fan, is out in the boonies, far away from the big cities and "civilization". They seem to have been testing the waters, the Boston 'bombing' was a good example. They'll see what they can get away with, without any public outroar, and then keep adding to it until we are all at their mercy.

What is happening really stinks, and more people should be aware of what's going on, instead of just trusting all they see and hear on the local news.
 
Yeah, police forces are becoming more militarized in both equipment and tactics. Some of you might remember, I don't have the source handy, about a no knock raid on a guy suspected of drug dealing. The guy said they first banged on one of his windows, which woke him, then smashed in the door of his trailer. His wife and infant daughter were with him and by the time they broke the door in, he had armed himself and got a lucky (or unlucky?) shot off and killed the first officer through the door. A grand jury just recently failed to hand over an indictment for murder, faulting the police for their methods and saying the kid had a right to defend himself from unknown assailants. People are going to continue to be killed on both sides of this issue until our law enforcement quits acting like a bunch of commandos in a war zone.
 
The Police would do things differently if the gun laws were different, every man and his dog is allowed a gun, can you blame the Police for acting like they do,they are putting their lives on the line every time they are out in the cars, my late husband was a Cop and he said the worst job was having to go and speak to someone at their home because they have no idea what those people have behind the closed door, and in Australia the gun laws are a lot stricter than yours in America, i don't blame the guys for acting like that with the arsenal most people have in their homes, they are not trying to bully or intimidate they are basically trying to get the person they are after and staying alive to boot, i would like to say please don't rubbish them until you have walked a mile in their boots
 
You think it's bad in the US try living in the UK/Ireland. The pendulum swings the other way with lax policing and weak laws.

Criminals are routinely given suspended sentences and jail terms when they are given are ridiculously short. There's little incentive to not commit a crime.

In general, homeowners are not allowed guns much less even pepper spray.

And this from Wiki:
In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms. In the rest of the United Kingdom, police officers do not carry firearms, except in special circumstances. This originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections over armed enforcers as this had been previously seen due to the British Army maintaining order when needed. The arming of police in Great Britain is a perennial topic of debate.
 
It's the same in Australia the police arrest these criminals and the judges give them a rap on the knuckles, the Police are frustrated as they work hard to catch these criminals, so these criminals think what the heck especially the younger generation they don't care what they do because the penalties are a joke and they know they get off lightly usually a suspended sentence.
The Police here carry guns they sign them out and sign them in again at the end of their shift and have to account for every bullet, it must be very hard in England for the cops having to deal with Criminals unarmed.
 
Gael said:
Can't tell you how many times they look the other way here in N Ireland. And look at this last year. Really afraid of the police, aren't they?
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There is no comparison with the police force of Northern Ireland and Great Britain, the article I posted was to do with police in Great Britain and nothing to do with Northern Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_firearms_in_the_United_Kingdom

From what I have read of other countries police and laws I much prefer the way we do things even if they appear weak to you.
 
Jillaroo said:
The Police would do things differently if the gun laws were different, every man and his dog is allowed a gun, can you blame the Police for acting like they do,they are putting their lives on the line every time they are out in the cars, my late husband was a Cop and he said the worst job was having to go and speak to someone at their home because they have no idea what those people have behind the closed door, and in Australia the gun laws are a lot stricter than yours in America, i don't blame the guys for acting like that with the arsenal most people have in their homes, they are not trying to bully or intimidate they are basically trying to get the person they are after and staying alive to boot, i would like to say please don't rubbish them until you have walked a mile in their boots
Click to expand...

I'm sure your late husband was a good person and a good policeman Jilly. But with all due respect to you and yours, there are way too many examples of the police in the US using excessive force, and there's a lot of corruption in the department. Many cops here have been shown to also be abusive to their wives and children. They know when they took that job that it is dangerous, but some go into that career with the wrong intentions, not to serve and protect, but to overpower and control.
 
Jillaroo said:
The Police would do things differently if the gun laws were different, every man and his dog is allowed a gun, can you blame the Police for acting like they do,they are putting their lives on the line every time they are out in the cars, my late husband was a Cop and he said the worst job was having to go and speak to someone at their home because they have no idea what those people have behind the closed door, and in Australia the gun laws are a lot stricter than yours in America, i don't blame the guys for acting like that with the arsenal most people have in their homes, they are not trying to bully or intimidate they are basically trying to get the person they are after and staying alive to boot, i would like to say please don't rubbish them until you have walked a mile in their boots
Click to expand...

Jill, some excellent points that you bring up. I am certainly not bashing police officers in any way, and would be the first to agree that probably the majority of our local police forces, especially in the smaller towns, are there dedicated and committed to helping protect the public that hired them.
My son was a deputy until a serious accident prevented him from being an officer, and he still does volunteer work for both the Sheriff Office, and the Search and Rescue Team locally. I have also volunteered as a Reserve Deputy when I was younger, and worked in dispatch, as well as extra help for the local county fair, and things like that. So, I also have a lot of respect for our LE officers in general.

The issue I am addressing here is that our police forces are becomeing militarized, and being used like miliary forces would be used. If this were only true is situations where there was a danger to officers, or other people nearby, then I perfectly well understand the need for a SWAT team.
However, these extreme forces are being used in situations where there is NO expectation of violence of any kind, like the example I posted of raiding an animal rescue facility, and then shooting the fawn. No one was armed, no one was resisting, the fawn was certainly not dangerous; so there was no reason at all to send in a heavily armed team to bust in the door and kill the little helpless rescued fawn.
They have also been used to serve warrants where it is only a misdemeanor charge, not even a felony of any kind.

Instead of us trusting our police force, we are now being taught to be afraid of them, and that if there is ANY kind of (even perceived) resistance, we will probably just be killed, and at the very least thrown around and tazered like a violent criminal.
As far as your idea of "most Americans having an arsenal", this is just NOT true either. Most of us don't have weapons, and those that do are generally the ones that use them for hunting, or just have a gun in case of a home invasion or robbery.
The ones you see on the news with the arsenal are the exception, not the rule.

And regardless of that, taking the guns away from law-abiding citizens is not going to stop criminals from using guns. Criminals are the ones with all the dangerous weapons, and they are the ones using them against the police force. I have no issues at all with police using whatever force needed when dealing with armed criminals; just with them treating minor crimes , where no violence is likely, with the same tactics used in dangerous situations.

This link explains about our Homeland Security Force turning the local county/state LE into a kind of para-military force.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-ne...re-staging-a-domestic-military-force_03102014
 
While I am against police brutality of any sort, I have to admit that after looking at Just Sayin's pictures of the London riot, if I were a cop there I would have thoroughly enjoyed giving double-taps to some of those animals.
 
HFL Wrote
The issue I am addressing here is that our police forces are becoming militarized, and being used like miliary forces would be used. If this were only true is situations where there was a danger to officers, or other people nearby, then I perfectly well understand the need for a SWAT team.
However, these extreme forces are being used in situations where there is NO expectation of violence of any kind, like the example I posted of raiding an animal rescue facility, and then shooting the fawn. No one was armed, no one was resisting, the fawn was certainly not dangerous; so there was no reason at all to send in a heavily armed team to bust in the door and kill the little helpless rescued fawn.
They have also been used to serve warrants where it is only a misdemeanor charge, not even a felony of any kind.

I do agree with you on the Police over there, there is no need for the Swat team on misdemeanor calls, imo that is taking it too far, we only use ours when it is a serious problem, imo give a person power and chances are they will take it too far, i can only go on what i see and hear from overseas, i have seen TV shows with real cops from America and i admit they do go overboard in the way they handle the public.
It's quite different here in Australia with the Police and how they interact with the public. :bowknot:
 
Jillaroo said:
...It's quite different here in Australia with the Police and how they interact with the public. :bowknot:
Click to expand...

Cop: G'day, mate!
Crook: G'day, officer!
Cop: Whot are you up to, then, mate?
Crook: Just pinchin' these 'ere jewels ...
Cop: Right, into the wagon you go, mate!
Crook: It's a fair cop.

;)
 
Just sayin said:

It’s not that the police appear weak Bee, they are weak because of political interference. Most everyday crimes are now not even investigated. You inform the police by phone, get a crime number, which you need to claim for insurance purposes and they have to let you know within five days whether they’ve investigated it and/or the results. The frightening thing, when you’re looking at the article pictures, is that this is part of the up and coming generation.

Full scale riots in the inner cities now occur at regular intervals and have become known as ‘summer riots’. Not just London, but the same thing also happened in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester.

Some pictures to remind you of the wonderful ethnically enriched and diverse and society you now live in.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180368/London-Riots-2011-One-year-incredible-unseen-photographs-night-London-burned.html
Click to expand...

You're absolutely correct. And though N Ireland is a different kettle of fish, they are part of the UK still and reflect the weak policing in effect there as well.

Coming from the US where the pendulum swings in the other direction, it was a shock to me though as we see from other posts it can go wrong in that direction as well. How about some middle ground?
 
Just sayin said:
Absolutely. The middle ground to me was 50 years ago. A clip round the ear from the local policeman and taken home to get another one from your dad! Lesson learned and no ASBO's or social work interference needed. Days when ADHD, (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) had yet to be invented and anti-social behaviour was simply that, bad behaviour. Ah, the good old days.
Click to expand...

My husband says that all the time. How as boys they had a healthy respect and fear of the authorities. When I ask him why did it change, he always says it's the fault of the "do gooders."
 
Two cops on every corner. 42nd Street, NYC, back in the 70s. Just walking down the street, we got several offers to buy dope, prostitutes, and God knows what else. I asked my buddies why two cops on every corner? No one knew why. Nobody was being arrested. If I had bought something illegal, I probably would have been arrested.
 
Days when ADHD, (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) had yet to be invented and anti-social behaviour was simply that, bad behaviour.


When was ADHD first recognized and labeled? ADHD was first recognized and labeled in 1902. To many it is a recently-discovered condition, but mentions of it go back as far as 1798. Find out more with our ADHD FAQ.slide 1 of 4Identifying ADHDWhen was ADHD first recognized and labeled? ADHD was first recognized as a condition and labeled in 1902 by British physician George Still, who called it a “morbid defect of moral control.” After his series of lectures for the Royal College of Physicians in England, the medical community began studying the condition. He suggested that the problem could be genetic, instead of poor upbringing as had been previously thought. What other attempts were made to understand the condition before this time? In 1845 German physician Heinrich Hoffman wrote a book where he described ADHD in great detail. The name of the piece was “The Story of Fidgety Phillip,” and the person described in its pages would be a classic case of ADHD today. He did not label the condition, but he is credited with being the first medical official to describe it. In 1798 Sir Alexander Crichton described “mental restlessness” in a book called “An Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Mental Derangement.”


http://www.healthguideinfo.com/causes-of-add-adhd/p99702/


Mmmm you are much older than I realised Just sayin.
 

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