42 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

This is an important point, IMO. You can't be afraid of the communities you are policing. If you are, that's already a bad start. 

Exactly because as scared as the officers are of the communities they serve are even more scared of them. That’s the issue. There is no relationship there because the cops aren’t trying to build a relationship. I realize my privilege where I grew up. If I got pulled over there, there is a pretty decent chance I know them and have nothing to worry about at all even if I was speeding, ran a stop sign, etc. All communities need this sort of relationship. The officers for a community should always be made up of the people who live in that community. 

5 minutes ago, theguru said:

I am not for four year degrees for officers.  I would rather have someone that served in the military or someone with solid work experience over a degree.  I am not saying degrees are bad but I think their importance is way overblown for police officers. 

A degree in marketing (like myself for instance) would not qualify me for a job as an officer. But a 4 year degree in criminal justice or another field related, should be required. I’m all for funding the education of those who want to be officers similarly to how the military funds the education for its members. 

32 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

This is an important point, IMO. You can't be afraid of the communities you are policing. If you are, that's already a bad start. 

I can certainly understand the mistrust from said communities, but those in these communities are going to have to play a key role in being on police forces and other groups. I am not saying it is up to them to make systemic changes, but who better to serve than those that know and feel comfortable on the streets they are from?

7 minutes ago, theguru said:

I am not for four year degrees for officers.  I would rather have someone that served in the military or someone with solid work experience over a degree.  I am not saying degrees are bad but I think their importance is way overblown for police officers. 

Without a doubt.

1 minute ago, bugatti said:

I can certainly understand the mistrust from said communities, but those in these communities are going to have to play a key role in being on police forces and other groups. I am not saying it is up to them to make systemic changes, but who better to serve than those that know and feel comfortable on the streets they are from?

I agree. More minorities need to be cops. That would change a lot.

1 minute ago, bugatti said:

I can certainly understand the mistrust from said communities, but those in these communities are going to have to play a key role in being on police forces and other groups. I am not saying it is up to them to make systemic changes, but who better to serve than those that know and feel comfortable on the streets they are from?

This is where the change needs to start. Increased recruitment in these communities will help foster relationships and build up trust over time. 

Just now, TheDeuce said:

I agree. More minorities need to be cops. That would change a lot.

It seems like a large percentage of minorities that are cops, aren’t serving minority communities. 

23 minutes ago, GrantNKY said:

A degree in marketing (like myself for instance) would not qualify me for a job as an officer. But a 4 year degree in criminal justice or another field related, should be required. I’m all for funding the education of those who want to be officers similarly to how the military funds the education for its members. 

We don't agree on this one Grant.  Additionally, if someone gets a four year degree in criminal justice and policing doesn't end up being their thing they have nothing.  

If anything, I would like to see more and more and more training for law enforcement officers on everything under the sun. 

44 minutes ago, theguru said:

I am not for four year degrees for officers.  I would rather have someone that served in the military or someone with solid work experience over a degree.  I am not saying degrees are bad but I think their importance is way overblown for police officers. 

In theory, I'm all for having ex-military men as police officers. In practice, I can tell you that one of my life-long friends is married to an Army veteran with moderate-to-severe PTSD. I've had a very small firsthand view into what happens to him when he is struggling with his PTSD, and it frankly frightens me that he so much as owns a gun, much less carries on day-to-day and is expected to uphold the law.

19 minutes ago, theguru said:

We don't agree on this one Grant.  Additionally, if someone gets a four year degree in criminal justice and policing doesn't end up being their thing they have nothing.  

If anything, I would like to see more and more and more training for law enforcement officers on everything under the sun. 

Couldn't the same be said for a four year degree in design, architecture, engineering, computer science, hospitality management, construction management, nursing, psychology, theater, wildlife management, forestry, digital media, accountancy, athletic training, nutrition...? Those are all four year degrees, and those diplomas are all basically a useless piece of paper if you don't decide that's what you want to do in life.

5 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

In theory, I'm all for having ex-military men as police officers. In practice, I can tell you that one of my life-long friends is married to an Army veteran with moderate-to-severe PTSD. I've had a very small firsthand view into what happens to him when he is struggling with his PTSD, and it frankly frightens me that he so much as owns a gun, much less carries on day-to-day and is expected to uphold the law.

I do not buy into the mentality that military automatically makes good law enforcement for this exact reason. The military is not reality when it comes to engaging with people. 

1 minute ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Couldn't the same be said for a four year degree in design, architecture, engineering, computer science, hospitality management, construction management, nursing, psychology, theater, wildlife management, forestry, digital media, accountancy, athletic training, nutrition...? Those are all four year degrees, and those diplomas are all basically a useless piece of paper if you don't decide that's what you want to do in life.

Which is exactly why I think an officer should get a degree that serves their backup plan. 

8 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

In theory, I'm all for having ex-military men as police officers. In practice, I can tell you that one of my life-long friends is married to an Army veteran with moderate-to-severe PTSD. I've had a very small firsthand view into what happens to him when he is struggling with his PTSD, and it frankly frightens me that he so much as owns a gun, much less carries on day-to-day and is expected to uphold the law.

 

2 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

I do not buy into the mentality that military automatically makes good law enforcement for this exact reason. The military is not reality when it comes to engaging with people. 

I think all first responders eventually suffer from varying levels of PTSD, it goes with the jobs.  With that said, I consistently found that as a group ex-military members were calm, fair, and the guys and gals you wanted with you when it counted. 

24 minutes ago, theguru said:

We don't agree on this one Grant.  Additionally, if someone gets a four year degree in criminal justice and policing doesn't end up being their thing they have nothing.  

If anything, I would like to see more and more and more training for law enforcement officers on everything under the sun. 

I don’t think we disagree really. We’re asking for the same thing whether you call it education or training. It’s clear we’re not doing enough as is. 

3 minutes ago, theguru said:

Which is exactly why I think an officer should get a degree that serves their backup plan. 

The issue is that becoming an officer is the backup plan nowadays. The people I went to school with growing up that are now officers,  none of them really grew up wanting to be an officer. They all went to college got a degree in something unrelated to law enforcement and then became officers after not having a defined career path after college.