That’s right. Ferguson is so bad that we need to do away with local police, and move control elsewhere. Here’s Sunil Dutta at the Washington Post
We should get rid of local policing. Ferguson shows why the system just doesn’t work.
Public outrage over perceived police misconduct has led to violence again, after a grand jury on Monday chose not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Various law enforcement agencies responded to control protests and stem rioting, including local police, county and federal forces. Buildings and police cars were set ablaze, amid tear gas, looting and vandalism in parts of the city.
While the response in Ferguson has been extreme, calmer demonstrations against police brutality and misconduct have been occurring across the country. Protesters’ slogans and the media’s obsessive coverage largely have focused on demands to punish individual officers and police departments. But the real problem with law enforcement is far more systemic. Issues of unprofessional and inefficient policing are rooted in our decentralized approach to policing, allowing some local departments to get away with subpar officer training, shoddy practices and corruption. This fossilized and inefficient system needs to be thrown out. Instead, policing should be managed at the state level, which would provide for higher-quality law enforcement and more oversight.
It’s interesting how virtually every policy from Progressives means more and more power in the hands of more centralized government, eh? They love the idea of moving everything away from the local level, where government can be more responsive, be held accountable to a better degree, where people know their government officials. This is a Progressive’s wet dream. Except when it negatively impacts themselves, then they are upset.
And, of course, in Progressive World, higher level officials never ever can be unprofessional and inefficient.
Ferguson does highlight systemic and foundational failures in police departments around the country as many of the departments are set up the same way as the Ferguson PD.
For example, Wilson was allowed to leave the scene of the shooting and return to the police station without escort.
At the station, he washed his hands (with blood on them) and then put his uniform and his weapon into evidence bags that he turned in. This too was done without escort or supervision.
After receiving a card from the sergeant at the front desk with the name and number of the union lawyer, Wilson was allowed to leave and go home.
All this was negotiated with the police union and leaves to the inescapable conclusion that police in towns are treated differently than normal citizens.
The day of the shooting, Wilson was never talked to, interviewed, asked for a statement or gave a written statement on the shooting. In his testimony, he said that he could not be interviewed because studies had shown that people recall things better from stressful situations after three sleep cycles.
Does anyone think a citizen who has just shot someone in their home would not be interviewed? Asked for a statement? Allowed to move without police supervision / escort? Tell the police they will only answer questions after 72 hours?
Not a chance.
In Ferguson, an investigator said that it is policy that any time there is shooting involving a police officer, the officer is listed initially as the victim of an assault. It doesn’t matter that the evidence may point the other direction, the initial assessment and report is written to show that the officer is the victim of a crime.
Police unions wield big power and it is time to reign them in. When accused of a crime, or involved in a crime, police should be treated no differently than any other citizen.
That difference in treatment leads to mistrust between the citizens and law enforcement.
I agree with you that centralizing police and law enforcement will only lead to more abuses and a less effective policing system. Getting rid of bad cops would be made worse than it already is out with the type of system the original writer proposes. A look at the VA proves that.
There are a lot of people taking sides in the Ferguson case as if one side is right and the other is wrong. There is plenty of blame to place one everyone involved in the death of Brown. That blame includes not only the individuals, but the community and the police department.
We have to stop looking to blame others all the time and start to look in the mirror once in awhile.
Destruction and free stuff by way of looting will always attract low life scumbaggers. Local police will always be needed to combat the bottom of the barrel of humanity. Such is life.
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You make some excellent points, GC, and there is no doubt that mistakes, some egregious, were made. Can’t discount or argue against them.
“Issues of unprofessional and inefficient policing are rooted in our decentralized approach to policing, allowing some local departments to get away with subpar officer training, shoddy practices and corruption.”
Yep, let’s spread subpar training, shoddy practices and corruption NATIONWIDE instead! What a dramatic improvement THAT would be.