Some of the things we are learning about this nation's police forces:

1. They are out of control from what appears to be a horrible lack of training.
2. Either too many of them are roided up, or too many of them don't deserve to be cops.
3. Their excessive intense focus.../1

...being respected/exerting authority is dangerous. (This is America. If you can't handle people exercising their rights to be verbally abusive or obnoxious - whether as a cop or a journalist or many other jobs that involve contact with the public - get another job.).../2

...
4. They have to be demilitarized. Some obviously get off on pretending to be soldiers taking on the enemy. The easy availability of military equipment for policing results in it being used too often.
5. Any who exhibit racist behavior anywhere have to be fired, including.../3

...online. That there are cops on racist and white supremacy Facebook groups is a sign that some very bad people are becoming cops.
6. A police officer's failure to report or intervene to stop abusive or improper behavior by a cop should be a fireable offense.
7. When an.../4

...office in position of responsibility - such as the head of the Minneapolis police union who spoke at a Trump rally and celebrated having the "Obama handcuffs" taken off of cops - must be fired. If they think there are handcuffs on in an attempt to curve police violence.../5

...then they are not getting that cops are SUPPOSED to have some handcuffs on.
8. Cops have to be trained that firing a weapon is a last alternative, not a first. The number of unarmed people shot because "I feared for my life" or "he reached for his waistband" is a sign of.../6

...bad training.
9. The "he reached for his waistband" of an unarmed person must no longer be accepted. Why are so many people "reaching for their waistband" when there is nothing there? It is patently obvious that this is the made-up story cops know to use when they fired..../7

...too quickly.
10. Cops have to be trained far more in de-escalation. Many do a great job at it, and their videos are shown online amid praise. BUT that should not be cause for praise, anymore than praising a pilot for landing the plane. De-escalation is their JOB, and..../8

...FAR too often, cops (who are almost certainly roided up) go to violence when de-escalation would have been the best alternative.
11. There must be far better screening of people who want to be cops.
12. Any chief or other leader for a squad who fails to push proper.../9

...training (by saying things like "take the handcuffs off us) should be fired.
13. They have to be trained that they have ZERO right to interfere with or arrest anyone filming their actions. When they try and arrest or stop someone who is filming, everyone knows they have.../10

...something to hide. Good cops should welcome being filmed, because they give a good representation of how cops should act - and in what circumstances weapons or physical contact is necessary. Bad cops need to be filmed.
14. They have to be taught that attacking, shooting.../11

...or arresting journalists doing nothing more than covering a police action is illegal. When they do so, they should be arrested for assault or fired for abuse of power...

...These are a few. Most cops deserve respect. The ones who do bad things, witness bad things and do nothing, or are hung up on their "authority" undermine the reputation of all cops.

American citizens should be able to welcome cops and feel relieved. The fact that so many...

...people fear that any encounter with police can result in death or arrest because the cop is annoyed is a sign that something is badly wrong.

George Floyd's murder was a horror. The often unnecessary violent response of cops nationwide to the protests is a disgrace.
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