Tried quoting you cannabineer, but phone is a pita.. sorry..
IMO, disarm the cops, give them the same access to weapons as the people they're looking over.. this is how it's dome in the u.k. over there, the beat cops if you would, are all unarmed .. only the cops in special units like vice squad are allowed to carry a weapon..
Sounds legit to me.. I for one have a huge problem being highly out armed by the police, and I think disarming the average coo would go a far way in taking away the way they think and feel better than the average Joe because they have a badge, and of course a gun to go with it..
Why on earth a traffic cop needs to carry a side arm is beyond me when in most states the average Joe isn't allowed the same.. what's good for the goose ought to be good for the gander IMO..
I am not advocating disarming the cops!! However, if the forces that be insist on the civilian disarmament campaign (and its activity is very evident in my home state) then arming the police to the same degree (= not, except for exceptional-response units, and I do acknowledge the need for those as
exceptional response units) is something i think is an all-round good idea.
Take the AR-4 semiauto (in some police cases, full auto!) carbine. Either forbid it to the police or allow it to anyone who can legally buy and own a firearm. Remove the double standard, please!
I would
hate a policeless society.
I would also look with great displeasure on a society that says that
only the police get to be Your Total Security Solution™.
And I agree with doublejj that cops videotaping all they do, and their clients being allowed to video as well, is the finest way to battle hypocrisy and corruption. If only the police have video rights, it'll happen entirely too often that crucial footage will get "whoops we're sorry"ed. That is a fear I have.
If the police take a proactive stance toward allowing bystanders to video their doings, I think they will have turned the tide in reclaiming the moral high ground that they need and should ultimately earn. It's a tough fact of the job that while not elected, street and beat cops are public figures. i do not envy them their jobs. cn