So over thanksgiving my brother-in-law was talking about how he's currently going through the training to become a cop (being fast tracked for reason below) and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm firmly in the ACAB camp. On the other hand, if somebody is going to be hired a cop, he seems like the kind of person that would do the least harm.
Frist off, he is an MP in the army and has been for several years so he already has more and better training/dicipline than most cops out there. He has actual training in conflict deescalation and proper restraint methods that don't kill people. Unlike most cops he actually has real firearm training so he can be trusted not to shoot at falling acorns or blow an infants head off in an altercation. He has actual medical training, which most cops aren't required to have.
Outside of training he also does seem like a decent guy. He's not an agressive macho shitbag like most cops and he does what he can to help people. He does strike me as leaning slightly conservative but he also lives in a rural area of a red state so that's to be expected. I don't think he's a trump supporter but if he is then he's smart enough to keep his mouth completely shut about it even after the election (which trump supporters usually aren't).
So I'm kind of torn on this one. On one hand, our current policing system is rotten to the core and he's someone looking to be a part of that. On the other hand, even though the current system needs to be burned down and rebuilt, we do need some form of police force and he seems like someone who would do the least harm in that roll.
So yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I would be interested to hear what y'all think though. Have any other lemmings experienced similar or have family members who are cops?
Just to get this out of the way, this is why I'm not a fan of the ACAB and similar blanket statements. I get it cops in general have done fucked up things. But slapping a label on all of them is passing judgement on the good ones making a difference. And there ARE good ones and good departments. They don't make national news and definitely don't deserve that kind of shade.
We have cops that have become family friends and one I am now related to. They are genuinely top notch cops. I was heading home and seen them work serious car accidents first hand. They know their use of force and laws well enough that even some local sovereign citizen types gave them some praise in a video they made.
Being an MP going to be a regular cop isn't as seamless as you might think. Laws on a military base and real life differ so sometimes there's issues unlearning the stuff the military teaches as far as procedures go.
For gun stuff you don't need to be John Wick and the military does NOT teach you guns as well as some think unless you clear rooms for a living. Little to no shoot/no shoot scenarios either for most of the mil. But they do teach you solid gun safety and enough medical to make a difference. In most cases lower levels of the use of force contiunuum are going to be used long before a gun anyway so that's where the training focus should be so a gun can stay holstered longer.
Anyway yeah real life is messy and I'm glad people like your brother in law are willing to do unsexy but important work that can expose them to very traumatic things. I hope they serve the community well
The point of ACAB isn't to take it literally. It's a reminder that a whole fucking lot of cops, particularly in the USA, are bad. And the problem is that when you're dealing with an individual cop at an individual interaction, you don't know which you're dealing with. And you won't until it's too late.
So the smartest thing to do is, with any interaction with police, clam up and lawyer up. No matter what. Because you don't know if they're asking questions because they're investigating someone else or investigating you. And when the latter, the bad cops (and remember, you don't know which kind you've got!) will cheerfully lie and cheat and distort and generally railroad you to fit their theory.
It's meant literally. Even the best cop you can think of is at a minimum looking the other way when it comes to misconduct of fellow officers.
But people do take it literally. If the phrase doesn't match the intended meaning a different phrase is needed
That's one HELL of a can of worms to be opening. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush isn't about birds, nor hands, for example.
Perhaps people should just learn?
Oh so it's all metaphors not blanket statements, I see.
Yes. That's exactly what I said.
🙄
I guess this is what happens when people grow up with video games instead of people.
Think about it this way; you meet a cop in an unexpected situation. You do not know this cop. Should you trust that this cop has your best interest at heart, and treat them as a fellow comrade? Certainly not if you want to live!
ACAB because if you do not make that assumption, you will get killed by one of the bastards and they will get away with it. If you want to get deeper into philosophy, we can talk about how all cops are complicit in a system that grants them limitless freedom to terrorize the populace, making even the nice ones inherent class traitors, but the simplest truth is ACAB is a motto that keeps people alive.
"Don't trust strangers" is just as well then. Still a generalization but people need a reminder because sometimes terrible things happen. Doesn't sound as cool though.
"All strangers are stranglers" is overkill but it has a nice punch to it and grabs attention. But then you have to explain in long comments how it's not really ALL strangers and they're not REALLY stranglers every time we just want people to be very cautious when interacting with strangers just to make sure they can avoid being strangled if they are indeed dealing with one. It's not meant to be literal there is truth in there if you ignore parts of it.
Isn't that exhausting?
I want police reform and an end to shitty cultures in bad police departments. And I want unjustified killings to end as much as you do, truly I do. But I can't get behind the phrase ACAB even though alternatives don't sound as bold in a protest.