Over the past year, on the news and social media, the Police have been getting a lot of negative press because of how they have handled certain situations. And also, because of this, racism has been tied in as well. The men and women that join this field have dedicated their lives to protect us but even I find myself upset with how some events are handled. Maybe the fact that I am older and not oblivious to things anymore plays into that. Or maybe living in different countries and seeing how their system functions plays into my thoughts now? Regardless, I do think that this is an issue in our country and some things need to change. But hey, we now have a President who loves violence, so this most likely will never change. One of the biggest issues that I have with our system is how forceful they are in some cases. There have been countless times where an innocent person was shot dead and that is the main issue I do have. When did it become okay to shoot someone? What about using a Taser or another method that could stun the person instead of ending their life. I also don’t only want to focus on people being killed by our police, but also dogs have been as well. In the video I posted, there are some stats about our system that I think are a bit mind blowing. “Fatal Shots by US Police Since 2013: More than 575 people wielding blades, other weapons but not a gun.” “Fatal Shots by British Police Since 2013: 1 person wielding a knife.” I just think that says a lot. While I was living in Europe, I did notice some things that were different over there that I personally liked. For one, instead of the police pulling you over for speeding, they set up cameras throughout the country and if you are speeding it takes a picture of the car and license plate and you get the ticket in the mail. This saves the police their resources by keeping their cops around for more important issues by having technology take care of this task for them. I don’t understand why we haven’t implemented this more, I was a fan. I did feel like the police were spending time looking out for citizens and I appreciated that. I also think another thing that plays into this issue is that fact that the individuals who are going through training in Europe spend a lot more time in school and out in the field with close supervision and this can take up to two years. Over here it only lasts on average for 19 weeks. At the end of the day, who would you want looking after your community? Someone who was only in training for a few weeks or someone who spent a few years, showing dedication and got a lot more training at the end of it? I know which one I would choose. Maybe, hopefully, one day we can implement some of their ways into our system. If we can learn that violence isn’t the only way to handle a situation, I think it would not only benefit them in the way citizens think of them but maybe people will then ‘follow’ them and hopefully some things can calm down.
1 Comment
Saabtino
11/21/2016 01:44:56 pm
Thanks for sharing another compelling argument that crosses literal and figurative borders. So I see your blog emerging as space for a multicultural analysis of current events. If so, this would be an example of what I mean by creating a writerly identity...
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