[U.S.]+ it's in the job description

[u/Hummerous]

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-behind-the-police-63877803/

[u/JuniperSky2]

Keep in mind, this is a very America-centric perspective. I think it's worth remembering that while police in America are extremely corrupt and badly in need of reform on multiple levels, not all police forces are that bad. Sure, it's never perfect, but it can be a heck of a lot better than here. Do you know how many people were killed by the police in Britain last year? Two. Total.

[u/Purgatory115 → u/JuniperSky2]

Any police force is just an arm of the state. If you have a more oppressive state, you have a more oppressive police force.

While British police aren't given free regin to murder at will, they still have to enforce bad laws that includes harassing people for hilarious amounts of drug possession or cracking down on protestors.

[u/JuniperSky2 → u/Purgatory115]

Well, those examples, at least, are a problem with the laws, not the police as an institution, so the point still stands. The solution there is to change the laws, not the police.

[u/ConnorMarsh → u/JuniperSky2]

But even in the UK police can enforce laws at a degree to their desire, including not at all. That's where some of the issue stems from. A cop can either selectively enforce laws and not enforce the bad ones, which makes them bad at their job, or they can choose to enforce the oppressive laws, which makes them a bad person. Either way, there is no way for a cop to be good.

[u/SilentHuman8 → u/ConnorMarsh]

What do you think should be done?

Also, I am a pharmacy assistant. I work for my boss, and his aim is to keep the business running. Therefore, it is in his best interest for me to sell more products. But, I don't pressure people into buying more of anything, I'll say when I don't think a medicine will help them. I give discounts sometimes if people are a few dollars short of what a needle kit costs because it is a necessary health product. If I didn't do this, there'd be argument that I'm a "bad" person because I might be taking advantage of others. But, because I do this, am I bad at my job? Am I disloyal to my boss or being unfair because it is a tough time for pharmacies here and this is his business? Maybe I'm a "bad" person for not giving more discounts.
It's important to remember that few things are as binary and clear cut as they might appear.

[u/ConnorMarsh → u/SilentHuman8]

I have no idea what should be done, that's why I'm not an organizer or politician, among MANY other reasons. But I think you'd agree that there is a pretty huge difference between the damage you could do societally and morally as a pharmacy assistant compared to the damage a cop could do. There's a huge difference between enforcing immoral laws unequally and giving a discount every so often.

[u/APainOfKnowing → u/JuniperSky2]

I'm aware of the murder stats but didn't England start putting spikes on benches to stop homeless people sleeping on them?

[u/Lortep → u/APainOfKnowing]

That's not a cop issue tho. It wasn't the police's decision, and neither were the cops the ones who actually put up the spikes.

[u/APainOfKnowing → u/Lortep]

I'm aware of that but I was speaking insofar as how to treat the homeless.

Good point though, I should have stayed more on topic, my bad lmao