Minneapolis Abolish Police

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Let’s try this as a reform. The US government creates a new agency (or bureau, or whatever the correct term is) whose sole purpose is to review complaints against individual police officers. Ideally, this group would be staffed by civil rights lawyers.

Let’s say that Officer Smith of the Chicago PD has a complaint lodged against him for excessive force. The department investigates, finds that the complaint is valid and justified and Smith is summarily sacked and is prohibited from ever again working in law enforcement anywhere in the US. Failure to do so results in an immediate and permanent loss of federal money for the department. Civil and criminal charges against Smith proceed as normal. 

In another scenario, the police department investigates Smith and determines the complaint was frivolous and unfounded. The case is immediately referred to the new agency in Washington for review. If they agree with the PD’s assessment, no harm no foul. BUT...if they determine that the complaint is valid (ie, a case of the cops protecting one of their own), the above penalties apply - Smith is sacked, banned from law enforcement for life, charge and tried as appropriate, and the police department loses all federal funding forever.

You could still have police departments, but they would be forced, in the interest of self-preservation - to clean up their act. Would it stop all incidents of police brutality? Of course not. But the number of such cases would drop like a paralyzed falcon and the new system would be seen as evidence that the powers that be are finally taking this seriously. It might even remove the impetus for mass protests.

Boru

So your solution to bad government is more government to control the government...

When that fails perfection you will need to form another branch of government to oversee the overseers....

Lather rinse repeat....

Governments have overseen governments since there have been governments.

Who said I was aiming for ‘perfection’? I think I made it pretty explicit that the above is not a perfect solution.

So, what’s your take? Propose nothing? Do nothing? Allow police departments to continue to employ and cover for bad cops?

I’d be interested to hear any ideas you might have.

Boru