What does a police-free future look like?

[HitRed]

Higher guns sales I would guess. Many judges would be unemployed. Rules would likely be different neighborhood by neighborhood. EMS might be delayed a checkpoints. Best to ponder it.

[Jdsizzleslice]

Get run over by a car? No one to call?

See-ya l8r g8tr.

[riskllama]

is 'murica going on the honour system, HR? should work just fine...

[saxitoxin]

Before going down this path we should test it for six months in New York.

[HitRed]

is 'murica going on the honour system, HR? should work just fine...

Depends on your neighbors.



Or maybe more your style

[mrswdk]

Red Dead Redemption has an honour system and I generally follow it quite closely. You get discounts at most stories if you have good honour.

[jusplay4fun]

anarchy

[Dukasaur]

I don't think they're suggesting anarchy, or the absence of policing.

I think they're suggesting replacing the current system of militarized professional police with a more community-based and community-directed police force. Quite possibly a mix of volunteers and professionals, like the fire department in many places.

If they do it right, could be very good.

[HitRed]

In my city Fire, EMS and Police are 55% of the budget! Most cities it is 50%. When you think of all the things a city does that is a huge part.

[2dimes]

You buy you water, sewer, gas and electrical.

Other than parks and roads what else is there?

[HitRed]

You buy you water, sewer, gas and electrical.

Other than parks and roads what else is there?

Mayor, City Manager, City council, endless departments, advertising for tourism, social programs, code / building inspectors, environmental, historic preservation, building maintenance, animal control, insurance, a fleet of vehicles.

[saxitoxin]

Police officers currently receive roughly 1,000 hours of training. Since very few volunteers are going to commit to 1,000 of training before even being allowed to do the actual volunteering, a volunteer police department necessarily means throwing less-trained police onto the streets. Even if volunteers received just 25% of the training of regular police (250 hours) that would require someone to take six weeks off work just to get trained for a volunteer gig. If you think the police are gun-crazy lunatics now, wait until you see the type of people so intent on being unpaid part-time cops that they would be willing to do that. About 99% of your volunteers are going to be people looking to live out their Dirty Harry fantasies in real life.

If a volunteer firefighter accidentally turns the spigot on his hose, someone could get wet. If a volunteer police officer accidentally pulls the trigger on his gun, someone could get killed.

This is a recipe for absolute chaos and disaster.

[HitRed]

If this works out well let's try Three Mile Island with all volunteer staff.

[2dimes]

Mayor, City Manager, City council, endless departments, advertising for tourism, social programs, code / building inspectors, environmental, historic preservation, building maintenance, animal control, insurance, a fleet of vehicles.

In support of roads and parks..

[saxitoxin]

If this works out well lets try Three Mile Island with all volunteer staff.

LOL

We should also abolish hospitals. If you need a prostate exam an eager community volunteer can do it. (mrswdk is gonna be busy at his new side hustle)

[2dimes]

I should open up a consultation service. $20 you get fifteen minutes and I tell you if you should go to a real doctor.

[mrswdk]

In my city Fire, EMS and Police are 55% of the budget! Most cities it is 50%. When you think of all the things a city does that is a huge part.

49% of that 50% is probably all for the police. Tooling up 750,000 Judge Dredds don't come cheap!

[2dimes]

Most small cities don't have police departments. No state is going to shut theirs down.

[jusplay4fun]

I disagree with Duk on this point. There is too much at stake and in my experience, police undergo LOTS of training. Others make the same argument in this thread between my two posts.

What Duk proposes may work in a small town, but I doubt it work for large cities.

I don't think they're suggesting anarchy, or the absence of policing.

I think they're suggesting replacing the current system of militarized professional police with a more community-based and community-directed police force. Quite possibly a mix of volunteers and professionals, like the fire department in many places.

If they do it right, could be very good.

[saxitoxin]

I was just reviewing my insurance policy to see if I'm insured against Democrioters and it appears I am. However, while doing so, I saw an annoying policy exclusion. It says my policy doesn't cover me in event of war, which I knew ... but then, in the fine print says ...

[jimboston]

I don't think they're suggesting anarchy, or the absence of policing.

I think they're suggesting replacing the current system of militarized professional police with a more community-based and community-directed police force. Quite possibly a mix of volunteers and professionals, like the fire department in many places.

If they do it right, could be very good.

Volunteer fire departments work in rural areas with less population density... and generally only in places that can’t afford full-time professional firefighters.

When cities had private or ‘volunteer’ fire companies they caused more pro than they solved.

‘Community-Directed’ sounds great... how does that work? I agree they need more outside oversight, especially for disciplinary actions... but the devil. is always gonna be in the details.

I think the unions have to recognize this is an issue and step up.

I think that (hope that?) recent events will generate enough sustained political pressure to actually accomplish some reforms.

[jimboston]

Most small cities don't have police departments. No state is going to shut theirs down.

where do you live?

Maybe I’m wrong, but i’d bet $1 that there’s not even one CITY in the USA of any size that doesn’t have a police department.

There maybe be some cities where the police are technically “County Police” or “Sheriffs”... but that’s just the same thing by a different name.

There are likely some small towns that don’t have their own department, but that fall under the jurisdiction of a sheriff... and in some of those sparsely populated areas they may rarely see law enforcement.

... but a city?

[jimboston]

Just for the record... their’s no such thing as a “state” without a police force.
Not in the modern sense of the words.

... by “state” I mean country, politically controlled region with a charter and rules.
... by “police” I mean a group of armed people who uphold the laws and support the political infrastructure.

A “state” cannot exist if it doesn’t have a means to maintain control.

[HitRed]

police-free means Pakistan's Tribal belt

[2dimes]

There maybe be some cities where the police are technically “County Police” or “Sheriffs”...

That's what I meant. You can argue with Red about the counties going "police-free". I was suggesting it won't happen.