Questions tagged [police]
Questions related to the civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
100
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7answers
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How do progressive US political thinkers explain anti-black police discrimination in cities where the population and government are majority black?
There is a common narrative among progressive political and racial thinkers in the United States that all or almost all police departments are systematically racist in a way that does significant and ...
18
votes
9answers
6k views
Is defunding the police compatible with a libertarian mindset?
In light of recent tragedies, many people have been saying "defund the police". I'm a moderate conservative and moderate libertarian and generally think that defunding the police is a bad ...
2
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1answer
236 views
Why are American Juvenile Curfew Laws not Unconstitutional?
Many jurisdictions in the United States have curfew laws, which prohibit youth of a certain age (usually under 18) from being in public or in a business establishment during certain hours.
Given the ...
0
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0answers
87 views
How many sworn officers are in each local police department in the United States?
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports on department sizes, but it only includes the fifty largest departments. I do not believe the fifty largest departments are representative of smaller ...
16
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5answers
7k views
Do people in countries besides the US react negatively to “militarized police”?
A 2018 PNAS study concludes that
militarized “special weapons and tactics” (SWAT) teams are more often deployed in communities of color, and—contrary to claims by police administrators—provide no ...
asked Sep 2 at 11:33
SX welcomes ageist gossip
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6
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0answers
148 views
What can local governments do to reform the police & policing? [closed]
Much of the oversight power for police departments and sheriff departments is with local government.
For example, in Michigan, the elected officials that oversee police departments in cities are City ...
6
votes
1answer
467 views
Amongst U.S. police forces, are combat veterans more likely to abuse force than those who lack combat experience? [closed]
In the United States, amongst police forces, are combat veterans more likely to abuse force than those who lack combat experience?
In my opinion, the main difficulties are in the definitions of ...
40
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7answers
5k views
What could the US federal government do to reform the police?
There is a widespread belief that policing in the USA suffers from systemic racism. Let us suppose that Joe Biden gets elected President and decides that this is a priority. Let us also suppose that ...
0
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1answer
71 views
Why does California Attorney General Xavier Becerra refuse to disclose records of police? [closed]
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is accused of illegally refusing to comply with Senate Bill 1421, which required him to disclose the records of police officers.
Why does he do this?
https://...
3
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0answers
47 views
Which states have weakened police unions’ collective bargaining power over disciplinary issues?
Matt Yglesias, liberal political columnist for Vox, just tweeted this:
Months into the era of everyone reading White Fragility and posting Black Lives Matter memes and declaring racism a public ...
1
vote
1answer
248 views
How does the release of George Floyd's death footage change the perception of his death? [closed]
The Daily Mail recently released the bodycam footage of the death of George Floyd. How does this video corroborate/counter the claims that have been made regarding the incident?
(One specific claim ...
2
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1answer
142 views
Is there any significance to calling state police “troopers”?
Does anyone know of a historical or legal reason in the US that state police get called "trooper", while the rank and file local law enforcement are referred to as "officer" (or &...
13
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4answers
1k views
In the US, what is the meaning of “declaring a Riot”?
According to CNN, the Portland Police Bureau "declared a riot" on July 4th, 2020 after protesters shot commercial grade fireworks at both the state and federal courthouses. Some local ...
1
vote
0answers
156 views
Why don't majors/governors order their state police to arrest unmarked federal agents? [closed]
I wonder why the local US governors/majors, which reject federal agents on their streets, don't just order their local police force to arrest all people, which exercise violence and don't wear any ...
-1
votes
1answer
190 views
How can I respond to the DHS activities in Portland? [closed]
There are reports out of Portland, Oregon that federal officers are using certain tactics to try and disperse protesters. Suppose some citizen of the United States (but not Oregon itself) finds this ...
1
vote
2answers
191 views
What possible steps could be taken to fight racism in the police? [closed]
Within the US, what steps could be taken to try to prevent racism in the police?
For example, there is no strong 'test' for racism that can't be double-guessed. Even then, there is the potential that ...
12
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3answers
579 views
Why are CBP and other organizations within DHS allowed to arrest protestors?
As per the reporting about federal officers arresting protesters, I am wondering about the jurisdiction of the US's Department of Homeland Security. What is the specific legal purview that allows DHS ...
1
vote
1answer
318 views
Is the “Defund the police”-argument anti-police or not?
I am doing some research into the Defund the police-movement, and am finding increasingly contradictory information, and so my basic question is, is the movement anti-police or not?
On one hand, you ...
8
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4answers
846 views
What are Arguments in Favor of Qualified Immunity for Police Officers?
Currently there is concern about police brutality and overreach. One suggestion I've heard often is ending qualified immunity, and there are many videos with convincing arguments for removing the ...
1
vote
0answers
139 views
What conclusion can we draw re the Black Lives Matter movement from the Roland G. Fryer research on police use of force? [closed]
In the following article we read:
A new study confirms that black men and women are treated differently in the hands of law enforcement. They are more likely to be touched, handcuffed, pushed to the ...
-7
votes
1answer
124 views
would making the Police a branch of the Military meet the demand of abolishing the police? [closed]
during a conversation with my family yesterday, an idea came to me of merging the Police and military as a potential solution to the demand of abolishing the police, but at the same time retaining a ...
49
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2answers
3k views
Why is the amount of training for police officers in the United States so low compared to other developed countries?
In the wake of current events the U.S. police have once again come under immense public scrutiny, putting the focus on various aspects such as police brutality, racial discrimination, qualified ...
11
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1answer
604 views
Is there any reason to believe that face masks increase the risk of racial profiling?
As established at Skeptics, Lincoln County, Oregon, legally requires everyone to wear facemasks to prevent the spread of covid...unless they are a person of color. In other words, only white people ...
77
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8answers
12k views
Why do US police use handcuffs in otherwise calm, non-violent circumstances?
When the Atlanta police recently discovered that a driver, who was otherwise calm and cooperative was "over the alcohol limit" after a long and largely fruitless conversation (during which ...
41
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7answers
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What is the origin of the fears of racism associated with facial recognition technology?
If one pays attention to technology-based news all the big players in facial recognition technology are now refusing to provide this technology to the US government and/or police. When news reports ...
11
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2answers
2k views
Is the death rate due to police violence between men and women proportional?
According to https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/a/47814/25402 1 in 2000 men's cause of death is police violence while the corresponding number for women is 1 in 33 000.
Risk is highest for black ...
1
vote
0answers
47 views
What are the pros and cons of unionized vs non-unionized police force [duplicate]
My question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of unionized vs non-unionized police force.
This was one of the demands which was put forward by the Black Lives Movement. Below is an article ...
3
votes
1answer
370 views
What are the pros and cons of having police unions?
This is a follow up question which I asked here. There were a lot of great answers, the consensus seems to be that police unions could be outright dissolved or a new version of unions could form where ...
0
votes
2answers
189 views
Can the US President implement restrictions on police unionization
One potential for helping solve the problem of police brutality, as discussed in this question is to curb the power that police unions currently hold.
As it stands, disciplinary measures are subject ...
24
votes
5answers
5k views
Can the police unions be dissolved?
One of the demands of Black Lives Matter (BLM) is to de-fund the police. At the center of it are the police unions, since the contracts are negotiated through the police unions. My question is as ...
35
votes
4answers
8k views
Can the so-called “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” in Seattle be treated as an insurrection against the Federal Government?
According to latest news from Seattle, protesters now are controlling some parts of the city, preventing police from entering.
Can it be treated as insurrection against Federal Government, according ...
18
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2answers
915 views
Why do police unions support police officers that have committed gross misconduct, given that they tarnish the reputation of all officers?
In many fields, professional bodies will vocally condemn members who commit misconduct. For example, medical associations, learned societies or unions will seek to end the careers of members who ...
4
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0answers
101 views
Is there a pattern in the US of “abusive” police officers moving around to escape accountability?
This recent PBS story gobsmacked me:
San Francisco may stop hiring cops with records of misconduct
The demand to reform police departments is causing some local governments to look at new regulations ...
4
votes
1answer
219 views
How would a police-free city or state work? [duplicate]
With the recent news around the abolishing of the Minneapolis police department, I wonder what the alternatives are and how they work? Is there any example anywhere on earth currently? I didn't find ...
4
votes
0answers
106 views
Did the US Floyd protests actually result in charges against the police officers involved
As of late, I have seen many arguing that the protests and riots in the US about the killing of George Floyd have been directly responsible for the increased charges against Derek Chauvin, and the new ...
79
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7answers
11k views
Why is there a broad pattern of excessive force by police towards protestors in spite of international focus on this use of force?
Right now (June 2020), sparked by the murder of George Floyd, there have been a wave of protests against police brutality towards black Americans. In these very protests, there has also been a massive ...
12
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1answer
708 views
What proposals exist for a large city disbanding and reconstituting its police force?
Minneapolis has voted to disband its police
The Minneapolis city council has pledged to disband the city’s police department and replace it with a new system of public safety, a historic move that ...
4
votes
1answer
483 views
To what extent do police departments in the US reflect in numerical terms the proportions of each race in the communities they serve?
In recent years Londoners have got used to the arrival of larger numbers of black and ethnic police men and women. It has involved a change in uniform for some, such as the now many Sikh officers in ...
23
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5answers
3k views
Can society (under state rule) function without police?
Minneapolis has voted to disband its police department. This is in response to the BLM protests.
Every developed society in the world has police forces. The police are one of the state's institutions ...
9
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3answers
562 views
Does the death of George Floyd represent the oppression of black people, or that of poor people generally?
The question mostly applies to America, but my own experience is with the UK.
In Britain it is often said that a black person is twice as likely to die in police custody as a white person.
That ...
4
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0answers
188 views
Do American cops shoot black people more than white people in similar cases? [closed]
I want to know if the US police is really prejudiced against black people.
I would most like statistics that answer the question: Do American cops shoot black people more than white people in ...
3
votes
3answers
386 views
Why might the military be more useful in controlling the masses than the police?
In reading Dictators and Dictatorship: Understanding Authoritarian Regimes and Their Leaders, I came across this paragraph :
the Cold War period was particularly amenable to military dictatorship “...
64
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3answers
6k views
Why do US police treat using counterfeit money as an emergency?
One thing that surprises me about the George Floyd incident is that the police would treat the passing of a counterfeit $20 in a corner shop as some kind of an emergency.
If someone called the ...
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do BLM protestors continue after all four police involved in the killing of George Floyd are facing charges?
Why do BLM protestors continue to protest now that all four police involved in the killing of George Floyd are facing charges and police around the country are being held accountable (e.g. the 6 ...
9
votes
3answers
495 views
What are the responses to the police assaulting journalists during the 2020 protests in the US?
Countless* members of the press have been targeted and assaulted by the police for covering the current protests in the US.
Has president Trump or his administration responded to these attacks? Have ...
14
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3answers
1k views
Who polices the police in the USA?
Who polices the police in the USA? Is there anyone a police officer has to answer to for committing racist acts, abusing their power, or committing other crimes unnecessarily?
4
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2answers
470 views
What does it mean when the US cops wear the badges or T-shirts saying “I am the kneeling officer”?
What does it mean when the US police officers or other people wear the badges or T-shirts saying "I am the kneeling officer"? What about the collective kneeling actions?
11
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4answers
619 views
How can police brutality be prevented through policy?
Police Brutality (defined as a civil rights violation where officers exercise undue or excessive force against a civilian) is not equally prevalent in all governments and all places, which indicates ...
12
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3answers
1k views
What is the “appropriate” civilian response to police abusing their power? [closed]
Police are tear-gassing civilians during a pandemic that exasperates respiratory conditions while there is a shortage of ventilators and hospital beds.
How/why is this allowed?
What is the “...
10
votes
2answers
789 views
Is there pervasive racial bias in United States policing?
Twitter user Leonydus Johnson posted the following statistics acquired from the FBI UCR Program website and the Washington Post:
For every 10,000 black people arrested for violent crime, 3 are killed
...
