A good start would be for cops to have a 5 year apprenticeship, as in many of the trades. They wouldn’t be allowed to carry lethal force until they finish apprenticeship, as in many of the trades.

This would force cops into learning how to communicate and err on the side of deescalation - knowing one can’t just automatically resort to killing someone. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be a start.

I mean, as an electrician, I have to have 8,000 on the job, 1,200 hours in a classroom, and a state license before I’m even allowed to install a light fixture on my own. Why don’t cops have similar standards?

Cops, prison guards, etc. are the only jobs I can think of with entry level positions that have ultimate control over the bodies of other humans. Other trades or industries require many years of earning the right to manage other people.

An an electrician, I am personally responsible if somebody is harmed / killed because I was negligent in my installation. Cops should be held to the same standard.

The amount of training police get is laughable. When they’re green on the force, they are literally armed and dangerous, untrained, and have the authority to use force without personal liability. Think about how ridiculous that is.

Adequate training would actually make everyone safer, police included. A good police union would encourage additional training - if it were actually concerned about the well-being of its membership.

Imagine if my union, the @IBEW, decided that a certain number of people killed as a result of our electrical installations was acceptable. That a certain number of homes burned down was okay. Would anybody hire us? Of course not, but that’s what we do with law enforcement.

The standard for the number of deaths that law enforcement causes should be zero. Zero. I don’t know why there should be any debate about this.

Of course, tragedy can and does happen - but the expectation should be zero deaths caused by law enforcement. Act as if nobody should ever be killed and I guarantee you fewer people will be killed.

@threadreaderapp Unroll please