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by mikeash 2491 days ago
Do police have any obligation to be honest in these requests? Even if it’s opt-in, I’d be afraid of cops using the system to harass personal enemies by making requests that say they’re looking for an active serial killer or whatever.
1 comments
HarryHirsch 2491 days ago
Do police have any obligation to be honest in these requests?

No. Infractions would have to be prosecuted by the district attorney, who has no interest to get on the bad side of the police because he needs them to be successful.

Consider the case of Arlington police! Arlington cops were in bed with a drug dealer because he supplied the force with steroids. In return for the goodies, the police informed their supplier about the competition. The maximum penalty for improper access of records would be 10 years in prison, but they gave the bent cop just 1 year. It really does wonders to restore trust in the system.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2014/02/12/ex-arlingto...

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sixothree 2491 days ago
We really need checks and balances on police. Seems like such a fundamental underpinning of democracy eroded.
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clairity 2491 days ago
by design, the police concentrate force in a separate group of people who then specialize in that use of force. residents relinquish that (threat of) force voluntarily to the police to enjoy being a citizen of a (hopefully) more peaceful society in exchange.

part of the problem is that we naturally conflate (1) knowing and enforcing rules and (2) the use of force. despite the similarity of the words, enforcement doesn't necessarily require direct force. such intertwined subtleties make your entreaty to "institute checks and balances" hard to realize.

and this disjunction is problematic; i think it's better to have a little force spread widely throughout communities, rather than a lot of force concentrated in one sub-group, as its less risk of catastrophic use of force and a more even application all around (more fair). but that's a challenge in the increasingly specialized social groupings (and identities) we live in.

even so, "police" is too much of an identity separate from the society to which they're enjoined. i think policemen/women should be community members first, and enforcers second, not the other way around.

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MaupitiBlue 2490 days ago
There are many.

Fellow officers can be a check.

The police internal affairs are a check.

In most cities there is a police board that acts as a check.

The local DA can be a check.

The US Attorney for the state can be a check.

The defense attorney can be a check.

The judge can be a check.

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