[munk-a]

Given that the police budget is formed by public allocation and the nature of the job I think that policy absolutely should have the ability to form unions. Being forced to work long shifts in dangerous work environments (whether dangerous to you or others) is pretty unsafe. The issue is that, whether intentionally or not, the public has bargained away some pretty valuable things over the year to the union including employment record availability and retention requirements.

That union needs some serious reform and it isn't going to come from the inside, but there are some really good reasons for police to have good bargaining power.

Honestly, this probably all comes back to the US massively underfunding public services as a general rule - if the policing budget had been slashed like the education budget regularly is then we'd have nothing but vigilantes in the police force.

[masonic]

Where, specifically, has the per-student education budget been "slashed"?