[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Captain Otto

Do you mind sourcing some of this? Specifically:

Okay, a ton to unpack. So please bear with me.

Sourcing it from working in law enforcement for almost 12 years, doing compliance, and internal investigation. The information is consistent with data from CALEA and IACP, AZPOST certification, ALEA standards, and the various academies around the state of Arizona. I had opportunity to participate in academy evals in California, Texas, Louisiana, and at the federal level. This is strictly how it is in the United States. Not referencing Canada in any way. The cops I knew up there were good eggs, but that was a long time ago. But since this is about US cops killing people I think the professional experience is very relevant.

1) (recruit) personalities who have authoritarian tendencies, give them training which relies on violence for problem resolution.

Officers are recruited based on their backgrounds, with preference given to those who have military/paramilitary training and experience. Prospective officers go through psych evals to determine if they are a fit for the stresses of the job. The preference is given to those who fit with the mindset of the "brotherhood." Organizations such as LEXIPOL promote hiring directly from the military for the benefits of the people know how to take a give orders.

Even in the academy the vast majority of training is focused on paramilitary tactics and using violence as a means of control. The typical academy in the United States is 21 weeks or less (ALEA is 585 hours!) and the majority of that is focused on physical preparation for the job. As IACP put it, most academies spend the bulk of their time training students in use of firearms, criminal and constitutional law, patrol procedures and defensive tactics. More time is spent in academy doing grapple and weapons training than how to properly manage an interaction with a distressed individual, and zero time is spent on how to handle an individual with mental illness or diminished capacity.

CALEA is trying to resolve this issue but when you have no consistent requirements codified in a standard, it becomes the wild west. It's why Michigan created a commission on law enforcement and they focused in on developing a training curriculum, a curriculum very short on teaching officers how to relate to people.

2) give them qualified immunity for their actions.

Qualified immunity is all but guaranteed for law enforcement in all but the most egregious of incidents. Clearly outlined by the FBI and respected around the country.

3) If they would hire people who have empathy and understand how to communicate - actually listen and speak to find resolution - rather than relying on their gun or taser to enforce their will.

This is the difference between the professional policing model and the community-oriented policing model. The professional model is very much authoritarian in its approach and relies on paramilitary tactics and training. The community-oriented policing model relies on community involvement and a participative approach. The former looks for type A personalities and the latter looks for type B personalities, both prevalent in psychological screen practices.

It's an acknowledged problem which is why you see articles like this come out after every shooting.

4) The larger percentage of them are obnoxious alpha types who scare the public rather than being approachable and affable to deal with.

Perceptions of the police come from the interactions police have with the public. As NIJ put it, "People tend to focus on how police treat them — the process and interactions — rather than the final outcome of those interactions." Confidence in the police in the United States is at an all time low, according to Gallup and other researchers, especially for minority groups. It is who they are.

5) training them to be use force at the first sign of conflict.

You can't have a police force without "force."

It is part and parcel of the continued militarization of law enforcement. CALEA and LEXIPOL are still firmly in the learn from the military camp.

From everything I have read, most of this is the exact opposite, specifically regarding recruiting and training. I think there has been a substantial shift in both those areas and rightfully so.

Please feel free to post some of your research, because it isn't consistent with reality. If officers training were anything like you are painting we wouldn't see police killing citizens like the plague and departments being sued daily for civil rights violations. Cops are perceived the way they are because of displays of their inherent behaviors. The shift you speak of my be happening in Canada, but in the United States the attitudes toward the police continue to become more and more negative, especially with the on-going acts of violence and oppression against communities.

Maybe it is different in the US and I certainly don't disagree that such a profession could certainly attract a certain personality but I don't think "larger percentage" is justified by ANY research I have seen.

It is very different in the United States. It's why the United States every recruiting poster or app references "veterans preference."

I am interested in "peacekeeper" idea. Can you define that? What does that look like in the real world? At a domestic for example. How does applying criminal law (or any other law/bylaw) work with a peacekeeper?

Peacekeeping or being a peace officer is very much in line with the community-oriented policing model. Some great work is being done here by making the police more approachable and more engrained in the community. SROs are a great example of this practice as are bike and horse patrols. Get the cops out of the battle dress and get them into garb that makes them more approachable.

Contrast the feeling you have in Mexico versus the United States versus Canada when you see cops. Mexican cops have AR-15s strapped to their chests, which makes most people nervous. In the US the battle vest is now the most popular method of carrying duty equipment, but is still very intimidating. A duty belt with limited hardware makes someone much less "scary" and more open to an interaction. Peacekeepers are the latter. It's they only way to win back the hearts and minds of the public who have grown so distrustful of the police "force."