Has anyone else had a similar experience?
I saw “Abolish the Police” on a FB post and I found myself a bit angry about it. And then I started a reply that went something like: “I’ve been very glad to have the police the few times I’ve needed them.” Then, when I tried to remember those times and the details, I realised that the statement was untrue. I deleted my reply.
Anyone else have an overpowering feeling that the police have helped them yet can not come up with a single personal memory of it?
A policeman came to my house to accuse me of beating up a boy on the school bus (8th grade?). It was easy for me to disprove the accusation that I had scratched the boy’s face. I showed the officer my ultra-mega-short-bitten-down-to-nubbins fingernails. And the policeman left. Tewksbury, MA
I have called the police when my brother’s car was broken into. They refused to take fingerprints or do any sort of investigation. Tewksbury, MA
I called the police when someone broke into my car and stole my purse. They were nice enough, but they had no hope of finding the person who robbed me. I didn’t need two armed officers in my home just to take a statement. I would have been more comfortable with someone whose training focused on talking to people and supporting people in trauma. Westchester, CA
I called the police after I was involved in a hit-n-run on the freeway. The officer arrived, collected my ID, asked me to drive off the freeway, took my statement, and sent me home. A citizen had seen the accident and had followed the car that hit me. They called the police and were able to provide the license plate number to the police. The police claimed that everything car with that plate was not damaged. Fullerton, CA
In none of these situations did I need an armed officer to assist me. And they weren’t very helpful anyway.
I’m not suggesting that we don’t ever need armed officers. We would definitely want them for certain situations. I’m suggesting that maybe we have overburdened our police force with tasks that require a variety of different specializations. Most of which do not require a weapon.
When a person knows how to use a tool, and they spend a lot of time practicing the use of that tool, it should be no surprise that they reach for that tool when faced with a problem. Even if there is a better tool out there, it’s not the one the person thinks of.
We need to start using the right tools for the job at hand and not throwing the same, wrong tool at everything.
