The Damned Cops Are Out Of Control

[Mediocharist]

I was utterly amazed to learn that some police departments will accept a G.E.D. in lieu of a high school diploma.

http://per.lacity.org/psb/lapd_recruit1.htm

EDUCATIONGraduation from a U.S. High School, G.E.D. or equivalent from a U.S. institution, or a California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) certificate.

But it explains much.

Fuck people who couldn't afford US schooling, amirite?

[WhiskeyDebates]

I was utterly amazed to learn that some police departments will accept a G.E.D. in lieu of a high school diploma.

http://per.lacity.org/psb/lapd_recruit1.htm

EDUCATIONGraduation from a U.S. High School, G.E.D. or equivalent from a U.S. institution, or a California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) certificate.

But it explains much.

Fuck people who couldn't afford US schooling, amirite?

What I love most about it is it shows he doesn't even understand what a G.E.D is or why people get it.

[SYZ]

I was utterly amazed to learn that some police departments will accept a G.E.D. in lieu of a high school diploma.

Fuck people who couldn't afford US schooling, amirite?

What I love most about it is it shows he doesn't even understand what a G.E.D is or why people get it.

I must admit (as an Aussie) I didn't know what the General Education Development (GED) tests were.
So...

Although the GED test represents less of a time commitment than a high school diploma, it's not academically
easier. The test is graded on an equivalency scale compared to current high school students. To pass, test
takers must perform at a level of 60% of, or more than, the level of of high school seniors.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I sat through high school because I needed a legit diploma to get the job I wanted in the Navy. I could have "tested out" of most of the senior year courses. It took great patience to fiddle around for that that semester. (I turned 18 shortly after classes started in the Spring semester.)

On the value of diplomas: When I applied for jobs I'd tick "post-graduate level" for "highest education" boxes. Nobody ever asked me for a transcript or the like.

[Arden Portis]

When the courts upheld the right for departments to discriminate against applicants who are smart enough to ask questions it made it that much easier for shit like this to happen. An officer who wasn't a basic-ass, extra-regular, "good enough" motherfucker probably would've figured out this kid couldn't comply in putting his hands behind his back because he was was in cardiac arrest...After all, he was being continuously tased directly in/over the heart.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Argument via anecdote.

[Dānu]

School was where the dope was.

[Arden Portis]

Argument via anecdote.

LMFAO.

I'll tell you what, Duck Dynasty...Remind yourself to keep up this same level of "fairness" and defensive energy the next time you're set to go full tilt against the RCC and the "comparatively few" pedo priests that it quietly enables and gives cover to. 

Then we'll talk. 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Argument via anecdote.

LMFAO.

I'll tell you what, Duck Dynasty...Remind yourself to keep up this same level of "fairness" and defensive energy the next time you're set to go full tilt against the RCC and the "comparatively few" pedo priests that it quietly enables and gives cover to. 

Then we'll talk. 

Same rules apply on both. Sorry if you don't like them.

[Arden Portis]

Argument via anecdote.

LMFAO.

I'll tell you what, Duck Dynasty...Remind yourself to keep up this same level of "fairness" and defensive energy the next time you're set to go full tilt against the RCC and the "comparatively few" pedo priests that it quietly enables and gives cover to. 

Then we'll talk. 

Same rules apply on both. Sorry if you don't like them.

Lol...Yeah. That's EXACTLY my point, Gawdzilla.

I actually lurk on quite a few atheist forums, and I know I've seen you take the RCC and Catholic priesthood to task on multiple occasions. 
You  clearly "get" the concept of systemic corruption when it comes it religious institutions, yet have this MASSIVE blind spot when it comes to law-enforcement in a stunning show of hypocrisy. 

Sorry, but that makes you little more than a fanboy, old man. A fucking cheerleader....LMFAO.
Therefore, I see no reason to seriously consider or entertain your whiny little protests.

NEWSFLASH: Law-enforcement officers aren't beyond reproach just because you have some "good buddies" who are or were on the force, snowflake. No one's obligated to stop talking about police misconduct just because you're getting all in your feelings over some ex-cop old farts you drink, fix cars, or play cards with...Lol.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You have fun with that, okay?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

BTW, you say we've met elsewhere? If so can you provide link(s)? I'd like to see if what you think I said is what I actually said.

[SYZ]

Lol...Yeah. That's EXACTLY my point, Gawdzilla.

I actually lurk on quite a few atheist forums, and I know I've seen you take the RCC and Catholic priesthood to task on multiple occasions.

As have we all.  Here in Australia, current charges of sexual misconduct against Catholic priests
suggest that up to 7 percent of them are paedophiles.  And that's why I take the RCC to task
It's reprehensible behaviour by its hierarchy who're purportedly fine, upstanding exemplars
of virtue, honour, and integrity.  Ha fucking ha!
 

You  clearly "get" the concept of systemic corruption when it comes it religious institutions, yet have this MASSIVE blind spot when it comes to law-enforcement in a stunning show of hypocrisy.

No it's not hypocritical.  You're making the mistake of false equivalency comparing the performance
of the police with that of Catholic priests.  The former works within legislated State and/or Federal laws,
and are expected to enact that legislation scrupulously, and without fear or favour.  Priests, on the other
hand, are merely private citizens, unbound by any legislature, and acting purely on whims, conceits or
personal inclinations—which are all too often devious.

Admittedly, far too many LEOs work outside of their remit, but are most often censured, dismissed, or face
criminal charges.  This is usually because their misdeeds are all to often open to public scrutiny, due in
many cases to multiple video footage, and its internet exposure. Priests on the other hand ply their crimes
under a veil of secrecy and furtiveness, and hierarchical support, as per the sacrosanctity of the confessional
for example.  The Archbishops of both Adelaide and Melbourne dioceses have been convicted for knowingly
covering up the paedophile activities of priests under their control.

Sorry, but that makes you little more than a fanboy, old man. A fucking cheerleader....LMFAO.
Therefore, I see no reason to seriously consider or entertain your whiny little protests.

I'm afraid that resorting to ad hominems is the weakest form of argument.  Is that truly the best you
can do? Fuck me.

NEWSFLASH: Law-enforcement officers aren't beyond reproach just because you have some "good buddies" who are or were on the force, snowflake. No one's obligated to stop talking about police misconduct just because you're getting all in your feelings over some ex-cop old farts you drink, fix cars, or play cards with...Lol.

LOL... this has to be one of the most puerile comments I've read in this thread.  How old are you again?     

[Joods]

I was utterly amazed to learn that some police departments will accept a G.E.D. in lieu of a high school diploma.

http://per.lacity.org/psb/lapd_recruit1.htm

EDUCATIONGraduation from a U.S. High School, G.E.D. or equivalent from a U.S. institution, or a California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) certificate.

But it explains much.

Fuck people who couldn't afford US schooling, amirite?

Considering that one doesn't have to pay for a high school education in the United States, thanks to free public education, your statement is irrelevant.  

I do have to agree with WD though. A GED is just as good as a HS diploma and actually stands for General Education Diploma. I don't see what the problem is, really.

[Arden Portis]

Dead, beaten, abused: New Jersey fails to stop police brutality
Millions paid in secret settlements to keep bad cops on the street and the public in danger.
https://www.app.com/in-depth/news/invest...109479668/

 
Killed. Beaten. Stalked. More than 200 citizens across the state have been victimized in recent years by out-of-control rogue cops. In many cases, the cops kept their jobs, even got promoted – while tens of millions of your tax dollars kept the abuses quiet. Until now.


New Jersey governments across the state, from the smallest towns to some of the largest cities, have spent more than $42 million this decade to cover-up deaths, physical abuses and sexual misconduct at the hands of bad cops.

The abuse of police power has left a staggering toll: at least 19 dead; 131 injured; 7 sexual misconducts, plus dozens of other offenses ranging from false arrest to harassment, a two-year investigation by the Asbury Park Press found.

The damage is concealed by government officials who use a veil of secret settlements and nondisclosure agreements to silence victims. Investigations of rogue cops are routinely hidden from the public by police, elected officials and even the courts.

The secretive payouts that keep abuses quiet are a vital part of a system that enables bad cops to do their worst. The secrecy starts at the police department and rises through the highest levels of government. Some of the state's largest cities and insurance carriers refused to release government documents that are at the core of the rogue cop problem. 

Continue reading here:
https://www.app.com/in-depth/news/invest...109479668/

[Arden Portis]

Admittedly, just one former cop's insight and perspective. Interesting reading, nonetheless.

I Was a Cop for 18 Years. I Witnessed and Participated in Abuses of Power.
https://medium.com/s/powertrip/i-was-a-c...057c18f9ee

I am frequently asked why I became a cop, but I never seem to have a satisfactory answer. I was an only child in a single-parent home and was relatively quiet and introverted growing up. I wasn’t following in anyone’s footsteps — there were no other cops in my family. I wasn’t the best student in high school, and even if I had been, I didn’t have the money for college. Being a police officer seemed like a job that paid relatively well, and most departments didn’t require anything more than a GED. After learning that Baltimore was hiring officers and that their process moved fast, I applied in mid-March of 1999 and was hired on June 21, 1999. I resigned in July 2017, a little more than a year after being diagnosed with PTSD and spending 10 days in a mental health facility, the cumulative result of 18 years of experiences.

I became an internal affairs detective in 2013 and became privy to other, more nefarious ways cops used and abused their power. It was a common problem for cops to stalk former romantic partners. This was usually male officers keeping track of ex-wives and girlfriends. They used criminal databases to look up tags of cars parked in front of their former lover’s homes or ran a de facto background check on their new partners. One well-documented case is Lieutenant Brian Rice, the supervisor who initiated the foot chase of Freddie Gray that led to Gray’s arrest and, ultimately, his death. Prior to his involvement in the Gray case, Lieutenant Rice had been stalking and threatening his ex-girlfriend for well over a year. The police were called multiple times for his threats of violence — none of which resulted in his arrest.

After Freddie Gray’s death, the Department of Justice investigated the Baltimore Police Department and released a scathing report detailing the rampant abuses of power and constitutional violations by its officers, including the use of excessive force, illegal stops and searches, and the targeting of African Americans for enforcement. That report and subsequent consent decree didn’t deter an entire unit of cops from curtailing their own criminal behavior.
The Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF), a group of elite cops tasked with targeting violent offenders and getting guns off the streets of Baltimore, used their power to rob and steal, not just from citizens but also from the police department itself in the form of thousands of dollars in fraudulent overtime. They also resold guns and drugs back onto the streets. In March 2017, seven members of the unit were arrested on federal charges of robbery, theft, and selling drugs. All are now serving federal prison sentences. During the trials of two GTTF detectives, Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor, there was testimony that the members of the unit didn’t fear internal affairs and that a deputy commissioner coached them through a fatal shooting to avoid punishment.

Read full article here:
https://medium.com/s/powertrip/i-was-a-c...057c18f9ee

[Arden Portis]

Horrifying Video Showed Police Officers Torturing Teen in a Restraint Chair With a Taser Repeatedly Over and Over Again
https://www.21cir.com/2018/06/horrifying...h-a-taser/

Two police officers who were seen on video strapping an 18-year-old down to a restraint chair and then torturing him with a taser have been arrested and are facing decades behind bars.

Ashland City, TN — Two police officers who strapped an 18-year-old in a restraint chair and tortured him with a taser were arrested and charged with multiple crimes this week. The horrifying video was so damning that the normal process of sweeping it under the rug was not an option.

Former Corporal Mark Bryant was charged with two counts of Excessive Force Under the Color of Law, and two counts of Destruction, Alteration or Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations. Sergeant Gary Ola was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal investigators for lying to them in August of 2017 and again in May of 2018.

As News Channel 5 reports, if convicted, Bryant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the color of law charges and 20 years in prison for the obstruction charges, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Ola faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Both officers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and they were both released without having to pay any bail—a privilege that would most certainly not be granted to non-law enforcement officers.

As TFTP reported, the nightmare for the victim, 18-year-old Jordan Norris began in November 2016, when a SWAT team raided his home because he was allegedly selling drugs. Selling willing people a substance they want to voluntarily ingest in no way justified the treatment Norris would receive.

After Norris was arrested, he had somewhat of a mental breakdown and began banging his head against the cell door. So, police dragged him out of his cell and strapped him in a restraint chair.

In the extremely disturbing video, Cheatham County Sheriff’s Deputies are seen holding Norris down with a gag while Bryant sadistically and repeatedly deploys the taser—at one point shocking Norris of nearly half a minute. Naturally, Norris squirmed as 50,000 volts ran through his body. His movement seemed to provoke the deputies who responded with more taser strikes.

“Are you ready?” Bryant asked Norris, who appeared to ready himself for the surge of electricity.

“Would you like to comply?” Bryant asked. Norris’s response was inaudible.

“No you won’t,” Bryant said as sadistically tortured the teen.

“Stop resisting!” one of the deputies yelled at Norris, who was strapped into restraints.

“You don’t like it, do you?” a deputy asked.

At one part in the video, you can hear Bryant tell Norris, “I’ll keep doing that until I run out of batteries.”

Norris said he remembered deputies asking him, “Do you want me to do it again? We got a whole bunch of batteries we can drain into you pretty much. We will do it over and over until we have no more.”

Read full article here: https://www.21cir.com/2018/06/horrifying...h-a-taser/

[Mediocharist]

21cir has a few interesting other aspects to it.

Sections like "The 9/11 Questions" where the writers push conspiracies about the 9/11 attacks, "The Hidden Fukashima Disaster" ... which weirdly hosts at least one article which is out-and-out Pro-Russian separatism in Ukraine, and elsewhere hosts at least two articles which claim that vaccines cause autism, ADHD, and cancer, and a third blaming crop dusting.

I even found an article about how the prospective 5G network is a existential threat to the Earth's ecosystem.

[Arden Portis]

The Jordan Norris case has been reported on in various news outlets, both national and international.

The video does not lie. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post...wyers-say/
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newsch...to-lawsuit
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati...story.html
https://www.abc15.com/news/national/rest...to-lawsuit

It, along with several other similar cases, has also garnered the attention of the United Nations.

Exclusive: U.N. watchdogs call for probe of Taser assaults in U.S. jails
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t...SKBN1E12GR

[SYZ]

Two police officers who were seen on video strapping an 18-year-old down to a restraint chair and then torturing him with a taser have been arrested and are facing decades behind bars...

This video raises the obvious question;  knowing that they're being filmed on the station's CCTV, why then
do these cops, and others, still commit blatantly illegal acts against detainees?  Surely they must know of
the likely legal repercussions and probable convictions against them.  Or are they simply just too stupid to
understand, or care, about this?

[Dr H]

But there are loads and loads of cops that are poorly qualified, poorly trained, psychologically jumpy, not very bright, or just plain sloppy in the performance of their duty. 

Is this based on any hard data?

"The Treatment Advocacy Center in 2014 published an analysis [/color]of police shooting data and other information from a much larger sampling - nearly 40 years (1980-2008) - and concluded that “at least half of the people shot and killed by police each year in this country have mental health problems.” 

"Police fatally shot almost 2,000 people in the U.S. from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2016. Much of the news coverage about fatal police encounters has focused on the race of the individuals killed by police, overlooking the fact that a quarter of those killed exhibited signs of mental illness."  

"A new alliance of mental health advocacy groups wants a seat at the table in the court's review of the city of Portland's four-year old settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from police use of excessive force against people with mental illness."

"Many police chiefs say the low-wages and part-time positions are consequences of inadequate funding. That means departments can't pay for ongoing training, can't afford to fire problem officers and don't have the capacity to investigate police shootings.
Experts say it's created a system where there's often no accountability for bad actions, and no real effort to learn from policing mistakes."

"Of the 40,000 or so serving police officers in the state [Georgia], about 10,000 have received some kind of mental health and de-escalation training over the past decade, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The gold standard is a 40-hour course run in conjunction with the National Alliance for Mental Illness, but the majority of those 10,000 officers - the vast majority of police officers across the country - will have received significantly less than that."

"US police act against federal guidelines with shootings into moving vehicles."

The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that police departments can set an upper limit to the IQ of candidates they're willing to accept as potential officers, is by this time well known.  As of 2013, only 25% of police worked for a department that required a two-year degree for an entry-level position.; only 1% of police departments required a four-year degree.

et multis aliis.

[Dr H]

For the most part, the bad cops are a small minority.

Just on personal experience, I'd disagree with that.  I'd put it at about 50/50.

"Personal" experiences aren't evidence for the 50/50 you're claiming.  Unless you can back it up
statistically, you're merely guessing—and probably inaccurately.

Well gee, you know, I didn't see Tomilay produce any journal citations for his statement, "for the most part, the bad cops are a small minority," which is what my comment was in response to.   Seemed like if it was OK for him to pull that proportion out of his nether region, it was probably OK for me to do the same.

But there are loads and loads of cops that are poorly qualified, poorly trained, psychologically jumpy, not very bright, or just plain sloppy in the performance of their duty. 

And again... we need a citation(s) to support this assertion of yours.

Done:  see earlier post, today.

You obviously have a hatred of police for some unknown reason.

What is obvious is that you want to jump to an unfounded conclusion in this case, for some reason.

Wild claims do not a good argument make.

I will counter statements as I find them, with what level of evidence seems appropriate to the particular case.  
Since Tomilay offered an idle speculation, my observations based on experience seemed a sufficient reply to that statement.

If you'd care to produce some control group studies which appear to indicate that cops who are ill trained, psychologically jumpy, careless, or corrupt are indeed "a small minority" -- in the US, let's say -- then I will either do my best to counter that claim with citations of comparable scholarship, or I will concede your point.

Go for it.

[Dr H]

I was utterly amazed to learn that some police departments will accept a G.E.D. in lieu of a high school diploma.

You mean the thing that is commonly considered equivalent to a diploma? 
You know who else accepts it? 96% of US employers, and 95% of Colleges and Universities as of 2011.

Sure.  Most of whom don't subsequently issue a firearm you're expected to carry daily, on the job.

[Dr H]

I do have to agree with WD though. A GED is just as good as a HS diploma and actually stands for General Education Diploma. I don't see what the problem is, really.

<shrug> A GED means one is capable of equivalent academic performance to someone who attended four years of high school.  It doesn't certify that one has achieved the same level of social and emotional maturity as someone who's spent four years learning to interact in a civilized way with a diverse group of peers in a structured environment.

Schlepping tables in a bar or working a drive-through and then getting a GED isn't exactly the same educational experience as playing on a sports team and being in the chess club while you learned your three-R's.

That aside, I think the problem is that the requirements should be a little higher than a mere high-school education, before someone is entrusted with -- literally -- the lives of the public.

[Joods]

I do have to agree with WD though. A GED is just as good as a HS diploma and actually stands for General Education Diploma. I don't see what the problem is, really.

<shrug> A GED means one is capable of equivalent academic performance to someone who attended four years of high school.  It doesn't certify that one has achieved the same level of social and emotional maturity as someone who's spent four years learning to interact in a civilized way with a diverse group of peers in a structured environment.

Schlepping tables in a bar or working a drive-through and then getting a GED isn't exactly the same educational experience as playing on a sports team and being in the chess club while you learned your three-R's.

That aside, I think the problem is that the requirements should be a little higher than a mere high-school education, before someone is entrusted with -- literally -- the lives of the public.

Sports and clubs aren't a requirement to get one through high school. I was a wall flower all four years with the exception that I played a minor part in a play in my 9th grade year. I joined no clubs and I participated in no sports. I blended in with the walls as far as socialization goes. A GED focuses solely on academic performances, as you are correct to point out, then again, so does a high school diploma. I earned my high school diploma without ever having to climb any social ladder - sports or otherwise. 

And yes - I think there should be a higher standard for police officers than just a GED or a HS diploma. However, my comment was not about that. My comment was because the misnomer was about a GED not being as good as a HS diploma, which just wasn't a truthful statement.