In the U.S. police budgets are set by elected officials at local and state levels. In 2020 elected officials in New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Minneapolis approved plans to reduce police budgets in response to the nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. After the budget cuts many US cities saw a rise in crime, with murder rates up by double digits in many cities. In the last three months of 2020, homicides rose 32.2% in cities with a population of at least one million, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quarterly…
Read more@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
No
@9GKFN65 1mo1MO
Top Agreement
Giving the police more weapons and tools to enact violence against civilians will just further encourage them to abuse their power. If the government wants to tackle crime, they should make a better social safety net that actually meets the standards of other developed nations and pass policies to decrease poverty. Basically target the root causes of crime, over policing has shown to not to lower crime rates.
@9GKJHQL1mo1MO
I agree that some cops abuse their power but they should have acess to weapons and gear that can save their lives when dealing with criminals who also have weapons trying to kill the police.
@9GKL8JQ1mo1MO
The police defend the people within the U.S and fight the good fight, If they need military-Grade weaponry to protect citizens, have at it, our safety should be held at high standards to ensure our protection.
@9GKPX7G1mo1MO
No they should have access to more weapons due to the higher level crimes being committed if citizens can have access to many weapons then why cant they. They are just as able to have the same guns as citizens if not have higher powerful weapons since the training they go through is more advanced.
@9GKYRRK1mo1MO
What if an attacker is chasing you with a knife. and the police can't help from a distance. Or even so if you are under threat/ held hostage what are they supposed to do; talk calmly and hope and pray they put down the weapon.
@9GTDNXR 3wks3W
One party in a conflict being ready, trained, prepared, armed, and itching for battle is more likely to result in a battle, pretty obviously.
@9FLS3RX 2mos2MO
If you were able to demilitarize the police who would protect you in your community and who’s from stopping from bad people to do whatever they want and whenever they want.
@9FM9PYF2mos2MO
There is no real counter argument to this, take away the power of the enforcers of the law and this country will burn
The police don't need military grade equipment to deal with the vast majority of crimes and having more people with access to military equipment will lead to bigger and worse conflicts breaking out such as if police get stolen from or if police are corrupt.
@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
Yes
@9FF896N2mos2MO
If we give the police military grade equipment then they will cause more harm than they will protection.
I see where you're coming from, but let's flip the pancake here. Imagine you're a cop responding to an active shooter situation. You've got your standard equipment, maybe a pistol and a taser. Meanwhile, the bad guy's got military-grade gear. It's like bringing a slingshot to a bazooka party, not the best odds, huh? Now, I'm not saying we start handing out tanks at the precinct, but some advanced protective gear wouldn't be a bad idea.
What's your take on that scenario? Any alternative solutions to level the playing field without escalating things too much?
@9F9PTM63mos3MO
The people who have made cops look bad in the past have dealt with their consequences and they have been removed but that doesn’t make all cops bad. So we shouldn’t be treating all of the cops bad just because of the few who make them seem like bad.
@9FBV37V3mos3MO
The reason I say no to letting police departments be allowed to use military-grade equipment is that, I disagree with what the police do with the power they hold and how they think of themself with that power in their hands. They use most of their power over people to start and cause a problem for locals and people of other races and don't care for what others think of what they're doing nor do they care how they are seen in others' eyes, the police always think they're doing the right thing in stop "criminals", but what they are really doing is stopping people who look suspect in their eyes and do as they please because they have authority or them.
@9F8HTX53mos3MO
Police need to be equipped and trained with military hardware to be effective and to deter criminals. Crime is not being punished and we have rampant crime across the country. Drugs from cartels, sex trafficking and even motorcycle gangs are better equipped then our law enforcement.
@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
No, extreme situations should be handled by higher agencies with specialized training and equipment
@9FVB44L2mos2MO
The police are a majorly local organization, this means that these different groups are designed to deal with smaller, less severe, local problems. With this in mind, asking the police to deal with these extreme situations on their own would not be reasonable or safe. These officers are then given military grade equipment in order to deal with these problems although they may've (most likely) never had used the equipment bestowed upon them, this leads to many situations not being able to be safely concluded. Higher agencies with more specialized training and equipment to better deal with these severe problems in a way that uses the training that they have received, compared to the police without this particular training.
The police are supposed to deal with local/state issues. If something is so problematic it needs more force, then a higher agency should be equipped.
@9GS56K83wks3W
The police are needed to provide safety for the community and keep crime rates low, so when you ask a 40-year-old police officer, for example, to try and disarm a potential terrorist with a bomb strapped to his chest the odds of that situation ending in a positive result is way less than if you were to send a trained specialist with te right training and equipment for that exact scenario.
@9GJSNGR1mo1MO
The police are locally managed. As such they have little accountability to the wider public since only the people in the immediate vicinity can vote concerning them. Therefore, they should not be given access to federal military equipment. This should be left to people who are regulated by the federal government.
@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
Yes, but with strict training on how and when to use the equipment
@9FLS3RX 2mos2MO
Top Disagreement
The police need more training if they ever come to a situation where they freeze and have no idea what to do and not instantly just reach for their gun but instead to take a minute and really think things through.
@9FM9SW82mos2MO
They need to take some form of u conscious bias training and further their firearm handling training as well as vetting process to be a police officer
@9GXBMVM 2wks2W
Police should not be equipped with military graded weapons, if there is a situation that requires higher grade weapons or equipment then teams with higher training such as SWAT should be brought in.
@9GXDJG9Libertarian2wks2W
There are certain situations where police are oftentimes the first on the scene and waiting for SWAT or other tactical units may waste precious time and lives.
Police should not be equipped with military graded weapons, if there is a situation that requires higher grade weapons or equipment then teams with higher training such as SWAT should be brought in.
@9FZS9XX2mos2MO
Swat is still the police, I don’t think the police or military should exist because they exist to perpetuate institutions of oppressions or imperialism
@9FZS7WWRepublican2mos2MO
Police should be demilitarize because if there is a situation in a town or city where the police can't handle that situation, the military and/or Swapt team should be call in.
@9FZS8LG2mos2MO
Police should be equipped with military-grade weapons in case they are necessary for a dispute, but the person equipped with the weapon must be well-trained and educated on the weapon and its uses.
The police need more training so they are not left to their own devices if they aren't prepared to deal with the people they are trying to control.
@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations
@9G3PBHW 2mos2MO
This is already the case; police are trained to only use military equipment in extreme situations. That doesn't prevent any deaths.
@9G3R7TM2mos2MO
Police shouldn't have access to military equipment at all. And the perspective on what counts as an extreme situation is one sided apparently given how many times it's been used in non extreme situations.
@9G3R4DZ2mos2MO
Police should not use military equipment, who gets to decide what an emergency is, and how can you possibly say this one prevent deaths every single person who has ever died from police intervention could’ve been prevented
@9GG4G4Z1mo1MO
In the case of an extreme event i would rather have trained soldiers or reserve/ guard members who actually go through months of proper training not weeks.
@9GJZFWK1mo1MO
The police need to conduct themselves and behave as peace keepers first. They are not an occupying force, nor are they an offensive force. If a situation is grave enough to require that level of interaction then we need to rethink who handles what. States have the national guard, let us rethink how they are used or determine some other more logical course of action. Police already wear too many hats and missions get jumbled as a result. Let's demilitarize the community police and work on solutions that make sense.
@9GRFKWX3wks3W
I think the police should not have access to any military weapons unless it is a VERY extreme situation
@ISIDEWITH3yrs3Y
No, and abolish the police
@9F72YSY 3mos3MO
Top Disagreement
Without Police, we won't have any protections. All of the stuff you are scared of, drug dealer, murderers, rapist are all handled by the Police and abolishing them would be abolishing all of those protections.
@J0intResolutionRuffsGreen3mos3MO
While it's true that police play a crucial role in maintaining law and order, the call to abolish police often refers to drastically reimagining our current policing system, not eliminating law enforcement altogether. For example, in some communities, there's been a shift towards community-led safety initiatives, which focus on preventative measures rather than punitive ones. These initiatives often involve social workers, mental health professionals, and community activists. This isn't to say such a drastic change would be easy or without challenges, but it does provide a different perspective on public safety. What are your thoughts on this approach?
@9F8ZC2J3mos3MO
Whose the first person you call when someone breaks into your house? Who would be the first people to show up with guns drawn ready to protect you and your family?
@9F9PTM63mos3MO
The police should not be abolished because they are doing their jobs. What we can do instead is fund the police academy so they can receive proper training.
@9F8TGY53mos3MO
The police try their best to protect the country from criminals, and if you have trouble with the police make a complaint.
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment
@8Q4XF4KRepublican3yrs3Y
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment.
@8S6LP623yrs3Y
Yes, but only in extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment.
@92YHQCV2yrs2Y
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations, and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment
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