Heh, it may seem like the risks of being shot as a cop are high. And I guess it is, compared to something like being an office worker.
But cops shoot way more citizens than shoot them, and they kill way more as well. It could be argued that those are defensive shootings, but, well, we know they aren’t all justified at all. And enough of those police killing citizens are against entirely unarmed people that it’s absurd. That’s also ignoring the dogs they kill, when they kill each other, and that even the defensive shootings are often escalated by the police rather than them dealing with someone out to kill them.
But, for real, it used to be a job you could be proud of, if you ignored al the systemic problems. There’s still people that go into it wanting to make a difference, to help people and serve their community. You’ll not get rich as an honest cop, but it’s an okay living compared to jobs requiring similar levels of training and education. There’s health coverage, paid time off, a union that backs officers well. If you only see the surface, it’s a great job.
It’s under the surface that gets you, and since most cops start their career fairly young, they don’t know that going in. Those get weeded out fast though. Sometimes when other cops turn on them for not wanting to be dirty. Sometimes lethally
Because they are not trained to properly deescalate. Or how to deal with intense, potentially threatening situations. They simply fall back to “gun” if they lack the power to deal with a situation otherwise.
In my country, a police officer drawing a weapon can expect to write a stack of reports on why he or she did that. And they better have a very good reason.
Heh, it may seem like the risks of being shot as a cop are high. And I guess it is, compared to something like being an office worker.
But cops shoot way more citizens than shoot them, and they kill way more as well. It could be argued that those are defensive shootings, but, well, we know they aren’t all justified at all. And enough of those police killing citizens are against entirely unarmed people that it’s absurd. That’s also ignoring the dogs they kill, when they kill each other, and that even the defensive shootings are often escalated by the police rather than them dealing with someone out to kill them.
But, for real, it used to be a job you could be proud of, if you ignored al the systemic problems. There’s still people that go into it wanting to make a difference, to help people and serve their community. You’ll not get rich as an honest cop, but it’s an okay living compared to jobs requiring similar levels of training and education. There’s health coverage, paid time off, a union that backs officers well. If you only see the surface, it’s a great job.
It’s under the surface that gets you, and since most cops start their career fairly young, they don’t know that going in. Those get weeded out fast though. Sometimes when other cops turn on them for not wanting to be dirty. Sometimes lethally
Because they are not trained to properly deescalate. Or how to deal with intense, potentially threatening situations. They simply fall back to “gun” if they lack the power to deal with a situation otherwise.
In my country, a police officer drawing a weapon can expect to write a stack of reports on why he or she did that. And they better have a very good reason.