Are the police using too much force? Gee, ya think?

Courtesy of The Washington Post:  

Recent deaths at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo., and on Staten Island, N.Y., have rightly raised questions about illegal force and racial bias in law enforcement. But a more basic question also needs to be weighed: Should police be permitted to initiate force when confronting misdemeanors and other non-serious crimes? The answer should be no. 

The existing rules of engagement for police in the United States invite violence, not just when officers act abusively but also when their conduct falls clearly within the limits of the law. There is no question that police in the United States can lawfully arrest anyone they see jaywalking or selling single cigarettes. And there is equally no question that any American who refuses a police order to come to the station can be forced by violence to comply. 

But should police be permitted to initiate force in such cases?

Well considering that our police now look, act, and equip themselves as if they are on the battlefield I think the fact that they seem to be constantly initiating conflict, and then overreacting with excess force, is really not that hard to understand.

If you dress like a warrior you expect to be in a war. It's just that simple.

You know when I began my martial arts training as a kid, the very first thing that was drilled into my brain was that I was never allowed to use more force than was absolutely necessary. And that I could only use that force in self defense, either in response to aggression directed at myself or at somebody else who could not defend themselves.

Simple right? That should be the mantra of law enforcement as well, don't you think?

I currently work with troubled kids, many of them suffering from some debilitating mental or behavioral problems. It is not at all uncommon for one or more of my charges to act out in a violent manner.

In response to those clients I am ALWAYS expected to attempt deescalation before putting my hands on them. And every time it does get physical I am expected to fill out reams of paperwork to justify my actions.

So trust me when I say it rarely gets physical. And if you do your job right, no matter who you are working with, you should rarely ever have to put your hands on anyone.

And certainly never have to use deadly force. 

I think it is time to return to the not so distant past when a cop was there to protect and serve, not shoot first and ask questions later.