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Thoughts on police brutality...and a poll! Yay we all love polls!!!

What percentage of police engage in abusive behavior, up to and including murder?

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    12
LogGrad98

LogGrad98

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So with all the threads about how terrible policemen are I was wondering about what percentage of policemen engage in this kind of behavior. Since it is difficult to find any statistics since we can all acknowledge some of this type of behavior probably happens without the cops being discovered, I thought it would be interesting to gauge peoples opinions about the matter, hence the poll. So what do you think? How much does bad behavior by cops actually occur, nationwide? Or, rather, what percentage of cops actually engage in said behavior, for polling purposes?

Oh and I have made this a public poll.

Discuss.


Note: I wanted to do 10% increments, and I wanted a 0% and 100% option, but a poll can only have 10 options, so I grouped the bottom 20% and top 20% together.
 
I have no idea how to answer this poll. Is a SWAT raid based solely on one informant tip abuse (then we are definitely over 80%)? Is the only sort of abuse that counts unnecessary physical violence (we are almost certainly under 20%)?

I think the thoughts behind the poll are mistaken. The real issue is not bad police officers as much as some misguided police culture and training.
 
One Brow said:
I have no idea how to answer this poll. Is a SWAT raid based solely on one informant tip abuse (then we are definitely over 80%)? Is the only sort of abuse that counts unnecessary physical violence (we are almost certainly under 20%)?

I think the thoughts behind the poll are mistaken. The real issue is not bad police officers as much as some misguided police culture and training.
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It is simply to gauge how often you think this type of behavior occurs nationally among our police forces, regardless of why or analysis. It might be due to ineffective policy, poor training, bad cops, whatever. Just how often do you think it occurs or how many cops do you think engage in abusive behavior. Let's just say behavior that would be considered potentially against the law. We can then discuss the analysis in the thread.
 
Police that engage in police brutality - less than 20%.

Police that either tolerate it or look the other way when other cops brutalize people - 100%
 
LogGrad98 said:
It is simply to gauge how often you think this type of behavior occurs nationally among our police forces, regardless of why or analysis. It might be due to ineffective policy, poor training, bad cops, whatever. Just how often do you think it occurs or how many cops do you think engage in abusive behavior. Let's just say behavior that would be considered potentially against the law. We can then discuss the analysis in the thread.
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Just for clarity - if cop A asks a woman to sniff her feet to let her off a speeding ticket and cop B shoots and kills an unarmed innocent civilian would they both qualify in the abusive cop category? Or just Cop B? I voted for between 30-40% assuming they both fall under that umbrella. Probably higher if you consider police who flash their lights/sirens to get through traffic jammed intersections as 'abusing their power'.
 
HighlandHomie said:
Just for clarity - if cop A asks a woman to sniff her feet to let her off a speeding ticket and cop B shoots and kills an unarmed innocent civilian would they both qualify in the abusive cop category? Or just Cop B? I voted for between 30-40% assuming they both fall under that umbrella. Probably higher if you consider police who flash their lights/sirens to get through traffic jammed intersections as 'abusing their power'.
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Yeah I was going for anything that might be against the law or an abuse of power, or abusing people. Basically anything that, when brought to light, could result in the cop being terminated and/or prosecuted for the act.

I would imagine that if a cop were caught flashing his lights to get through an intersection or to speed to get home at the end of the day, or whatnot, then they may be reprimanded max, but it would likely not be a terminating offense unless it constituted a pattern of such behavior. So I was thinking more along the lines of the more egregious acts.
 
"Abusive behavior" can be a broad term open to interpretation so as such I responded accordingly. I say 30%

Personally I think the % of police that need to be replaced for their behavior/sent to jail is much smaller.
 
LogGrad98 said:
It is simply to gauge how often you think this type of behavior occurs nationally among our police forces, regardless of why or analysis. It might be due to ineffective policy, poor training, bad cops, whatever. Just how often do you think it occurs or how many cops do you think engage in abusive behavior. Let's just say behavior that would be considered potentially against the law. We can then discuss the analysis in the thread.
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If the standard is abuse that is potentially against the law, definitely under 20%, and I would have voted under 10%.
 
I've watched enough "Cops" and "Southland" to know that these guys do what they have to do in some pretty tricky situations.


We have the benefit of sitting on the couch and nitpick, these guys are risking their lives every time they put on that uniform.
 
ONE LOVE said:
I've watched enough "Cops" and "Southland" to know that these guys do what they have to do in some pretty tricky situations.


We have the benefit of sitting on the couch and nitpick, these guys are risking their lives every time they put on that uniform.
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So you are saying you vote >80%?
 
I reversed the question since the criteria were pretty vague. I asked myself what percentage of police were likely innocent of any type of abuse of their power and or free of complicity in regard to abuse by their fellow officers. So, I guessed 70-80% are guilty of some form of abuse.

That said, how many of us are criminals? 90%+? If the criteria is breaking any old law then it might just be all of us.
 
Gameface said:
That said, how many of us are criminals? 90%+? If the criteria is breaking any old law then it might just be all of us.
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Yup. As I've said all along in many different posts on this forum - the crux of the situation is that the majority of human being suck. (No sarcasm)
 
Gameface said:
I reversed the question since the criteria were pretty vague. I asked myself what percentage of police were likely innocent of any type of abuse of their power and or free of complicity in regard to abuse by their fellow officers. So, I guessed 70-80% are guilty of some form of abuse.

That said, how many of us are criminals? 90%+? If the criteria is breaking any old law then it might just be all of us.
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I clarified it a bit with a response to HH that I was thinking along the lines of behavior that would likely get them fired and/or prosecuted. It is doubtful that you will be fired for speeding or something similar, but theft, assault, and the like would probably result in termination and/or prosecution.
 
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