Quote:
Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
I think police abuse isn't a matter of good cops or bad cops. Even good cops will respond with excess if put in the wrong kind of situation. Enough time in the system convinces you that in at least some of your encounters with the criminal element, the punishment you inflict will be the only punishment they will ever receive. If you are a vessel of justice, you'll get in a couple of extra kicks and blows or the injustice will be too much for you to stand. Once you believe you are working for the good guys, you will soon be crossing those lines with the best of intentions --- it won't even change you into a bad cop, just a zealous one.
Almost all cops will lie on the stand once in their careers in order to win a close suppression motion --- the only difference between good cops and bad cops is how convinced they need to be of the perp's ultimate guilt before they feel okay doing it.
The only way to deal with the problem is to ensure there are efficient and effective means to oversee the institutions with a monopoly on legitimate violence --- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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Either that, or break the monopoly. As we've learned in Iraq, the private sector does a wicked cool job meting out violence, especially when prisoners are involved.
