A way to reform all police departments in the U.S.A.-- NATIONAL LAWS THAT REFORM POLICE DEPTS.

[Stuart G]

Maybe the State of California will pass such a law. Perhaps, but to make those laws the same across the entire
country, it would have to be a national law passed by Congress and signed by the President. Perhaps individual
state laws will work on a temporary basis, but in the end, national laws are necessary. Whether that can be done,
is another question, that has to be answered.

...There will be very strong opposition to "National Laws", but that is the only way to assure total compliance everywhere in
the United States. Perhaps, this idea wouldNEVER GET THROUGH CONGRESS but, that is the only way to make sure
that there is total compliance in all 50 states.

...I wish that this could be done right away, but this problem has been around for a very long time. Sadly, the police
have been getting away with this for a very long time. (In some areas reforms have been passed only after horrific
events by the local police.)

[Phoenix61]

1. At the very least a national registry for LEOs who have been

removed/fired etc for cause. It would at least prevent those who are caught from ever working in law enforcement again.

[littlewolf]

3. this is a great idea ...

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. There is one. Departments don't use it.

[Phoenix61]

13. Where did you find that info?

This is all I could find
https://priceschool.usc.edu/news/usc-research-institute-announces-national-registry-to-track-police-misconduct/

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. Yeah, I posted before coffee.

There is a federal requirement to collect misconduct information from states. That requirement has never been met. Some states don't even track it, and all states have different standards for defining "misconduct" and its consequences.

[littlewolf]

2. I think for the US congress to do this

the states would require the govt pay for it.
the states would say you want it .. you fund it.
and then they are no longer state/local police
they are national police... you think its bad now ..
where police are subject to state/local laws
try getting something thru the federal court system.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. The institution of policing is unreformable.

[Stuart G]

6. Very likely what you said is correct.

[brooklynite]

7. What "national laws" are you imagining?

10 Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

[Stuart G]

9. Whatever can get through Congress. No one knows what they would be, or how these laws would

conform to the U.S. Constitution. Somehow, Sometime, there has to be a "National Law" to protect people.

I am not an expert in laws. But, somehow, somewhere, sometime there needs to be a "National Law" to stop this
horrific behavior by local police departments. (If this is possible)

[Hortensis]

15. We need to remember the 10th more.

[2naSalit]

8. Amber Ruffin says...

&t=3s

[crickets]

18. I adore Amber Ruffin. When she talks, it's well worth listening. nt

[MagickMuffin]

10. Sheriffs are who need to be investigated and watched closely

My local news NBC DFW area has done an expose on them. The title is Against All Enemies, it is on Apple TV, Roku, and firetv.

NBC 5 Investigates a group with ties to the Oath Keepers, recruiting and training Texas law enforcement. “Against All Enemies” premieres Jan. 5


This is a very dangerous situation where sheriffs are being trained that they don’t have to follow the Constitution or any law enforcement. They believe they are above the law.


https://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/against-all-enemies-watch-the-trailer/3162387/

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

11. Even if it could pass Congress

It wouldn't likely survive a court challenge. Constitution places police power under the authority of the individual states. The power of the Federal gov in policing is limited. SCOTUS has already ruled against Congress when it has passed laws that encroach on State power when it comes to policing. US v Lopez and the Gun Free School zone act is the one that comes to mind. To simplify the ruling, if there is no link to interstate commerce then it is outside Congress's authority and up to the individual state.

[sarisataka]

12. The only way for that to happen

Would be to have no local/state law enforcement. All police would have to be Federal.

[FakeNoose]

14. I agree that it needs to be done at the federal level

The US Congress should be ready to jump on this. Why wouldn't there be bipartisan support for national police reform laws? After all the Repuke Party is the party for "law and order." Am I right?

The Dems should also go along with any police reform, because aren't we all sick of the negligence and abuse?

[Hortensis]

17. Some on both R and L always passionately want to use federal government

to bulldoze the current rights of the people in the 50 states to choose for themselves. Right now conservative southern-dominated culture is attempting to take control of the federal government to impose itself on all states and stop the gradual evolution of national culture.

Codifying in law what have already mostly become nationally shared values is doable, but ones that haven't yet, not so much. Especially ones that touch on cultural warfare issues. For that reason, imposing such a law at this time would result in disastrous blowback.

Remember how more states were legalizing gay marriage almost every year, then SCOTUS imposed it nationally and what happened then? Too touchy and issue, too soon. Even people who supported gay marriage in states that had legalized it joined the rebellion against federal "tyranny."

GEOGRAPHY -- physical, cultural, religious, political, economic -- will always be an ENORMOUSLY powerful factor affecting the choices individuals and societies make. Almost all nations of any size are divided into regional subunits for various important reasons. By far most people would not want to live in the ones that have ended up with power concentrated in one centralized government, antithetical to the principles of representative government.

We need to have more respect for geography's effects -- and the humility and very basic good sense, to consider what difficulties and dangers would be involved in trying to use the federal government to impose the choices of one regional group on all. The "right thing to do" very often isn't.

[Stuart G]

19. Your GEOGRAPHY argument is bullshit. The only way to correct this problem is a "NATIONAL LAW"

If it were complicated, it would be complicated. This is simple, and if you do not understand that the federal government
needs to take care of this law, well........you don't belong here. This is ...Democratic Underground where we approve
of the R and L using the federal government solve the problem

...It is not bulldozing the problem, It is solving the problem.

This problem has existed for a very long time. Has it been solved by state governments? This problem has
NOT BEEN SOLVED BY STATE GOVERNMENT.

Because police departments do not control their officers, and states do not control their local governments,,,,,
the only solution to this problem is a national law. It is obvious that you have never been abused by a local
police officer. There is so much of this going on, that a national law is totally necessary.

The proof of this is the number of police officers who have been tried for abusing their power.
That is the proof of the problem. Not one or two cases of police abuse, but hundreds in the last ten years.

Your "GEOGRAPHY argument is not at all like the "HUMAN ARGUMENT" that involves police officers killing
people from one end of the country to another. Most people want control over ..."POLICE ABUSE." It is that simple.
But, you do not care about the "Human Argument." Your position is the ..."Geography Argument."

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE....Go take a hike wherever you like!!

[Genki Hikari]

20. I don't think what you propose will pass Constitutional muster

As others have pointed out, police powers are a 10th Amendment issue, meaning not national. You have to tie any reform at the national level to federal law, somehow, to get it to stick.

It doesn't have to be anything complicated, but something as simple as a law that makes it legal to sue police unions for damages if a court finds that any of their union members have violated the FEDERAL civil rights of any citizen.

Just because you're a union doesn't mean that federal laws like civil rights don't apply to you. Because they do.