Police officers explain how they’re encouraged to act in racist ways.

[elleng]

“When you put any type of numbers on a police officer to perform, we are going to go to the most vulnerable.”

'Some people are still skeptical that police really do have a race problem, despite all the data showing that black people are disproportionately likely to be shot and killed by police.

These skeptics might want to know that even some police officers are admitting they have a problem. In a recent investigation, several New York City police officers clearly described the issue to WNBC in New York: . . .

As the officers describe it, the big problem is they are constantly encouraged to arrest and ticket as many people as possible to look like they’re doing their jobs. As a result, they target the most vulnerable communities.

“When you put any type of numbers on a police officer to perform, we are going to go to the most vulnerable,” Adhyl Polanco, a New York City police officer, said. “We’re going to [the] LGBT community, we’re going to the black community, we’re going to go to those people that have no boat, that have no power.”'>>>

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/8/12128858/police-racism-officers-admit

[seabeyond]

1. This is the vicious. They are also more liking to get more tickets like, suspended license (can't

afford), broken light (can't afford", No registration tag (can't afford), warrants for past traffic violations.

The more and more they get behind, never the chance to catch up, and needing to work, but restricted without ... whatever.

Ya.

Another duh.

It is good to hear, people talk about it. Cops be a tad honest, just a little. We all know.

Good article. Gonna go in to read.

[Igel]

17. You can't afford, you can't afford.

For a few years I couldn't afford insurance. Had a car. Registration wasn't so much, could have afforded that. Gas, okay, if I didn't drive much. Kept my license, sold the car.

Got a bicycle for the cost of registration. Got panniers. Grocery store was within walking distance. Job, within biking distance. School, within biking distance.

"Biking distance" was up to 5 miles.

If it rained, I either took the bus, walked, or biked wet. (By the end of some months the bus wasn't in my budget.)

If I couldn't afford insurance, I certainly couldn't afford the consequences of breaking the law *and* making a liar out of myself by driving without insurance.

I would point out that when I went to get insured a few years later it was a lot more expensive. Being uninsured, the assumption was I continued to drive and who knows what my actual driving record was like. No record for those years, high insurance rates.

[underpants]

2. Interesting

[X_Digger]

3. If you want a real shocker, check out the Village Voice's coverage of the schoolcraft tapes.

Some of the shit that was said and recorded in front of all the officers.. should be grounds for disbanding the whole goddamned precinct. Nevermind the hell that they made of Adrian Schoolcraft's life.

[Nevernose]

10. That was the stuff of nightmares

Spoiler for those who haven't read it yet:






His superiors had him committed to a mental institution against his will for being a whistleblower.

[villager]

4. They all have quotas. And their main function is "revenue enhancement" for cities, courts,

and of course, police departments, so that it is all self-sustaining.

There is obviously the occasional public safety aspect, but that is scarcely the main purpose of "policing" anymore.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. This is how you tax the poor since you can't tax the rich

The money has to come from somewhere, and the rich want their protection from the riff-raff.

[puffy socks]

6. I call bullshit.

This "... even some police officers are admitting they have a problem."

is not admitting they have a problem. Its blaming someone else . No one is forcing them to break the law and kill people or make false arrests. This is not about numbers, or saving their jobs at other people's expense. Let the Chief whine. This is just another method of police attempting to make themselves the "victims", as usual.

Its not their fault they have no morals and regularly falsely arrest, illegally search and regularly beat and kill people. Its because of quotas.
That is a pathetic excuse.

[Rex]

7. So then their leadership is fucked up and need to be replaced.

Cops should not have to depend on quotas. So the fuck what if they just sit around all day one day, the next day the could be in the middle of a gun battle!

I swear, this mass consumerism country is going to fuck it all up by expecting people to work all the fucking time even if there is nothing to do!

So...cops are forced to make quotas or what? Get passed over for promotion? Lose their jobs?

Fucked up.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. +1

[Mass]

8. This does not explain the shootings.

But a culture that continue to describe African-American men as violent and lacking self-control all over the media (TV, movies, ...) may have a lot to do with that.

[lapfog_1]

9. I can personally attest to this phenomenon

I worked for 10 years at a combination US Federal site (NASA) and military base (Navy base).

First, a word about working at a Federal Property... as soon as you enter the base you lose most rights as citizens (especially the right to privacy)...

For the first few years that I worked there, base security (gate, patrols, etc) was provided by a contingent of Marines. They were, two a person, polite, well trained, and efficient. But they never "pulled crap" on people... for example base speed limit was 25mph, but almost everyone would drive 35 to 40 on the longer stretches of rural roadway. If a Marine patrol observed you speeding, they would gesture at you to slow down or occasionally pull you over and tell you to slow down. No tickets... and you never disagreed with an MP...

Fast forward a few years and the Navy reduced their presence. NASA contracted out base security to a private police force. in those years I was pulled over for just about anything... car searched for drugs as a matter of routine (they would stage these events where they would close the main base road and direct all cars to be searched by dogs and people looking for drugs). I got one ticket for running a stop sign. Had to go to a FEDERAL court for the traffic offense... fortunately the judge was not happy about all these NASA civilian employees getting minor traffic fines and tying up her court room (along with the major drug dealers I was in the docket with). My traffic fine was dismissed.

I found out shortly that the private firm was being judged on how many crimes they charged people with... with a bonus for X percentage of crimes over some set monthly amount. When the details of the contract became public... the employees showed up to an "all hands" base meeting in the thousands and complained to Base Security management. They changed contractors and dropped the "incentive claus" in the new contract.

[elleng]

11. Very glad to hear y'all complained and it WORKED;

was getting ANGRY, reading your story.

[lapfog_1]

13. yeah, there were maybe 5000 employees

and we had at least 3000 show up to the all hands.

At my "traffic court" (no possibility to just pay a fine, I had to go to court), there were at least 20 other people from NASA with similar traffic fines.

The Federal judge was NOT amused. After she dismissed my ticket she called the NASA lawyer over and chewed him out good. So it might not have even been the all hands meeting, I think the NASA lawyers were already putting pressure to have the idiot contractors cut it out.

[elleng]

16. GOOD!

Sure hope/wish this were standard, do NOT return to the b.s. contracts.

[Nevernose]

12. Just heard the Fraternal Order of Police on NPR

He mentioned that staffing, equipment, all of that stuff -- none of those decisions are made by the cops we meet every day.

He then on to explain that Chicago cops voluntarily put themselves on the list for Taser training. The average wait is eight years. Some people have been waiting nine or ten.

[Calista241]

15. He's talking about quotas there.

Georgia did away with the quota system for traffic violations several years ago, but when it was in effect, we'd basically drive like bats out of hell on the 1st - 25th days of the month. Then the last 5 or 6 days, every single cop would be out driving around writing people ups or petty or whatever bullshit traffic violations so they could justify their jobs.

Some locations have a sex crimes quota, so at the end of the month, cops will be sweeping up prostitutes. Whether they're guilty of anything serious or not.

Personally, i'd rather there weren't quotas.

[Igel]

18. Perhaps.

I'm a teacher.

I'm told to close the achievement gap.

That's not a quote, but I know to do something to increase some numbers. Or decrease others. I'm just not given an actual goal.

Quotas are the same way. They're a numerical goal you have to reach. Increasing (or decreasing) numbers? That's a goal but not a quota.

Yes, distinctions matter because they're meaning.