this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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THE POLICE PROBLEM

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    The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.

    99.9999% of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct is never investigated, never punished, never makes the news, so it's not on this page.

    When cops are caught breaking the law, they're investigated by other cops. Details are kept quiet, the officers' names are withheld from public knowledge, and what info is eventually released is only what police choose to release — often nothing at all.

    When police are fired — which is all too rare — they leave with 'law enforcement experience' and can easily find work in another police department nearby. It's called "Wandering Cops."

    When police testify under oath, they lie so frequently that cops themselves have a joking term for it: "testilying." Yet it's almost unheard of for police to be punished or prosecuted for perjury.

    Cops can and do get away with lawlessness, because cops protect other cops. If they don't, they aren't cops for long.

    The legal doctrine of "qualified immunity" renders police officers invulnerable to lawsuits for almost anything they do. In practice, getting past 'qualified immunity' is so unlikely, it makes headlines when it happens.

    All this is a path to a police state.

    In a free society, police must always be under serious and skeptical public oversight, with non-cops and non-cronies in charge, issuing genuine punishment when warranted.

    Police who break the law must be prosecuted like anyone else, promptly fired if guilty, and barred from ever working in law-enforcement again.

    That's the solution.

♦ ♦ ♦

Our definition of ‘cops’ is broad, and includes prison guards, probation officers, shitty DAs and judges, etc — anyone who has the authority to fuck over people’s lives, with minimal or no oversight.

♦ ♦ ♦

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♦ ♦ ♦

ALLIES

!abolition@slrpnk.net

!acab@lemmygrad.ml

r/ACAB

r/BadCopNoDonut/

Randy Balko

The Civil Rights Lawyer

The Honest Courtesan

Identity Project

MirandaWarning.org

♦ ♦ ♦

INFO

A demonstrator's guide to understanding riot munitions

Adultification

Cops aren't supposed to be smart

Don't talk to the police.

Killings by law enforcement in Canada

Killings by law enforcement in the United Kingdom

Killings by law enforcement in the United States

Know your rights: Filming the police

Three words. 70 cases. The tragic history of 'I can’t breathe' (as of 2020)

Police aren't primarily about helping you or solving crimes.

Police lie under oath, a lot

Police spin: An object lesson in Copspeak

Police unions and arbitrators keep abusive cops on the street

Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States

So you wanna be a cop?

When the police knock on your door

♦ ♦ ♦

ORGANIZATIONS

Black Lives Matter

Campaign Zero

Innocence Project

The Marshall Project

Movement Law Lab

NAACP

National Police Accountability Project

Say Their Names

Vera: Ending Mass Incarceration

 

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[–] postcapitalism 11 points 2 hours ago

The real answer is anytime you see ICE acting extra-judicially call the police to report masked armed men trespassing and assaulting people.

Be vague. You don’t know who they are, they look suspicious, they look like they are about to commit a crime, this could be an active shooter/crime in progress , pointed a gun at you…. You know facts.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 34 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

God damn, people. Didn't masked ICE agents snatch the New York City Comptroller and the migrant who had showed up for a hearing from the center of a heavily policed immigration court? Did anyone on the NYPD try and stop them?

You can see a local police officer in the fucking headline image. He's holding back the press and letting masked ICE agents do as thou wilt. If the local PD won't stick their necks out for a municipal senior official, what are the odds they're going to do it for you?

This, after a sitting US Senator was arrested during a press conference? Who are you fooling?

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Still recommending it because if the pigs show up and kill the pigs everyone wins.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 10 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (3 children)

That's not how it works. If local cops show up, they only assist ICE. The NYPD in this photo were Brad Lander's (Elected official being kidnapped) entourage. When ICE turned on him, they held the press back from ICE and then the senior member of their group cooperated with ICE and left the building alongside them and Lander. No asking for ID, no asking for a warrant from them, zero resistance, only assistance.

If the Dems want to actually exercise their right to resist a kidnapping they should be showing up with private security, or exercising their own 2A rights (Something that pretty much only politicians and friends of cops can do in NYC because NYPD gets constitutionally-questionable veto power on gun permits). But I'm guessing that is exactly what the Trump regime is waiting for. They will send in the national guard once that happens.

[–] ViceroTempus@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

Didn't they already send in the national guard and marines into L.A.? I don't think he feels the need to wait for us to actually start shooting these thugs.

[–] WarmSoda@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

Great point

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Good comment . I was being too flippant.

[–] PlagueShip@lemmy.world 5 points 4 hours ago

And if they won't show proof of being police, bite the face. It really makes them think twice.

[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 20 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Normally I'm not the guy to say it, but if you don't own a gun, you may want to change that.

[–] dQw4w9WgXcQ@lemm.ee 11 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

...if you live in the US. If you live elsewhere, please don't own a gun. We really don't want to get that snowball rolling.

[–] buttnugget@lemmy.world 4 points 3 hours ago

Do you think people outside of the US should worry about ICE kidnapping them off the street?

[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Good luck with that argument.

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Good luck getting a gun in most places

[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

I'm an American I don't need to explain it any more than that

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 67 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

Dial 911 first, and say there's a masked person with a gun. No need to qualify that shit.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 26 points 12 hours ago

My thoughts exactly. You think gestapo is gonna wait patiently while you call 911?

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[–] okamiueru@lemmy.world 28 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (20 children)

If one of the possible answers to your question is "yes, I am indeed armed, and committing a felony by impersonating a law enforcement officer", you should reconsider your most recent life choices. In particular, asking them that question.

Observe from a safe distance, and call 911. What on earth do you hope to gain by going up to them for a chat?

excuuuuuuuse me. Are you actually taking people hostages? Or is this some kind of publicity stunt? Hellooo?! Are you really shooting at me? That's just, like, so rude.

so rude

Well, it is.

[–] Zenith@lemm.ee 1 points 6 hours ago

I assumed this is what you might consider once confronted not like put “ICE confrontation time” on your calendar

[–] musubibreakfast@lemm.ee 8 points 10 hours ago

These sort of tactics might work if you're with a large group in a public space, if you're one person then it might not be the best idea. Honestly a lot of this stuff is highly context dependent.

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[–] onesixone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

How does this post even make sense in this community? literally written in the sidebar:

The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 14 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

This is a SLIGHTLY different case than what the sidebar mentions.

Yes, asking asking the police to investigate themselves is a non-starter.

This post is advocating turning the state/local police against ICE, a federal agency.

I agree, it's unlikely to make a difference. But if you call 9-1-1 and report "Masked men in an unmarked car just kidnapped someone", it's way different from asking internal affairs to investigate another cop.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 11 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

This post is advocating turning the state/local police against ICE, a federal agency.

More than 600 local police agencies are partnering with ICE: See if yours is one of them

[–] MisterOwl@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

I love living in Illinois.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

So, just generating reports?

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Establishing a paper trail for subsequent investigations, yes.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Justice department, congress? Whoever has the power to investigate ICE.

[–] ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

When an employee is investigated by hr that’s the company investigating itself and people get fired that way.

[–] Zenith@lemm.ee 1 points 6 hours ago

The point is calling their bluff

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 21 points 12 hours ago (4 children)

It would be incredible if we could get through a lawsuit to news stations anytime they make bad assumptions in articles. They continually write "Federal agents detained ..." when they should be writing "A team of unidentified individuals in masks and armor detained ..."

Just as they are always meant to write "The suspect" not "The criminal". Nothing must be assumed in reporting (exceptions allowed if they've contacted ICE headquarters and received a confirmation of them)

[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 7 points 11 hours ago

The media is the 4th branch, they won’t report on these things until they have to. And even then, they’ll find a way to delegitimize.

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[–] UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

You ever notice how they stand with their hands covering their badges and name plates?

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[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 18 points 13 hours ago

Like they,are going to give you the time to do this shit.

[–] Ileftreddit@lemmy.world 7 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

If you think a masked unidentified person will answer your question…..

[–] Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Thats when you remind them that this is America (Pew Pew)

Especially if you live in a castle law state.

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