Hi guys!
So, as many of you know, I was training to be a police officer, and life somewhat got in the way. Since then, in my own neck of the woods, officers have been in a debacle in Mesa after videos were released of them brutalizing an unarmed suspect.
I have friends that work for Mesa police, and they would never act like this.
Why then, are there so many instances of police brutality?
Well to put it bluntly: Meatheads.
The police testing system is designed for men to pass, and not just men, but really strong, fit men.
But Beth, there is a written test as well. Surely this is something put in place to prevent just strong, unintelligent people from becoming police.
Well yes and no. When I took my police test, I rushed through it and got an 85%. A lot of the questions are based on memory recall, which I admittedly suck at. But guess what? Exceptions are made if you have even a basic learning disability, or at least say you do. They will give you a 15% credit on your test if you tell them you are dyslexic or have trouble reading, etc. You don't even have to prove it, you just have to tell them.
You only need a 70% to pass. So someone who scored a 55% on a fairly simple exam could still get in to the police, especially if their physical skills are exemplary.
Ya know what they don't make exceptions on?
Physical testing.
So if you are a tiny female and struggle with getting over a 6 foot wall, fuck you.
If you can't bench press half your weight, or do 33 situps in a minute, fuck you.
If you are intelligent, level-headed, don't want to just beat the shit out of people, but struggle a bit in the area of fitness, fuck you.
And these agencies consistently are perplexed at how much brutality there is.
Who exactly do they think they are going to come out for these jobs? Certainly not the people they decry they need most.
I personally think the police could do well with more women.
See, the issue is that so few women qualify, that the ones who do are immediately swooped up off the beat in order to fill other positions. (Either lush desk jobs as administration for "equality visibility" or special unit jobs that require women.)
Either way, few women remain on the beat, and that's where the first line is. That is who you see in these videos. That is who goes out on a call in the instance of domestic violence, robberies, assault and reports of erratic behavior.
In the event that state-militarism could be abolished altogether, that would be awesome.
Since that is seemingly a lifetime away, I am a fan of practical solutions, and I think if the police force can lower the bar on intelligence, they could stand to not be such strict enforcers of having to clear slippery 6 foot walls.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Stay Steemy My Friends!
