this post was submitted on 25 Apr 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.

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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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RULES

Real-life decorum is expected. Please don't say things only a child or a jackass would say in person.

If you're here to support the police, you're trolling. Please exercise your right to remain silent.

Saying ~~cops~~ ANYONE should be killed lowers the IQ in any conversation. They're about killing people; we're not.

Please don't dox or post calls for harassment, vigilantism, tar & feather attacks, etc.

Please also abide by the instance rules.

It you've been banned but don't know why, check the moderator's log. If you feel you didn't deserve it, hey, I'm new at this and maybe you're right. Send a cordial PM, for a second chance.

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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

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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

 

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The March 14 directive, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, uses an obscure 18th-century law — the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — to give law enforcement nationwide the power to bypass basic constitutional protections.

According to the memo, agents can break into a home if getting a warrant is “impracticable,” and they don’t need a judge’s approval. Instead, immigration officers can sign their own administrative warrants. The bar for action is low — a “reasonable belief” that someone might be part of a Venezuelan gang is enough.

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[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

Look, I’m going to risk… being misunderstood here… but I’m going to link to this article by way of pointing out how using subject lines that inspire disgust and apathy is how corporate social media works to divide and paralyze people. It’s in this article and it’s something to think about:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/google-x-and-facebook-are-modern-day-tobacco-companies/

[–] Allonzee@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Oops, thought it was a republican breaking into my house. ICE does love wearing those masks because they know what they're doing is wrong, sorry not sorry.

And it was. I don't like guns, but I live in a shithole with fascists 🤷

[–] the_trash_man@lemmy.world 16 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Read as: Enter your home under the false pretense they're looking for migrants, so they can search for any reason to charge you with a crime and toss you in a camp.

[–] fyzzlefry@retrolemmy.com 6 points 2 hours ago

Sounds like a second amendment solution.

[–] Owlboi@lemm.ee 31 points 4 hours ago

Considering ICE likes to abduct people in masks, civilian clothing and without any identification and thus are easily confused with burglars, i'd say shoot on sight for trespassing would be a viable option.

[–] DudeImMacGyver@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

If a bunch of armed guys in masks show up refusing to identify themselves or provide warrants, what do you think most people would assume they are???

In a country with more guns than people, this seems line an insanely stupid tactic that guarantees preventable tragedies.

Warrants get rubber stamped on a regular basis, the argument that it's suddenly too onerous a burden and they're just allowed to ignore our constitutional rights is pretty fucking absurd too.

[–] AlexLost@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago

It's the rubber stamping that is the problem. Sometimes they get a talking to when they get too rambunctious and kill a few innocent bystanders. Now there's no rules to bind them, so have at er!

[–] robocall@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

law enforcement isn't known for it's critical thinking

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 14 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Like fuck they can.

I'm not fucking going to El Salvador.

[–] Redditsux@lemmy.world 7 points 3 hours ago

This is fucked.

[–] illegible@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

And yet people keep telling me Democrats are just as bad.

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 6 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Those GOSH DARN Democrats keep trying to feed and house immigrants with MY TAX DOLLARS.

Instead of putting them in cages and throwing them in prison. (AGAIN WITH TAX DOLLARS.)

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 64 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

So... where is that outrage from preppers and gun enthusaists of the government barging into their homes?

Can you image if Biden, Obama, or even Bush did this?

There would literally be a massive armed mob outside the White House.

Turns out guns are useless in the face of propaganda, I guess.

[–] AlexLost@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago

See they are not coming for their guns, so there does not appear to be a problem. Yet.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

Cuz the Blondie General sez so.

[–] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 42 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Can't wait to see it clash when someone blows away an ICE agent in a castle state

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 7 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Once upon a time, German authorities decided to raid the home, or rather estate, of the local Hell's Angel boss. Police (SEK) came up to the door in civilian clothes and balaclavas, announced themselves as police. Boss inside panics, thinks it's a rival gang trying to take him out, grabs a shotgun, shoots a police through the door. Ultimately gets apprehended.

Police file murder charges. State attorney downgrades that to manslaughter. Judge says "WTF that was self defence if police don't want to get shot through the door they shouldn't be running around ringing doorbells in civilian clothes and balaclavas anybody can shout 'police open up!'". Still got nailed for illegal possession of firearms on top of everything else he was wanted for, of course. Welcome to German law where you can legally stand your ground with a full auto but are not allowed to own one.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 14 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

The person who would that, if they are somehow still alive, will be crucified by the state.

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[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, I literally just remembered my Mexican ex-roomie still gets his mail sent to my house

Well, everyone, the gun kept by the door for this exact reason is looking more and more like Im right to have it... Fuck

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 hours ago

Keep it ready, but make sure it is also safely secured as well.

[–] booly@sh.itjust.works 29 points 10 hours ago

The law nerd in me is intrigued by the idea of a Third Amendment issue arising in the wild.

The citizen in me is horrified that they'd even fucking try.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 11 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

For some reason, I keep thinking that people used to booby trap their doors to discourage these types of activities. I vaguely think this was an IRA thing?

Not sure if it actually happened or it was just something from a movie, but I'm curious what would happen after a few ICE raids were turned into meat sauce by door mounted claymores.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

I have a snake by my door. She's a completely harmless sweetheart, but nothing makes people think twice like answering the door while holding a snake.

[–] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 13 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

The reason it's illegal, is to protect firefighters and paramedics in case they need to enter a home.

[–] Panamalt@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

What if this hypothetical booby-trap happens to be a fire suppression system that dispenses BandAids after ejecting the fascist piglets back out the front door at 300psi?

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

It's illegal. And they wouldn't change their policies.

They don't care about their agents.

[–] F_OFF_Reddit@lemmy.world 16 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah what you need to do is 2nd amendment some of those house invaders under the castle doctrine of your State

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 8 points 9 hours ago

I'm sure they will only apply castle doctrine to non members of the state. So if you shoot an ice officer breaking into your house, without a warrant. They will still be found guilty of murder, if they are somehow taken alive.

[–] Turturtley@aussie.zone 15 points 10 hours ago

Good to know that a Stetson University law degree isn’t worth the paper its printed on.

[–] roserose56@lemmy.ca 5 points 8 hours ago

And what the US citizens will do about this ? Enough is enough when your country gets geopardized and still couple protests won't do it.

[–] iowagneiss@midwest.social 14 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

By the time they enter, if they do, it will no longer be my home. It will belong to my estate. Fuck this admin. I hope we survive it and learn from it, at least until the next century when we will have forgotten about it again.

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