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Comment by ceilingcorner | Hacker News Reader

What modern country doesn't have a police force?

If you actually look at the responses from people who live in high-crime areas, the data is clear. Virtually no one wants less police. Most want more.

I trust that more than activists with explicit political messages written in their manifestos.

> Police aren't individual actors - they protect each other, even when they have crossed a line. And it's all by choice.

This is largely due to systemic problems with unions, etc. Still unclear to me how calling a beat cop obscene words or having an ACAB attitude is going to solve that issue.

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I am not an activist, and this is not a manifesto. I don't understand why you brought that up.

Anyways:

The fact that most modern countries have police is not evidence that police departments are necessary.

In addition, the article is about the American police, which are notorious for their history of racial profiling, cover-ups, and numbers of civilian shooting deaths every year. Does most modern countries having police mean this is justified behavior?

If you could, please provide a link to a survey or study indicating that people who live in "high-crime" areas want more police.

And even if they did, that doesn't change the reason for the widespread backlash against police in the United States. It's not simply people "demonizing" a profession (which again, people choose to work in).

https://news.gallup.com/poll/316571/black-americans-police-r...

https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racia...

The data indicates that people want more accountability and reform. Which is exactly what I am arguing for.

> It's not simply people "demonizing" a profession (which again, people choose to work in).

Who cares if they chose to work in it? It's a necessary part of a functioning state. You act as if someone choosing to be a police officer means they deserve to be demonized. Please, let me know how that attitude is going to lead to any solutions.

Thanks for the sources. I can concede that most people do not support a reduced or lower-funded police presence.

As for the second part: someone simply choosing to be a police officer doesn't mean they should be demonized. Complying with the "blue wall of silence" by refusing to take an active stand against police misconduct, however, I believe warrants public backlash. The thing is, far too many officers are content to not say anything. And that is a large part of why they have seen more backlash recently.

> Complying with the "blue wall of silence" by refusing to take an active stand against police misconduct, however, I believe warrants public backlash.

Agreed there.

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