The Police Should NOT Be The Military.

We have made a big mistake in this country.  We declared, "War" on drugs.  "War" on gangs.  And then we started hiring former soldiers to carry out that war.

When I got hired by the state, I had to have a degree in Sociology, or Psychology to get my job.  Now?  Not so much.  We are hiring former military guys to be our Cops!  And this is wrong.

These guys know how to kick some ass, and shoot up the place.  But they have NO people skills!  They don't know how to talk down a mentally ill guy.  Being in the Army does NOT make you a good candidate to become a Cop, and deal with people on the street.

It makes you tough, and physically fit.  But it doesn't make you mentally able to talk a guy out of killing himself, or YOU!  It doesn't make you able to understand gang culture, or any OTHER culture for that matter.

We need men and women in law enforcement who have not just the physical skills to perform the job, but a COLLEGE DEGREE in behavioral sciences, so they understand why the people they are dealing with, are doing what they do.

Our Cops are too military.  And those guys up in Ogden, totally screwed up last January.  They were after two pot plants.  They knew who was growing them, they knew where he worked, and his work schedule.  They had NO reason to get a no knock search warrant.  They should have arrested the guy when he was going to work, and then searched his house.

But they went crazy, and it cost one of them his life.  It was a totally bungled decision.

And the guy who was defending his home?  I think he's going to get off.  Because no one knocked on his door and asked him if he was growing pot in his basement. 

I only worked in law enforcement for 18 years, so I admit, I don't know, "shit" about it.  But in my humble opinion, that MIGHT have been the place to start.  After all, he wasn't building nuclear bombs in his basement.  Just growing some pot.  You really need a no knock?  I think not.

All Cops should have a college degree in behavioral sciences.  From a REAL college.  Not some bullshit college like Strayer, or, "University" of Phoenix.  And they should have to be able to talk a gun out of someones hand before they  shoot them with a rocket launcher!

Cops need to quit being soldiers.  And to do this?  We need to end the, "War" on drugs.

Yeah, I realize we will still need SWAT teams.  There are situations which call for that type of response, no question.  I'm just saying that right now?  We use it too much.

Just something to think about.