Councilmember Mike Bonin
3h ·
Could police officers better respond to violent crime and real emergencies if they weren’t also tasked with routine traffic enforcement, taking collision reports, and ticketing people for broken tail lights or jaywalking?
Could those duties be better handled without using armed officers with the authority to use deadly force? Could alternatives methods of traffic safety prevent people from being pulled over and searched for “driving while Black?”
Those are questions Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson
and I are asking in legislation that seeks to change the negative dynamics of our current policies by removing armed personnel from traffic enforcement, leaving more officers available to better prevent and respond to crime in our neighborhoods.
LAist takes a comprehensive look at the issues involved: Read the article at
http://ow.ly/JRU550BAKaS.
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What do you guys think?
As we re-imagine our police departments, should we remove armed police officers from doing traffic enforcement?
The way it is right now, a cop pulls you over for no reason, searches your car, and if he finds drugs then you go to prison. And if you struggle to avoid going to prison then you can end up dead.
Should unarmed traffic enforcement officers handle traffic stops instead of armed and deadly cops who are looking to put you in prison?
Also, on the issue of re-imagining our police departments, should unarmed social workers and trained psychological experts handle the homeless instead of armed and deadly police officers?
Can trained professionals handle some of the aspects that armed and deadly cops are currently doing, without carrying guns and without killing people or arresting people?
And of course, Wellness Centers like the one in Orange can help desperate people, without police involvement.
Salute,
Tony V.
Poll
5 (45.5%)