Quote Originally Posted by 313WX View Post
What I will say though is that the issue of police harassing and killing black people really transcends race and is more of an institutional problem with law enforcement in general.

One reason is because all of us [[including those who go on to become officers) have been conditioned growing up to perceive black people as more dangerous and prone to commit crimes, thus should be "brought to heel" with a disproportionate amount of force than they would use on someone else.

But on top of that, it's hardly a secret that law enforcement tends to attract individuals that aren't the finest. It's a notorious dumping ground for former military veterans who were trained for war combat and to follow the orders of their commanders, not necessarily use emotional intelligence to diffuse situations. Law enforcement also tends to be the career field of last resort for the people in our society who aren't all that bright [[they did poorly in school and don't really have the the aptitude to take on a skilled trade or attend college) since they hire virtually anyone in reasonable shape that can breathe and walk on two feet.

Now, I'm not saying *ALL* officers fit into those two categories. However, there are enough of them within the ranks of these police departments [[including DPD) that the so-called "good" officers either get weeded out eventually or they themselves succumb to the culture of abuse by defending the "bad" officers.

That's why people who have been protesting the death of George Floyd and are calling to "defund the police" have not made an exception for *BLACK* officers.

As an aside, I think it's somewhat relevant to mention that DPD was under a consent agreement with the DOJ until recently [[which was put in place under either Kilpatrick or Archer) because of systemic unethical behavior within the department. Also, let's not forget the officer who killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones was also black.
Excellent post.
I think there must be a certain amount of "straw that breaks the camel's back" out there as well. A cop sees and deals with all kinds of bad stuff on a daily basis. He also sees what he perceives as the justice system coming up short when felons are returned to the streets. Combine the two, the next guy resists arrest and gets a lot of the cop's built up anger and stress taken out on him. Ongoing training and evaluation of police is needed but, as you say, the shortage of qualified applicants only worsens the problem.