reply to post by JeffreyCH
Iunderstand where you are coming from. What you post describes many of my feelings on the topic, including the terrible misappropriations of funds
used to organize and conduct these checkpoints.
There are terrib.e things that take place all around the world, including the areas where we live here. The resources could be diverted in such a way
that would allow for further training of officers and put their presence to much better use for the safety of the law abiding citizens (problem is
also that most anyone can be labeled as a criminal, one way or another).
Training these poilice officers to identify more common suspicious behavior and the protocol to follow when they encounter such situations could make
a difference in the piece of mind the residents have in the security of their neighborhoods.
Having a police presence in the nieghborhoods would deter many would be burglars and may also reduce the amount of domestic violence we see in many
areas, ranging from government housing projects all the way to the most prestigous an sought after communities.
Seeing a police patrol outside your home a few times a day may also make some feel as if they are being 'watched' much more than neccassary, but I
may be thinking it would be better to see this type of patrol, as opposed to the possibility of being stopped at random and having your private and
personal space invaded against your will - possibly being charged with heavy fines, arrested, future jailtime or other punishment for something that
you may have been completely unaware of and posed no direct threat to your safety, or the safety of anyone else.
We, as a civilization, may be forcing a more strict police state by the actions and behaviour we allow to exist in our society without the stigma of
taboo attached to the actions. Many criminals feel that their actions are wrong, but aren't really THAT wrong or unacceptable, as they might if
cannabalism or mass murder were the topic.
I do not mean to really group cannabalism or mass murder within the realm of theft or domestic violence, drunk driving, or operating a motor vehicle
without proper licensing, just that the former carries a highly taboo aura with them and if such an unacceptable taboo existed on the latter, we may
see much much les criminal activity in the areas.
I hope we are able to make a change somewhere that leads to less need for a constant police presence on the roadways and in the nieghborhoods. Though,
at this point, reducing a government fueled police presence may be a bigger challenge than that of actually lowering the criminal intent and criminal
actions in the areas we call home.
Demanding a reduced police presence would surely mean the loss of income, loss of taxes and budget cutting, something that budget committees are
primed to fight against at all costs, even if that means pushing our communitees further into the form of an absolute police state.