How do we weed out the "rotten apples" of policing?

Novarobin

Start with how your Police force is Policed.
Here, we have a non-Police committee that complaints are made to. When a complaint comes in, it is assigned to an officer to investigate. If it is serious enough, an outside agency will investigate. The investigator makes a finding. The person can accept it or appeal to this independant committee. A hearing will be held where the evidence will be heard by the independant, non police committee. They make a decision. (its a shortened version of the process, but the bottom line is a non police committee makes a final decision)
Yes, you have officers investigating officers, but there is another level to go to if you are not satisfied. The investigators know this so its going to look bad for them if the don't do a proper investigation. Plus, these are the guys looking for promotions, last thing they want is to be accused of not doing a proper investigation.

Lately it seems that management is more out to get Police, even the ones who aren't bad apples.

Also, here, if the incident happened on duty and you were present, you are required to write a report. Even if you don't give a statement, they can ask specific questions that have to be answered in the report.

Its not perfect, but it works alot better than nothing.
I don't know about everywhere, but around here, the code of silence is long gone. As someone else mentioned, officers are reporting each other more and more. Officers are losing there jobs for inappropriate behavior, others aren't willing to risk theirs to help them cover it up. They are also being charges criminally.

ETA- As for Police getting harsher sentences, they do. There was an officer in another provinces that stole 21 loonies ($1 coins for those of you not from Canada). He was sentenced to three monthes in jail, not house arrest, jail. I have personally arrested a female for shoplifting no less than 10 times and she has yet to serve a day in jail or house arrest.

As for the Sherriff, is that not an elected position (I am not sure, not a US citizen. disregard the rest if it is not)? There is your checks and balance. While not a good one, it is something you can do about him. If there are hundreds of calls to complain about him, surely you have enough to start a movement to keep him out of office.

Big Fella

People! Police officers complain on each other more then citizens, nothing bothers cops more then a cop who steals, cheats, lies, or rape! I
for one have no problem telling, the thin blue line, is more about the willingness for us to put ourselves on the line for one another as it pertains keeping one another alive, not some sacred barrier of police collusion to hide the truth about a heinous incident! We know we are on a island, no one will help us if we need help, but we help y'all, no one will come forward and say, hell I would have shot that guy if it were me or thank you tasing their love one rather then shooting him/her! They never tell you about the countless times officer have not shot people, just the one they think are bad!!!! We are watched by everyone, when we show up, all eyes, cameras, and everything focuses on us! I challenge anyone to work under that scrutiny! I thrive in it because I know I do right, those who do not, will get found out and then get lost in jail or just be outside the police family which is worse then jail for most. Most cops do not fair to well in the job market when they have been fired from being a police officer, then is when you really find out about how people feel about police officers!!!

Also, the cops I have seen go to trial or plead guilty, do receive much harsher sentences in jail, which I agree they should, because they know better! I have watched them get murdered in jail also, because they were cops, and at one time before they went bad put people in jail. All cops do not go to country club prison, or get special treatment while there!!!!!

dylanfox

if you put yourself in a position where you represent the law, and then break the law, you should receive a 100% increase in any punishment, that an ordinary citizen would receive.

jdman13

Big Fella, surely you can't speak for every law enforcement agency throughout the country, I personnally have seen coruption in my hometown police. Our sheriff became the richest man in our town, he owned a pawn store, which sells used property, the police department confiscates used property, duh, why else would someone who owns millions in real estate own a pawn store. There are power happy cops who don't think they can be touched by anyone,,,,ever. And their right, TBI won't even start an investigation even after hundreds of calls. Small towns have no 'checks and balances' at all.

celexa

I say we put normal, everyday people in the system to spy and weed out the bad apples. Someone who doesn't live by that code.

Prussian Blue

You can't there would be none left.

Bosco

Create a policy, get citizens to routinely watch, record and report police.

I have started it and I have went to my local MLA to request government money to start a campaign promoting ideas.

If police believe that people were standing by with camera phones in hand, they would not be so quick to assault or falsely accuse.

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