The Police Chief just had a press conference and had some interesting perspective.
Cops.. They USED to be heroes to most of the public, now they're used up & vilified, way too often. Sad situation
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/07/11/...e-asking-cops-to-do-too-much-in-this-country/
From NPR:
Saying he was “running on fumes,” Brown spoke frankly about everything that his employees have to deal with on a daily basis – and that it can be overwhelming at times. “We’re asking cops to do too much in this country” said Brown.
“Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve” said Brown. He listed mental health, drug addiction, loose dogs, failing schools as problems the public expects ‘cops to solve.’
“Seventy percent of the African American community is being raised by single women, let’s give it to the cops to solve that as well” said Brown. “Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.”
When asked what advice he would give black men, Chief Brown said, “Become a part of the solution, serve your community. Don’t be a part of the problem…we’re hiring. Get off that protest line and put an application in. We’ll put you in your neighborhood – we will help you resolve some of the problems you are protesting about.”
Cops.. They USED to be heroes to most of the public, now they're used up & vilified, way too often. Sad situation
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/07/11/...e-asking-cops-to-do-too-much-in-this-country/
From NPR:
Dallas Police Chief David Brown held a wide-ranging press conference on Monday, where he touched on race, the investigation and the issue of guns.
In a dramatic moment, he urged legislators to do their jobs and propose new laws to combat gun violence.
"We're doing ours. We're putting our lives on the line," Brown said. "The other aspects of government need to step up and help us."
2. He also touched on the problem he sees with open-carry laws, which he said were increasingly challenging for law enforcement. "We don't know who the good guy is versus who the bad guy is if everybody starts shooting," he said.
3. Brown also got personal, explaining that he became a police officer to help Dallas through its crack epidemic. And he urged protesters to leave the picket line and join the police force. "We're hiring," he said. "We'll put you in your neighborhood, and we will help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about."
4. Brown was asked how he processed the protests against police as a black man: (me paraphrasing)
"I've been black a long time...grew up in Texas, this is my normal, to live in this society that has a long history of racial strife...It's better than it was when I was a young man, but we've got a lot of work to do, particularly in my profession...leaders need to step up and stop worrying about losing their job....
5. Finally, Brown defended his police department's use of an explosive to kill the Dallas shooter. He said his guidance to the officer was not to "bring the building down." He added: "This wasn't an ethical dilemma for me. I'd do it again."