Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police

Can we stop calling it the ‘Code of Blue’.  It’s the ‘Code of Black’ now.  Even Pineville has a couple of Humvees they have been sporting around town, and also the PD has gone to the black and more black color scheme, with white highlights, you know – to set you at ease.

Here comes the good guys!  

Are you sure?

I thought the good guys wore white hats.  I don’t see any white hats.

Should we open the door?

I don’t think we need to, looks like they are about to ram their way in.

knock knock

BOOOM!

Who’s there?

NEVER MIND CITIZEN, LAY ON YOUR FACE AND

PUT YOUR LEGS BEHIND YOUR NECK

*WACK*

WE GOT A CALL ABOUT A HOME INVASION 554 MOCKINGBIRD LANE!

But we’re 554 1/2, We called the police for the neighbors.

WACK

This also is a generation gap issue, the older generation ( folks in the 70’s and up) did not experience (it seems} the same treatment during their youths, that I experience in my youth.

The changes were too gradual for a lot to notice in how officers handled situations, and how they treated the general public young and old, Kids were starting to be treated as the enemy. A remnant of the 60’s and 70’s, a spillover from the anit-war movement, a mindset that anybody with slightly long hair was viewed as the next potential anarchist, that every kid hated the cops. 

I can remember when I was younger, but was not aware of all the tribulations going on in the world during the 70’s, that all my experiences with police had been positive.  Slowly though it the average policeman was less and less friendly with the public, seemed to view the public as just a nuisance interrupting their day, like if you stop to ask an officer for directions. It seems more and more the police just looking to have a reason to run you to jail, rather than out there actually arresting people that need to be arrested..

It has gotten to a point most Americans now see though that the way law enforcement works as evolved far more drastically then what should be in my mind as acceptable.

Just because it can be bought for cheap or even accepted through donation, Is that really a good reason to have so much military style equipment, is crime really that bad?  I understand they want to be intimidating but more and more it’s plain frightening. It’s creating unnecessary fear of the police at times, and the even less fear of the criminals out there.

I don’t have the answers, but I know I don’t like what I see.