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reaverdude t1_j9nd8wb wrote

I completely agree, but then if this was implemented, people would longer be able to make themselves feel better by saying “haha police departments only hire dumb people”.

The news mainly only reports on these bad apples because it gets ratings. You never see news about the thousands of cops who spent their day just doing their jobs. It’s too boring.

One big problem that will also happen and that you’re overlooking is that there would be almost no recruits. Most people who have the means to complete a four year degree don’t want or need to go into law enforcement.

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Miaoxin t1_j9nds6d wrote

> Most people who have the means to complete a four year degree don’t want or need to go into law enforcement.

That would appear to be the very root of the problem, would it not? It doesn't take a psychologist to understand how that inevitably leads to scraping the bottom of that candidate bucket.

Maybe we should start there.

[edit] And now that I think about it, one more thing:

>The news mainly only reports on these bad apples because it gets ratings.

The news reports on those bad apples for doing things that would get the average Joe imprisoned for decades or executed in several states. Is that what it takes to get "ratings?" Unarmed, non-violent people being executed by government officials, in broad daylight, on sidewalks and in their cars and in their homes?

I changed my mind. Let's start there instead.

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reaverdude t1_j9nj9rn wrote

The majority of agencies already hire candidates with a college degree over candidates who don’t. Having a high school diploma is a minimum requirement.

You’re casting a way wider net regarding the news, certain cases involving misconduct, and the justice system in general.

The point I was trying to make is that most cops go through their days doing their jobs. In fact, most cops never fire their service weapon a single time in their careers while on duty. The news never reports on them because it doesn’t get ratings.

It’s the same reason news only reports murders, accidents, and other bad news 24/7. They don’t report on babies being born, rainbows and puppies.

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Rope_blaster69 t1_j9o8bwh wrote

The news doesn’t report on them because that isn’t news, it’s what should be business as usual. Police killing unarmed citizens because they feel like it, however, is news.

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macweirdo42 t1_j9o95fv wrote

I think you're missing the whole "one bad apple corrupts the barrel" thing. There's no such thing as good cops, because those "mostly good cops" know their fellow officers commit horrible deeds and actively cover for them.

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