How is someone that gets out of breath eating a donut going to protect and serve anyone?

    • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      8 days ago

      This is a common misconception in the U.S., it’s not even the car’s job… that crappy sticker has the shittiest union.

      • ohulancutash@feddit.ukEnglish
        10·
        8 days ago

        That sticker was exclusive to the LAPD, but it kept turning up in films made in Hollywood set elsewhere, so other regions adopted it eventually too.

        • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          8 days ago

          Man, that kind of figures… I bet it was a PR campaign that they paid for. So in a way we all got value out of that lie… nope. No satisfying conclusion to be found here 😒

  • BossDj@lemm.ee
    742·
    8 days ago

    Cities in pretty much the entire country are running with an understaffed police force. They’ll take what they can get. I’m 100% pro Union, but another problem is that police unions help protect unfit (literally and figuratively) police from being forced to try harder by abusing protected status health claims. I’ve seen in both police and military, they are handed paperwork if they are not meeting fitness expectations, but nothing ever comes of it.

      • grue@lemmy.world
        373·
        8 days ago

        All labor unions are good. Police unions are not.

        This is because police unions are not labor unions, since police are not labor but rather the enforcers for the owner class.

        • Lembot_0003@lemmy.zipEnglish
          515·
          8 days ago

          Yes, unions are too democratic, too humane. Police should have only one goal – to protect the government from peons. You can’t risk the police having any resemblance to humans. This might lead to failure in the main goal achievement.

          • floo@retrolemmy.comEnglish
            223·
            8 days ago

            Cops aren’t exploited workers, they are armed agents of the state. They are not your friends, allies, etc. And whether or not they are human is entirely debatable. I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest it.

          • ohulancutash@feddit.ukEnglish
            11·
            8 days ago

            They have representation in other ways. For instance in Britain, where it is illegal for police to unionise, there is instead a government-funded Police Federation, which independently advocates for police working conditions and supplies advice and representation for police in disciplinary affairs. The main difference from a union is that it is free to members and that police are not allowed to go on strike. This removes a lot of the worst abuses of power.

      • kobra@lemmy.zip
        622·
        8 days ago

        So bad in fact, they’ve often made me wonder if any union is worth it if that’s the risk of what they could become.

        • ThirdConsul@lemmy.ml
          173·
          8 days ago

          With that mindset, why bother living or leaving the bed? Imagine the worst day you could have, why risk it?

          • kobra@lemmy.zip
            57·
            8 days ago

            Sure, take it 100% literally. Don’t relate to the thought process at all.

            You all can’t be serious in that you haven’t thought the same thing. I didn’t say it 100% makes all unions bad I just shared a thought I occasionally have because of how bad the police union is in America.

            But yeah let’s fight with each other about it instead of eating the rich, good plan.

            🙄

            • ThirdConsul@lemmy.ml
              43·
              8 days ago

              Your though process is wrong. You need to backpedal it. One bad apple doesn’t mean we should burn the orchard. And you can perverse anything good into an abomination.

              eat the rich

              How you want to do that without unions? Dude, saying out loud

              [I wonder] if any union is worth it if that’s the risk of what they could become.

              Is not helping anyone.

              Take an L and do better.

              • kobra@lemmy.zip
                23·
                8 days ago

                Again, you’re either not understanding what I’m actually saying or taking it literally on purpose to troll me. Either way, I’m not gonna waste my time 😘 👋

    • grue@lemmy.world
      14·
      8 days ago

      Cities in pretty much the entire country are running with an understaffed police force.

      Counterpoint: Americans are already overpoliced and the “understaffing” is only relative to the authoritarians’ desire to make us even more so.

      • BossDj@lemm.ee
        1·
        8 days ago

        Makes sense. Maybe they wouldn’t be understaffed if they were utilized in places that actually mattered to people

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      5·
      8 days ago

      Additionally, cities that want physically fit officers have unions that demand that they are paid to work out. Cities don’t want to pay for that.

      So, usually the fitness requirements are only used when applying but aren’t used when you are in the force.

      • Damage@feddit.it
        4·
        8 days ago

        cities that want physically fit officers have unions that demand that they are paid to work out

        Seems fairly reasonable to me

    • octobob@lemmy.ml
      4·
      8 days ago

      I live in Pittsburgh and there are literally no cops on duty from like 3-5 AM or something. We haven’t had a police chief in years, and I never see cops unless there’s a violent crime or a car accident or overdose. You can kinda do whatever you want in terms of traffic laws. I’ve never even heard of someone getting a traffic ticket in the city, and most times if you’re actually goin the speed limit you’re a hazard that isn’t following the flow of traffic. Completely different story in the suburbs outside the city.

      It kinda rules not gonna lie.

    • Zenith@lemm.ee
      42·
      8 days ago

      France doesn’t let the police unionize, it’s the only group in the country explicitly and expressly forbade from unionizing. Police should never be allowed to unionize

  • LordGimp@lemm.ee
    523·
    7 days ago

    You misunderstand. Cops in the US have no legal obligation to protect OR serve anyone. Check out the NY subway guy that was attacked with a knife while cops watched from 10 feet away behind bulletproof glass. They literally hid in the conductor booth and watched this guy get stabbed in the fucking face repeatedly.

    Not only did the guy survive, he actually overpowered and subdued the attacker. Guy brought a suit against the NYPD for failing to protect him when their motto at the time was literally “Protect and serve”. Long story short, the end result is that he got a real live judge to say out loud that police have no actual duty to protect you when it could endanger themselves. Coupled with your observation on the obesity of American cops, it could be argued that walking down the street to issue a ticket could be lethal for the cop in question and therefore they have no obligation to do it, they simply choose to do it out of spite.

  • PolydoreSmith@lemmy.world
    44·
    8 days ago

    Reminds me of my favorite Simpson’s quote.

    Marge (to Bart): “Your father wanted to be a police officer but they said he was too heavy.”

    Homer: “No the army said I was too heavy, the police said I was too dumb.”

  • OceanSoap@lemmy.world
    311·
    8 days ago

    I think once you pass the physical strength/endurance exam to become a cop, you don’t have to take any to remain one. I definitely think that should change, though. Make them pass once a year to retain their job.

    • madcaesar@lemmy.world
      24·
      8 days ago

      Fuck the physical part, they should take yearly psychological exams and have continuous education on conflict resolution.

    • waggz@programming.dev
      5·
      8 days ago

      There are definitely agencies that do exactly what you described. The one I’m most familiar with has a sliding scale based on age and they are required to pass annually.

    • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
      5·
      8 days ago

      They don’t even have to pass those if they don’t want to. In portions of America it is just: win an election, appoint your friends and lackies.

      A lot of departments use the admission tests to screen out candidates who might be overqualified: they specifically won’t want the best. An overwight blob is preferable to an in shape individual that might think before acting.

  • Jhex@lemmy.world
    253·
    8 days ago

    How is someone that gets out of breath eating a donut going to protect and serve anyone?

    They don’t serve anyone

  • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
    242·
    8 days ago

    Our law enforcement is a huge joke and the meh pay, high turnover rate, and low bar of entry attracts the type of people you wouldn’t want to be associated with to begin with.

    But also, why are small framed 5’3 women allowed to be police?

    Fact is, most cops can’t outrun or overpower a lot of criminals who chose to resist or flee. In actuality that’s a pretty tiny part of the job. The rest is tickets, reports, paperwork, arrests with no resistance, investigations, etc. you don’t have to be an athlete or even very physically fit to do any of that. Id rather deal with a fat cop that isn’t a dick more than a slim one who’s a dumbass.

  • John@lemmy.mlEnglish
    223·
    8 days ago

    Many departments don’t require physical tests once hired.

    Most of the work cops do is domestic disturbance calls and traffic stops. There’s no reason to be physically fit for either of those jobs. Also, most people see the day shift and in nicer neighborhoods; again there’s really no need for physicality. Getting on day shift and good area means you’ve been on the police a while and “earned it” (or you have some clout), so usually olderish cops.

    The young jacked mfers usually are on the night shift and in rougher neighborhoods.

    Additionally, a bullet resistant vest and all the gear will make you look bigger/fatter than you really are.

    So it’s kind of a combo of all that.

    Also, ACAB

    • thermal_shock@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      Plus they’re not going to run you down, they’re going to taser you in the back and watch you face plant into the asphalt. They don’t give a fuck. They’re going to dog pile and twist your arm until you “comply”, no need to communicate more than that. Comply or die. Bullet will outrun you every time. Fuck cops.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
      2·
      7 days ago

      And when they show up on a domestic dispute, they’ll take the abusers side so that they don’t have to risk any form of conflict. The battered spouse isn’t going to fight you if you try to arrest them! (2 and half years now - no answers or report on why “your husband wants to move in a prostitute - time for you to leave” happened)

  • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
    19·
    8 days ago

    Non joke answer: A bunch of reasons. Many precincts are understaffed, so they need all the hands they can get. The police union is huge and makes it extremely difficult to fire even the most homer-simpsonian individuals. Many of the hugely obese cops are assigned to “light duty” meaning the most exertion they face is paperwork, manning the public information desk and or doing things like serving writs (in some cases you’re allowed to wear the uniformn even if you’re not a bonded officer, which is absurd). Additionally, fitness requirements are actually fairly rare across the whole spectrum of law enforcement - It’s surprisingly rare to see them for any positions besides uniformed patrol officer, even detectives or etc. aren’t always required to pass them - and even when you do, they’re usually pathetically easy to pass.

  • Echo5@lemmy.world
    161·
    8 days ago

    Heard from a local cop that it had something to do with the union. If the department wants to implement a standard the union would require something or other. Something about an incentive? I didn’t get the whole picture obviously. I know police need unions in case somebody sues them but does seem kind of dumb that it’s so difficult to enforce a physical standard.

    • Delphia@lemmy.world
      9·
      8 days ago

      Now I dont work in the law enforcement industry but I do work in an industry that has supposed fitness requirements although they arent enforced.

      For us, the union told them “If they have to maintain a weight of X to remain employed. You have to pay them to hit the gym on company time or pay their gym fees and an allowance.” So the company filed that away under “fuck that”. Now if you get too fat for the equipment they just move you to a different duty, often one with a shitload of walking around.

        • Delphia@lemmy.world
          1·
          5 days ago

          Backfired big time too.

          Most of the big older guys realised that walking around all day is actually a pretty low pressure and laid back gig even if you are on your feet all day and dont want to go back on the machines once they are getting like 20,000 steps a day and lose the weight.

  • Lord Wiggle@lemmy.world
    151·
    8 days ago

    From what I’ve seen, they don’t even learn about the law and often break the law by illegal detainment, searches and confiscation. Cops who served for over 20 years but don’t know people their rights. They often get minimal training while having to serve alone where everyone carries a gun. That’s asking for problems. And now cops in the US are militarized with heavy combat gear, while the majority is white and racist. So obesity is the least of the problems with US police.