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Face it: a large component of the world of the police is a macho one, about always being in control. Even the women. This flies in the face of that and you can be sure that it would not be popular.
Police work for us. We have to remind them of that sometimes. It would seem that we might need to do it more often.
Caveat: not all police, certainly the vast majority, deserve to be tarred with this brush. But the fruits of rethinking police and their role to society can bring benefits. Here in NJ, the NJ State Police were objectively out of control. The federal government stepped in, along with public sentiment, and vast and far-reaching reforms were instituted. Because these reforms buched in ingrained and long-lived culture in the NJSP, they resisted mightily. But the reforms were instituted and enforced. The NJSP is now a far better agency for these reforms. Even the troopers, in moments of honesty, will admit it.
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