Should police officers be elected officials?

Question

The position of police officer is one that seems to lend itself to abuse. Is there any prior skill or education needed to become a police officer, other than the academy? which can be as little as 90 days. That's less than cosmetology school. If police were elected, I believe that abuses of power would be less, because the officers would be immediately accountable to the communities they represent. I'm curious to know what others think:)

Answer 1

You have a good point but electing them would not solve anything because they would vote for themselves. Then their friends would vote and that could make things worst.

Answer 2

I've never heard of an academy that lasts 90 days.  In my state, an officer can attend an academy anywhere from 16-24 weeks.  There is not much more that I can say for this question as the first poster hit the nail right on the head.

Answer 3

Nate,

The position of Sheriff is an elected position.

But otherwise - police officers are trained personnel who are usually mentored by a senior officer for up to a year. Many police departments require two years of college before an candidate can apply.

Abuses of power do occur, but they are very few and far between. Police departments are generally quite good at weeding out the abusers.

Having police officers as elected officials just wouldn't work. Look at all the jokers we got in congress and what a mess they've made of things. I'm still waiting for Nancy Pelosi's promise of cheaper gas to happen. Would you want someone like Harry Reid walking around with a gun?

"Ranger"

Answer 4

Confirming someone's eligibility for law enforcement should be left up to people with experience in that field.

All you have to do is look at the majority of the questions in this category, and you will see the average citizen does not know enough about law enforcement to make an informed decision.

Your suggestion could be compared to football fans choosing the starting lineup. Leave it to the coach.

Answer 5

No way, buddy. Pull your head out of the ground.

That is the dumbest think I've ever heard. Police Officers ARE accountable... more so than an elected official.

Answer 6

Not a good idea or necessary!

If you think about it, elected officials appoint police officers (city council/city manager at the chiefs recommendation) and deputies (by the Sheriff). Ultimately they are the ones responsible for those appointed under them. When misdeeds occur by officers/deputies, lawsuits aren't just directed toward the officer alone but they name names all the way up the food chain in a city or county. It’s called “vicarious liability.”

This being the case, elected officials darn well should make sure that appropriate requirements and standards for their officers/deputies are met during the hiring process (and beyond their hiring) because their own **** along with the city/county bank accounts are being put on the line when bringing someone on board.  

Answer 7

Think about a cop's work day (or night): Long hours, less than enthusiastic "clients", mentally immersed in crime/ criminals all day, in the weather, chasing knuckleheads while wearing Kevlar (if they're lucky). If you catch said knucklehead, then you have to drive their sorry, stinky butts to jail and do piles of paperwork. And all of this to keep General Q. Public safe ... and they don't even notice most of the time.

It's a thankless job - who would run for this????

And have you SEEN a police academy? It's not easy!

Answer 8

Dumb idea.  Really dumb idea. Large cities have thousands of police officers.  Can you imagine a ballot with 10,000 candidates.

Answer 9

Not unless they run for office and are elected. Then they'd probably have to stop being police officers until they're out of office.Most major cities now require their police officers to have a college degree. Most major cities require police trainees to be in the academy for as long as a year, sometimes longer. Not all police officers are abusive nor are they as poorly trained or uneducated as you'd like to think.