The article highlights that we put a LOT onto officers. Dealing with mental health crisis and drug problems is really rough and dumping that onto people who really don't receive the appropriate training isn't right.
I'm sure plenty of those officers who are retiring are empathetic people who do want to help their communities but not as part of a force (and I hope they go into new jobs that advocate for community efforts). But there are plenty who are citing potential defunding of their departments and potential accountability changes as their reasons to resign and those people seem pathetic. Nothing has happened to them aside from the citizens wanting police held accountable for assaulting those they swore to protect and serve and maybe officials considering how to do that. So they quit to avoid getting in trouble and end up in different precincts in more cop-friendly areas and are complicit in hiding abuse of power.
RE Cops leaving the force:
The article highlights that we put a LOT onto officers. Dealing with mental health crisis and drug problems is really rough and dumping that onto people who really don't receive the appropriate training isn't right.
I'm sure plenty of those officers who are retiring are empathetic people who do want to help their communities but not as part of a force (and I hope they go into new jobs that advocate for community efforts). But there are plenty who are citing potential defunding of their departments and potential accountability changes as their reasons to resign and those people seem pathetic. Nothing has happened to them aside from the citizens wanting police held accountable for assaulting those they swore to protect and serve and maybe officials considering how to do that. So they quit to avoid getting in trouble and end up in different precincts in more cop-friendly areas and are complicit in hiding abuse of power.