Comments on: How Do You Feel About the Edmonton Police Service? http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/ A Street Level View of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:09:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Adam Snider http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-103 Adam Snider Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:11:20 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-103 Good point, Aaron. Essentially, they're normal people, and normal people to tend to act kindly to those they can relate to, and marginalize and discriminate against those that they can't (even if that marginalization and discrimination is subconscious). Good point, Aaron. Essentially, they’re normal people, and normal people to tend to act kindly to those they can relate to, and marginalize and discriminate against those that they can’t (even if that marginalization and discrimination is subconscious).

]]> By: Aaron Luchko http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-102 Aaron Luchko Sat, 06 Oct 2007 03:51:38 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-102 My feeling about police forces in general is the following. If they can relate to you and you haven't done anything to antagonize them than they're ordinary nice people who might give you a ride home if they're drunk. If however you get on their wrong side the Stanford prison experiment and the Milgram experiment lead me to believe even good people will abuse their power as police. I don't believe this is a case of "bad apples" but rather a systemic occurrence that is somewhat inevitable as mentioned in the aforementioned experiments. If you don't believe it is a systemic problem merely look at the following site which is dedicated to shaming police who have actually enforced the law and given traffic tickets to fellow officers. http://www.copswritingcops.com/home.html My feeling about police forces in general is the following.

If they can relate to you and you haven’t done anything to antagonize them than they’re ordinary nice people who might give you a ride home if they’re drunk.

If however you get on their wrong side the Stanford prison experiment and the Milgram experiment lead me to believe even good people will abuse their power as police. I don’t believe this is a case of “bad apples” but rather a systemic occurrence that is somewhat inevitable as mentioned in the aforementioned experiments.

If you don’t believe it is a systemic problem merely look at the following site which is dedicated to shaming police who have actually enforced the law and given traffic tickets to fellow officers.

http://www.copswritingcops.com/home.html

]]> By: Adam Snider http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-101 Adam Snider Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:00:28 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-101 Allan, that's fair enough, I suppose. The racism thing with Ben pissed me off, too, when he mentioned it last weekend. I must have missed the part about it being in Edmonton, though. For some reason, I thought that had occurred in Red Deer. I suppose part of the reason why I've been offered free police taxi services, instead of just being thrown in the Tank for the night, on those 1 or 2 drunken nights might have a lot to do with the colour of my skin. Would I have been treated differently if I were darker? I'd like to think that answer is, "No," but I'd be lying if I thought that were the truth. Allan, that’s fair enough, I suppose. The racism thing with Ben pissed me off, too, when he mentioned it last weekend. I must have missed the part about it being in Edmonton, though. For some reason, I thought that had occurred in Red Deer.

I suppose part of the reason why I’ve been offered free police taxi services, instead of just being thrown in the Tank for the night, on those 1 or 2 drunken nights might have a lot to do with the colour of my skin. Would I have been treated differently if I were darker? I’d like to think that answer is, “No,” but I’d be lying if I thought that were the truth.

]]> By: allan http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-100 allan Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:55:11 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-100 My attitudes have largely been coloured by my friends experiences with the police, as well as my own to a lesser extent. Friends of mine who have been robbed, for example, have found the police to be less than stellar in responding, and when the bother to show up hostile to the idea of filing a report (perhaps because of the paper work). Add to that Ben getting hand-cuffed for the crime of being brown in the vicinity of public vandalism also make me immediately jump to the conclusion that they are "a horrible police force." My attitudes have largely been coloured by my friends experiences with the police, as well as my own to a lesser extent. Friends of mine who have been robbed, for example, have found the police to be less than stellar in responding, and when the bother to show up hostile to the idea of filing a report (perhaps because of the paper work). Add to that Ben getting hand-cuffed for the crime of being brown in the vicinity of public vandalism also make me immediately jump to the conclusion that they are “a horrible police force.”

]]> By: Mike http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-99 Mike Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:37:57 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-99 I think Adam's comments (in the body of the main article) are reasonable. There are "bad apples" in every organization, and unfortunately they seem get the most attention. Bottom line: Unless you've spent years studying the force and its performance, your opinion isn't informed. Policing is complex, and what's on the news and in the paper are only small parts of the story. That is not to say that we shouldn't sound off on this shit, but to say that we must be cautious about making sweeping statements and passing harsh judgments. A good article. It got me thinking. I think Adam’s comments (in the body of the main article) are reasonable. There are “bad apples” in every organization, and unfortunately they seem get the most attention. Bottom line: Unless you’ve spent years studying the force and its performance, your opinion isn’t informed. Policing is complex, and what’s on the news and in the paper are only small parts of the story. That is not to say that we shouldn’t sound off on this shit, but to say that we must be cautious about making sweeping statements and passing harsh judgments.

A good article. It got me thinking.

]]> By: Mark http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-98 Mark Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:05:00 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-98 I have no problem with the EPS and agree with Mike that they have a difficult job and it's one that many people would not want to do. Negative press can affect our perceptions and although the media may try to portray themselves as being altruistic and torchbearers for the truth, they are in the business of selling papers and/or advertising space. Trumpeting problems with the EPS in the paper or on the news sells. We as a society entrust our police agencies with the enforcement of laws and expect them to do the job we have given them, although we generally don't want them to bother us while they are doing it. We not only want to choose the laws they enforce but on whom they enforce them; don't bother me while I'm speeding or jaywalking, deal with the important problems like drugs, oh wait, but don't mind me, I'm only smoking weed or doing a little cocaine on the weekends, my drug use is only recreational, go after the addicts and the dealers, but not my dealer since he isn't a gang member, he gets his supply from an untainted source far removed from all the sleaziness of gang connections. On the whole, I would say that they do a very good job under some difficult circumstances and yes they are all not perfect but then, who among us is? I'm sorry for being so long winded but that's probably a sign of my age, I used to be concise, now I'm a rambler :) I have no problem with the EPS and agree with Mike that they have a difficult job and it’s one that many people would not want to do. Negative press can affect our perceptions and although the media may try to portray themselves as being altruistic and torchbearers for the truth, they are in the business of selling papers and/or advertising space. Trumpeting problems with the EPS in the paper or on the news sells. We as a society entrust our police agencies with the enforcement of laws and expect them to do the job we have given them, although we generally don’t want them to bother us while they are doing it. We not only want to choose the laws they enforce but on whom they enforce them; don’t bother me while I’m speeding or jaywalking, deal with the important problems like drugs, oh wait, but don’t mind me, I’m only smoking weed or doing a little cocaine on the weekends, my drug use is only recreational, go after the addicts and the dealers, but not my dealer since he isn’t a gang member, he gets his supply from an untainted source far removed from all the sleaziness of gang connections. On the whole, I would say that they do a very good job under some difficult circumstances and yes they are all not perfect but then, who among us is? I’m sorry for being so long winded but that’s probably a sign of my age, I used to be concise, now I’m a rambler :)

]]> By: Michelle http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-97 Michelle Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:52:48 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-97 Ah, well then the solution seems obvious to me - ban all young males! They're a plague on society! Ah, well then the solution seems obvious to me - ban all young males! They’re a plague on society!

]]> By: Adam Snider http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-96 Adam Snider Fri, 05 Oct 2007 03:12:34 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-96 @Allan: I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but I do have leanings in that direction. @Mike: You're right, it is a loaded question. That said, I was genuinely curious, and I wasn't trying to be "controversial" for the sake of controversy. @Rose: I'll be updating this post shortly, so stay tuned! @Michelle: I don't think the homicide rate is the result of a policing issue, nor do I think it has anything to do with government policy. I think it mostly has to do with a rapid influx of young males into the province. High levels of testosterone, combined with high levels of alcohol tend to make for high levels of stupidity. Unfortunately, this leads to violence which can quickly escalate to murder. @Allan: I don’t know if I’d go quite that far, but I do have leanings in that direction.

@Mike: You’re right, it is a loaded question. That said, I was genuinely curious, and I wasn’t trying to be “controversial” for the sake of controversy.

@Rose: I’ll be updating this post shortly, so stay tuned!

@Michelle: I don’t think the homicide rate is the result of a policing issue, nor do I think it has anything to do with government policy. I think it mostly has to do with a rapid influx of young males into the province. High levels of testosterone, combined with high levels of alcohol tend to make for high levels of stupidity. Unfortunately, this leads to violence which can quickly escalate to murder.

]]> By: Michelle http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-95 Michelle Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:06:56 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-95 As I haven't been living in Edmonton for quite a few years now, I don't know what the full story is. However, the rising homicide rate is ALARMING nonetheless. I don't know if it's because the police are not dealing with things adequately or if it's a much deeper issue with the provincial government. As I haven’t been living in Edmonton for quite a few years now, I don’t know what the full story is. However, the rising homicide rate is ALARMING nonetheless. I don’t know if it’s because the police are not dealing with things adequately or if it’s a much deeper issue with the provincial government.

]]> By: Rose http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-94 Rose Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:42:56 +0000 http://rivercitywriter.com/how-do-you-feel-about-the-edmonton-police-service/#comment-94 Well I'm not a residence of Edmonton therefore I have no opinion. I would be interested in reading yours though. Well I’m not a residence of Edmonton therefore I have no opinion. I would be interested in reading yours though.

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