(10-06-2020, 11:16 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: I have two nephews who are police officers. Few other occupations in the country can match the police forces' training in respect for diversity and conflict resolution. And trust me, from their stories, sending "trained social workers" into hot domestic situations (as opposed to when things have "calmed down" and it may be way too late) would result in far fewer social workers.
A 2016 Bureau of Justice study showed that most US police train for 8 months (3 months are in the field), while in contrast many European countries require 2-3 years of training for police. I do not know the specifics of what police all get trained in, but I do know that 8 months doesn't feel like a lot (my field as a pastor required 4 years in addition to a previous undergrad degree). To me, more training and more learning is always better.
As a pastor I also have quite a bit of experience with conflict and disputes and I will say that anecdotally the best way to calm and deescalate a "hot" situation is not through a show of force (that almost ALWAYS escalates things). I have witnessed VERY intense situations get deescalated by someone entering the situation completely unarmed and with love. I have also witnessed low intensity situations escalate VERY quickly with the arrival of police (not because the police themselves were bad, but it was what they represented: force, coercion, and the threat of armed violence).
And regardless of whether you agree with what the "defund the police" folks are wanting and if it would work well, I think you can at least respect the fact that they are not just wanting a "lord of the flies" free-for-all. You can respect the position of others even if you disagree with it.