# Is there an inherent problem if police have to be TAUGHT this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 29, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411 "2016-08-29T16:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411/21 "2016-09-01T15:09:31Z")
Good for New Orleans. ISTM that the major problems with policing are caused by tacit or even explicit acceptance of wrongdoing by officers by their superiors. Sure, if there is a guy who abuses his position to rape detainees (for example), this program probably isn’t going to stop him. But it might help another officer who was reluctant to speak up when he saw excessive force applied. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411/22 "2016-09-01T18:47:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Follow-up question: Is this type of training a waste of time if upper management deems it necessary to put out a false image to the public that nothing is wrong with the way their police are operating, and bury most/all reports about malfeasance? I would say it’s not a waste IF the training is used as a record that the officers have been notified and trained about what constitutes appropriate behavior for them regarding misbehavior by other officers. IOW, if can be part of a chain of evidence used to discipline or fire officers who disregard the training. But there’s no guarantee it WILL be used that way. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411/23 "2016-09-04T06:13:28Z")
A married couple is having problems getting along. So one side of the married couple goes to marriage counseling, but the other does not. Afterwards, there is no improvement in the relationship. So that one side of the couple goes to marriage counseling again - alone. But there’s no improvement in the relationship. So that one person who went to the marriage counselor continues to go for counseling, yet never seeing improvement in the relationship. Is it reasonable to expect the relationship to improve w/ one side of the marriage never taking responsibility for their part in the marriage? The definition of insanity comes to mind. After most major incidents involving police use of force, departments are demanded to provide more training to their officers to improve their relationship with certain communities. Yet responsibility is never demanded of the other side of that relationship. When will the insanity stop? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411/24 "2016-09-04T22:59:41Z")
Hocus, we’re talking about one side of the ‘couple’ abusing the other side, then going to counseling, and continuing the abuse. You then blame the fact that the other side of the relationship, the side GETTING ABUSED, isn’t participating in the counseling? The way to make something happen is to make it crystal clear that ‘covering’ for an abusive cop is going to: Lose you your job. Get you demoted to the shittiest job on the force. No amount of training is going to fix it. Training isn’t even required, except in the “1hr per year poorly edited training video” mode. You start firing fuckers for looking the other way when crimes are committed by their peers, and cops will quickly decide “I’m not losing MY job for this shithead.” ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411/25 "2016-09-06T00:49:31Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > . Yet responsibility is never demanded of the other side of that relationship. When will the insanity stop? Responsibility is demanded of the other side of that relationship _all the time_. The jails are full, and they are still building more. When will the insanity stop? Thank God most parents aren’t as incompetent as some police officers and prison guards: as a parent you get to decide who is in charge: you or the child. If you only react to the community, you aren’t in charge. When you don’t take responsibility, you’re letting the inmates run the asylum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-inherent-problem-if-police-have-to-be-taught-this/764411.md?page=1)