Why Police Oversight isn’t the answer.

Let’s pretend for a moment that the members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors weren’t intimidated by the police and suddenly decided on creating a police oversight panel for the county.

What would change?

Would the chief of police suddenly become competent?

Would Lucy Caldwell miraculously become an intelligent person?

Would the Fairfax County cops stop breathing through their mouths and be less insolent, thuggish or brutal?

No, none of that would happen.

None of that would happen because the culture that creates and breeds the incompetence, stupidity and punk behavior by the Fairfax County Police would go untouched by an oversight board and the cops know it. They know that as long as we keep electing weasels to the board of supervisors, police reform is all talk and will never be anything but talk.

Police oversight is the grand magical cure-brought to us by dull witted, unimaginative people who have spent their careers in government and because of that, they can’t think outside the box, they can’t see the larger picture and have absolutely no idea how true life or good management works….kinda like the people we keep electing to sit on the board of supervisors. No, wait, that’s exactly like the people we keep electing to the board of supervisors.

Besides, the board of supervisors will never, ever, get behind an effective oversight board. They might help create one designed to fail, but never, ever, will they allow one that could actually do anything effective. You know why? For the same reason the cops don’t want oversight. Power. Human beings don’t willfully give up power so they certainly are not going to get on the police oversight bandwagon. So give that up.

But, again, it doesn’t matter. Police oversight changes nothing because it happens after the milk has been spilled. But changing the culture of contempt and entitlement within the police department stops the milk from having been spilled in the first place.

The simplest way to get the cops in line and create effective change is to require them to wear body cameras. Cameras put an end to “he said, she said”.

The punks who populate the ranks of the Fairfax County Police will be gone within a year after cameras are introduced, and you know why? Not because they’ll get caught on film smart mouthing and/or threatening a citizen. They’ll quit before they get caught. Low lifes are survivors and their primary concern is themselves. They know that they lack the intelligence to keep themselves out of trouble, so they’ll leave. Those who stay will get caught on film within a year or two.

Another way to effect change is to make the cops bond and insure themselves under a mandate that when they murder (another) citizen or delve into unlawful behavior under our good name, and those actions can be proven in court, let their insurance cover the cost. Why should we pay for their idiocy? Okay, aside from the fact that we knew they weren’t the best and the brightest when we hired them and we should pay some portion for poor hiring practices, why should we pay for their idiocy?

Here’s another very good idea. Dump this chief of police. He was born and bred in the system and lacks the depth to understand the problems he’s created and the piss poor legacy that he is a part of. He just doesn’t get it. Bring in an outsider who isn’t married to the concept of running an 18th century police force in the 21st century and watch how quickly the police force shapes up.

Another sure fire way to get the cops in line is to make public all documents that should be made public. Take away the Fairfax County cops unlawful power to use the “Secret” stamp on virtually everything and anything they deal with. As part of that, once a cop has been reprimanded, make the reprimand public and keep it in his/her file forever. Don’t take it out after six months. Do that…enhance the threat of being fired for bad behavior, and watch how very, very quickly everything changes.

Lastly, make police reform in Fairfax County a political issue. Find, support and run candidates to run on a police reform platform. There are enough people in the county to make it a front issue. Then watch how quickly the weasels who are in office now will suddenly understand the need to make changes to the bloated and political Fairfax County Police Department .