Finally i know what it is about gov't law enforcement that bothers me...

[UDT89]

A guy i work with said this to me tonight,

"Most federal law enforcement is about solving crime, not preventing it. If you can get past that aspect of it, you'll enjoy the job more."


Its so true now that i see it first hand. Not too often do we hear about the FBI arresting terrorists in the US before they attack, and they do, but we always hear when they solve a case, like the FBI agent Hanson who leaked info.

 

[Kerouactivist]

I know what bothers me about them, their gestapo like tatics.................

 

[UDT89]

blah blah blah


so move to england or something

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: UDT89
blah blah blah


so move to england or something

...so you can be under surveillance 24/7...

 

[Amused]

How do you "prevent crime" without violating people's constitutional rights and/or taking away freedoms?

Law enforcement is about enforcing laws. How can they enforce a law if it's not been broken? Simple, they "force" people to follow the law. To do so requires the loss of individual freedoms.

The most common type of "crime prevention" I've seen from government agencies has either violated people's 1st, 2nd, 4th, and/or 5th Amendment rights, or has been the passing of more laws to try and prevent the breaking of other laws.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: AmusedOne
How do you "prevent crime" without violating people's constitutional rights and/or taking away freedoms?

Law enforcement is about enforcing laws. How can they enforce a law if it's not been broken?

exactly. [naive]if you want to prevent crime, maybe you should be a teacher or something.[/naive]

 

[MacBaine]

Crime prevention is mostly the job of municipal PDs. They have the ability to get involved in the community, which is a big part of crime prevention.

 

[NogginBoink]

Originally posted by: AmusedOne
How do you "prevent crime" without violating people's constitutional rights and/or taking away freedoms?

Law enforcement is about enforcing laws. How can they enforce a law if it's not been broken? Simple, they "force" people to follow the law. To do so requires the loss of individual freedoms.

The most common type of "crime prevention" I've seen from government agencies has either violated people's 1st, 2nd, 4th, and/or 5th Amendment rights, or has been the passing of more laws to try and prevent the breaking of other laws.

I'll bet John Ashcroft would have an answer to these!

 

[ElFenix]

the punishment is there to prevent the crime. a rational person would weigh benefits of committing the crime vs expected punishment.

 

[Moonbeam]

Would you expect investors in the Carlyle Group to be working toward world peace?

 

[diskop]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
the punishment is there to prevent the crime. a rational person would weigh benefits of committing the crime vs expected punishment.

A lot of criminals aren't rational.

 

[JellyBaby]

Crime prevention is mostly the job of municipal PDs.

I'd say crime prevention is almost entirely up to individuals, since that's where nefarious behavior begins and ends.

Government can help by keeping unemployment low, creating and enforcing only just laws and by not meddling with state educational systems so citizens can get decent schooling.

 

[BP]

I believe that's been to the Supreme Court. They ruled that the police are under no obligation to protect an individual.
Police are an after the fact organization and your own protection is up to you.

 

[glenn1]

Most federal law enforcement is about solving crime, not preventing it.

Wasn't there just a movie released that dealt with this issue? Something about preventing crime before it happened? Oh yeah, it was called Minority Report.

Thanks but no thanks. Law enforcement's job IS to solve crimes and arrest the perpetrators, not prevent it (except in a very limited way, by means of maintaining a police presence). Preventing it is the job of parents, priests, and social workers.

 

[sandorski]

Woohoo, what's a better crime preventative than entrapment? Yup, that guy trying to convince you to do something illegal, perhaps even pressuring you, will soon be the cops.

 

[notfred]

The Highway patrol has it within thier ability to prevent speeding. They don'tt though, they'd much rather let people break the law and get caught doing it. That earns them a LOT more money by the way of fines.

How could they prevent speeding? they could drive on the freeway in plainly marked cars, doing the speed limit. Everyone artound them would drive the speed limit, because they knew they could easily be pulled over if they flew past the cop. Speeding is prevented, everyone drives slower, and (in theory) people are safer.

They don't do that though. They hide behind overpasses, around bends in the freeway, anywhere they can't be seen. Then, as someone speeds past, they pull out and ticket them. Why do they do this instead? Cause they make more money on fines than they do on people who drive the speed limit.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: notfred
The Highway patrol has it within thier ability to prevent speeding. They don'tt though, they'd much rather let people break the law and get caught doing it. That earns them a LOT more money by the way of fines.

How could they prevent speeding? they could drive on the freeway in plainly marked cars, doing the speed limit. Everyone artound them would drive the speed limit, because they knew they could easily be pulled over if they flew past the cop. Speeding is prevented, everyone drives slower, and (in theory) people are safer.

They don't do that though. They hide behind overpasses, around bends in the freeway, anywhere they can't be seen. Then, as someone speeds past, they pull out and ticket them. Why do they do this instead? Cause they make more money on fines than they do on people who drive the speed limit.

well that may be part of it, but also, if they did what you suggested, then people would just slow down whenever they see a cop, and speed when they don't. part of the idea here is that people will not speed because they don't know when or where there might be a cop.

 

[Hammer]

here they park empty police cars by the freeway sometimes. they do try sometimes. it depends on where you live. some small town depend very much on income from tickets.

Originally posted by: notfred
The Highway patrol has it within thier ability to prevent speeding. They don'tt though, they'd much rather let people break the law and get caught doing it. That earns them a LOT more money by the way of fines.

How could they prevent speeding? they could drive on the freeway in plainly marked cars, doing the speed limit. Everyone artound them would drive the speed limit, because they knew they could easily be pulled over if they flew past the cop. Speeding is prevented, everyone drives slower, and (in theory) people are safer.

They don't do that though. They hide behind overpasses, around bends in the freeway, anywhere they can't be seen. Then, as someone speeds past, they pull out and ticket them. Why do they do this instead? Cause they make more money on fines than they do on people who drive the speed limit.

 

[JellyBaby]

they park empty police cars by the freeway sometimes

Do those come with inflatable police officers?

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: JellyBaby

they park empty police cars by the freeway sometimes

Do those come with inflatable police officers?

I read about a program somewhere where they would get either volunteers or pay people to sit in marked police cars at intersections and stuff.

 

[geoff2k]

Originally posted by: glenn1

Most federal law enforcement is about solving crime, not preventing it.

Wasn't there just a movie released that dealt with this issue? Something about preventing crime before it happened? Oh yeah, it was called Minority Report.

Thanks but no thanks. Law enforcement's job IS to solve crimes and arrest the perpetrators, not prevent it (except in a very limited way, by means of maintaining a police presence). Preventing it is the job of parents, priests, and social workers.

You're forgetting teachers... most of tomorrow's criminals don't have good classroom educators today. If the educational system spent as much time on ethics as it does worrying about where everything came from and how we should teach about it (issues that are of GRAVE concern to inner-city youth), we'd be much better off methinks.