It All Goes Back To The Academy

In the recent years involving police shootings, countless standpoints have been taken on this topic, whether that being towards gun laws or the authority of police officers themselves. Regardless of what has transpired throughout the country within the last several years, a question should be seriously asked if the length of police academies is at a current appropriate standard. Currently the average length of police academies within the United States is anywhere from 4-6 months. With countless stories of innocent lives being taken due to shootings themselves, a closer look should be taken into who exactly is being let through the academies themselves. As officers vow to abide by duties presented upon their badge to carryout, there are others who choose to do otherwise. Does it make sense that anyone can feel safe in public around an individual who posses a firearm that he/she may only have experience with over the course of a few months? Police academies should extend the length of theirs schooling so more training could be given, more in depth background checks/security clearances could be established against participating candidates, and more time is presented for instructors to pick out individuals who may be a liability in the future. What justifies an individual putting their trust into someone who has had minimal training with a firearm for a matter of months, and may waive his/her weapon around as if its a toy?

With recent stories of police shootings such as the incident with Stephon Clark which occurred in Sacramento, CA, only adds fuel to the fire. Are police now "legal gangsters?" Although there are many dedicated loyal officers throughout the country, there are still many who abuse their police authority under the law. For example, during the trial of OJ Simpson, one of the LAPD officers involved in the case (Mark Fuhrman) had firm evidence brought up against him towards his involvement in white Nationalism which appeared to be justified. Not only Fuhrman, but may others like himself have been brought to light through the last decade. The main point is that an individual who had ties to white Nationalism was let into the police force, and why was that so? For only 4-6 months, does an academy really know who they are letting in?

The duty of a police officer is to protect, not pull a trigger every single time someone moves their body position. However, there are many good officers in the U.S. as mentioned, and some areas are very fortunate to avoid such incidents. With these encounters, it may make more individuals raise eyebrows to the type of actions that are taken against officers who wrongfully kill innocent individuals. Why aren't officials being prosecuted at the same rate of shootings? It is up to the people to fix the issue of who exactly is lingering within a police station's walls by continuing to speak out and take a stand, as it is never certain whether a persons intentions may be to harm? Although this is highly never the case, an academy may be enrolling various white Nationalists within their programs and not have a single clue. This issue is up in the air and only time will tell where law enforcement may go.