this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2026
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[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 134 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Holy fuck, yes, now let's close the rest all around the world:o

[–] Fishnoodle@lemmy.world 69 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

In my small town the police are responsible for half of the shooting deaths in the last 5 years. There hasn't been many, but still.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Plot twist, the other half were people defending themselves from being shot at or assaulted by the cops!

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 16 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I hope you never get that wish. Some things need a proper fix instead of discarding.

[–] Bluegrass_Addict@lemmy.ca 36 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

this... police are needed, but they need dreal oversight and actual punishments if and when they turn into criminals.

[–] Thrawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 3 weeks ago

And be massively downsized. The funding needs to go to different areas or at least specialties for response.

I too would hate a world with no police but I could easily get behind practically anything proposed short of that.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 weeks ago

You're going to need to discard the current system to get that.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 weeks ago

De~~fund~~militarize the police

[–] 3abas@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

There’s no fixing the American police system. It has rotten roots, slave patrols and the control of enslaved people, and generations of reform haven’t changed the basic model. Armed thugs with a license to kill whose primary job is to capture and return humans to enslavement.

Obviously you still need a way to prevent crime and respond to dangerous people. So replace it with a modern, community based system: nonviolent mental health responders, trained deescalation professionals, specialized violence response units, community patrols, and civilian traffic enforcement. Leave as much initial crime prevention and intervention as possible to the community instead of defaulting to armed police.

Then build a much smaller “police” force whose job is strictly serious violent crime, major investigations, and situations that actually require an armed response.

You stop treating every social problem, traffic violation, mental-health crisis, and petty offense like it needs a person with a gun and the power to arrest you. You stop feeding nearly as many people into the prison system, and you dramatically reduce the opportunities for police shootings, abuse, and corruption.

Some things need a proper fix. Sometimes the proper fix is admitting the existing institution is the thing that needs to be discarded.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 85 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

My state finally did something right. I'm shocked

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Texas is a big place, a lot of greedy ignorant sour people there, but a lot a good people too. Same can be said for anywhere it's just Texas is big and there is a lot of wealth there.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 13 points 3 weeks ago

Well, it's more about the people in charge doing the right thing regarding the police, not about the citizens.

I didn't even know we had a dedicated police oversight org. I always thought it was just a function of the state troopers.

[–] borkborkbork@piefed.social 13 points 3 weeks ago

which makes me wonder what other heinous shit this crooked department did - look at texas, lol... look at ken paxton alone... I'll bet there's a lot more stuff they're hoping to bury.

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

And right there between Waco, Tyler, and Dallas?! Talk about a part of Texas that LOVES punishing the poor and mentally unstable. It used to make me so sad to drive to visit my siblings at Baylor; there's this strange cult-vibe you get where people get more holier-than-thou while more openly advocating for killing unhoused people, and cheering when they see someone in tattered clothes getting arrested.

[–] Ertain@feddit.online 2 points 3 weeks ago

I'm as shocked as you are.

[–] Blibly@lemmy.world 49 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

And its not even Uvalde lol there are so many useless police departments across the country.

[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 weeks ago

All of them. If they use Flock, they are actively damaging the public for decades to come. All that data will be used to train AIs and automate the torment of generations to comes.

[–] modus@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

When was the last time a cop made someone's day better?

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 37 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

I’m sure governor Abbott will find a way to overrule this. He’ll probably use his “police budgets can only go up!” law or something.

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/texas-legislature-responds-to-austin-police-budget-cuts-set-to-punish-cities-that-defund-police/

[–] Arcanepotato@crazypeople.online 30 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

The city didn't make the decision. The Texas commission on law enforcement (TCLE) did.

The mission of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, as a regulatory State agency, is to establish and enforce standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections, and telecommunications personnel.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Thanks for mentioning that. I did read the article, but that went totally over my head.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

a regulatory State agency, (..) to establish and enforce standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement

Sounds like something Abbot and Paxton would never allow tbh. I'm sure at least one of them have tried to shut it down or at least completely defang it.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

They replaced the city police with county police. The county will probably need to hire a few more officers. And what do you know - 5 people were just freed up in Henderson!

[–] pageflight@piefed.social 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Police duties in Trinidad are being transferred to the Henderson county sheriff’s office until a permanent solution is found.

Remove police... and replace with other police, until more police. So a nice moment of accountability but not a policy shift.

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

To be fair, if you live outside the city limits, the policing always defaults to the county sheriffs dept.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Oh stop.

Democrats leapt on the "omg they want to abolish all police forever!" Bandwagon as soon as they noticed an opportunity to abandon BLM.

[–] PineRune@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My local Township police department was closed down after the vote to renew the millage (taxes to fund it) failed over a decade ago. Now we just have the local County police coming through instead.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 5 points 3 weeks ago

Not every little town needs its own police department. Shame about how that gets them covered by elected sheriffs instead.

[–] Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

I know this town. Maybe it’s gotten worse over the years but you NEVER wanted to drink the tap water regardless.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

There is something about "rural" that just seems to attract those types of people, but in particular, "SE of Dallas" seems to be extra-shitty.

My dad lives in Lancaster, south of Dallas, and it's generally not too back. But Wilmer and Balch Springs, both "southeast" of Dallas.... shitty places.

Then there's the poor unincoorporated area of Sand Branch that is also SE of Dallas that is struggling - they're not shitty, just shitty circumstances given to them......