If you want to fix broken policing, the answer is civil tort law:
mandatory personal malpractice insurance for each cop
abolish qualified immunity
Let victims sue, and make insurance pay huge settlements.
Implications:
cop salary will have to go up to cover basic insurance premiums. That’s ok - it’s good incentive for cities to find alternatives to cops, the way paramedics are an alternative to licensed doctors
after a few lawsuits, bad cops will have their premiums go up; that’s less take home pay for them, and that history will follow them if they try to change departments; really shitty cops will find they can’t afford to be cops and find new careers
insurance companies will get good at cop lawsuits like they are with medical lawsuits; there will be a lot of out of court settlements, and over time, insurance companies will know which departments and which policies lead to lawsuits, and set premiums accordingly
This is how society turned barbers into surgeons; it’s not rocket science.
We’ve tried training, we’ve tried internal affairs, we’ve tried civilian oversight boards - nothing works.
If you want to fix broken policing, the answer is civil tort law:
Let victims sue, and make insurance pay huge settlements.
Implications:
This is how society turned barbers into surgeons; it’s not rocket science.