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At this point, there's probably so many disaffected people that they no longer care about this. What they care about is what is currently affecting them right this second.
An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
11–20 of 49 posts
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#12"...Torres’s squad, the French Quarter Task Force, which at all hours had three armed officers zigzagging the neighborhood in matte black Polaris Rangers that resemble militarized golf carts."
"Torres also became involved in setting policy. Earlier that week, his force had coordinated with the N.O.P.D. in two huge arrest sweeps of so-called transients, whose familiar panhandling presence in the neighborhood (ragged clothes, mangy dogs, rusted harmonicas) had not been the subject of recent outrage. But Torres believed them to be a nuisance...The targets of the arrests had not been connected to any serious crimes, and some of the city’s residents saw the move as questionable."
"'Crazy, right?' Torres later said. 'I kind of felt like Bruce Wayne.'"
So basically this rich businessman has a small force of armed private police legally roaming his neighborhood because a) he had his home burglarized and was pissed off b) he wanted to get rid of some homeless people to raise property values in the rich quarter, where he and his family/friends own a lot of property c) it makes him feel like Batman.
It's sad that the current state of public policing has not only allowed, but necessitated this type of questionable vigilante justice.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#13The raise of "private cops" should not surprise anyone. In US where income inequality has risen to greater proportions and the city budgets stagnated. Gated communities, private security and private cops are the next steps of it. They are not as much accountable to public at large. It is tempting to paint all the private cops in a bad picture, but there is some good coming out of it. Where the City Police has become moribund, these guys are the only hope between getting robbed and not getting robbed.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's less alarming than the prospect of expanding public police forces to fill those needs. I'm not looking forward to going back to companies deploying Pinkertons on striking workers, but having private companies in the loop might help stem the abuses of the police unions and administrations. I feel safer with an officer whose pay checks are signed by Facebook than one working for SFPD.
Like that'd magically make them less corrupt?
I mean on one hand Facebook is a public company and if their private police force is doing fucked up things that is going to impact them negatively. So in reality their officers are probably held to a higher standard and legitimate oversight.
On the other hand I don't really like the idea of every company having its own private police force, so I don't want this to become a big thing.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#15Oh my god. If the US will start to privatise police then we soon have that all over the planet.
Just like in that movie RoboCop lol.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#16USA is a failed state
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#17This works as a chase away strategy but East NO is a different matter, nowhere to chase the gangs to.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#18"...Torres’s squad, the French Quarter Task Force, which at all hours had three armed officers zigzagging the neighborhood in matte black Polaris Rangers that resemble militarized golf carts." "Torres also became involved in setting policy. Earlier that week, his force had coordinated with the N.O.P.D. in two huge arrest sweeps of so-called transients, whose familiar panhandling presence in the neighborhood (ragged c…
Two words: New Orleans
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#19"...Torres’s squad, the French Quarter Task Force, which at all hours had three armed officers zigzagging the neighborhood in matte black Polaris Rangers that resemble militarized golf carts." "Torres also became involved in setting policy. Earlier that week, his force had coordinated with the N.O.P.D. in two huge arrest sweeps of so-called transients, whose familiar panhandling presence in the neighborhood (ragged c…
This is not vigilante justice. These are off duty police officers working as an officially sanctioned part of the local government, which is obviously failing to get the job done.
A vigilante would shoot the malefactors on the spot, but these officers are arresting the individuals in cooperation with the nopd and their cases are adjudicated like any others.
I don't see any problem with someone who has skin in the game and who is passionate getting involved in local governance and trying to find a better way forward.
The fact that he is rich and politically connected makes him that much more able to tackle the problem. I suppose the optics would be better if he just packed up and left town and left New Orleans to stew in its own juice. Then he couldn't be accused of a rich guy bossing little guys around. However, this guy has a wealth, talent, and influence, and he's choosing to apply them responsibly. He should be applauded.
Re: An entrepreneur persuaded New Orleans to let him create a high-tech police force
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's less alarming than the prospect of expanding public police forces to fill those needs. I'm not looking forward to going back to companies deploying Pinkertons on striking workers, but having private companies in the loop might help stem the abuses of the police unions and administrations. I feel safer with an officer whose pay checks are signed by Facebook than one working for SFPD.
Like that'd magically make them less corrupt?
Nothing magic about it. Public police have unions and due process rights to protect them from accountability. Private police generally have neither.