They cut $150 million from it's police budget and mandated other changes.

So how is that working out ? Starting yesterday ,the police will no longer respond to non-life threatening 911 calls . Instead of calling 911, residents are being told to call 311 to file a non-emergency police report.

"As a result of a recent review of APD’s patrol COVID mitigation protocols initiated in May 2020, recent staffing challenges and aligning with the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force patrol response recommendations, APD will change call routing and response for non-emergency calls for service effective October 1, 2021,"

After the City Council cut funding last year, by July, response times to 911 calls were 20-30 minutes longer on average, and the homicide rate is at a level that “we’ve never really seen here before,” interim chief Joseph Chacon said at the time. Cutting APD funds by $150 million resulted in canceling multiple cadet classes and disbanding multiple units responsible for responding to DWIs, domestic violence calls, stalking, and criminal interdiction.

Defunding Disaster: Austin Police no longer to responding to 'non-life threatening' 911 calls | Just The News

Thank you, liberal dems. They were always the gang that couldn't shoot straight, but now that the extreme left has taken so much control, they have become an outright danger. When AOC is actually taken seriously, then you know the country is in bad shape.

On a different note that reflects the same problem, the middle school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has decided to eliminate giving a grade of "F". Here's why.

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The school website discussing the award details how the district conducted an "equity audit," which showed grading disparities among students of color.

"Grading can be one of the largest areas in which systemic racism and inequities are perpetuated. Dr. Kazmierczak and WBLAS believe grades should be a measure of what a student knows and has mastered in a given course. Grading should not be a behavior punishment and should not be a measure of how well a student can survive stress at home," the website reads.

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Is it too difficult to understand that if grading polices are a "behavior punishment" or "a measure of how well a student can survive stress at home (whatever that means), then perhaps those issues should be addressed without making the assumption that a grade of "F" should be done away since, after all, those black kids are the ones making those low grades? It seems not to occur to them that deciding that minority kids cannot score well on tests is itself a racist idea.

Perhaps even more alarmingly, we read this. "The district's superintendent, Wayne Kazmierczak, was named Minnesota Association of School Administrators 2021 Superintendent of the Year."

https://www.foxnews.com/us/untraditi...-middle-school

1. I’d call the cops.

2. Yes, they are.

3. I would not spread hateful fiction about the police.

There is a non-violent domestic disturbance underway . It is not life threatening so far . Call 311 so a social worker can show up .Victim Services is one of the units that are being "decoupled" from APD . Then what was non-violent escalates and some ill equip social worker has to break it up. Police are called to restore order . That is priority #1 .

We'll see what happens in Chicago. An article a month ago said:

“Be the change. Join the next generation of Chicago Police Officers.”

That’s the pitch, in big letters, at the top of the Chicago Police Department’s webpage for new recruits.

Raising the question: Be the change in what?

Certainly, the police department is looking for new, young officers eager to help change all of Chicago for the better.

But there’s a second meaning in the slogan, clearly intended in these times: Be the change in the Chicago Police Department itself.

Be the change in fighting crime hard while resorting less to deadly force. Be the change in doing more to respect civil rights. Be the change for a more diverse police force, one that better reflects the neighborhoods it serves. Be the change in committing to long-overdue reforms for a safer, more effective approach to policing.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/9/...form-editorial

As to Chicago, maybe they are looking for police who can actually solve crimes since more than half of the murders committed there are never solved, including about 75% of the murders involving black victims. It's yet another legacy of years of liberal dem mayors who likely believe that sending out social workers is the real answer. I've watched social workers at work. Many of them, but certainly not all, are well-meaning incompetents.

But to be clear, I'm all for 311 and social workers. Perhaps the cops need some better training, but I'm appalled at anyone who would post on this board a suggestion that the police are out to shoot mentally deranged old men. It's just a comment that should never be made even when, as I'm sure it is in your case, the person doesn't really believe it to be true. Those people do heroic work in what is sometimes the worst of neighborhoods. We should thank God for them every day.

"A concerned passerby dialed 911 to report a sobbing woman sitting alone on a curb in downtown Denver.
Instead of a police officer, dispatchers sent Carleigh Sailon, a seasoned mental health professional with a penchant for wearing Phish T-shirts, to see what was going on.

The woman, who was unhoused, was overwhelmed and scared. She’d ended up in an unfamiliar part of town. It was blazing hot and she didn’t know where to go. Sailon gave the woman a snack and some water and asked how she could help. Could she drive her somewhere? The woman was pleasantly surprised."

To read more about Denver's Support Team Assistance Response program, read this link:
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/0...health-police/

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On Sept. 11, a homeless man in Detroit was trying his best to give himself a shave, using a puddle in the road to rinse his razor, when Officer Jeremy Thomas came to offer a steady hand.
Jill Metiva Schafer and her family were also there in Comerica Park, regrouping after the Detroit Tigers game had been rained out. That’s when she spotted the exchange between Thomas and the homeless man, named Stanley Nelson, and snapped a few photos.
“What a great Detroit cop,” she wrote in a Facebook post that’s now going viral. “This officer went way above and beyond to help this man shave!”

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So would you commend him for doing that in addition to his usual job, according to you, of shooting senile old men?

I hope you realize that I'm having some fun with you on this, largely because you can't bring yourself to admit that you made an incredibly poorly worded comment.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/20/police...ling-to-shave/

https://scontent.fmem1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...79&oe=6181E699

This is one of the reasons the Chicago police are being retrained and mental health workers/counselors added to the force:

Distressing police bodycamera footage shows the moment Chicago cops broke into the home of an innocent naked social worker and handcuffed her, only to later realize they raided the wrong house.

On February 21, 2019 social worker Anjanette Young had returned home from her shift at a hospital and was undressed in her bedroom when a group of officers, with at least nine bodycameras, broke down her door with a battering ram and crowbar.

The officers were looking for a 23-year-old suspect who allegedly had a gun, but they didn't verify the address before conducting the search warrant. That suspect lived in the unit next door to Young.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rong-home.html

So you evidently think social workers are perfect and always get it right. Got some bad news for you.

"Belinda was a clinical social worker in a prominent mental health center that serves adults, adolescents, and children. She was the clinical director of the center's alternative school, which serves adolescents with behavioral health challenges who have difficulty functioning in traditional schools. The program's staffers provide teens with counseling services as an adjunct to their classroom activities.
Belinda, who is married and the mother of two young children, is currently on a leave of absence from her position due to "personal issues." Next week, she is scheduled to appear with her attorney before her state's social work licensing board to respond to allegations that she became sexually involved with a 17-year-old client enrolled in the mental health center's school."

https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/090915p20.shtml

The truth is, individuals from all walks of life do dumb things. For you to impugn the character of an entire profession is inexcusable, and then to seem to believe that one or two examples of the police making mistakes somehow justifies it is likewise terrible. Notably missing from your links was a single example of a cop shooting a defenseless, senile old man. Truth is, it was just your liberal dem ideas leaking through and becoming visible. You and I both know you surely must not believe such foolishness, but you are too whatever to admit it.

Shame on you.

JL, unfortunately the instances of police misconduct, often fatally so, is increasing at an alarming rate.
This is not partisan in nature, but fact, as more people broadcast their interactions with law enforcement.
This is not a problem limited to USA, but global in nature. Of course, with the largest force, America gets the brunt of the bad press.
As ever complaints always get more press than instances of going above and beyond the call of mere duty.

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JL, unfortunately the instances of police misconduct, often fatally so, is increasing at an alarming rate.

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I don't think that's true, but if you have some data to support that, then I'd love to see it. It would be a valid point to make. But to suggest that the police routinely show up for the purpose of shooting old, befuddled men was terrible and, in my view, nothing more than a hateful, anti-police statement. Those men and women serve honorably in a difficult job. They are not perfect, but they're all that stands between us and chaos, and to see them disrespected in such a terrible fashion is frustrating. But I'll just drop it. It's a statement that shockingly is not going to be corrected. That's disappointing, but it is what it is. I'm just glad I'm not the one who made it.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

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Originally Posted by CB

JL, unfortunately the instances of police misconduct, often fatally so, is increasing at an alarming rate.

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I don't think that's true, but if you have some data to support that, then I'd love to see it. It would be a valid point to make. But to suggest that the police routinely show up for the purpose of shooting old, befuddled men was terrible and, in my view, nothing more than a hateful, anti-police statement.

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Sadly very true, just have a browse on Youtube, facebook or other Social channels...
Rather than answering a small part of my post look at the entirety.
Some huge ones recently, the George Floyd action, Breonna Taylor mess and the overall effects of those incidents.

I agree, Curlyben. Here's just one article that supports that:

"Even though we don’t have the data to accurately measure how much police brutality cases have increased over time in the United States, we can give a few conclusions. First, we have more police violence here in the U.S. than in any other country. Second, the low reporting numbers make it look like police departments are trying to hide misconduct. Third, the number of cameras in the hands of the public have made these cases much more difficult to hide."
https://cochranfirm.com/police-bruta...ncreased-time/

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Sadly very true, just have a browse on Youtube, facebook or other Social channels...

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If you think that amounts to anything even approaching data, then we've found the problem.

As to the two incidents you referred to, they were not instances of the police just barging in and shooting someone. Both involved a person resisting arrest. In the case of B Taylor, her boyfriend fired the first shot and the police returned fire. It was tragic, but scarcely an example of the police just maliciously murdering someone.

I think that what you're doing is similar to a person reading a story about a disgruntled Post Office employee shooting some people and then deciding that all Postal employees are killers.

OK. Pretty sure I'm dealing with two people who do not understand the concept of "data".

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"Even though we don’t have the data to accurately measure how much police brutality cases have increased over time in the United States, we can give a few conclusions. First, we have more police violence here in the U.S. than in any other country. Second, the low reporting numbers make it look like police departments are trying to hide misconduct. Third, the number of cameras in the hands of the public have made these cases much more difficult to hide.

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You do realize how laughable that is? They first admit they have no data, and then proceed to draw conclusions from the data they do not have. And the conclusions are ridiculous. I feel certain that people in Communist China would be amazed to read that police are more civil there than here. Something "makes it look like police departments are trying to hide misconduct." Really? Yeah, there's no prejudice there. And we cannot accurately measure, "how much police brutality cases have increased over time." So they have no data, and yet automatically conclude that cases have increased? Really?

I'm so glad I am not a liberal, though it must be nice in some ways to live in a world where the words "opinion" and "facts" are considered to be synonyms.

JL, remember that conversation we had not so long ago...
I'm not going to play your stupid games much longer.

I asked you for data. Your reply was, "Sadly very true, just have a browse on Youtube, facebook or other Social channels..." My reply was, "If you think that amounts to anything even approaching data, then we've found the problem." In what way was my reply inaccurate? Granted it was less than nice, but was it inaccurate?

If asking for accurate answers and pointing out that Youtube and Facebook videos do not in any way amount to data is a "stupid game", then I plead guilty. I would characterize it as looking for a serious discussion about a serious subject. That is always my goal. I will be happy to simply not discuss these topics with you if you prefer, but I really don't know what you want. You did not post data. How was I to respond to that?

When Tal was repeatedly, on many occasions, posting comments like this, you did nothing that brought it to an end. He continued unabated FOR WEEKS until I finally blocked him. Can you explain the inaction about that? It certainly seems to be an enormously greater breach of civility on this site than what you are addressing with me. "WG haven't you heard? If your head isn't shoulder deep up the dufus a$$ you're considered a liberal. I suspect JL has found a way to get his shoulders pushed in deeper. Or is he wearing sneakers on his hands?" Why is that acceptable?

This was posted to me by WG. It also went unnoticed. "I have no clue what you're reading that makes you think that. Probably because I'm not kissing Trump's fat a** like you do."

This isn't about party lines, or you being right and everyone else is wrong, no matter what.
More than happy to hold a reasoned discussion, but with your pedantic point scoring there really is little point.
As Tom pointed out not so long ago, this is one of the few sites where you can speak your mind without fear or favour.
If all you want is to be right in your own echo chamber, then best you find another place to post.
We all have different views, so lets celebrate that fact rather than petty games and being obnoxious.

Well, I still don't know what you're after. If this is a site where I can speak my mind without fear or favor, then why am I being threatened? I have said nothing ugly or profane. I don't suggest someone is up another persons rear end or is kissing someone's backside. I haven't suggested the police are out to shoot senile old men. I ask serious questions and make serious observations. You want a celebration of different views. Well, why aren't my views celebrated? You never publicly corrected Tal. That's really disappointing. You should have, in my view, and it makes this episode look very strange since I was, in no way, being allowed to speak my mind at that time without fear or favour.

Why do I feel strangely singled out?

If it must be, I will confine my remarks to Tom.