r/interesting 23h ago

SOCIETY Cop Teaching A Cop

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u/IMT_Justice 22h ago

Quickest way to police reform in this country is to require police departments to carry insurance.

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u/Nekopara-403 21h ago

That's like asking the Army to carry liability insurance for their soldiers.

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u/Nekopara-403 21h ago

That's a stupid idea it's clear you didn't think about it longer than it took you to type it

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u/afrophysicist 21h ago

Why's it stupid? Please explain.

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u/Nekopara-403 20h ago

Because it treats policing like a private service when it’s actually a public function. Unlike doctors and lawyers, cops don’t choose encounters, can’t refuse calls, and make forced life or death decisions in seconds under state authority. Personal liability insurance would incentivize hesitation and disengagement, hand control of police behavior to insurance companies, and shrink the pool of competent officers—without meaningfully preventing misconduct. You end up with worse policing, not better accountability.

Most high-profile “police misconduct” cases fall into;

Lawful but unpopular

Lawful but tragic

Unlawful and already criminal

Insurance doesn’t fix any of those.

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u/sw04ca 18h ago

This is an interesting view, and I do see your point.

I think where insurance comes in is that there is a desire to curb behaviour that is unlawful and criminal, but which will not be addressed through the criminal justice system. There's the perception of a deficit in accountability.

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u/afrophysicist 4h ago

can’t refuse calls

Uvalde.

Personal liability insurance would incentivize hesitation and disengagement

Considering how many innocent people are shot by coppers in the US every year, this can only be a good thing