all women are perfect

This is a relatively common problem.  Cops with personnel records that include excessive force, falsifying reports, and other misconduct for which they were fired are often rehired, either within their own department, or in other jurisdictions.

Why does this happen?  Why don’t fired cops stay fired?  Several reasons.  Sometimes police department employment records are sealed under state or local laws, so new municipalities can’t know what’s in their history; sometimes small communities don’t have the resources to undertake complete background checks (this boggles my mind but this is a justification used) or they have so little resources that they hire disgraced LEOs from other cities at a discount price; sometimes union review panels force the rehiring after an investigation is completed.  The reasons really vary by location.

But the upshot is that all of these rules and procedures make it difficult for some police departments to permanently remove police officers with troubled histories.  And those officers go on to hurt more people.  

So what can you do?  Start on a local level.  Especially if you live in a small town.  Find out your police department’s hiring practices.  Do they conduct background checks?  What are the union rules with respect to fired officers?  Can the department be forced to rehire?  Are police personnel records available?  

Reach out to your city council.  Reach out to your local state legislator.  Support efforts to change these rules.  Seek out local advocates.  They need and want your support.  

These efforts are not perfect, but they can make progress.  In 2018, the California legislature passed a new law opening some parts of police employment records.  

Let’s try to find more ways to protect our black neighbors before these terrible crimes occur.  

Yoooo lemme bless your dashboard

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