PrettySquareGal
I'll Lock Up
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I saw this in my local paper and it reminded me of the FL because of the discussions we've had on here about a lack of regard for personal responsibility and respect for authority. It's a response to a letter written by a father who is angry that his son was charged with underage drinking. Please delete if not fitting. What are your thoughts?
http://leader.mainelymediallc.com/n...lice_force_has_lost_its_way.html#comment-1506
Submitted by Love Scarborough PD on Fri, 2013-09-27 09:23.
I'm a citizen of Scarborough not in any way connected to the police department who has been helped by them many times and am very appreciative of all they do. I need to respond to your lengthy diatribe piece by piece.
"We need less intrusion and control of our lives by others and need to be allowed to make our own decisions and to teach our children to do the same. And we do not need local police arresting them for petty crimes and ruining their lives – with encouragement from your paper."
You propose that certain illegal activities be overlooked by the PD because it will "ruin lives" and the freedom of the press to report this public information should be silenced to protect the adults over 18 whom you label "children." You blame the police for enforcing laws that were broken because you deem them too beneath the law, or is it that you feel your children are above the law? It's really simple: if you don't want to be in the paper for breaking the law, don't break the law. If you don't want to be cited for something, don't do it. Simple!
"It is difficult for me to challenge law enforcement as a father of four children and as a 30-plus year career professional responsible for developing and enforcing laws and policies concerning the security, health, safety and welfare of employees in private sector workplaces. But this is enough."
The Scarborough Police Dept has a process for filing grievances, and it's available to all, so I am not clear why this would be difficult. Also, you have done a great job using the press you earlier demonized for carrying your message.
"We live in a new and different age in which a simple summons or arrest can have a lasting effect on a young adult’s efforts to find and keep a job and to start to live a responsible life and to contribute to their communities. The police are criminalizing our children, our youth who are future leaders: honor students, college cross-country team members –by giving them a digital footprint that will hound them for years and dehumanizing them on the web. We call this service and promoting the public interest?"
People who break the law become criminals. The police do not create criminals. People make choices with consequences. If you don't like the consequences don't do it. Young adults need to learn about cause and effect and not expect to be buffered from the results of their choices simply because they are on a cross-country team. SPD did not create the internet, either. Young adults are very familiar with digital footprints as most have Facebook accounts. It was a choice they made. Receiving a citation should not be cause for failure in life. Police serve and protect and are paid to uphold the law, not be overprotective parents.
"The Scarborough Police Facebook site’s regular posts of mug shots and the appalling comments by citizens is more than troubling. We are sponsoring cyber bullying by creating an environment that allows others to publicly pillory individuals who have simply been accused of crimes. This Facebook site has a new cover page that shows police with drawn Glock’s ready to fire with a ferocious attack dog. In a recent incident this summer a 19-year-old Washington state teen committed suicide following comments made by Idaho police on a Facebook site following his arrest."
Mug shots are posted in newspapers, too, and the information is public. As for the Glocks and dogs, that's part of the police arsenal. That shouldn't be shocking or controversial.
"How on earth does this promote public safety? When you attempt to challenge any of this and make a dissenting comment on the Scarborough Police Facebook page, it is responded to in a self-righteous and defensive manner or deleted immediately. This is outrageous and should be stopped immediately. Dissent needs to be allowed and we need to have an open dialogue about what our police are doing."
They are doing their jobs. And isn't "This is outrageous and should be stopped immediately. Dissent needs to be allowed" a double standard? You, a dissenter, want to be able to say whatever you please on their facebook page and have a say in what they should or shouldn't post, but they in turn should have no say or recourse?
"We need to regain control of our police and our town administration and let them know we need less policing and fewer cops, and town employees doing things for us – and refocus them on services that truly meet our basic needs and otherwise leave us free to make our own decisions."
You obviously live in an upscale neighborhood with little crime. That's not true for all of us. Thank goodness for what they do to protect our town!
"I thought the goal of police was to protect and serve. In Scarborough the mission seems to be to make us to spread fear and increase dependency and control. They have turned local law enforcement from Andy of Mayberry into “The Terminator.” It is time to study how our police are carrying out their mission and how it is affecting our rights and privacy."
This is not a movie or sit-com. It's real life. Study reality and perhaps you will see that they are really doing what we are paying them to do and that's a good thing.
"We seem to have lost our way in this town guided by professional managers and supported by a town council who fervently believe that more services, a larger budget, and more policing alone are good things. Let’s stop creating more demand for things we do not need."
You can begin to create less demand for police services by teaching your children to not break the law.
http://leader.mainelymediallc.com/n...lice_force_has_lost_its_way.html#comment-1506
Submitted by Love Scarborough PD on Fri, 2013-09-27 09:23.
I'm a citizen of Scarborough not in any way connected to the police department who has been helped by them many times and am very appreciative of all they do. I need to respond to your lengthy diatribe piece by piece.
"We need less intrusion and control of our lives by others and need to be allowed to make our own decisions and to teach our children to do the same. And we do not need local police arresting them for petty crimes and ruining their lives – with encouragement from your paper."
You propose that certain illegal activities be overlooked by the PD because it will "ruin lives" and the freedom of the press to report this public information should be silenced to protect the adults over 18 whom you label "children." You blame the police for enforcing laws that were broken because you deem them too beneath the law, or is it that you feel your children are above the law? It's really simple: if you don't want to be in the paper for breaking the law, don't break the law. If you don't want to be cited for something, don't do it. Simple!
"It is difficult for me to challenge law enforcement as a father of four children and as a 30-plus year career professional responsible for developing and enforcing laws and policies concerning the security, health, safety and welfare of employees in private sector workplaces. But this is enough."
The Scarborough Police Dept has a process for filing grievances, and it's available to all, so I am not clear why this would be difficult. Also, you have done a great job using the press you earlier demonized for carrying your message.
"We live in a new and different age in which a simple summons or arrest can have a lasting effect on a young adult’s efforts to find and keep a job and to start to live a responsible life and to contribute to their communities. The police are criminalizing our children, our youth who are future leaders: honor students, college cross-country team members –by giving them a digital footprint that will hound them for years and dehumanizing them on the web. We call this service and promoting the public interest?"
People who break the law become criminals. The police do not create criminals. People make choices with consequences. If you don't like the consequences don't do it. Young adults need to learn about cause and effect and not expect to be buffered from the results of their choices simply because they are on a cross-country team. SPD did not create the internet, either. Young adults are very familiar with digital footprints as most have Facebook accounts. It was a choice they made. Receiving a citation should not be cause for failure in life. Police serve and protect and are paid to uphold the law, not be overprotective parents.
"The Scarborough Police Facebook site’s regular posts of mug shots and the appalling comments by citizens is more than troubling. We are sponsoring cyber bullying by creating an environment that allows others to publicly pillory individuals who have simply been accused of crimes. This Facebook site has a new cover page that shows police with drawn Glock’s ready to fire with a ferocious attack dog. In a recent incident this summer a 19-year-old Washington state teen committed suicide following comments made by Idaho police on a Facebook site following his arrest."
Mug shots are posted in newspapers, too, and the information is public. As for the Glocks and dogs, that's part of the police arsenal. That shouldn't be shocking or controversial.
"How on earth does this promote public safety? When you attempt to challenge any of this and make a dissenting comment on the Scarborough Police Facebook page, it is responded to in a self-righteous and defensive manner or deleted immediately. This is outrageous and should be stopped immediately. Dissent needs to be allowed and we need to have an open dialogue about what our police are doing."
They are doing their jobs. And isn't "This is outrageous and should be stopped immediately. Dissent needs to be allowed" a double standard? You, a dissenter, want to be able to say whatever you please on their facebook page and have a say in what they should or shouldn't post, but they in turn should have no say or recourse?
"We need to regain control of our police and our town administration and let them know we need less policing and fewer cops, and town employees doing things for us – and refocus them on services that truly meet our basic needs and otherwise leave us free to make our own decisions."
You obviously live in an upscale neighborhood with little crime. That's not true for all of us. Thank goodness for what they do to protect our town!
"I thought the goal of police was to protect and serve. In Scarborough the mission seems to be to make us to spread fear and increase dependency and control. They have turned local law enforcement from Andy of Mayberry into “The Terminator.” It is time to study how our police are carrying out their mission and how it is affecting our rights and privacy."
This is not a movie or sit-com. It's real life. Study reality and perhaps you will see that they are really doing what we are paying them to do and that's a good thing.
"We seem to have lost our way in this town guided by professional managers and supported by a town council who fervently believe that more services, a larger budget, and more policing alone are good things. Let’s stop creating more demand for things we do not need."
You can begin to create less demand for police services by teaching your children to not break the law.
One of my colleagues pointed the page out to me (it's in his hometown), he's been campaigning that it needs to either moderated or taken down because it's such an absolute mess.
