• nomy@lemmy.zip
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    8 days ago

    Also a lot of places police work pays a really nice wage with opportunities for nearly unlimited overtime.

    My local metro PD has what’s called “secondary work” where various (large) venues will hire off-duty officers to essentially stand around and be present. Those jobs regularly pay $50/hr and you get to see events for free. These guys rack up insane amounts of “secondary work.” It’s a total racket, a few years ago there was as scandal with a guy working secondary work *while on duty," it’s wildly open to abuse and the police hierarchy protects everyone at every step.

    • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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      8 days ago

      Ignore the other one I fucked up and hit reply with like 2 words.

      Anyways its openly corrupt but it is also open to breakdown. The Deputies in my county are only nominally under the sheriff and more or less work as watchdogs on the police themselves. There are also instances where folks who were propagandized end up in the police system but are effectively sleepers against them.

      My point is that the police are probably a lot weaker when it comes to unity than we often times think. Frankly speaking if this turns into an open class war I suspect that the police will splinter hard.

      • nomy@lemmy.zip
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        8 days ago

        I have first-hand knowledge of the workings of my local metro PD is the only reason I referenced them but you make a valid point that they don’t all like each other. In my local PD at least (and I imagine a lot of others) it’s hyper political. People try very hard to attach themselves to up-and-coming command officers to try to become a sort of right hand or assistant (while still being badge carrying LEO) to them.

        It’s extremely hierarchical, it’s not uncommon for peoples parents and grandparents to have been cops and institutions like that definitely have a memory. People spend decades finding their little niches and if you step on the wrong toes you may get screwed over before you understand what’s happening, it’s an extremely toxic place filled with assholes and psychopaths lol.

        • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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          8 days ago

          Kinda sounds like the Roman bureaucracy, specifically the Eastern Roman or Byzantine bureaucracy. Bunch of cut throat motberfuckers who all hate eachother and are only not actively killing eachother because their mere existence is putting them under pressure preventing collapse. But just like said system all it takes is the right external factors to force said collapse.