In the whole debate about cops, I’ve noticed that comparisons between members of the military and members of the police force have been made. Given that I live where I do, I wanted to draw comparisons.
· getting a domestic violence/similar conviction ends your military career
(this also means that you can not claim veteran status if you were otherwise eligible)
· this is not the same for members of the police force… you can still work as a cop
(it is up to the mercy of your superiors whether or not you are actually fired for this offense)
· as a result, 40% of policemen are documented to have committed acts of abuse against family members
· simply being arrested for an act of abuse can mess up a military man (or woman)’s career
(at this point it doesn’t kick them out of the military, but it can affect re-enlistment/still end their career)
· already having a domestic violence arrest/conviction prior to enlistment bars you from joining the military
(there is no such bar if you want to join the police force, as it’s up “to discretion” if you can still join)
Basically, it’s a lot more difficult to join the military, and stay in it, than it is to become and stay a cop.
I feel like if we make it more difficult to become, and stay, a cop, we might affect some positive change in this country that doesn’t continue to culminate in the murders of black men we’ve horrifyingly continued to have.
