Police Accountability

This cluster debates whether police are bound by the laws they enforce, their frequent breaking of laws without consequences, and issues of accountability, immunity, and selective enforcement.

📉 Falling 0.3x Politics & Society
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#7722
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Keywords

VP US LE HN LEO USA DA police law laws enforce enforcement servants public law enforcement power da

Sample Comments

mindslight Jun 16, 2022 View on HN

Police are effectively unbound by the laws they claim to uphold - unless the case is egregious, there is an extreme amount of public outrage, and the DA has a spine. As the damage they cause is attributed to "the state" rather than their personal decisions, they have little incentive to keep that damage to a minimum. Essentially, for any situation involving "the police" you should be asking yourself what would happen to a non-police citizen who did the same thing.

manigandham Nov 1, 2019 View on HN

Why? That's like saying the police should cease to function in their enforcement of the law.

1024core Sep 21, 2016 View on HN

I read somewhere that, at any given time as you go about your daily business, you are guilty of breaking a couple of laws. This gives the police the power to haul you away if they want to. The police look at it as a "weapon", just like their baton or taser, to be used when the need arises. But unfortunately, not everyone in blue is above reproach; there are plenty of bad apples, and the situation is rife with abuse.The sad part is: if you try to do away with these silly laws, the po

justinzollars Dec 18, 2020 View on HN

That might not be a bad thing. The police would be responsible for their actions, rather than shielded by law.

calibas Dec 11, 2019 View on HN

Seems like the police casually breaking the law is the core of the issue. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

bitwize Feb 9, 2021 View on HN

Law enforcement can break the law.

imoreno Mar 17, 2025 View on HN

"Only law enforcement" is still better than "everyone".

account-5 May 26, 2025 View on HN

Pretty sure the police aren't enacting the laws they are obligated to enforce, the government is the ones doing that.

sneak Jan 29, 2021 View on HN

Police in the US don't enforce the laws against other police or other powerful figures in governments, for the most part. This results in two different sets of laws, one that applies to police and government officials, and a much broader set that applies to you and I.The idea that the law is applied equally is a total fiction.

SoSoRoCoCo Dec 10, 2020 View on HN

Because it is not the responsibility of the police to protect you [1], [2]. Their primary job is to protect the wealth and power of certain classes by delivering punitive measures for all sorts of things (like morality crimes [3]) to keep the lower classes in line. Those upper classes want LEO to have every available tool in their power, regardless of legality. Even worse, LEO is now being infiltrated by militant partisans, so there is even more motivation for them to ignore laws. [4][1] <a h