Are Police Officers Responsible for Enforcing Immoral Laws?
Posted by Sea_Journalist_3615@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Posted by Sea_Journalist_3615@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Status-Anteater8372@reddit
They should be but sadly they aren't.
DeltaSolana@reddit
alienvalentine@reddit
Yes.
Are there immoral laws? Yes.
Do pice enforce them? Yes.
"There is no law so obscene that the police would not be willing to enforce it, up to and including the mass execution of innocent children."
Shiroiken@reddit
Officers have a lot of discretion with enforcement. Most of the time, when enforcing a law they don't agree with, they can issue warnings instead of citations/arrest. There are limits to what they can do, however, and may have to enforce unjust laws even though they don't want to. While some feel they should quit instead, this just gets rid of reasonable officers for authoritarian bully boys.
Notworld@reddit
Yes. That’s why the laws are important. You can’t have each individual in law enforcement or the military deciding on the morality of each order. Which is subjective anyway.
It was bad when police enforced segregation. But it’s good that they enforce non-segregation. Doesn’t matter what any individual officer thinks.
Evening_Lynx_9348@reddit
Yes it does too fucking matter. That’s a shitty fucking take.
There’s zero reason for weed to be illegal, cops know this and they still enforce it.
They made no oath to follow all laws and orders, they made an oath to the constitution…
Bubmack@reddit
Dumb take. You world doesn’t work
Evening_Lynx_9348@reddit
and following orders and laws the holocaust happened...
Notworld@reddit
No they didn’t. They made an oath to the city or whatever. You gotta consider your logic. What if a cop thinks it’s immoral for drugs to be legal so enforces a drug crime that isn’t on the books?
Or thinks rape is fine so doesn’t arrest a rapist? Police enforce laws. They don’t create them. Of course there is some discretion but not as much as the post would like.
Sea_Journalist_3615@reddit (OP)
Literally the nazis argument.
Evening_Lynx_9348@reddit
Yes they did. Google it. The city employs them they don't make an oath to their employer?
There's a big difference between illegally arresting someone and just letting anyone with weed go...
You are trying to strawman this argument.
Sea_Journalist_3615@reddit (OP)
"Yes. That’s why the laws are important. You can’t have each individual in law enforcement or the military deciding on the morality of each order. Which is subjective anyway."
This is psychopathic. The only law I respect is objective law. proof beyond a reasonable doubt of objective crimes. Anyone who enforced victimless crimes is a monster that deserves a life sentence.
"It was bad when police enforced segregation. But it’s good that they enforce non-segregation. Doesn’t matter what any individual officer thinks."
The civil rights act is a crime, discrimination is an absolute right, freedom of association.
Notworld@reddit
You can’t only be talking about one type of crime. This is a philosophical question. Is it okay for a cop who thinks rape is not a crime to not arrest a suspected rapist? No. Obviously not.
My take is working within the current system. And in that system the people who enforce the laws don’t get to decide. Thats why the same cop who arrested someone for weed last year won’t the next if it’s legalized. It doesn’t matter what his personal feelings are on weed.
The point is objectivity. Of course it’s not perfect but that’s the role police are supposed to fill in the current system.
Sea_Journalist_3615@reddit (OP)
"You can’t only be talking about one type of crime."
What?
"This is a philosophical question. Is it okay for a cop who thinks rape is not a crime to not arrest a suspected rapist? No. Obviously not."
You can't force someone to do work for you, that is called slavery. Fire him you want but you have no right to force him to do anything.
"My take is working within the current system. "
The system is criminal. It needs to be abolished as quickly as possible.
"And in that system the people who enforce the laws don’t get to decide."
They decide how they use their bodies. They shouldn't enforce unjust laws because they are enforcing crime then. They belong in prison if they enforce the drug war, weapon laws, immigration laws, business regulation, tax enforcement any of that shit they deserve prison.
Are you seriously arguing the nazi Nuremberg trial position here? They were just following orders?
"Thats why the same cop who arrested someone for weed last year won’t the next if it’s legalized. It doesn’t matter what his personal feelings are on weed."
He deserves life in prison for enforcing it at all.
"The point is objectivity. Of course it’s not perfect but that’s the role police are supposed to fill in the current system."
Idk why you said this. You are the subjectivist in this situation.
hootowl_@reddit
The old ‘i was just doing my job’ doesn’t wash with me, good men wouldn’t enforce immoral laws, scumbags do. If what you’re job requires is immoral then it is time to find another job or forever be known as the piece of crap you are.