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Indianapolis is the largest city in the US......

Indiana is more southern and less midwestern than our neighbors in Illinois and Ohio, because we were initially settled south to north, rather than east to west. There’s an IU history prof who teaches this, and I happen to know there’s an old map in the governor’s office that shows this. We’re a peculiar state, and not in a good way.
 
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Police unions are the real political power when considering police dept culture.
I think this helps to explain why police chiefs make moving displays of support for protesters, then rank-and-file cops tear gas and beat them. It is my non-expert opinion that cops — and cop culture — are a large part of the problem, because they reject modern notions of policing, as they pretty much always have. Until rank-and-file cops are held accountable, I don’t think it matters much what the chiefs say or do. And speaking as a supporter of unions, it’s my non-expert opinion that police unions are among the most regressive voices on these issues. This seems like an intractable problem, and I don’t see how it gets solved, because all of us must obviously agree that cops are awesome.
 
When the 16 largest cities have instituted this policy there must be some good reasons to support the acceptance of the additional expense of body cameras.

If you read the article I linked you will see that Mike Pence’s fingerprints are all over this policy.

I would hope that cameras could assist in rewarding police officers who demonstrate professionalism in trying times. Also it might be helpful for others to know that big brother is watching
 
I think this helps to explain why police chiefs make moving displays of support for protesters, then rank-and-file cops tear gas and beat them. It is my non-expert opinion that cops — and cop culture — are a large part of the problem, because they reject modern notions of policing, as they pretty much always have. Until rank-and-file cops are held accountable, I don’t think it matters much what the chiefs say or do. And speaking as a supporter of unions, it’s my non-expert opinion that police unions are among the most regressive voices on these issues. This seems like an intractable problem, and I don’t see how it gets solved, because all of us must obviously agree that cops are awesome.

They block policy reform at every step believing the more regulation and restriction they have the harder their job and will claim it puts them in more danger. It may be true but it also promotes and enables bad behavior by the worst of them.
 
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Indiana is more southern and less midwestern than our neighbors in Illinois and Ohio, because we were initially settled south to north, rather than east to west. There’s an IU history prof who teaches this, and I happen to know there’s an old map in the governor’s office that shows this. We’re a peculiar state, and not in a good way.
Fascinating. Never heard this theory before. When I first arrived in West Lafayette back in 1981 I thought I had mistakenly been dropped off in Kentucky. (First trip to Bloomington was the same.) To me, everyone had a southern accent. Everyone told me I had a northern accent even though I was from a city at the same latitude as South Bend. Heck, my friends from Pendleton and Anderson sounded like they were from Mississippi
 
When the 16 largest cities have instituted this policy there must be some good reasons to support the acceptance of the additional expense of body cameras.

If you read the article I linked you will see that Mike Pence’s fingerprints are all over this policy.

I would hope that cameras could assist in rewarding police officers who demonstrate professionalism in trying times. Also it might be helpful for others to know that big brother is watching
The fine and reprimand for not wearing it or turning it off is very little compared to what they go through in a shooting incident or similar. It can be as little as a being told "bad boy" multiple times and more severe like suspension, loss of assignment etc.

Note how so many of them during the protests do not have numbers on, or cameras equipped. Those are both infractions of code.

If only the camera equaled their testimony that would end. Meaning if they do not turn on their camera, and a killing or similar happens, they are not allowed to testify on their own behalf.. That was an NAACP idea. If something like that isn't implemented the camera is useless as a police policing mechanism. A no camera, no job policy or something though in this situation that would be useless.

Right now that camera is just optics, to make us feel safer. It doesn't stop any of them.

This is very complicated issue. the bad part of policing is ingrained in every dept. and probably has been since the first village thug was asked to help the feudal lord control the village. Thuginess just goes with the territory, Changing hiring practice does little as new hires will be indoctrinated into the us vs them dynamic already in place and we can't in anyway start over.

What do you do?
 
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I think this helps to explain why police chiefs make moving displays of support for protesters, then rank-and-file cops tear gas and beat them. It is my non-expert opinion that cops — and cop culture — are a large part of the problem, because they reject modern notions of policing, as they pretty much always have. Until rank-and-file cops are held accountable, I don’t think it matters much what the chiefs say or do. And speaking as a supporter of unions, it’s my non-expert opinion that police unions are among the most regressive voices on these issues. This seems like an intractable problem, and I don’t see how it gets solved, because all of us must obviously agree that cops are awesome.

I like the idea of making police officers hold professional insurance. For someone who does their job well it would be a nominal charge. Someone who has 16 incidents demonstrating their unfitness to serve may become uninsurable and therefore unemployable rather than just bouncing to the next town over.
 
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Fascinating. Never heard this theory before. When I first arrived in West Lafayette back in 1981 I thought I had mistakenly been dropped off in Kentucky. (First trip to Bloomington was the same.) To me, everyone had a southern accent. Everyone told me I had a northern accent even though I was from a city at the same latitude as South Bend. Heck, my friends from Pendleton and Anderson sounded like they were from Mississippi

the disdain you must have felt. go home yankee boy
 
I like the idea of making police officers hold professional insurance. For someone who does their job well it would be a nominal charge. Someone who has 16 incidents demonstrating their unfitness to serve may become uninsurable and therefore unemployable rather than just bouncing to the next town over.
That’s an interesting thought. A sort of Malpractice insurance.
 
Indiana is more southern and less midwestern than our neighbors in Illinois and Ohio, because we were initially settled south to north, rather than east to west. There’s an IU history prof who teaches this, and I happen to know there’s an old map in the governor’s office that shows this. We’re a peculiar state, and not in a good way.
This is true up to a point. If you’re talking about Lake and Porter Counties, they were settled from east to west, as in Eastern Europe to the manufacturing along and around Lake Michigan.

As I was growing up, I was told southern Indiana starts at Route 30.
 
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Fascinating. Never heard this theory before. When I first arrived in West Lafayette back in 1981 I thought I had mistakenly been dropped off in Kentucky. (First trip to Bloomington was the same.) To me, everyone had a southern accent. Everyone told me I had a northern accent even though I was from a city at the same latitude as South Bend. Heck, my friends from Pendleton and Anderson sounded like they were from Mississippi

Indiana has been called the middle finger of the South.
 
I think a start would be to have law enforcement officers dress like police again. This paramilitary trend hasn’t worked out well. We need more Andys from Mayberry and less special ops in Afghanistan.
 
This is true up to a point. If you’re talking about Lake and Porter Counties, they were settled from east to west, as in Eastern Europe to the manufacturing along and around Lake Michigan.

As I was growing up, I was told southern Indiana starts at Route 30.

Actually weren’t Lake and Porter Counties settled from the north? French trappers and fur traders from Quebec travelled the Great Lakes coming down Lake Michigan and began settling the area, if I recall my elementary school local history correctly.

When I was at IU during the 60’s we from The Region said as soon as we crossed the Kankakee River we were in Northern Kentucky.
 
I think a start would be to have law enforcement officers dress like police again. This paramilitary trend hasn’t worked out well. We need more Andys from Mayberry and less special ops in Afghanistan.

The streets are far too dangerous not to wear body armor. Cameras should be in place as they protect both the citizen and the cop.
 
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Actually weren’t Lake and Porter Counties settled from the north? French trappers and fur traders from Quebec travelled the Great Lakes coming down Lake Michigan and began settling the area, if I recall my elementary school local history correctly.

When I was at IU during the 60’s we from The Region said as soon as we crossed the Kankakee River we were in Northern Kentucky.

That attitude was chicago-driven. Lake and Porter are Chcago SMSA.

Once you get outside of Indy the world changes a bit in Indiana including moving from generally "broadcast standard" dialect and accent to more rural or "southern"

The IU campus is obviously a cultural island in south central Indiana where it starts to feel and sound more like KY.
 
Indiana is more southern and less midwestern than our neighbors in Illinois and Ohio, because we were initially settled south to north, rather than east to west. There’s an IU history prof who teaches this, and I happen to know there’s an old map in the governor’s office that shows this. We’re a peculiar state, and not in a good way.
Thank God we're not like Illinois!
 
Actually weren’t Lake and Porter Counties settled from the north? French trappers and fur traders from Quebec travelled the Great Lakes coming down Lake Michigan and began settling the area, if I recall my elementary school local history correctly.

When I was at IU during the 60’s we from The Region said as soon as we crossed the Kankakee River we were in Northern Kentucky.
Where I grew up, it was originally mostly Dutch-owned farms, but it was a literal melting pot by the 50s.

I tell my wife there’s a slur for every ethnicity, and we used all of them where I grew up to describe our friends, our families, and our foes. Sometimes you got hugged; sometimes you got mugged.
 
Actually weren’t Lake and Porter Counties settled from the north? French trappers and fur traders from Quebec travelled the Great Lakes coming down Lake Michigan and began settling the area, if I recall my elementary school local history correctly.

When I was at IU during the 60’s we from The Region said as soon as we crossed the Kankakee River we were in Northern Kentucky.
Me and my ancestors were Quackers, started on the east coast and headed pretty much due west around 1650. Family history
 
Indiana is more southern and less midwestern than our neighbors in Illinois and Ohio, because we were initially settled south to north, rather than east to west. There’s an IU history prof who teaches this, and I happen to know there’s an old map in the governor’s office that shows this. We’re a peculiar state, and not in a good way.
My original forefather on my Dad's side was from Union County South Carolina. He was Presbyterian and helped build a church south of Washington off of State Road 57. I sent a cover letter to inquire about a church vacancy and I mentioned that it would be interesting to investigate the idea of coming home. lol I did not make it through the process very far so I guess I never tugged on heart strings.
 
A large part of the problem with police culture is it’s very hard for an officer to be terminated from the job.
 
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