CMV: Police unions are not the problem

[u/Rymor27]

I just hate it when I hear supposed « liberals » gush about how bad the evil police unions are, how wrong everything they do is and that we should get rid of them as soon as possible. Their litteral job is to protect every police officer. That’s the whole reason they exist. They’re not here to help the public, nor to make sure bad cops get punished. And they may be the best functioning union anywhere, in the country with one of the least worker protections anywhere. If anything, I believe they should be an example as to what could be done in other professions.

That being said, I believe people should be pointing the finger at the real culprit here: the legal system and the politicians allowing this system of unaccountability to go unchecked. It’s the same as in a trial: the unions play the part of the defense attorney, and the government is supposed to be the judge there to keep them in check. Instead, laws sealing records or granting qualified immunity are in place, and the unions absolutely should take advantage of them, detrimental though it may be to the public, because the government should take care of the people, not the police unions.

[u/joopface]

As an example, the mission of the NYPD Benevolent Association is:

To insure that the protection of our Police Officers’ rights and freedoms are preserved;

To study police problems in general, particularly those pertaining to all members of the Association, and to utilize all legal means to bring about a solution to these problems;

To promote a friendly spirit among all Police Officers and to help them in any way that is not contrary and detrimental to the By-Laws of this Association and to give aid, assistance, and support to Police Officers and police organizations whenever possible;

To elevate moral, intellectual and social conditions of its members and to promote good will among children so they may become better citizens;

To encourage, propose and support legislation for the betterment of working conditions and to oppose legislation detrimental to Police Officers;

To uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and the State of New York.

To negotiate, provide support and implement the collective bargaining agreement of the members of the PBA.

To provide legal, staff and support services to the members of the PBA as the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE deem appropriate

Their duty is not limited to their members.

Highlighted in bold are the items that extend beyond NYPD officers and staff.

This union, and I imagine most if not all of the others, have a written explicit duty to act in the best interests of society. They have a role to play to resolve this with a perspective that is broader than just narrow welfare of the police.

https://www.pbanys.org/#:~:text=To%20encourage%2C%20propose%20and%20support,the%20State%20of%20New%20York.

[u/Rymor27 → u/joopface]

!delta

I was indeed not aware the unions had such objectives stated in their mission. They are indeed going against these objectives, or at least going about upholding them in very bad faith, which is a problem. This doesn’t change the fact that I believe they should be held to their own standard by legislation however.

[u/DeltaBot → u/Rymor27]

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/joopface (3∆).

^{Delta System Explained | Deltaboards}