Something that has gone missing from society in general is "Accountability". That is the premise that people and corporations be held liable for their actions.
This is of course, to be expected - no one wants to be held accountable for their actions unless the consensus is favorable, and as people and corporations assume power they generally manipulate and adapt the "system" to remove accountability from their person or office. A classic example is the extrajudicial killings by President Obama of a variety of imagined terrorist threats:
Links:
- http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/a-ray-of-sunlight-on-obamas-extrajudicial-killings/373247/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killing
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki
- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/11/obama-drone-wars-normalisation-extrajudicial-killing
Now, given the abuses of position held by the President, it should come as little wonder that these same or similar abuses are perpetuated by police and security administrations. And the abundance of abuses by minor officials constitutes the single greatest threat to American Civil Liberties in the 21 Century.
We can fix this.
Link: Wiki on Accountability
Bring back Accountability. Citizens, ordinary (and by "Ordinary" I mean the democratic ideal of average, regardless of color/wealth/social status) are accountable. (OK. This is a fiction, but if you fit the arresting officer's definition of "ordinary" you will be accountable. Depending on how far above/below ordinary the officer ranks you will determine your accountability).
For officials holding Public Office - Police Officers, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Judges, etc. - Classical Tradition holds that they are more Accountable. Hence the beheading of Kings and Queens, the extreme punishment of bribed public officials, the summary execution of police officers and other officials viewed to be corrupt throughout the world. These positions - in civil service and otherwise - are positions of public trust, and breaches of that trust demand severe and expedited justice.
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Accountability - to be properly implemented - demands a higher bar for any officials of public trust - whether they be police officers, bankers, politicians or priests. Justice for these individuals is imperative. It should be expedited, swift, and exemplary (breaches of that trust are subject to public scrutiny. The public's attention span is short, and the warning is served to all possible offenders. Public Morality is determined largely by the behavior of it's most visible figureheads.). Presidents and Heads of States should be subject to an extra-judicial review board (upon leaving office) with members comprised of elected and informed citizenry. Police should be held to the same bar. And nowhere should we see the phrase "Internal Review" - this is as much to say "Nigga-Killing-Cops-Judge-Nigga-Killing-Cops". Every like-minded thief or murderer will judge a fellow murderer or thief kindly, sadly, the citizenry is not comprised of like-minded thieves and murderers, and so "Internal Review" is an oxymoron. Any review - good or bad - has to be external. They exist to serve the public, not themselves. Policies need to be decided not by the people enforcing them but by the people they are intended to serve. Extra-Judicial means, in this instance - the expedited summary of public opinion and wrath visited upon the person perceived as having violated their trust.
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Accountability. The first step in the right direction.