Monday, June 27, 2022

Misleading Headlines

A (fairly) recent dropping of the Blue Bag Rag sported an above-the-fold main headline of "Police get aid in behavioral health." Sounds great, right? Anyone who has been paying the least bit of attention knows that Police Command is a dumpster fire that seems fueled by an eternal flame. Everyone knows they need some professional help when it comes to behavioral (and mental) health. 

But this is not what is happening.

Rather than spend some money to put a lid on this raging fire and perhaps even slow the exponential rate of increase in legal and compensatory payouts, this money is to be spent because folks at city hall have determined real people in the Smart City need these services. Or, perhaps, this is just another budget and headcount expansion. These is another factor that seems rampant within the bureaucratic mindset: there is no such thing as community policing and this adds to the growing list of reasons that a cop will not respond.

Is that a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?