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Ok it was mentioned there is not a thread for Law Enforcement Officers (LEO for short)and other similar jobs for discussion.

This is for discussing the actual jobs, ranks, training, culture, relations to military bodies that exist, and any other variety of topics that can arise pertaining to the World of Policing.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#6326: Jun 15th 2019 at 7:31:29 PM

Increasing left wing presence in law enforcement is a great idea. I’ve been pushing towards similar things where I work, though maybe not in such blunt terms.

Edited by archonspeaks on Jun 15th 2019 at 9:10:31 AM

They should have sent a poet.
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#6327: Jun 15th 2019 at 9:20:27 PM

[up][up][up] Its kinda a self-fufilling cycle, isn't it? Police fill with power-tripping jackasses, angering left-wingers and making it an unappealing job to them, making room for more power-tripping jackasses.

I must confess I have my doubts as to whether individual people could help shift what seems to be an systemic problem throughout the institutions, but it likely can't hurt to try. Maybe some good can come of it after all. I'll just...keep my distance.

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#6328: Jun 15th 2019 at 9:34:36 PM

I know some good cops and some not so good cops.

The good ones tell me that your odds of changing things from the inside are pretty much null unless you're the actual chief or something.

If you wanna fix things then get into politics and local government, not the police department.

Although more good cops sure wouldn't hurt

Edited by LeGarcon on Jun 15th 2019 at 12:35:05 PM

Oh really when?
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#6329: Jun 16th 2019 at 3:31:46 AM

Individual officers can do a lot more than they think. Sure, you have to get pretty high up to deal with systematic issues, but being fair and treating people with respect goes a long way.

They should have sent a poet.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#6330: Jun 16th 2019 at 4:22:08 AM

To bring about institutional change you need good people at all levels, the ranks can ignore the mayor and still engage in bigotry, they can even ignore the chief on some level, you need good people at all ranks.

The police are I suspect stuck in the same cycle as politics generally, culturally we are disgusted with politicians and think they’re all scum, that means good people don’t go into politics (why would you, who wants to be that hated?), that means politics gets dominated by crooks, that validates and normalises the idea that all politicians are crooks, which means that non-crooks avoid politics like the plague.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6331: Jun 16th 2019 at 4:59:22 PM

A stabbing took place in Suita.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese police officer was stabbed several times in the chest with a kitchen knife and his loaded handgun stolen while on patrol on Sunday morning in the western city of Suita, in a rare case of violent crime in Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The attack, which police believe may have been pre-meditated, sparked a manhunt with police using loudspeakers at a railway station to warn people to be on alert.

The stabbing comes two weeks before Japan hosts a leaders' summit of the Group of 20 major economies in the neighboring city of Osaka. It also follows an incident last month in which a knife-wielding middle-aged man killed a girl and an adult, injuring another 17 people near Tokyo.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the nation.

"It's scary that handgun was stolen. I want this to be resolved quickly," a male neighbor said.

"A kindergarten's open day was canceled due to this incident. My kids cannot go out. It's scary," another man said.

The 26-year-old police officer was found lying on the ground with a kitchen knife stabbed in his left chest around 5:30 a.m. Sunday (2030GMT), reported NHK.

He was attacked in front of a police box as he likely followed two officers after a telephone call reporting a theft.

Police suspect the attack may have been pre-meditated as there was no theft and a security camera showed a man, who appeared in his 30s, hanging around the police box about an hour before the stabbing, said NHK.


UPDATE: Police in Osaka arrested a suspect who used to live near the koban where the incident took place with the revolver stolen.

Edited by Ominae on Jun 16th 2019 at 6:31:41 AM

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6332: Jun 18th 2019 at 7:25:19 PM

NHK ran a commentary regarding whether a beat in the local koban is safe:

People in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, breathed a sigh of relief early Monday after police announced they'd arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of stabbing one of their officers and stealing his loaded gun.

The manhunt may be over, but the incident brings renewed focus on the role played in Japanese society by the "koban," or police box.

The officer, Suzunosuke Kose, who was on duty at a police box in Suita City was found stabbed around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday. His handgun, loaded with five bullets, had been stolen. Kose remains unconscious and in a critical condition, with wounds to his chest and six other locations.

Local people were warned to be on the alert and stay indoors where possible, while many schools cancelled Monday classes.

On Sunday afternoon, police released images from the box's security camera of a man acting suspiciously in the vicinity.

Later in the day, they received a call from a person who said the man looked like his son. Investigators identified the suspect as Yujiro Iimori, of Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.

And, more than 24 hours after the incident, police apprehended Iimori in the city of Minoh shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Monday. They found him in a mountainous area, lying on a bench beneath which the gun had been placed.

Investigators say they found evidence suggesting the recovered gun had been fired once. Twenty minutes after Sunday's stabbing, some people living near the police box, say they heard a loud bang.

Police say Iimori denies the allegations of robbery and attempted murder.

"I didn't do it," he reportedly told investigators. "I think it's because my sickness is getting worse. It's because the people around me are getting worse."

The suspect is reported to have lived in Suita City until graduating from senior high school, suggesting he may have been familiar with the area.

The incident occurred at a time when police have been taking steps to prevent such attacks.

Japan has recently seen a series of incidents in which police officers were attacked and had their pistols stolen while on duty.

Last June, a man killed an officer at a police box in Toyama City and took a pistol. The attacker used the gun to shoot dead a security guard at a nearby elementary school.

Since 2013, police officers have had their guns stolen on nine occasions, including the latest incident. In five of the cases, perpetrators fired the stolen guns, causing casualties in three cases.

And last September, a 21-year-old university student stabbed an officer to death at a police box in Sendai City. The attacker did not steal a pistol in that case. He was shot dead by another officer and his motives remain unknown.

The National Police Agency has been taking measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again at any of the nation's approximately 6,000 police boxes.

They include requiring officers to wear stab-proof vests while on duty and deploying multiple officers at each police box. The agency is also promoting the introduction of anti-theft pistol holsters.

Officers from the local koban are often the first responders to emergency calls from people in their time of need. Routine neighborhood patrols remain at the heart of police activities, but that sense of reassurance is being shaken as community-level policing increasingly comes under attack.

For some pointers on the possible way ahead, we spoke with an expert on the Japanese police. Masahiro Tamura of Kyoto Sangyo University says the koban network is in need of review.

He says that sometimes there's only one officer on duty at each box, so forces have been stepping up measures to protect them. So far, they've rolled out more protective gear, as well as equipment to prevent guns from being stolen.

The koban system originated in Japan and has long been a key element in communities across the country. Most people will tell you that police boxes contribute to a general sense of safety.

But, Tamura says, there may no longer be a need for a round-the-clock police presence, as cell phones allow anyone to make an emergency call, wherever they are — there's no reason to seek out a koban for that.

He suggests the larger police stations can cover the duties of the boxes during early morning and at night. That's one way the number of koban might be scaled back, which could eliminate the problem of officers being left alone and vulnerable to attack.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#6333: Jun 19th 2019 at 8:53:46 AM

What's a "police box"?

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
akanesarumara Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#6334: Jun 19th 2019 at 8:56:51 AM

[up] More or less the English approximation of what "koban" is - basically a miniature precinct.

TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#6335: Jun 19th 2019 at 4:13:17 PM

From the other wiki. Basically a part of police-specific communication network with a number of physical locations.

"A police box is a public telephone kiosk or callbox for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police. It was used in the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century from the early 1920s.[1] Unlike an ordinary callbox, its telephone was located behind a hinged door so it could be used from the outside, and the interior of the box was, in effect, a miniature police station for use by police officers to read and fill in reports, take meal breaks and even temporarily hold detainees until the arrival of transport."

Who watches the watchmen?
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#6336: Jun 19th 2019 at 4:33:17 PM

So people are calling in planning to ambush armed police?? Sounds like a procedural problem. They need to assign two man teams to answer these calls.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#6337: Jun 19th 2019 at 4:42:32 PM

Japanese police boxes aren't like the British ones were. They're actually more like... Well... toll booths/ mini-offices/ prefab hot-and-cold boxes of "you really pissed somebody off to get assigned to this". And, manned pretty much around the clock (although that is variable, depending on how rural or urban a given area is).

People use them as mini-stations. It's to the box you go if you're reporting, say, a missing bike or a neighbour blocking access to your garage or flat. Again.

They also have first aid equipment. And, other community-accessible bits and bobs you might need to e.g. fight a fire in the middle of an earthquake.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jun 19th 2019 at 12:45:32 PM

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#6338: Jun 19th 2019 at 5:13:04 PM

They basically have all the stuff a US police cruiser would have in the trunk, minus the guns. It’s a traditional holdover they haven’t gotten rid of.

They should have sent a poet.
Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6339: Jun 19th 2019 at 6:32:38 PM

Since that's usually a safe place to be, considering Japan's anti-gun laws, officers consider it to be not a bad beat.

Since the end of the occupation, there have been cases where officers are taken by surprise in order to steal their sidearms/whatever they have. Mind you, this started in the Cold War by leftist terrorists in Japan. But this kinda died down and it took place rarely until the late 2010s.

Edited by Ominae on Jun 19th 2019 at 6:33:25 AM

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#6340: Jun 19th 2019 at 6:39:36 PM

[up]Tell that to those who freeze solid because they're halfway up a mountain or in lovely Hokkaido around February. tongue

Also, July-August can be loads of fun when you're living in a very excellent solar energy catcher that is unlikely to have a dehumidifier.

Those boxes are many things, but properly insulated isn't one of them.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jun 19th 2019 at 2:42:16 PM

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#6341: Jun 19th 2019 at 8:46:49 PM

[up][up] Why retention holsters never caught on in Japan is a mystery to me.

[up] Kobans are more like very small buildings than UK-style police boxes. They’re not typically uninsulated, except in very warm areas. You’ll rarely see one without heat and AC. Though, freezing your ass off is a law enforcement tradition.

Edited by archonspeaks on Jun 19th 2019 at 8:49:12 AM

They should have sent a poet.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#6342: Jun 19th 2019 at 9:31:37 PM

[up]Yup. Briefly lived in Japan. No, they are not particularly well insulated. They inevitably look nice from a distance, but you can quickly see the issues when you get close. Contract work; lowest bidder wins.

I've seen the things in action.

Which is why I said what I did about them not being at all like old school British Tardises, save for the basic premise behind both. tongue

Also — dehumidifier. Didn't say "air con" or "fan". Those are nice, but around sea level in most of Japan in and around August, it's not the temperature that does you in: it's that and the humidity. But, those poor guys don't get vacuum-sealed hugging a dehumidifier.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jun 19th 2019 at 5:41:06 PM

TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#6343: Jun 19th 2019 at 11:17:53 PM

Koban's also act as the local community service and surveillance spot. They know where people live and if they have anything registered etc.

Pretty common job if you enter the police force from the ground up. Many guys in the National Police Agency have barely touched the streets, being career bureaucrats.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#6344: Jun 20th 2019 at 12:09:06 AM

Briefly lived in Japan.

One day I want to read your auto-biography. You’ve been all over.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6345: Jun 20th 2019 at 2:02:54 AM

The NPA is now realizing the need to get special holsters that aren’t easily to get and snatch the sidearm. Considering that the first reported incident IIRC happened post-war when leftist violence was the rage.

The standard has been the lanyard tied to the revolver/pistol’s grip below. Seen that before and after I went to Japan as a kid. That and doubled with taihojutsu training or using the sasumata or the keijo staff is meant to be used before the sidearms get drawn out.

Edited by Ominae on Jun 20th 2019 at 2:09:09 AM

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#6346: Jun 20th 2019 at 2:48:19 AM

[up]x4 They’re required by law to have a certain amount of climate control. Older ones obviously aren’t as good, but they’re generally tolerable. In the larger metro areas you could expect to see what are basically small police precincts, some of them are even two stories with holding areas for suspects and everything. Contract work doesn’t automatically mean utter shit.

[up] Going hands-on with someone is a colossally stupid idea if you don’t have a retention holster. Even with one your gun is usually the first thing someone fighting you will reach for.

Edited by archonspeaks on Jun 20th 2019 at 2:54:51 AM

They should have sent a poet.
AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#6347: Jun 20th 2019 at 2:54:07 AM

Thing is, in Japan, lots of places don't have a lot of AC or what have you. I can't imagine that it's much more humid inside of a police box than it is anywhere else in the southern half of the country. It's almost as if they're on an island in the Pacific Ocean somewhere.

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6348: Jun 20th 2019 at 2:54:19 AM

One more thing, Osaka Prefectural Police was the first one to get the special holsters out. The officer who got knifed didn't get his on time.

[up][up]

My theory is that they never consider it since gun snatching declined after left groups didn't bother to attack officers anymore in the 1990s and 2000s, although they keep an eye for that isolated suspect in some close calls.

The stuff in the Police Duties Execution Law is kinda the main thing why police are usually hesitant to use a sidearm. There's been one incident where an officer did use a gun to force a suspect to stop fleeing via car. The academies always emphasis close quarters before the guns. Although an exception and the Anti-Firearms Squads/Special Investigation Team/Special Assault Team is called in if the suspect/s are already armed and are willing to shoot at officers and bystanders.

Lot of media controversy over that. However, the view was that the officer did the right thing.

Edited by Ominae on Jun 20th 2019 at 3:07:56 AM

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#6349: Jun 28th 2019 at 3:19:11 PM

Two SP State Police officers have died this week, both during service after exchanging fire with crooks.

One of them was in the motorbike patrolling, he died in a rather terrible moment of bad luck, when he and his partner were chasing a suspect on a motorbike and end up running into a carjack, on which the robber managed to shoot the Corporal in the face after firing on his partner.

To be said, it has been some tough couple of months for the force with 4 confirmed officers killed in service or leaving service.

Inter arma enim silent leges
vicarious vicarious from NC, USA Since: Feb, 2013
vicarious
#6350: Jun 28th 2019 at 3:25:25 PM

Be careful man, and I’m sorry to hear about that.


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