So I finally read this story about how a few badged thugs brutally attacked a boy in my hometown and it boiled my blood. While I desperately hope justice is served against these criminals, I can’t help but feel it won’t happen. So far, the officers haven’t even been suspended. These are the people I’m entrusting my safety and civil order to and they’re attacking my innocent neighbors.

I have a few eccentric ideas about how to fix the world, such as banning health insurance until healthcare prices normalize, so consider the following in that sort of series:

Make a separate penalty system for police officers.

Granted, this already exists, but in the opposite way it should. It needs to be at least twice as harsh as the public criminal justice system. We put absurd amounts of trust in police officers, so if they’re abusing it, they’re undermining our entire system. Giving them a free pass or slap on the wrist for things we’d be held accountable for directly mocks any idea of justice in our society. Nobody is getting a fair trial if our law enforcement is above the law.

Our police should understand their role in our country as a necessary evil. Their loyalty is to the public and nobody else. Whatever actions they take must be in the effort of protecting the life, liberty, and equality of the people. Becoming a police officer should be seen as a selfless, brave act, not a way to fulfill sadistic urges of exerting power or upholding authoritarianism. For these reasons, they should understand the great sacrifice they’re making to provide a free and safe society by accepting a burden of responsibility higher than that of those they are protecting.

I have a similar suggestion regarding the TSA but that involves them getting punched really hard in the face each day when they start work.