Anti-Corruption Party

No one is above the law

In the United States, we pride ourselves on a strong, but fair, judicial system and committed law enforcement officers that catch the criminals. We think policing, due process, and fair trials are the bedrock of our society. At the ACP, we do not want to defund core police functions. We value the police, their contributions to society, and their bravery, despite most often, inadequate pay.

However, what cannot be tolerated, are officers who abridge citizens’ rights, use excessive force, or discriminate against minority groups. We want to see bad cops stripped of qualified immunity and be punished accordingly. Trust in the police is foundational. Too often it seems like these bad cops just find another city to serve. A city that is left completely unaware of past indiscretions. We want to mandate a national database of officer offenses, so that everyone can know, before hiring, who is showing up in blue.

Additionally, we believe that the police have absorbed too many functions of public service other than policing. We need to make good cops’ lives easier by lessening their burden regarding issues such as: substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, and et cetera. It should not be the purview of police to take on such an expanded role in our communities. We as a whole community and country, need to do better, not just cops.

Regrettably, private prisons have become a popular way for states to shift their burden of operations, to profit seeking businesses. We feel that this is a wholly perverse incentive structure for incarceration. One of the main points of jail time is to be rehabilitated, and to gain the ability re-enter society as a productive member. Too often, we hear gruesome stories of brutal prison conditions, where it is essentially an inmate free for all. That cannot be what a prison sentence is about. End private prisons, reform the system, and drive better outcomes.

Lastly, we want to increase the number of judges at every level of government. There should be no reason that trials take years, and defendants sit for months in jail because they can’t post bail. Cash bail has been largely punitive to poor minorities. It forces them to make a deal with the devil just to not lose their jobs, houses, and families. End cash bail, period.

Right now, we have written about what we know. Undoubtedly, there are other issues that only experts in the field know about. We welcome their feedback should they decide to share it.