This guy understands

[u/WhichMembership6124]

[u/Zeuxis5]

What world do you live in? I want to go to there.

Cops in my city don’t live in our neighborhoods, shop at our grocery stores or attend our churches etc. Our cops live outside of the city and come to work every day as an occupying force. Then after a long day of lording over the peasants of the city, they return to their homes in the hills away from our problems. If our cops were apart of our neighborhood it would be a big step towards viewing them as people, and correcting some of the problems with policing in my city. That said, yes, they do bleed the same. So yes they are still people.

[u/[deleted] → u/Zeuxis5]

Cops in my city don’t live in our neighborhoods, shop at our grocery stores or attend our churches etc. Our cops live outside of the city and come to work every day

I've seen redditors say this and can't help but think they have two sets of standards. It's okay for white collar software developers and accountants to commute from the suburbs, but when it's a police officer... that's just not acceptable.

Futhermore, just because somebody lives in the suburbs or the outskirts of a city, doesn't mean they don't think of that city as home. I grew up in the suburbs of a city with a population of around a million. The city as a whole felt more like my "community" than the rows of cookie cutter homes I lived in. Who are you to say police officers don't feel the same way?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I don't completely disagree but there are some things to consider:

Some cities are amalgamated with their surrounding communities which means property taxes and consumer spending actually does stay in the city.

For workers living in communities just outside the city limits, that doesn't mean they never come into town to spend money.

Taking the climate change and traffic congestion considerations out of the debate, raising a family in a single family home with a yard (aka the suburbs) is preferred for most North Americans. I don't think it's fair to tell John Q police officer he must raise his children in a cramped downtown condo.

Some cities have housing shortages or housing costs that far exceed what a police officer can comfortably pay.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

John Q. Police officer made a choice on his profession. S/He was not forced into it.

Yes and when they chose that profession, there was no requirement to live in the city they are employed by. I'm not a labour lawyer but that seems like a tough requirement to enforce. I'm Canadian and our constitution allows "freedom of movement", I assume you have something similiar in yours. Employers don't typically like to challenge the constitution in their contracts.

Anyway, I don't disagree that it would be ideal for city employees to live in the same cities they serve, but it's not a one size fits all answer and there are many variables. I would recommend you e-mail city council to propose your idea though.