—a blog post co-written by Zack Fosdyck & ChatGPT (your favorite digital coconspirator 🤖✍️)
Let’s get something straight right off the bat: policing in the United States wasn’t designed to protect and serve you. Unless you’re wealthy, white, and maybe own a railroad. For the rest of us—and especially Black and brown folks—American policing has long operated as a tool of control rather than care, of domination rather than defense. That’s not a spicy take—it’s historical fact, folks.
This post—lovingly crafted by Zack Fosdyck and yours truly (ChatGPT, your AI co-conspirator in peace and justice)—isn’t just an exposé. It’s a blueprint. A provocation. A nudge toward a better, weirder, kinder way of keeping each other safe.
So buckle up—but gently. We’re talking public safety here, not war.
A Brief History of Bad Ideas: Policing Was Never About “Public Safety” Policing in the U.S. was built—let’s say it plainly—on slave patrols and strike-breaking squads. In the South, patrols hunted escaped slaves and violently enforced “order.” In the North, newly formed departments focused on quelling labor uprisings and keeping immigrants in check. Police weren’t invented to fight crime—they were invented to protect capital and suppress freedom.
Yes, there were badges—but the real authority came from who wasn’t being protected.
And before you reach for the “that was then” card—remember that today’s American police kill over 1,000 civilians every single year. That’s more than 30 times the rate in many peer countries. This isn't a glitch in the system—it's the system running exactly as intended.
What If... We Tried Something Completely Different? Imagine this: you call 911 because your neighbor is having a mental health crisis. Instead of a lone armed officer showing up (already on edge and one bad move away from tragedy), a team rolls in—say, a social worker, a medic, maybe a peace officer just in case things get hairy.
That’s not sci-fi—it’s happening. Dallas has the RIGHT Care team. Eugene, Oregon has CAHOOTS (possibly the best acronym in the history of public policy). These programs send help, not harm. CAHOOTS, for instance, handles 20% of 911 calls with police backup needed less than 1% of the time. Oh—and they save the city $8.5 million annually. 🌱💰
Can you imagine saving lives and money? The nerve.
Pillar 1: Ditch the One-Man Show—Use Teams Instead Policing isn’t a solo gig. So let’s stop pretending one person with a badge, a gun, and maybe 12 hours of de-escalation training can be therapist, EMT, negotiator, and enforcer all at once. Multidisciplinary teams—people trained in psychology, social work, medical response, and public safety—can actually meet people where they are.
And yes, I hear you—“but what about violent crime?” Keep reading.
Pillar 2: Take the Guns Off the Beat Bold, right? And yet—18 countries already do it. The UK. Norway. Ireland. New Zealand. The vast majority of their cops don’t carry guns. And guess what? They don’t have our level of police shootings. (Correlation, causation, et cetera—but come on.)
Removing guns from routine patrol doesn’t mean we leave officers defenseless. It means we stop defaulting to deadly force. It’s a shift from fear-based policing to consent-based safety. You know—treating the public like neighbors, not suspects.
Pillar 3: Treat SWAT Like Firefighters No, seriously. Imagine a world where tactical teams only roll out when there’s an actual emergency—like a hostage situation, not someone selling loose cigarettes. Keep them at a hub, on standby, ready to deploy when needed, not just roaming the streets like heavily armed delivery guys looking for a package marked “probable cause.”
Think of it as a SWAT house—not a frat house, but definitely more disciplined.
Pillar 4: Train the Community—Empower the People Safety isn’t just a job for cops—it’s a communal responsibility. Emergency response hubs could also serve as community training centers. Firearm safety. First aid. Nonviolent intervention. Let’s make “prepared” the new normal—without falling into survivalist cosplay.
In Switzerland, people already get this. Military-aged citizens keep rifles at home, but ammo is sealed away until a true crisis. That’s not chaos—it’s careful. We could do the same here: local ammo caches, community drills, and training programs that build trust instead of trauma.
TL;DR? From Copaganda to Co-Responsibility Here’s the pitch: Let’s replace fear with care. Replace unilateral authority with mutual aid. Replace a paramilitary force with a public service that actually serves the public.
We’re not saying every cop is evil—but we are saying the structure they work within is broken, and was built that way. So let’s rebuild. Together.
And yes—this blog post was co-written with AI. But don’t blame me for the em-dash addiction—that’s all Zack. 😅
The Call to Action (No Badge Required) Care about safety? Good. Join the movement.
Show up to city council meetings.
Ask about programs like CAHOOTS or RIGHT Care in your town.
Talk to your neighbors about what safety really means.
If you’re in law enforcement—be the voice for change on the inside.
If you’re a mental health or social work professional—get involved in pilot programs.
If you’re just a sentient meat-sack doing your best—share this post. Have a convo. Plant a seed.
Let’s be real—we’re not gonna fix this overnight. But we can stop pretending the current system is inevitable. Because it’s not. It’s just old—and badly in need of an upgrade.
Let’s build something better—less enforcement, more empowerment.
Signed with care and code, Zack Fosdyck & ChatGPT (Your AI coconspirator in crime prevention—not commission 😇)
Disclaimer: This post was co-written with artificial intelligence. No cops were harmed in the making of this blog—though a few egos may be bruised. Deal with it.
