Local Talent
05-04-2010, 03:32 PM
Astute 20' lecture on what's wrong with our legal system here: http://www.wimp.com/legalsystem/.
As a private individual I wholeheartedly embrace what this guy says: we have gone too far and need to reform the legal system. The threat of litigation impacts negatively too many aspects of our lives and is dragging us down.
As a security professional, I am also aware that liability is the #1 threat we protect our clients from, so I know it's our bread and butter I'm talking about.
But what prompted me to post was this particular point: "Trust in law is an essential condition of freedom. Distrust skews behavior towards failure."
Distrust is either in our (LE & private security alike) nature or we learn it quick, because this is what saves your bacon. In our line of work paranoia is considered "healthy", and I know I personally don't trust anything or anybody 100%.
BUT, I also agree that we could use more trust in social interactions and give back some power to the individual (when it comes to decisions, not lawsuits). The mistrust of "The Man" and that over-zealous emphasis on individual rights come right out of the 60's, even if grounded in the Constitution.
This is something that has made me bang my head against walls lately - professionally.
My take is that if I don't/can't trust you, I don't want you on my team, period. Of course that trust is earned (interviews, background checks, licensing & training, etc.), then confirmed regularly, but I like to be able to turn my back on fellow agents once properly vetted.
It follows that I oppose intrusive "spying" such as cameras and constant reporting (bosses who insist on "leashes"): it is all unnecessary with good people AND fosters an atmosphere of mistrust (the "distrust skews behavior towards failure" part).
I would also like to see agents who have proven themselves, again and again, not trustworthy to be removed/transfered more easily.
I've had to leave a half-way decent job not so long ago, in good part because of my not fitting in the company's paranoid culture. I have found too much resistance in disciplining people (fear of liability again, and likely unemployment costs) and too many rules and hierarchies (impeding the decision process and denying it to the man on the ground).
So to me the ever more litigious society we live in changes us, and changes how we operate, taking away trust and freedom, and making us less productive.
But my recurring talk of micro-managers seems to make people uneasy, as though I were a "rebel". And until I run my own show I have to muzzle myself a bit.
I realize of course that there's a counterpoint. Dash cams are universal and obviously very helpful to LEOs, for example. I would rather take the cops' word, however, and be more proactive for their safety, than trust a technology (that can be deceptive) to investigate after the fact or make folks behave.
So since we're among friends I was wondering how you guys feel.
As a private individual I wholeheartedly embrace what this guy says: we have gone too far and need to reform the legal system. The threat of litigation impacts negatively too many aspects of our lives and is dragging us down.
As a security professional, I am also aware that liability is the #1 threat we protect our clients from, so I know it's our bread and butter I'm talking about.
But what prompted me to post was this particular point: "Trust in law is an essential condition of freedom. Distrust skews behavior towards failure."
Distrust is either in our (LE & private security alike) nature or we learn it quick, because this is what saves your bacon. In our line of work paranoia is considered "healthy", and I know I personally don't trust anything or anybody 100%.
BUT, I also agree that we could use more trust in social interactions and give back some power to the individual (when it comes to decisions, not lawsuits). The mistrust of "The Man" and that over-zealous emphasis on individual rights come right out of the 60's, even if grounded in the Constitution.
This is something that has made me bang my head against walls lately - professionally.
My take is that if I don't/can't trust you, I don't want you on my team, period. Of course that trust is earned (interviews, background checks, licensing & training, etc.), then confirmed regularly, but I like to be able to turn my back on fellow agents once properly vetted.
It follows that I oppose intrusive "spying" such as cameras and constant reporting (bosses who insist on "leashes"): it is all unnecessary with good people AND fosters an atmosphere of mistrust (the "distrust skews behavior towards failure" part).
I would also like to see agents who have proven themselves, again and again, not trustworthy to be removed/transfered more easily.
I've had to leave a half-way decent job not so long ago, in good part because of my not fitting in the company's paranoid culture. I have found too much resistance in disciplining people (fear of liability again, and likely unemployment costs) and too many rules and hierarchies (impeding the decision process and denying it to the man on the ground).
So to me the ever more litigious society we live in changes us, and changes how we operate, taking away trust and freedom, and making us less productive.
But my recurring talk of micro-managers seems to make people uneasy, as though I were a "rebel". And until I run my own show I have to muzzle myself a bit.
I realize of course that there's a counterpoint. Dash cams are universal and obviously very helpful to LEOs, for example. I would rather take the cops' word, however, and be more proactive for their safety, than trust a technology (that can be deceptive) to investigate after the fact or make folks behave.
So since we're among friends I was wondering how you guys feel.