Setting His Sights

ABQjournal: Setting His Sights


Roberto Rosales/Journal

Scott David Benson, 12, practices his aim with a paintball gun at a shooting range on Wednesday, the first day of the three-day Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety’s “Cop Camp”.

During a three day “Cop Camp” sponsored by the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety, kids got to “practice their aim with paintball guns and used prop guns in a SWAT class…. Other camp activities include … booking and arrest procedures…. The camp was created to promote team building and unity among students and police.”

If you are bothered with military recruitment on college and high school campuses, note they are digging deeper (there is no difference between the military and police anymore).

I think it’s fine for the cops to work with kids and develop some “unity.” I think it’s wrong to train them to be cops/soldiers at ages 12 to 15. Not just cops — SWAT cops. mjh

PS: As an aside, this picture is about 4 by 6 in the paper, with a 72pt headline. There is a second picture that shows cops are soldiers now. Plus a 6 paragraph article with no byline. I could not find the article or second picture online. In an interesting coincidence, the bottom of that page (B2) features a billboard that uses a small child to recruit for Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department (couldn’t find that online, either).

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