What funding sources do the police have that doesn't come from taxpayers? Unless it was direct donations of guns, it's still a funding source that could have offset other costs, right?
No direct cost to taxpayers, I wouldn't put it past them to pull some shit like borrowing the money from a third party (who just happens to be the chief's cousin), then using the taxpayer funds to pay back the borrowed money (with a steep interest rate). The purchase only used taxpayer funds indirectly, the third party gets a nice chunk of said taxpayer money, and the department gets to put out this little bit of feel-goodery propaganda. Everybody wins!
Any money spent by the police should be strictly taxpayer funded and they should have to account for every cent. If there's going to be police there should be absolutely no way of them taking money from any source BUT the government.
What funding sources do the police have that doesn't come from taxpayers? Unless it was direct donations of guns, it's still a funding source that could have offset other costs, right?
Civil forfeiture, 100%
No direct cost to taxpayers, I wouldn't put it past them to pull some shit like borrowing the money from a third party (who just happens to be the chief's cousin), then using the taxpayer funds to pay back the borrowed money (with a steep interest rate). The purchase only used taxpayer funds indirectly, the third party gets a nice chunk of said taxpayer money, and the department gets to put out this little bit of feel-goodery propaganda. Everybody wins!
Any money spent by the police should be strictly taxpayer funded and they should have to account for every cent. If there's going to be police there should be absolutely no way of them taking money from any source BUT the government.
But if I'm rich, how else am I supposed to get preferential treatment, and the odd 'look the other way' behavior?