Former Cop Explains Why He Quit The Force After Just 10 Days In Eye-Opening Twitter Thread

I thought I would actually be able to help some kids before it got too bad. But, I have a friend who convinced me to try law enforcement. I thought “hmmm maybe I can truly help people by being a cop.”

So, get hired by a department and put into the academy.
Paid to train. (2/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

But throughout the academy, little things started to not make sense. Some of the tactics felt gross, and like pure trickery to simply manifest crime. And, like, dumb stuff. Instructors would celebrate the dumbest things they’d ever been able to pin on someone.
(4/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

We also were threatened by a sergeant that if we let something happen to his family in town, he’d kill us. I mean, I get the sentiment, but why are you saying that to new recruits day 1?
Oh, and that guy? Sued in federal court - no longer a cop. Stealing drugs and money.
(12/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

Car makes an illegal move so they are hyped to pull them over. They do, and then return to the car after no ticket.
They brag about using the birth assigned pronouns for both of them. They call the woman “dude/man” and the male “lady”

Disgusting.
(15/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

One of the guys has slept with the girl who he now was kicking out of her car, and he was laughing at her and her boyfriend on the side of the road. Called them every name under the sun for folks struggling with drug addiction. It was the most heartless thing. Zero class.
(21/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

I went home and told my wife I wasn’t going back. She told me I should start to sub when I was recovered from it all. I did, and then realized how much better being a teacher is. I actually do impact and change lives for the better. It was everything I wanted.
(23/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022

Policing can't be "reformed", because policing is designed to produce brutality right from the very first days of training. https://t.co/AnubaehscQ
— Aditya Mukerjee, the Otterrific 🦦 🏳️🌈 (@chimeracoder) May 31, 2022

Just another one on the pile for “there are no good cops, the good ones don’t stay cops”. https://t.co/X3tsIFvnZg
— Xy, Heterochromatic 🌈🦊 Lesbian (@XylariaVG) May 31, 2022

Reading this thread makes me sad....all the people who might have been the "good cops" are weeded or are self weeding themselves out of the system. Gonna be hard to change a system with no one on the inside.
— Barbara McNeill (@BarbaraAMcNeill) May 31, 2022

Thank you for your courage to not reproduce oppression. In the 60s there was a saying “what if there was a war and nobody came.” What if no one wanted to be a cop! Nice fantasy, I know. At least I know your story and it gives me hope.
— Aida Hurtado (@hurtado_aida) May 30, 2022

Good apples won't last in a rotten barrel. https://t.co/Dn0OQDVEx9
— The Moon (@Moonerz) May 31, 2022

Personal opinion: As crimes' gotten more violent, enforcement tech more complex & recruiting for aggressive traits & obedience to order following, seems the culture of policing has gotten further from "protect & serve" to one of default suspicion, retaliation & excess brutality?!
— Dave - USAF Veteran (@dzaragon) May 31, 2022

When my father was homeless, he had a lot of interactions with the police and would always tell me about them. The cops that harassed him and stole from him were the ones that stayed cops. The ones that were kind and respectful were never around very long.
— Edward L. Platt is @elplatt@greatjustice.net (@elplatt) May 31, 2022

i failed my first interview for Fremont PD, I suspect because I was too hesitant to use my weapon in their scenario.
I grew up in the town next to Ferguson and this was about two years after. They refuse to solve problems without violence.
— midwestern mothman (@kilo_1337) May 30, 2022

I passed the NYPD test with a 98 % but they didn't employ me because I was to compassionate. Police forces don't want people to deescalte they want people who they believe will uphold values of what policing was established. Such as oppression and upholding capitalist views.
— FYB (@GunsterW) May 30, 2022

I feel pulled to mention: others in the academy were tremendous humans who are genuinely trying to help. I struggle with the ACAB stance because I’ve met humans, just like me, who are trying so hard to make it better from the inside.
But I recognize others have strong feelings. https://t.co/yhltbOu6zJ
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022