What we can learn from Germany, where police training involves confronting a dark past

As the U.S. faces a reckoning over systemic racism and police brutality, other countries could offer fresh insight on reshaping law enforcement training and tactics. In Germany, officers must confront the past in order to move forward. New York Times correspondent Melissa Eddy joins CBSN from Berlin to explain.

[@ehanoldaccount5893]

Germany is the only country that actually admits and comes to terms with its past, yet they get the most blame for their past.

[@Trockenshampooleopard]

*with parts of our past. We still owe an apology to the Herero and Nama.

[@guitounours]

I'm Belgian and have no issues whatsoever with present day Germans, even if Belgium suffered severly in both WW. I see them genuinely as fellow European citizens and I'm really not an exception. That's how a majority of Europeans feel in the 21st century. We have a (difficult) future to build and really no time to loose with old feuds.

[@videogamebomer]

Thats because they force were to by the winners 0f the war you know dam well if they won their actions would have considered justified.

[@chrismcg69]

@@videogamebomer and if my granny had balls she would be my grandad, what's your point?

[@grewdpastor]

@@videogamebomer I do not think that is true. In my country (occupied by the Germans and assisting them rounding up Jews) the police was also purged and reformed after WW2

[@PeTer-xd8nx]

Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it should be the duty of all state authority. Art.1 German Constitution

[@swanpride]

And the best invention ever. And Germany has some really great inventions.

[@PeTer-xd8nx]

@@swanpride It makes me sad when I realize that many people take everything for granted - my grandfather always put on his best suit on election day and left the house with the words: "People have died so I can vote and be in the union!

[@HafdirTasare]

@@PeTer-xd8nx I wish this would be more of a attitude today.

[@Maxcraft12]

@@PeTer-xd8nx my Grandpa was the same, on election day he always sayed I fought the Nazis in the streets and many comrades died for us to have this right.

[@PointmanOps]

Man I live in Germany and I'm not German. German police needs to read the constitution. Only 1 percent of police abuse reports is investigated!

[@NeverGoFullRetard415]

2 years of training to become a barber... 6 months to become a cop.. Need I say anything more?

[@NancyMcCurry]

And you should see the curriculum! You can look it up. It's terrifying. They are trained to hate and fear all of us and shoot first and ask questions later.

[@paulojrg]

@@leno944 Failed deadly barbers.

[@royolsen87]

Ray Exactly, also no requirement to have illegitimate or illegal border crossing babies.

[@donttrustanimalrescuevideo8112]

In Germany ?

[@donttrustanimalrescuevideo8112]

Nancy M in germany??

[@jochvomberg5541]

Training Time Police Germany 3 years vs 3 to 6 months in USA

[@jmmjjmmj8994]

Any nutjob who can shoot is qualified in US.

[@palasta]

Low rate of gun violence in Germany vs. exorbitant number of firearms (legally/illegally) available to civilians and one of the most highest rates of gun violence in a first world country, the USA. Two digit numbers vs four digit numbers.

[@samblack2318]

First Of all the Budget for Police in Germany Gigant and Second there are about 20-40milion iligal guns in Germany the Population ist only 80milion

[@ofipete]

Samuel Bernecker - das ist eine absurde Behauptung.

[@J4ckC4ver]

20-40 Million? That is just absurd. That means on average 1 out of 2 people have an illegal firearm. That is not the case. But I am open so see your sources

[@komentierer]

As a German myself, I think that the issues with the US Police originate from a very distorted and politicised perception of morals in America in general. A great example would be the comments that can be found on many news sites/KZbin channels, condoning police violence. Comments like this one (paraphrased): "It is their [the protesters] fault, if they didn't block the streets, all of this [the targeted police violence] wouldn't happen". This kind of opinion seems to be the most popular defense for irrational police violence against peaceful protesters in the US, and that is EXTREMELY concerning. The notion that a misdemeanor should be penalized using physical violence would be universally condemned anywhere else, even in most Sharia Law Nations in the middle east. This sort of complete lack of respect for human dignity and the value of human life can result in truly horrendous consequences! If this kind of pro-violence argument were to be made in any other development nation, it would result in plain disbelief. But in the US, it seems completely normal. You guys need to look abroad more often, before the last sense of morality that's still left goes down the drain! And I don't mean Germany, I mean anywhere on the planet.

[@ca6177]

Kommentator you are so right! I’ve been very upset with our police tactics for years, it’s so wrong! Police look at citizens as the enemy, and that’s not even touching the subject of how they view people of color! We have a very long way to go!

[@TheMusicEloquence]

To be fair when you said "Peaceful Protests" you comment lost completely all credibility. Every thing that happened is a stage and BLM/ANTIFA is paid off by some of the worst corrupt individuals. NOTHING about these protests are peaceful. The real "peaceful" protestors are protesting by praying and upvoting the leadership that is fighting the corruption within the NWO. WorldWide.

[@NeverGoFullRetard415]

Say it louder 🗣🗣🗣they cant hear you in the back 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@ApriliaRacer14]

TheMusicEloquence To be fair we all saw many examples of peaceful people getting shot with rubber billets, sprayed in the face with pepper spray, flash banged, old man shoved to the ground and specific targeting of journalists. It should be concerning.

[@dirkdriessen1133]

@@TheMusicEloquence you love to hate people and thats the problem. You are the problem. You dont even try to respect anybody else, but figuring out who your next enemy could be.

[@oliverhardy9464]

You can even see a differences in the catchphrase. In the U.S. it's "protect and serve", in Germany the police is often labeled differently, as a friend. If you get pulled over by a police car in Germany you don't have to worry about being yelled at for no reason. Most of the time the German police officers are very friendly. (And don't get me started on the differences between incarceration in Germany (or other European Countries) and the U.S..) From a German perspective the U.S. focusses way to much on penalising as many people as possible (wether they have done something serious or not) which creates conflicts instead of setting de-escalation and handling things with a more lenient approach to avoid these conflicts as a main goal.

[@swanpride]

Even our police propaganda is different. If I see an american cop show, I see chase scenes and cops drawing their weapon and music which pumps you up. The majority of our cop shows feature cops "helping the neigborhoud". I mean, compare the intro of "Großstadtrevier" with an US cop show, and it is likel night and day.

[@oliverhardy9464]

@@swanpride Exactly.

[@NancyMcCurry]

I've been afraid of the US police all of my 60 years on earth. They are completely unpredictable, over-armed, under-trained, angry, scared and too often violent. When non-compliance becomes an instant death penalty, we have a big problem. The cops crushed his windpipe and told George Floyd to "Relax", as they killed him. Let's be serious people. They protect and serve each other. Citizens are the enemy here.

[@NancyMcCurry]

And in America they "Protect and Serve" themselves.

[@fabigrossi2976]

@@NancyMcCurry Im so sorry to hear that, Nancy! That's just not right! Being from Germany I've seen many videos of Americans living in Germany on youtube, black and white Americans, who all point out, how polite our police are. Serious, but always calm and polite. Especially Afro Americans find that astonishing. They say, they are not afraid of our police. One very big point in their training is de-escalation. That alone says it all, I think. Noone here is afraid, a policeman could pull the gun. We don't do that here.

[@Adrian.910]

Why is Germany always associated with Nazis. I'm German and I find that very sad and stupid

[@mr.muffinmann5158]

They just don't train their police long enough or even good. Germany does it better Their argument: WW II. That is so stupid

[@mrmateojones8368]

What do you mean? I believe I am among the best trained police officers in the world as an LAPD officer. How sitting in a classroom longer make that better?

[@caraira1909]

@@mrmateojones8368 first, obviously you have no idea how the trainning of the police in Germany works , second, the best trained police officers in the world? dude, you just told me that you have never been outside the US without saying that you have never been outside the US. And third, the fact that the german police is capable to descalate dangerous situations instead of escalating them as the US police does says a lot about how much better the training of the german police is , compared to the US.

[@gunchar06]

@@mrmateojones8368 Was that a joke?

[@mrmateojones8368]

@@caraira1909 We can not be compared to Germany or any other nation for that matter, it’s apples to Oranges. Germany does not have to deal with organized crime nationwide. They do not have a well armed populace. Germans have a strong respect for the law and law enforcement. They do not have poor and ineffective treatment of the mentally ill either. Essentially you just don’t have a real clue at all. You watch maybe a hundred or so KZbin videos of young and dumb cops doing stupid things and you offer an indictment of all the ready of the 800k of us. That’s a very childish thing to do.

[@caraira1909]

@@mrmateojones8368 tell me that you have neven been to Germany without telling me that you have never been to Germany. As much as I would like to agree with everything you are telling, we do have to deal with organized crime nationwide, obviously you have never heard about the arab clans, the russian mafia and even the italian mafia, yeah, they operate Europewide, and the clans are a real concern. Also, the police in Germany have to deal with a lot of disrespect and violence , just to give an example , less than a month ago two cops were killed by some psycho in a traffic control near my town, the only problem we don't have is the crazy weapon love mentality, but having a lower crime rate doesn't mean that we don't have crime or huge issues too. Having issues isn't an excuse to treat people the way your police does, and don't try to sell me the "a couple of incidents" narrative, contrary to you, who has never been here, I have been to the States long enough to know that your country has indeed an issue and not a small one regarding the police. Without getting into details I know about it first hand, and if you trully believe , that the trainning you get there is good enough, then you are part of the issue. Besides, I don't have the time to be watching KZbin videos as you are assuming ... and you know what is said about people who assume without having a clue as you are doing. So support the "blue lives matter" crap if that makes you happy , doesn't change the fact the the police in the US is rotten to the core.

[@JonnysChannel]

I'm African American living in Germany and I've never had any issues with the police here. The last time we went to the states the police pulled us over and my wife froze up because of her knowledge of how violent American police are. While trying to calm her down they yelled at me to stfu or I'd spend the night in jail. People are terrified of the American police....

[@videogamebomer]

Welcome home

[@TinyTeaKettle]

Glad you're in Germany buddy :) Nobody should be afraid of the police.

[@Longtack55]

I'm a white New Zealander and living in the USA for two years and dealing with cops was scary. It's obvious that USA Cops are light on deescalation. "Shoot first and cover your arse to justify your incompetence."

[@barkosvega2718]

@@TinyTeaKettle Criminals should...

[@bjornschmidt480]

@@barkosvega2718 They should be afraid of being caught and imprisoned, not that they may not survive the day because somebody believes you payed with counterfeit money.

[@awise25]

I love the fact that I am American but can we please pump the brakes in saying what a wonderful country we are and learn from others.

[@EEdwin345]

We can always learn from others, but still maintain our views. As an American I like how we do our own things even if the whole world doesn't. We just do our own things and don't care about other countries opinions. However, we shouldn't close ourselves from the world and instead try to pick the best and implement it into our own country to keep this country going.

[@johanncruyff143]

Ur Country is beautiful buuuut Bruh uhm 30% of the people are weird or racists so change ur people

[@QemeH]

As long as they ask "Why is america the greatest country in the world?" and not "How can america become the greatest country in the world?", they'll not do *one* step...

[@EEdwin345]

@@QemeH Not necessarily, you can believe its the best country in the would to you personally. But also realize and acknowledge its flaws to improve. I personally believe its the greatest country TO ME but I also am a great critic of its problems

[@Big_Fudge_]

@@EEdwin345 What even makes you think the USA could be the greatest country in the world? What can you do what you can't do in other states?

[@vani7080]

You should have mentioned that the police in germany is not allowed to use their weapon, only as a last resort to save their own life.

[@tenochaxayacatl1187]

Or the life of others. They may even shoot to stop someone from escaping, if he is a known to be a great danger to people. But by targeting non lethal body parts.

[@landonalger6633]

Fairly certain that this rule is also applied to American Officers. Not denying that there have been plenty that have broken this rule, but it's true for American LEO's.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

And even then most officers are trained well enough to not rely on their weapon to handle the situation successfully.

[@christiankastorf1427]

@@tenochaxayacatl1187 Right; really dangerous people can be shot "fluchtunfähig" (unable to flee), whereas in the case of an attack the aim is to make someone "angriffsunfähig"- (unable to attack). That can of course mean that a shot is aimed at the heart or brains if only that can save the life of others.

[@JonasReichert1992]

And to save another life. Not just there own.

[@MalcolmJames]

This is how I see it in Germany nobody has do be afraid to be pulled over and be killed that speaks volumes period

[@aaronb7178]

Same in America. If you behave yourself and act like a responsible person there is nothing to be worried about. It's the liberal media that is spreading the lies of all those "innocent" black people getting killed.

[@chrissiec2123]

@@aaronb7178 It's not the same in America. You know that as well as I do.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@aaronb7178 Aaron... dude... 'not behaving' comes with the death penalty? Even a person 'not-behaving' has universal human rights. .... oh wait... just saw a comment of yours opposing censorship... but you make behaving oneself a condition for not being physicaly harmed by the police? So it's okay for a police officer to hit you, shoot you, deprive you of basic human rights because they deem you to behave improperly... but you worry about censorship?! So censorship is okay as long as it's dished out with a gist or a gun by the police?

[@aaronb7178]

@@sisuguillam5109 Don't make a fool of yourself. With "not behaving" I mean attacking or threatening police officers which might also get you killed in an encounter with German police officers, in case you didn't know.

[@bjornschmidt480]

@@aaronb7178 Well, you definetly never met the guys from the LA Sheriffs Department :D

[@helfgott1]

We germans trust our police because they trust in us, the german citizens.They are working hard 24/7 not always without mistakes but with a professionalism and dedication which cannt be thanked enough. We do know that they, the police,are not a tool of government but they are german citizens here to protect us germans bound by the german constitution to follow the principles of human rights. AND THEY ARE DOING A GREAT JOB: Human dignity shall be inviolable ,German Constitution Art 1

[@veroniquenyokabi1998]

Human dignity is untouchable

[@jasmin5858]

I think one of the reasons why they can trust us is that we usually don't own any weapon that would threaten them. Sure, some criminals own them but the average citizen doesn't have one. That means that there most likely won't be a gun fight and they can handle things without guns first. That is a good way to de-escalate the situation.

[@pxu_190]

@@jasmin5858 Jeder Keneck in Frankfurt hat ein Messer

[@jasmin5858]

@@pxu_190 Versuch mal, mit nem Messer gegen jemanden mit ner Schusswaffe zu kämpfen. Da hast du keine Chance. Deshalb hat die Polizei hier mehr Kontrolle als in den USA wo sehr viele Menschen ne Schusswaffe haben

[@pxu_190]

@Polish Hero Witold Pilecki They are better tho🇩🇪

[@joshuaconner4540]

I've been saying it for years. They F'ed up big and paid for it for over 30 years and now Germany donates more, accepts more refugees and apparently mastered humane policing.

[@j.s.8905]

Yeah we are "better" in these things because we decided to. You can do the same.

[@paxundpeace9970]

I don't agree on the point of modern policing. They didn't mastered it either. Killing by the police are on the rise in Germany. Not to mention people killed by accidents with police cars which are mostly caused by the driver of the police car alone resulted in more death then officer killed on duty per year (by the road traffic accident is the most likely). Approximately 30 people die in police confinement every year due to lack of observation and restricked access to medical care.

[@canisxv9869]

@@paxundpeace9970 Wrong, actually there were less police killings in 2019 vs 2018 (down from 14 to 11), I cant speak for police accidents thou and how many people die in police confinement

[@katharsis7957]

pax und peace I think we’re on a good way because of how our legal system is set up. Can things be improved? Sure. What we really need is an independent structure to investigate police wrongdoing and a study concerning racist police behaviour. I don’t know where you get your facts quite frankly.

[@jennyh4025]

GERWolf I had to laugh out loud when I read the numbers you mentioned. 10-20 police killings is a low daily number in the USA, not for the whole year.

[@xxtripixx9869]

Most of the european police departments are well trainned to de-escalate situations. In US police escalate the most ridiculous situations as we see on media. Have you ever seen a EU police cuffing a 6 years old girl at her primary school for "bad behavor"? that only happens in the US. In Europe when you are pulled over by a traffic patrol, you are worried about the ticket/fee. In US you are worried about the patrol. But it wouldn't be fair to focus this problem only on cops, it's also about the USA weapons and violence culture, it's has a lot to do with this.

[@clemensfrick1771]

To be fair, in germany policemen have different fears than in the U.S.. I can somehow understand that police officers in the U.S. are more busy with shooting than talking if everyone could carry a gun.

[@wtfatc4556]

Usa has to many guns and way tooo much coke & meth

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@clemensfrick1771 But not everyone is carrying a gun in the US. A very small number of americans actually does. Those who do own guns do own a lot of them - which messes with the statistics. On top of that: there are countries that have a high number of gun ownership - yet policing does not follow the american model.

[@panchopuskas1]

Germany had a total reboot after 1945.....some other countries (UK and USA in particular) need to do the same.......

[@mikefraser4513]

What's so nasty about the UK police?.....give some examples and I'll give you 10 times as many from France, Italy or Spain. The UK police don't carry guns. They only have pepper sprays, a baton and a lot of sarcasm.

[@rippspeck]

@@mikefraser4513 Your coppers might only sport clubs, but they really, *really* enjoy using them.

[@e.458]

@@mikefraser4513 The UK police seem fine in comparison, but there's a lack of dealing with the past in general. I bet, Brexit would't have happened if there weren't still so many people looking back to the English Empire with nostalgia and feeling insulted by the thought of "just" being one of many countries inthe EU (especially if Frace and Germany are seen as leaders).

[@dl5136]

The reasons why Germany does have far less crimes and police violance than the US are really more complex than displayed. You need to focus on the achievements after world war 2 rather than world war 2 as such. Germany has solid labour laws and a very good social security system which leads to very few crimes out of poverty. Furthermore, gun laws are very strict and nearly nobody carrys guns in public with the exception of the police. Therefore, police officers are not afraid of being attacked by guns. The main concerns are physical attacks which rarely happen. Most Germans belief in the saying "Freund und Helfer" which translates to "friend and supporters" when it comes to police officers. Another important point is the general approach of non violance and descalation which is taught during a 3 years bachelor degree program involving many theoretical and practical training. The German police sorts Rambos and aggressive students out during this time. Violance is the last option and is avoided until it is really necessary. In 2019, German police used their weapons in 56 cases, wounded 34 people and killed 11 people (83 million people live in Germany). If police officers violate certain laws, German courts will examine cases. One friend of mine who is a police officer says that German officers always have one foot in a prison cell because mistakes will be prosecuted by German courts. The police also tries to be as diverse as possible. Men and women as well as German citizens of nearly every background work for the German police. Germany gives police officers security by giving them lifetime employment and a decent wage and pension. The US should focus on the following problems: Guns, economic inequality and social security.

[@swanpride]

Police officers have been shot in Germany during traffic stops, too. Most people don't know this, but gun ownership is pretty high in Germany AND there is a huge number of illegal weapons in the country. But the whole culture around guns and policing is different. It makes a huge difference if you pull a weapon on a police officer or not when your punishment is discussed, so even criminals who own weapons are less likely to use them against the police than it is the case in the US, where you get huge punishments even for minor crimes.

[@haroldsen4238]

swanpride Yeah, but most people with guns are Hunters. At least if I go by my experience. My father is a Hunter, so most people I met with guns are Hunters, but if I go by all gun owners in Germany, maybe most of them aren’t Hunters.

[@swanpride]

@@haroldsen4238 The ones who own guns legally usually are. But as I said, the number of illegal weapons in the country is very high.

[@kberlin85]

@@swanpride dude wtf are you talking about? Show me the source

[@mattis6224]

@@kberlin85 fr

[@LiLiJo]

A lot of solid ideas. 2 years of training, a hotline for cops and several others could really work here.

[@ThereAreNoBlackPpl]

for all the rules that get made, police still break them and rarely get punished, there needs to be oversight by the community and a proper way to reprimand the ones that do wrong. look at bodycams, the point was to see what they were doing and all cops do is turn them off

[@mrchr1s94]

Y Lee Williams in Europe, for over 50 years now it is against the human rights for the police to investigate themselves. It does not count as „acess to court“. There needs to be an independent investigator. Also we don‘t have qualified immunity, but special sections of the penal code for officers doing something wrong. Some are softer, some harder. Police is the states monopoly of power, if they abuse that, they get harsh punishments. Just to give some ideas how we handle it.

[@barackthecomposer6642]

Y Lee Williams This is why so many cops nationwide or now resigning, calling in sick, or not answering 911 calls. They’re angry because the nation is now demanding ACCOUNTABILITY.

[@swanpride]

@@ThereAreNoBlackPpl Germany has also a rule that if a complain is made against one prescint, said complain is NEVER investigated by police officers from the same area. They always pull in investigators from elsewhere. In addition, Police officers are often punished harder than "normal" people, because of a basic assumption that they are trained for specific situations, hence it is more unforgivable if they forget their training.

[@hawkanonymous2610]

@@swanpride Later is unluckily not true. While the law actually has higher penalties for police officers who misbehave, this has let to police officers actually getting lower sentences. The background is a bit complicated but in esence German courts are supposed to cross check the effect of the punishment so it does not become disproportional to the crime. Which is good in itself but combined with higher punishments for police officers (for example, if police officer is sentenced to anything above 12 months in prison, he loses his status as a official of the state which also means he loses his rights to any retirement money he has made up to his point. So the court would also have to take that into account and most of the time they will sentence very close to the 12 months but not go over as it would leave most police officers in destitute for the rest of their lives) often lets to the lower sentences to have a similar punishing effect.

[@YeeSoest]

Key phrases : Differentiation between military and police Deescalation even under pressure Realize you are part of the community you're policing !!!!

[@bluebird8105]

Except for the national guard maybe military and police in the us arent connected as well. And the natonal guard alsp cant do police jobs and only protect public spaces. What you mean is the militarization of the police which is caused by the fact that american police regularly faces armed suspects and threats to their lives die to the large amount of firearms on the streets. Thats the main difference between the us and germany for example.

[@mikefraser4513]

But I think they have "To serve and protect" on their cars.

[@simonerdmann8119]

The police are already heavily militarized in Germany. This isalso because the domestic deployment of themilitary inGermany is heavily regulated. The police in Germany are anything but good compared towhat might be possible in a rich and enlightenedcountry likeGermany. Only recently, a UN human rights activist pointedout in a report that the German policehave a structuralproblem with torture. For myself, as a peaceful and left-wing activist, it is hard tobear to be subjected to state repression by thepolice at anytime.

[@veliostv9089]

As a German, being 39 now, I had several contacts to our police in my lifetime so far. Not just common controls / inspections but also some weird stuff in younger years. Looking back now, seeing that video, I cannot say those guys ever were unfair or bad. So, I have great respect for them, nearly always acting deescalating and with emptahy.

[@anonymusum]

The use of guns is a major factor. As far as I have learned the entire German police force fires as many shots as the Chicago police department in one day. Ths comparison raises a lot of questions and it gives a deep insight on the character of the officers.

[@spectre1725]

Yes. I'm not sure how exactly it is in germany but in the neighbour switzerland, if a police officers shoots his gun, then automaticly there will be an Investigation that will be handled by a court. And yes, they count ammunition getting handed out and coming back very carefully. Its not a perfect process. Especially if the police officer is accused for a long time until the case is dropped. So that is mentally high pressure on the officers.

[@christiankastorf1427]

@@spectre1725 Yes, it would be and IS a great shame for the police service if ammo found/finds its way onto the black market or into the hands of (rightwing) terrorists.

[@embassyalex1]

honest history is important

[@tuckerfrd1]

Like confronting and learning how the police were used as a weapon to peaceful civil rights protesters of the 50's, 60's and 70's. This is important why the police should learn their history against African Americans, and why this community has never trusted them.

[@mikefraser4513]

@@tuckerfrd1 The shooting of Benno Ohnesorg by the police wasn't very intelligent.

[@PaiMei667]

every security guard in a bar in germany is better trained than the police in the US.

[@Paddy_IRL_69]

Most sec. guards or bouncers in germany can't even speak german..

[@Thytos]

"Germany" in the title Germans: Hippity hoppity the comment section is now our property

[@paxundpeace9970]

Let's start.

[@HafdirTasare]

We are never gonna occupie another country, so we occupie the internet.

[@gelatinouscube2342]

What an original comment, definitely not getting stale seeing it under every single video about Germany.

[@HafdirTasare]

@@gelatinouscube2342 that's what we do

[@benjaminlohse1447]

Anything in the title. American: the comment section is now our property.

[@yama123numbercauseytdemand4]

1.The most important point of the video I think: Police is a reflection of society. It won't change until its society fundamentally changes. 2.History is never the past. If one thinks of his/her history as being completely seperate from him-/herself then he/she is doomed to repeat it. Always remember the past, be aware of what went wrong at the place you live and learn from it. Just because part of ones history is a dark place, doesn't mean it will always be if one remembers it. 3.Three months are not nearly enough time of training to build a proper police force. 4.If police is to be the only social safety net then officers would need 10+years of training to fullfill all requirements. 5.First step in solving a problem is recognising there is one.

[@TheManWithTheHatKiel]

I would like to point out here that everyone who grows up and goes to school in Germany goes through a very intense exploration of the National Socialist era. From the first enlightenment in history lessons in the 6th or 7th class, this topic accompanies you again and again until you finish school. What is done during police training is basically a refresher of the school material and a special focus on the police during the National Socialist era. 75 years after the end of the Second World War, you will find almost no German in Germany who is not aware of the crimes in German history. Yes, there are of course those who deny this, but there is no one who has not had to work intensively on this topic. That is also one reason why the broad mass of Germans does not allow themselves national pride, because you cannot be proud of this history. As a German, I also see the biggest problem of the USA there: People are propagated that the USA is the best country in the world - but the USA only leads the rankings of the countries with the highest military expenditure. Germans, on the other hand, usually say that they live in "one of the best countries" in the world. Psychologically, there is a difference!

[@Unknown-ek1ox]

I kinda agree, also on the psychology thing. As perhaps "spoiled European" (and German) I find it funny to literally hear "US best country in the world" when for example parts of the infrastructure are in questionable condition or that your healthcare system sucks. I think everyone is entitled to like their country and people and their collective achievements but be smart about how you express it.

[@swanpride]

While it is correct that a lot about our policing is related to Article 1 of the constitution (the one which puts human dignity over everything else), most of our police reforms are actually from the 1970s. During that period, Germany had a problem with left-extremism, including left-leaning terrorism, but it also shone a light on the methods the police used towards those left-leaning protestors who were peaceful. Most de-escalation techniques used today were developed in this period, and the police training was adjusted around that time, too.

[@o.b.7217]

(5:24) **"Police Officers in Berlin...don't handle minor offenses like parking tickets, noise complaints" ** Maybe in Berlin noise complaints fall into the responsibility of the Ordnungsamt (= public order office), but in other parts of Germany, noise complaints are definitely handled by police officers. Oh, and parking tickets get Germany-wide handled by the "Hippos" (short for "Hilfspolizisten" = auxiliary policemen). For traffic controls (speed controls), the police is responsible again.

[@Moritz19081980]

I am a Berliner. "Nighttime disturbance" is indeed a petty offense in Germany (and thus in Berlin too). It's no crime. However: It is still handled by the police. I am 100% sure about this because I have my experience with nighttime disturbance. But Berlin is a vivid/intense city so people most of the times don't call out nighttime disturber at all. In two occasions however I had to. If there is a private techno party 2 nights in a row mid-week, even my line is crossed. So to sum this up: The information in this video about police not handling noise complaints in Berlin is wrong. They do.

[@bjornschmidt480]

Here in the US parking are usually issued by ticket wardens our "hippos" too, and not the police. Stamme übrigens aus Friedrichshain^^.

[@christiankastorf1427]

Well, we live in the country and though we have an "Ordnungsamt" in the next village where all that minor administration stuff like getting registered as a citizen, change of address, applying for legal documents like passports... is done, there is nobody there at nighttime and they only do the paperwork. When a neighbour went berserk at nighttime and turned his stereo on full blast all we could do is dialing "110" and hope that one of the two or three patrol cars that they have at hand might come. Well, they did in the end, they had to come three times in one night and then his stereo was taken away from him. The police then took our call as an "Anzeige" and handed the paperwork over to the "Ordnungsamt".

[@drippin-jimmy]

As German I have to admit that German police is good. But the humanest police I saw was the Netherlands Police. I felt really safe when I was there and they are much friendlier than German officers.

[@sebastianroth5989]

Ja die Cops in Holland sind entspannt...unsere gehen auch...

[@drippin-jimmy]

@@sebastianroth5989 safe

[@TSGPhilipp]

Why do we always have to be broken down to that one "confronting the past" thing? Its not the only reason why we do stuff right

[@briankelly8297]

America's police have become a paramilitary force mainly due to the amount of freely held firearms by the public. Other countries don't have the same problem because they don't encourage members of the public to carry around guns. I say all this a gun owner myself. America needs to start taking a senseable approach to firearms and stop letting Anyone own a gun.

[@frankesposito2182]

Why don't you do something....

[@Ugramosch]

@@frankesposito2182 because Lobbyists blocking any attempt to change.

[@therealsnowwhite1937]

They sure have interpreted the Second-Amendment rather literally. Right to keep and bear arms doesn't mean right to be a crazed cowboy and stockpile arms as if you're going to Fallujah. The Swiss allows people to take up arms as they don't have a standing army, yet their gun laws are strict enough to counter any gung-ho gun ownership. I blame it on the cowboy culture of violence and how America celebrates criminals like Bonnie and Clyde whilst leaving genuine societal issues on the sidelines.

[@TheMorningDawnTMD]

​@@therealsnowwhite1937it actually does mean that. There is no maximum amount in the constitution

[@harryhayen6092]

The picture in The New York Times shows police in Munich not Berlin ;-) Greetings from Bavaria

[@praeceptor]

4 Fotos im Online-Artikel, entsprechend untertitelt: München, Berlin, Köln, Hamburg.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

There is a telling quote a friend from the US told me about police in the US which I will paraphrase: here it’s a cop’s wet dream to not just be a police officer but to met out “justice”: to be judge, jury, and executioner, to deal with what they think is crime as they see fit and to be beyond all reproach, to not be bound by the law but to BE the law, to have absolute and final say. And I have to say this makes more and more sense.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

That's really about the German past: We have been there, and it isn't pretty.

[@salutmaximax6682]

German Police, at least in Berlin, does handle Noise complaints...

[@hajotge12]

If only somebody could train them to start car chases for somebody who stole a bar of chocolate! How much more entertaining that would be.

[@PPfilmemacher]

2:03 „Couple year’s bevor“ Are you kidding me?! this was *70 years* ago!!!

[@stefanb6539]

She was talking about allied command reorganizing german police right after the war. your lack of basic comprehension and your abundance of readyness to be outraged is embarrassing.

[@fuxckgoogle2488]

American media is the devil

[@Sabrina-Ergert1079]

I am German. The first picture that was shown did not show police officers from Berlin but from Bavaria. You could see this very well because of the BY on the uniform. BY is the German abbreviation for Bavaria

[@ruhri0411]

Wen interessiert das? Niemand....

[@Sabrina-Ergert1079]

@@ruhri0411 Wenn man einen Bericht macht, sollte man sauber arbeiten und auch die Dinge abgebildet sein von dem der Moderator spricht, sonst wird es unglaubwürdig.

[@hanswinkler4976]

DE police does not consider using guns as a solution. It‘s an option hardly ever used.

[@hajotge12]

It's the mindset, the role and the professionalism that are the major ingredients to the German Police being different from the American Police. "Confronting the dark past" is only built-in to how the police is designed and marketed and not so much personal training (confronting the past is done in school for every German, not just police officers). We call Soldiers "citizens in uniform" in Germany; and for a reason. And the police is not different: "10.06.2020 - GdP: Polizisten sind Bürger in Uniform." (Gdp = the union of police officers. Translation: "GdP: Police officers are citizens in uniform"). That is a completely different mind set to start with.

[@emiliajojo5703]

I lost my drivers licence,but police was always correct,even polite .can't say a bad word .

[@Gott6666]

Ask Germans. They can't say a good word although we are one of the most chilled and democratic police forces in the world.

[@emiliajojo5703]

@@Gott6666 I'm german,but you're right in general. So sind wir halt

[@blueturtle1813]

its absolutely insane that it's a novel thought in the US to test would be police officers for personality, intelligence and train them for three years. i always thought thats the absolute minimum if you give someone a gun and power

[@jintzie1950jth]

We need to confront our past officially, as a society. The whole country. The idea of doing that sends people screaming into the night. That is cowardice.

[@hajotge12]

?

[@hayesdabney]

Germans are better trained policemen, but the German population does not have anywhere near the number of private people owning and carrying guns.

[@a.c.9660]

Bc it's illegal to own these without the correct papers and training

[@m.d.5463]

Hayes Dabney, that´s right. But there are other countries (Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia, Panama, Czech Republik, Estonia) in the world with pretty liberal gun-laws. They don´t come close to the gun violence in the US. Why is that even possible? To be honest, those countries are not THAT liberal. You need to have good reasons to be allowed to have a gun for self protection, e.g. you´re a business man. Others are not allowed to posess more than an alarm pistol. IMHO lethal guns only lead to escalation. No guns around, there´s only bruises you can get.

[@samblack2318]

First Of all the Budget for Police in Germany Gigant and Second there are about 20-40milion iligal guns in Germany the Population ist only 80milion

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@samblack2318 the Budget for the german police forces is gigantic? Compared to what? You've seen budgets of some of the larger cities in the US? Where are you getting your number for illegal gun ownership from? And are you saying that a large police budget is what shapes the german approach to policing?

[@samblack2318]

@@sisuguillam5109 the buged is alot bigger per individual (lese cops but the same amount of Money .If theat makes sence?) This can ofcorse lead to better Training The sorces for the Numbers on illigale guns are from the Police Labor Union and from Wikipedia : de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffenmissbrauch Sorry for the bad spelling dislecsic and German

[@mercyluna7899]

Great Correspondant who is spot on! Vielen Dank und Grüße aus Frankfurt

[@wimpow]

From a German here: While police is reasonable and good here, it has wast room for improvement. There is a lot of things still going wrong. So, for Germans, let´s not do a "Steve Banon" here.

[@veliostv9089]

Sees "Germany in title"... DIESE KOMMENTARSEKTION IST JETZT PROTEKTORAT DER BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND!

[@flatsch100]

😂😂 Musst jetzt echt lachen. Danke.

[@veliostv9089]

@@flatsch100 Immer gerne, Mitbürger der BRD :P

[@Davewest85]

DANKE..

[@samblack2318]

Die BRD ist übrigens eine GmbH 😂😂😂 zitat: xavier Naidoo oder wie der Typ heißt

[@TimDrake84]

@@samblack2318 Der ließt zu viel Q-Anon

[@Knautschfriese]

Here in germany normal security guards are trained in deescalation. In different parts of the security jobs they have to train for a few month to have a permid for fullfilling the jib.

[@HS-wp5vb]

I think the report somewhat misrepresents the true differences between the German and US police. The emphasis placed on confronting the past places a relevance on the topic as part of the police training and culture that I do not think adequately represents the overall curriculum nor does it explain the US / German differences. Bear in mind that "confronting the past" startet in the 1980s, the second world war ended in 1945. Police training and culture have developed over many decades. In my view, the key differences are both in terms of law, tactics and training, but there are also fundamental societal differences. Besides, the status of a police officer is different. STATUS: Every German state has just ONE police force and ALL officers are State civil servants. There is no employment by city councils or so. Officers are paid well and cannot be fired unless they break the law. Even though each state has its own force, training is uniform across the whole nation and adheres to a common curriculum. LAWS: What an officer can and cannot do is regulated by law. Compared to the US, there is little room to push citizens around. Police does not behave in an offensive or abritrary fashion. In particular, there is limited room for making an arrest. The US "arrest culture" does not exist in Germany. TACTICS: The tactics generally strongly stress de-escalation whilst remaing firm on what yout want to achieve. However, German police officers are NEVER sent on patrol alone, and oftimes the tactics is "overwhelming by overpowering" - "we are more than you". German officers also are much better trained in self defence. The reliance is less on weapons training but on the use of non-lethal force. German police can get quite physical! Escalation takes place with the fist rather than the firearm. Lastly, training is 2,5 years for patrol officers, 3 years university for junior officers and a further 2 years university for senior officers. There is simply much more time for training and retraining tactics. SOCIETAL DIFFERENCES: There is a social system in Germany. Drug abuse is by far not as wide-spread as in the US, gangs are rather uncommon and Germans are not armed to their teeth. A US cop must expect to be confronted with an AK-47, a German police officers may face a knive. Lastly, there is no such community as African Americans that so disproportionately get into conflict with the police. Without placing the blame on either side, Germany simply is not a socially, economically and culturally split society as the US is. Germany has free schools, free universities, universally available medical care (everyone must pay 15 % of their income), public transport, and a functioning system of social and mental care. You can live on minimum wage, not great, but ok. Besides, the criminal justice system is not systemically unfair to poor persons. The incarceration rate in Germany is 71 per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 639 in the US, the highest figure in the world. That alone should make you think hard. What exactly did you get wrong? Short and simple: everything.

[@kiwifin]

It’s exactly the same! 400 years of slavery comes to mind and an almost genocidal cleansing of the American Indians smh. Maybe instead of making comments like ‘it’s not the same’ you should be saying ‘you’re absolutely right!’ And having real conversations about what the dark history of the US means to future generations of learning, discussions and transparency! And not allowing thugs to get away with murdering its citizens and hiding behind the badge doing it, because thats exactly the same!

[@cloj4754]

Unfortunately some people are so blinded by hatred they can't understand that by facing the past and actively rectifying what can be changed the entire nation finally joins other developed countries in the standard of living.

[@zeusthedog82]

I just wished that so called reporter did better research on police in Germany. First of all there are 2 different careers to start out with, depending on the state you are living in. One is an apprenticeship which will take 2,5 years and if you pass your final exams you can call yourself a police officer. Then there is the second career where you study at the police academy and finish off with a bachelor's degree. After 3,5 years when you passed all exams you are ready to go make a police career. I think the major difference is the time and money they spend to get good and solid educated cops.

[@federalrepublicofgermany8356]

btw. the german police normally isn't wearing a bulletproof vest... Just in special situations like a terrorist attack or at special places like an airport or the Bundestag

[@ellenspencer5461]

Great information 😊

[@sisuguillam5109]

@idoj654123 Do you?

[@shantyman161]

Afaik the allies, especially americans, shaped the german political system, the army and the police of the newly born federal republic after ww2. In fact, we germans enjoy many aspects of live that certain americans thought would be a good thing to have in a society but could not implement in the US anymore.

[@rippspeck]

We basically got to choose some of the best aspects of our occupiers' constitutions. Sure, ours isn't flawless, but at least we made an effort.

[@klotz__]

That's not right. US did not shape our political system. Instead the system of the Weimar Republic was reinstated with its democratic institutions and laws. The BGB and StGB are based on those from the Weimar Republic and many laws are still valid to this day. Also the Grundgesetz has not been created by the US. The German "parlamentic councel" wrote it by itself. The allied forces just gave their approval.

[@franzhose2388]

Yes 150 hours of training, 90% Guntraining, the rest is how to use the taser.

[@spectre1725]

And getting tazed

[@silkytp789]

While nothing's perfect, It's about leadership and setting expectations. It's about abolishing the things that enable the lack of accountability (unions, qualified immunity, etc.). It's about the impunity with which an officer can draw a weapon. It's really the people voting in local governement to elect leaders that share their humanity factor. What kind of people do we want to become police? I have two cop buddies and a half a dozen that I interact with socially and I'll tell ya.... not one of them has the "Officer Friendly" mentality. Jus' Sayin'

[@silkytp789]

@idoj654123 I hear you totally.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@idoj654123 The police does not suffer the stupid, the slow, and the foolish? Wtf? It's the job of the police to serve all... especially the stupid, slow, and foolish. It's their job. You do not get to nit pick.

[@e.458]

I think there should be police unions, but they shouldn't be allowed to negotiate accountability. They should negotiate training, pay, working hours, medical benefits, etc. There should be unions for police officers with specific experiences: black officers, female officers, immigrant officers, LGBTQ officers ... The police union of today has been allowed to become a white cis boy's club, fighting for a police force that looks like the days of Dirty Harry.

[@jayanthony3006]

A visit to a concentration camp is not mandatory for police officer trainees in Germany. Due to our federal system, each State has their own curriculum when it comes to training, although certains things are the same and general requirement across the country. There is however, and that is correct, a certain focus on Germanys' past and the role the police played in it. We are thoroughly taught in constitutional law and what we can and cannot do, political awareness and our general role in the German system. I think a major point is that in Germany, the time it takes to become a police officer is minimus 2 years for mid-level entry and a 3 year bachlor programm for high level entry, as apposed to several weeks in the US. In that time, certain things can be tough more intensivley and better. You can also get a better picture of a trainee and are able to sort "uneligable" candidates out more efficiently. EDIT: I misread the article, it never stated, that a visit was mandatory in Germany, but in Berlin. My bad. EDITII: Also, our police is actually held acountable for what they do and misconduct or illegal actions have serious consequences!

[@laurin_203]

0:28 he's talking about Berlin, but the picture is in English Garden in Munich

[@JoseRamos-ql1gv]

Oh this is going to make a lot of people uncomfortable, specially the police supporters..

[@meistam4841]

As german citizen i must add that berlins police is one of the worst equiped police forces from all the german states. There is a lot of issues with gear/pay and special laws in the state of berlin that make their job much harder then it could/should be compared for example to police in the state of bavaria.

[@Gott6666]

Ja. Geht gar nicht, da bei den Kollegen in B.

[@marcop4136]

Had fun watching the US reporters struggling with the german forward and open personality. And: just wanted to point out that she was talking about the problems the police encountered with immigrants where about 'what did police do wrong'. Just saying, last comment from the reporter sounded like he didn't get it that way.

[@tqxy24]

German cops must go through a 3 yr training

[@talkfahrt4704]

but not the german federal police... they have a 2 yr training!!!

[@tqxy24]

@@talkfahrt4704 nope 3 yrs for all City and federal . Ive worked with both

[@shaclo1512]

nope, 2.QE hat 2 Jahre Ausbildung, 3.QE 3 Jahre.

[@moni2862]

Not only do police officers visit a concentration camp, the students do too at least once.

[@e.458]

Except during Corona season

[@psr9289]

That picture is from Munich 🇩🇪

[@peter-klausnikolaus4823]

I am German. Over here police might not beat people up as much as in the US but we have a big problem in the justice system. It's very hard to win law suits against illegal police activity.

[@drau331]

Meanwhile it's refuted that is was not a group of policemen who blamed the attorney, it was a single radical in Berlin...

[@chrisstarritt6755]

Can we just pleeeease make police school longer. 6 months is bot enough training.

[@RealSergiob466]

Definitely agree because the de-escalation tactics

[@swanpride]

Sic month on average. In same areas you don't need any training, you just have to squeeze it in within a year and then we are talking about a few weeks.

[@stadom3]

Only a few police stations do that kind of 'training' I'm from Berlin and I work closely together with the Police Department of the State of Berlin, you can sign up to this training if you want to and only a few are allowed to go (maybe 20-30 every year and they are mostly not even full) . The difference is the general mindset of police officers and the long training times you need to become an officer. It takes about 3-5 years to become a real officer in Germany. Stop making up random Bullcrap... Ask a real police officer instead of this weird american tourist journalist.

[@potator9327]

You are now talking about additional de-escalation courses. However, even during basic training, one of the important topics is how to behave appropriately in conflict-ridden situations. A core topic in police training is the appropriateness of interventions and this also includes weighing up to what extent police measures may cause harm.

[@luigigidi873]

Look guys, my police training in Bavaria is 2 and a half years long. In the USA the training for an Cop takes 6 Months I mean that is kinda crazy right?

[@Zino027]

Even i know the name of the student who were shot by the police back then. Benno Ohnesorg. Cases Like this are very rare here.

[@sebastianroth5989]

Tennessee Eisenberg...and others

[@lastpenny849]

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Nicuragua, Guantanamo Bay..... How long does the list need to be before you start questioning your past. No respect for human life.

[@thorstenhubner5032]

One thing the geman police does not need to face is the possibility of getting shot at on a regular base. I suppose the american way of policing is heavily influenced by that fact. Here in germany the police can be more relaxed in that regard.

[@swanpride]

..German police officers have been shot during simple traffic controls and have to life with this risk every single day.

[@matejlieskovsky9625]

Plenty of concealed carry permits here in Czechia. Police is aware of the risk, but getting a permit is somewhat harder and the police and the citizens are a lot less standoffish in general. I'd say that the problem is when there is distrust between the two sides. If everyone is cool, (well regulated) guns are not the problem.

[@thorstenhubner5032]

@@swanpride Absolutly. Every police force on earth has that. But i suppose it is happening in the us far more often.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Police in the US do not get shot at as frequently as one might presume. There are plenty of every day jobs that have a higher mortality rate... and yet health and safety is rolled back under the current goverment. One might argue that the whole 'being shot at on duty' is one of the founding myths of the US.

[@swanpride]

@@thorstenhubner5032 Not sure if it does. There seem to be way more stories of people getting shot by the police during traffic stops than the other way around.

[@helfgott1]

To explain my last post for those of u who are not familiar with germany today please read and judge: Basic Law Article 1 (1) Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (2) The German people therefore acknowledge inviolable and inalienable human rights as the basis of every community, of peace and of justice in the world. Thank u I Think THAT is worth a minute to think about; Now does it always works? NO Democacy is complicated different people diffent opinions BUT the , my, german basic law is what i as a former soldier and what all the police force is sworn on, it is the basic of germany today, it gave germany a time of peace like never in history, it made germany wealthy, because diversity makes us rich and following these Art 1 of the german constitution is what made it happen Thank u

[@conchaiii4167]

i live in a city with 30k people. im 15 years old. and i never heard of a shot fired here. and my parents cant remember

[@fnjastep7986]

Germans taking the comment section! Los leude bo bleibt ihr alle? Lass das Ding übernehmen!

[@enapena1047]

Bruder warte😂😂

[@Zurich_for_Beginners]

It was not only the dead of Benno Ohnesorg. It was the whole Police action or non action (Prügelperser) during the visit of the Shah in Berlin.

[@Jinipoem]

In Germany you learn in basic training that a gun is not a toy it’s a very dangerous weapon and can do a lot of harm. It’s the last resort. You learn to de-escalate and seek communication and read the situation. Even when you accidentally shoot at a tree while checking your gun, you have to file a report and other formalities. You will be reprimanded for being reckless with a deadly weapon and it’s all documented. If you happen to shoot a suspect, investigations are mandatory. A judge will decide over the case based on evidence if there was a probable cause, and if other de-escalating approaches and resources were used.

[@randomdud3652]

Plus, after you shot someone, psychological aid is commonly given to deal with the whole "i injured/killed someone" things

[@kusheran]

I'm tired of the "dark"metaphor! Dark does not always mean bad unless...

[@ritaperdue]

Police need sociology training...not social services,but good SOCIOLOGY class.

[@e.458]

They need to do psychology, too.

[@osnaviculare8145]

German Police is the best on Earth! Greatings from south Germany....:-)

[@zeusthedog82]

This correspondent in Berlin has no clue what she is talking about. They should have pointed out that you have two career options when you join the police. If you pass all tests you start either an apprenticeship which will take you 2,5 years until you finish if you pass all the exams,or you study 3,5 years at the police University and if you pass all exams you finish witha bachelor's degree. The biggest difference is the time and money the state invests into education of police. Its not a 16 or 24 weeks drill where they hand you out a gun and a badge after you finished. German police education doesn't look like basic military training compared to the US. They only look back in history in this report. Sure it is a part of the whole training in Germany for police officers, but I think that's not what you should look at when you try to reform policing in the united states. They should raise the bar in Standarts. Make a real apprenticeship out of it, invest more time in education of recruits,dont just throw them into the cold water after 24 weeks of training.

[@berndheghmanns1437]

I think the most different way as the Police force itself see is the Motto how they see themself here in Germany. The Motto is "Polizei Dein Freund und Helfer!" Polizei your Friend and helper.

[@richeiultras8325]

Another thing here in germany is that we actually respect our police, instead of just hating on them and vilifying them

[@Rudi-Ger]

Frag mich wo und wann unsere Polizei respektiert wird? Im Moment seh ich das garnicht.

[@frankesposito2182]

Except the Stasi....right? Lolol

[@XxlikerfreakxX]

Gott sei dank bin ich in Deutschland geboren

[@Unknown-ek1ox]

Amen. Ist nicht alles perfekt oder auch gut, subjektiv gesehen, aber es geht uns im Schnitt doch ganz gut.

[@sebastianroth5989]

Ja in dem Land wo Leute wie Epstein und Weinstein frei herumlaufen...echt toll

[@thezodiak6666]

they dont handle minor offenses like parking tickets or noise complaints? so they make an exception for me everytime?

[@Obietrice420]

they should make a article about the police in bavaria the police restriction is way different compared to them of the police in berlin or other northern and eastern states

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

well it's a different state obviously

[@Wardnissan]

Which problems with migrants? Could someone please explain why this journalist is repeating racist rhetoric about migrants being the problem? Also it’s either “refugees” or “asylum seekers” not “migrants.”

[@hajotge12]

What is the "race" of migrants?

[@Wardnissan]

Hubert J. G. “Race” is not a word used in Germany so there is no data on that.

[@HafdirTasare]

I am kind of confused on the part where it says "Don't handle minor offenses like Parking tickets, noise complaints" Parking tickets are handled by the regulatory agency, but noise complaints most often go to the police and they handle it.... this sounds like german police is taught to not care about minor offenses...

[@swayodaso5837]

There is another Institution in Germany called "Ordnungsamt" who have forces to take care of such minor offensives.

[@HafdirTasare]

@@swayodaso5837 regulatory agency = Ordnungsamt.

[@kaitomikusmom3900]

@@swayodaso5837 But not everywhere in Germany. Actually it is mainly in larger cities where they (Ordnungsämter) have forces, sometimes even armed (because you never know the level of aggressiveness you may be confronted with), to take care of minor offenses such as noise complaints etc.

[@itsnotme5482]

It is so bad that Americans still take their focus on wwII and that every single development, has smth to do with the end of the war or the allies. I mean that’s meanwhile 75 years ago.

[@matthisboehme]

Well the problem in the us is much more than just poor police training. The whole society is the problem there,

[@Pucky71]

The interview was a bit silly at the beginning. The German police is like all other police forces in Western Europe. This has nothing to do with the Nazis or the Allies, it has to do with the fact that it is the police of a democratic legal state. The citizen controlled by the police has rights and the police have to respect them, even if they are criminals. The Police may only exercise violence if Police officer is met with violence. Police force must always be proportionate to the situation. The violence must be stopped immediately when there is no longer any danger since the accused is in handcuffs. Any action taken by a police officer requires justification. The police should treat citizens as equals. The police are not above the law. In Germany, police are the responsibility of the Bundesländer (similar to the US states). The federal police have clear tasks that they are only allowed to take care of. The police are deliberately not organized locally to make corruption more difficult. The police are deliberately not a military organization. Training to become a police officer takes about 3 to 4 years. Mental health is also important so that you can interact with people. In Germany it's "The police, your friend and helper", and that's basically meant seriously. Ordinary citizens should trust the police, they shouldn't be afraid. It's about helping first and then catching criminals.

[@teyima]

8:43 16 kids killed and handguns are outlawed.

[@royolsen87]

My German friend responded with their unemployment is not high at 6.2%, we in America consider that on the high side. He also admitted taxes are higher, but that education and health care is free. Really, someone is paying for it. What is that tax rate?

[@haroldsen4238]

He has to admit? Everyone knows the taxes in Germany are a bit higher, but Education and Healthcare is free. It’s probably still cheaper to live in Germany. And most if not all think 6,2% unemployment rate is high. I don’t know where your friend lives, but if he thinks that is low, he probably lives in Duisburg of Gelsenkirchen.

[@yurifoxx3983]

Taxes in Germany are lower than in Scandinavia. Therefore standard and quality of living in Scandinavia is on top.

[@samfetter2968]

The average is about 4-6% more than for an american peer. The difference is in most cases eaten up by health insurance premiums...that are for the German included in his taxes. When you consider payed vacations, payed maternity leave (even for the males), tuition free higher education, etc...the American ends up paying way more than his german peer pretty fast. That is why (among other reasons)about 60% of americans live at or under the poverty line and in Germany it is under 10% Or in other words...paying higher taxes is worth every cent.

[@helloweener2007]

Tax rate depends on your income. The maxium is 42% and you have to pay it when you earn more than 57,052 EUR per year as a single. When you are married you have (in general) double the amount. A little bit more complicated because therew are diffrentz tax classes to shooes but as a jist. Children will reduce your tax payments. In 2017 the average earning in Germany was 49,915 EUR. With tax exampt amount the income for the tax was 40,901 EUR and the taxes were 9,589 EUR (with Solidaritätszuschlag an extra tax for reunification). This was 19,2% of the gross income. Edit: For 2018 the amount of people who had to may the maximum tax was about 4.1 million and the maximim tax is the lowest since Germany exists. It was more than 53% in the 50's

[@nic969]

Healthcare is not god free in Germany

[@codname125]

They should learn from us that stationing nukes in allied countries is not very nice.

[@eogg25]

I keep hearing the police get 3 years training, does that mean they go to school every day for 3 years before becoming a police man or woman.

[@shaclo1512]

yes and no. They go to school a few weeks, than back to their police department for few weeks, shooting range a few days, back to school a few weeks and so on

[@eogg25]

@@shaclo1512 You must have a lot of police, because were I live close to a big city of 2 million people they are working the police overtime just to control the crime rate, with twenty to 30 shootings on a weekend with a quarter of that in shooting deaths. I heard there are very few if any shootings in Germany. I can't imagine having that much shooting practice but Thanks for the info, you are the first person to actually say how the training is done.

[@whyparkjiminnotridejimin]

@@eogg25 20-30 shootings per weekend? That's insane?!😳

[@michaelwilcox5168]

Americans did what they do best; force others to confront their pasts and shortcomings, while ignoring their own.

[@glaubhafieber]

Germany/Europe has no copyright on that. Feel free to learn from our mistakes. I’m not german but ran into "trouble"with their police once. The officer took time to explain what i did wrong so i don’t do it again in the future. Felt like my big brother telling me what to do. They work for the people, not to punish them. Same here in my tiny country. They have a good salary from tax money and take their jobs seriously

[@nutaki6841]

Felt like my big brother telling me what to do. ...lol I´m dying...what a great comparison...greetings from Germany^^

[@clauds4120]

Oh well, seriously what do you guys expect ???? 19 weeks of training and then given the ultimate power of being a police officer wtf... in germany it’s 3 years basic training like common US citizens how stupid must you guys be? But also you cannot jus change the police force, you have to change your entire society with all your weapons etc. I am always surprised how far behind the US are in so many ways and I feel so sad. I wish I could help. 😔

[@antonioramos8804]

The US does not want to learn anything from anyone person/country. because as my Anglo friend explained it to me: "We're Americans, we don't need anyone telling us what to do. We're doing just fine." Then he tells me "you've been here all your life, you know that". I can't agree with him on neither statement"I think everyone, people or a country can learn from others. But our arrogance and nationalism at times prevents it.

[@redbullets1648]

Schmetterling

[@patrickbartholomae9867]

In germany police officers normally have to take not only Training, but a real University course with a Bachelor degree. 1,5 years studying in University (law, traffic law, psychology, sociology, aso) and 1,5 years in police tactics (weapon study, martial arts, tactics, and field study with expierienced officers). So from in deep knowledge about law and so on, just to compare it with the US, every police officer in germany is most likely on the Level of a Detective or Lt.

[@frankesposito2182]

U.S. as well....

[@brucemcdonald6677]

First of all, you have to understand that the Germans are brought up to follow the rules, be polite and usually come from two parent households and believe me they have a rule for everything and follow them to the letter...I was once ticketed and the FD called for holding an outdoor BBQ on a Sunday in Ramstein. It’s not the police that are so different, its the lawless, violent, entitled broken family kids here in the US that are different.

[@spectre1725]

It is the police that is different. 3-4 Years of Academy compared to a couple of weeks or may even months. That makes a huge different. By the time an US Officer learns this on the job, he will be retired

[@e.458]

Elderly Germans follow the letter of the rules. Younger Germans want to understand rules and break or bend them if they don't make sense. The difference is, that you first need to make the effort to learn about the reasoning behind the rules, because sometimes you only see the sense in the rules when you learn a little more about them. Most rules come down to only very few principles: Don't put yourself or others in danger, don't pollute the environment, don't be a douchy neighbour / member of the public.