John Oliver Takes On the Highly Concerning Issue of Police Accountability in the United States

A rightfully inquisitive John Oliver of Last Week Tonight addressed the highly concerning issue of police accountability in the United States, noting the persistent inconsistencies and loopholes that allow officers go unpunished or even remain on the job despite inappropriate behavior, forceful actions and even violence.

The reason it can be hard to spot problem officers is that in many jurisdictions policies allow disciplinary records to be destroyed. In Baton Rouge, sustained complaints can be stricken from your record after just 18 months and in Mesa, Arizona, when a journalist started demanding records, a police chief actually made an internal video reminding his officers that there was a way for them to clean up their past. ‘I don’t want anybody have to relive a problem that’s already been adjudicated that they’ve already been disciplined for, that has already seen that scrutiny in the public eye. So purchase files according to policy make sure that that the things that you don’t want in there aren’t in there.’ That seems wrong you should not be able to erase parts of your past that are damaged. This is an official police file, not a Volkswagen corporate history that somehow starts after World War II.