the most dangerous part of police work. this was an undercover gun buy. the guy did sell a cop a gun. that s not where you should have reserve deputy sheriffs. no, and also yeah, the confluence of america s broken finance system, like pay to play policing really sounds like a dystopic vision. now maybe he would have done that without giving all that money, but it s a strange coincidence. it is that, isn t it, in policing? that actually that arrangement isn t that uncommon. part of what comes around with these sort of reserve deputies a lot of times, they are contributors or supporters of the sheriff in question. is there any defense for this program at large? why should we have part-time hobbyists running around as part-time police officers? they re not all part-time hobbyists. it bridges the gap between police and the community. it reminds the public that the public are the police, and it reminds that the police that the police are the public.
we at all in couldn t help but notice among the list of two dozen banned activities and products, there was no mention of guns. so i very pointedly asked one of the bill s sponsor state senator michael o donnell whether kansans can use it to buy guns. can you buy a gun with tanf money? no, you cannot buy a gun with tanf money. we do not restrict everything that you can and can t buy. twinge of self-doubt after he told me you cannot buy a gun with it. you hear that? we learned that state senator michael o donnell was wrong about that. not only can you spend it on guns in kansas, but they have super helpful suggestions for how an underprivileged kansan might use a weapon purchased with welfare money telling the wichita eagle, a gun could be used for security in a dangerous neighborhood or to hunt for food for their family. this is, i suppose, not that surprising in a state that has
estimated the national total of reserve officers at 400,000. while some reserve officers receive modest compensation, most work without pay, and many are expected to provide their own uniforms and equipment. even within a single department, training requirements can vary widely. joining me now, former baltimore police officer peter moskos author of cop in the hood. peter, i did not know about this institution, so maybe let s start with the specific case and move to the general. in this specific case i feel like how is it how is it that this guy is brought along on what police are anticipating is going to be an undercover gun buy and, therefore, will have some element of danger? this guy i don t know if there s cause and effect, but this guy gave money to the sheriff s campaign. the sheriff is an elected official. that s part of the problem. he s a politician, so he gives him a couple thousand dollars