ADVENT | Organizations
Peacekeepers II
"Our duty is to the law, not the uniform."
- Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations
"Incrementalism. I have read about it, and I have seen it attempted to be put into practice. The concept is one I see the appeal of. Few want to be the one to rock the boat, to make the lives of those around them difficult. Very few want to make the decisions which are necessary, but that enact sweeping change. Change, Miss Wong, brings enemies."
"To say I made enemies would be an understatement. I am of the opinion that when making enemies, what kind of enemies matters the most. If one is not making enemies, then they are nothing more than a puppet for the status quo. I am certainly aware of the perception some have about me. I am hated by certain individuals. Criminals, passive cops, and those who are sympathetic to the plight of the criminal. I cannot complain with the caliber of the enemies I have made."
"I can certainly understand their mindset, though I ultimately don't agree with them. The sympathy I have for the criminal has been stripped out of me over the decades. If any of the moralists who decry my methods could go through the gauntlet I have and emerge with their current mindset intact, they are stronger than I am. They, however, are not the real enemy. They have no power, and I hardly consider them an enemy, so much as they are an irritant. I do not hate them."
"I am certain the perception will change over time. The people who complain are a minority, those who matter praise how we've exterminated criminality from the cities. I have overseen the elimination of the Cartels, the Triads, the mafia. Organized crime is now becoming a thing of the past, and I suspect it will not return."
"The greatest threat to our image is very simple – ourselves. It is not the prisons, it is not our methods, it is not our uniforms. Those are all passive to the inherent question of trust. The citizen must implicitly trust law enforcement. They must trust that the Peacekeepers can protect them, that justice will be carried out. For law enforcement to function, the citizenry must trust them."
"How do you build that trust? I am aware of many options, some of them feasible, others window dressing. You do not build trust by having a 'connection with the community' or 'recruiting locally', those are buzzwords which are thrown around by those with no real, tangible solutions. They are political stunts, which promise nothing but that little will fundamentally change."
"The perception is the most important. The people must see that we apply the law to ourselves just as harshly as we do to the criminal. I do not believe that law enforcement should be held to the same standard as the citizen, Miss Wong, I believe that we should be held to a higher standard. We are being charged with a responsibility for upholding the law. The lives of hundreds of thousands are in our hands. We are what separates civilization from anarchy. If we fail to police ourselves as much as our citizens, then we are a society that is corrupted and dominated by criminals."
"There is no greater crime, and no greater criminal, than the one who abuses the power entrusted to them by the people. The oaths we take, the badges we wear, those mean something. To serve the law is a calling, it is not a path to power – an ideal that has been lost as the institution has been corrupted, to where law enforcement has become a puppet of the state or a rogue fiefdom. America. China, Mexico. You can find examples of each of these in every country, but the ones I listed are much worse than others."
"The question, of course, is how you fix such a problematic department. When I was appointed, I requested suggestions and roadmaps. Most were unacceptable. Slow, incremental change. Made by those who were afraid of rocking the boat. I was warned that being too aggressive would lead to an officer shortage, that I could lose a full third of the American police force."
"I cannot imagine why that was presented as a bad thing – all it told me was that sweeping, institutional change was not only ideal – it was necessary. Do you want to know why a criminal cop is worse than a criminal, Miss Wong? A criminal has no obligation to society. They rape, murder, steal, and destroy with no thought outside of their own personal desires. They do not pretend to care about others. They are not liars. A criminal is a criminal, and there is a certain honesty in that, debased as such a mindset is."
"A criminal cop – they took an oath to protect society. They promised to not abuse the power entrusted to them. They lied to gain power, and with that power, they executed their agenda, be it personal or ideological. And that begins the cycle of corruption, when the police care more about their image than the law. The passive officer is just as complicit as the white supremacist or criminal cop, one who sees the corruption and crime but does nothing, feeling an obligation to put the image of the institution above the law."
"The criminal cop, and those who enable them, are the worst of all criminals, for they debase the concept of law and order itself. It turns a noble institution into one of hypocrisy and oligarchy. Justice no longer exists, it is only reserved for the voiceless and the indefensible. The rapists. The pedophiles. The murderers. The rich, those of the correct ethnicity or ideology, they receive preferential treatment. The second stage of corruption is when the police become an arm of government, or worse, an arm of the criminals themselves. China and Mexico are the largest examples of this."
"With such a reality, there is no option but vast and rapid change. There must be a concerted effort to uproot and destroy the culture which has allowed such to take root. These criminal cops must not simply be punished for their crimes, they must be made examples of. Law enforcement must fear the law as much as the criminal. Silence is complacency. I have ensured that every single criminal cop found and convicted will spend more time in the prisons than the worst criminals. The people will see that we do not exempt our own, and that any officer who breaks the law will be punished."
"Oh? Harsh? No, I am not. I am well aware of the studies which show the estimated mental deterioration of those who reside in the prisons. Do you expect me to feel empathy for them? I do not. Not for the criminal, and certainly not for the criminal cop. I feel nothing but contempt and disgust for them, and if they emerge as broken husks, they will serve as a message and reminder to those who break the law."
"It breaks politeness and norms to say this, Miss Wong, but fear is necessary for the law. If one does not fear the law, then they will be willing to break it. If there is no enforcement, it matters little what the supposed punishment is if it is never carried out. Crime was justified, it was seen as acceptable in certain circumstances. Within many police forces, it became a culture. That culture will be far less appealing when they are shown the executions of those who abused the trust the public placed in them; when their former criminal colleagues emerge from the prisons as lifeless husks."
"When I was appointed to my position, I made a promise to eliminate organized crime, purge law enforcement of corruption and restore public trust, and put a deep, intrinsic fear in the hearts of every citizen that, if you break the law, you will be found, you will be arrested, and you will be convicted. That is my mission, and that of the Peacekeepers. We are making progress, and I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. If I am hated for what I do, then that is something I gratefully accept."
"I am, after all, not here to make friends. I am here to enforce and uphold the law."
- Interview between Chief of Peacekeeper Operations Amalda Stein and Jessica Wong.
ADVENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PEACEKEEPER OPERATIONS
MEMORANDUM ON THE IMMEDIATE REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND REVIEW OF QUESTIONABLE USE OF FORCE
To all Peacekeeping Departments,
As of the drafting of this memorandum, all Departments which fall under the umbrella of the Peacekeeper Corps are required to immediately review their current department policies and compare them to the recently developed universal Peacekeeper guidelines and determine any major discrepancies.
All clear discrepancies should be immediately corrected, and existing department policy be immediately brought up to standard. If there is uncertainty, or there are policies which are not covered in the universal guidelines, these should be noted when the revised policies are sent to Peacekeeper Command for final review and approval. Those policies related to civilian interaction, data and evidence retention and collection, and use of force and rules of engagement should specifically be reviewed.
When submitting your package, it MUST include every single department policy. Deliberately or accidentally omitted sections will result in a directed investigation and potential prosecution and sentencing. Failure to adequately adjust guidelines will result in similar consequences. Reviews and policy revisions are non-negotiable, and are expected to be completed within sixty days as of the date of this memorandum.
Once the policies are approved, the department will be notified, and will be expected to immediately put the revised policies into effect. In the interim, all departments must adhere to the temporary policies which have been developed. If the temporary guidelines are insufficient, Peacekeeper Command will work with departments to close any operational gaps. Old policies must not be adhered to under any circumstances, unless previously approved.
Additionally, all department cases within the past five years which involve the use of force against civilians, regardless of resulting fatalities, are to be submitted to Peacekeeper Command for independent review, including cases which are closed. We expect that a majority of cases will provide sufficient evidence that justifies the closure of the case, but there is strong evidence that certain related cases contain tampered, missing, or compromised evidence which may protect criminal actions.
All individuals in these cases must also be prepared to undergo an interview regarding the incident or incidents that they were involved in. While this is a review, there will currently be no immediate suspension of officers until sufficient evidence emerges that prompts necessary conviction. Please note that the more hard evidence that exists (video, audio, sworn witness statements), the quicker this process will be completed. There will be no exemptions from this directive.
Hindering the investigation, failure to provide the necessary evidence, or failure to submit officers for interviews will result in Obstruction of Justice charges, which will result in prosecution and sentencing. In order to properly protect the citizens of ADVENT, we cannot be tainted by corruption and criminality. In order for the public to trust us, we must demonstrate that no one is above the law, and the criminals which reside in our organization must not simply be found and exterminated – they must and will be made examples of.
This memorandum will remain in effect until all departments worldwide have been brought up to the necessary standards, and all investigations into incidents have been completed.
- Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations
GENEVA – Following reports of extensive investigations and reforms coming to internal Peacekeeper conduct and policy, the Peacekeeper Corps has formally endorsed the Peacekeeper Accountability Act legislation which has been submitted within the Congress of Nations. The legislation has received additional endorsements from the Office of the Chancellor, the Oversight Division, and ADVENT Intelligence.
According to multiple Congressional sources, this legislation was spearheaded not by the Congress, but by Amalda Stein herself, who wrote it in conjunction with policy experts, Peacekeeper officials worldwide, and the Oversight Division. It unanimously passed through committee, and is prepared for a floor vote where it is also expected to pass unanimously.
The legislation has also received strong support from police watchdogs, in a rare show of unanimous support for a faction which has clashed with Peacekeeper policy in the past. Victims of police brutality cases have also independently supported the legislation, and praised its contents, with many admitting to being pleasantly surprised by its thoroughness.
In contrast, there has been some pushback from politicians, who are concerned that the standards are too strict to allow for effective law enforcement, which Stein has flatly disputed. Nearly every single major police union worldwide has also opposed the legislation, arguing that it is the result of nothing but political pressure and a war on police officers, and places officers in positions of greater potential harm.
Several union representatives, serving Officers, independent watchdogs, police brutality victims and families, Chief Stein, and other senior Peacekeeper officials will be appearing before Congress to gather additional context and information before a vote, which is expected to take place over the next two weeks.
The legislation codified into law practices which are already incorporated into existing Peacekeeper policies, largely relating to crimes committed by Peacekeepers and all other legal officials. They define the processes, establish requirements for internal investigation divisions, create reporting hotlines, and strengthen whistleblower protections with direct lines to the Oversight Division, or, in certain cases, grant legal authority to perform arrests or issue immediate warrants for Peacekeepers engaged in criminal activities.
It formally establishes the legal standard Peacekeepers are held to, should they engage in criminal activity, which has averaged out to nearly twice the level of severity for all crimes. For instance, a four year sentence for theft for normal criminals would be automatically doubled to eight years under the new legislation, and more severe crimes such as murder, rape, and trafficking, sentences will almost always have the death penalty or experimentation labs as an option.
A number of new crimes specifically related to the abuse of law enforcement power are also codified, all of which are extremely strict, which include tampering with evidence collection (focused on body cameras), eliciting favors, money, or sex through legal or authoritative pressure, unjustified usage of lethal force, inappropriate or threatening conduct against citizens, and accepting bribes while in uniform, among others. Under these laws, any Peacekeeper convicted will be fast-tracked through the already-efficient Judicial Courts, and justice rendered will be extremely swiftly.
The final, and most controversial, portion of the legislation is the Bystander Clause, which stipulates that any accomplice or eligible witness to any criminal activities committed by Peacekeepers who do not report the incident will be charged under the same crime, not as an accomplice, but as if they also directly committed the crime. There is speculation that the clause will undergo some amendment, though Stein and the Oversight Division are pushing to have the clause remain unaltered.
Reactions are cautions and subdued across the entire Peacekeeping force. "No one is going to speak up against them," one Peacekeeper said. "That is the equivalent of painting a very large target on your head, and considering how Stein goes after anyone who exhibits doubts about stuff like this, no one is going to risk their careers and lives to contradict her."
"I don't think the vast majority have an issue with the legislation itself," another commented. "But it's definitely something that we don't know how it's going to look in practice. Not everyone is convinced that Stein is going to have their back if there ever is an instance where use of force is authorized. There's a delicate conversation we need to have. I trust Stein, but I can see why others don't. It's well-known that she's a bit zealous in her enforcement."
Still, there has been overwhelming support for the legislation among the public, even among groups that normally are more supportive of law enforcement. "Punishing the dirty cops and holding them to a higher standard? Sure, who would have a problem with that?" Was one comment made, echoing a common sentiment, and the consensus appears to be that those who have a problem with the new law perhaps shouldn't be officers in the first place.
- Article | "Peacekeeper Accountability Legislation Introduced; Passage Almost Certain"
ADVENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PEACEKEEPER OPERATIONS
NOTICE OF THE IMMEDIATE DISSOLUTION OF THE NEW YORK CITY PEACEKEEPER DEPARTMENT
To the Peacekeeper Department of New York City, New York, United States of America,
As of the presentation of this notice, the Peacekeeper Department of New York City is legally dissolved, and all duties are to be assumed by the National United States Peacekeeping Branch until a new local department can be formed. The failure of the department to provide the requested information, institute appropriate policy changes, undergo policy reviews, and appropriately discipline officers with exterior review has necessitated direct administrative action.
The Global Branch of ADVENT Peacekeeper Operations, in conjunction with appropriate National and State Branches, as well as the Oversight Division, has concluded that the only appropriate recourse available is the immediate dismantling of the offending institution and to assume direct control of all operations.
Due to the non-compliance of the respective department, all senior officers and the Chief of the Department have been charged with Sedition and Obstruction of Justice, and warrants have been served for their arrest. All individuals are requested to submit themselves for arrest, as the SSR has been authorized to utilize lethal force against those who resist.
All Officers of the New York City Peacekeeper Department are immediately placed on administrative leave until further notice as the Oversight Division, ADVENT Intelligence, and the State Peacekeeper Branch conduct individual reviews of all involved officers. The New York State Peacekeeper Branch will establish a temporary department which will assume all law enforcement duties, and will be augmented with SSR personnel as deemed necessary. As Officers are cleared, they will be removed from administrative leave and fully reinstituted with earned compensation. Full compliance is required for full reinstatement.
While it is disappointing that these steps had to be taken, I am certain that this will lead to a more responsible and focused department. Those responsible for failing to comply with the law will be arrested, prosecuted, and punished. They will be made an example of to the Peacekeeper Corps and ADVENT at large.
All are subject to the law, no matter their station, and the rot will be purged, no matter if it must be pulled up by the roots.
- Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations
NEW YORK – Controlled chaos was present in the early morning of New York City, as the city's Peacekeeping Department received a notice detailing its immediate dissolution, arrest of leadership, and immediate suspension of all city officers. Residents reported convoys of exterior Peacekeeper and State Special Response (SSR) forces moving into the city early in the morning, and were en-route to all city precincts.
While it was never confirmed, it has been well-documented that the New York City Peacekeeper department had often clashed with the state and global arms of the Peacekeeper Corps. Sources had said that the tensions stemmed around the acquisition of documents for review as a result of Chief Stein's required policy reviews, but resisted outside help when the State Peacekeeper Department offered to remedy their manpower shortage.
In particular, ADVENT was demanding reports of incidents which had resulted in fatal shootings of, or encounters with, civilians. Officially, the department had told ADVENT that the individuals had been cleared, either by internal review or by a court of law. Stein reportedly personally intervened when their first refusal came, stated that there would be no exceptions, and that the department was to provide what was requested, or there would be legal ramifications.
Drama further intensified when the city's police union condemned what they charged as the "witch-hunting of innocent officers to fulfill the quotas of a foreign committee." They were joined by several police unions of major cities, who stated that similar demands were being made of their local police departments.
"I don't know what Stein is doing," Union Head Ronald Oliver said at the time. "This is something which will tie up resources, demoralize the police force, and seems like nothing more than a political stunt to make ADVENT appear more palatable to those who will never accept law enforcement. If there was ever a time for police, it's now, and Stein engaging in this kind of baseless self-sabotage is lunacy of the highest order."
The Peacekeeper Corps responded by forcing the dissolution of a dozen major police unions (including New York City's) on the grounds of corruption and political interference. Half of the union board would later be convicted of bribery, corruption, illegal political contributions, and several other crimes. The New York City Peacekeeper Department distanced themselves from the union following the dissolution.
However, it appeared that Stein and the department were unable to resolve their differences. ADVENT has confirmed to us that the New York City department has been dissolved, but stressed that a temporary structure would be put in place to provide law enforcement to the city, and would be handled by officers brought in from the state, country, and beyond.
The dissolution appeared to be carried out with minimal resistance for the most part, with local Peacekeeper forces surrendering and leadership being quietly arrested. Residents have reported that there were sounds of gunfire near several precincts. Video captured from the nearby area shows the entrance of several SSR soldiers, with the gunfire stopping soon after.
When asked to provide a statement, ADVENT only said that "Some officers facing arrest attempted to violently resist and ordered their subordinates to defy lawful orders provided by the Chief of Peacekeeper Operations. A majority of officers peacefully complied with orders, and those who did not were terminated with no friendly or civilian casualties."
This has not been the only dissolution reported, as, hours after New York City was dissolved, local news sources reported that similar actions had taken place in St. Louis, Houston, Guadalajara, Manila, Wuhan, and several other high-profile cities and towns. Several of these have been more violently resisted, with one of the departments effectively seizing the town, and attempting to force a negotiation.
ADVENT responded by deploying Deacon-augmented SSR forces, with the ADVENT Army on standby. ADVENT has since confirmed that every single member of the department who participated in the occupation has been executed by Peacekeeper and SSR forces. After the announced dissolutions had been completed, Chief Stein released a statement.
"Earlier this morning, the Peacekeeper Corps dissolved a number of departments throughout ADVENT due to their failure to properly provide us with critical information on officers who were potentially unstable or incapable of properly protecting their communities. The Peacekeeper Corps has attempted to work with these departments to ensure a fair and transparent investigation, and have been repeatedly stonewalled, sabotaged, and slowed, with minimal or no explanation. This is no longer acceptable, and this blatant ignorance of the law will not be tolerated. All senior and leadership figures of the dissolved departments have been arrested and will be sentenced to no fewer than ten years of prison, the exact number of which will depend on the extent of their defiance. These proceedings will be publicized to provide full transparency to the general public. We regret the failure of these institutions, and will be directly involved in building new departments from the ground up, with policies, training, and standards that will restore faith in law enforcement within their communities."
While neither Chief Stein nor ADVENT hinted that more dissolutions will be coming, sources within the Peacekeepers have indicated that this was meant as a warning to departments which are continuing to be problematic. "Stein was absolutely making a point with the size of these dissolutions," an Officer shared. "You don't just take down the fucking NYPD. Which is exactly what Stein did. If the NYPD isn't safe, then what is? I guarantee you that all of these 'non-compliant' departments will suddenly find all of their issues resolved."
"I'm not putting it past Stein to personally visit each department giving her trouble and doing nothing but playing the armor cam footage of the SSR killing the idiots that tried to fight back," another Officer shared. "Ok, a bit of an exaggeration, but you can bet that she's including some of the footage in her 'best-of' compilation she sends to the force each week showing dirty cops getting purged."
Opinions are universally in agreement that this was both punishment for the departments resisting, and a warning to any others who might be doing such. "We all know what the prisons are like," a senior Officer said on the record. "If Stein is showing she's serious about going after anyone who she sees as stonewalling her, everyone is going to turn on her. There's been a line that Stein hasn't crossed yet, and now she has. No one is safe anymore, if they ever were. They'd better hope that she's willing to forgive the slowness, otherwise the Prisons are going to be receiving a few new inmates."
There has been cautious praise for the actions taken by the general public. There is some skepticism that ADVENT can properly protect the city with the dissolution of the department, and some have criticized the immediate dissolution instead of a more gradual approach, but the majority appear to be in favor of the actions.
"They didn't comply, they got the consequences," a New York citizen shared. "Not going to lose any sleep over it. Crime is already pretty much gone since the SSR killed the mafias and gangs, I'm sure that whoever is taking over in the meantime will manage it. Besides, if ADVENT's willing to go after their own, imagine what they're going to do to actual criminals."
The Peacekeeper Corps estimates that it will take three months to fully complete the investigations and one month to establish new working branches. Time will tell if these new branches rectify the issues of the previous ones, but there is optimism that this will, indeed, be the case.
- Article | "Chief Stein Orders Dissolution of NYPD, other Peacekeeper Departments, as Consequence for Continued Obstruction"
ADVENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PEACEKEEPER OPERATIONS
MEMORANDUM ON THE DEPOLITICIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
To all Peacekeeper Departments,
The role of the Peacekeeper Corps is to enforce and uphold the law. The law is not partisan, and cannot be allowed to become partisan. The Peacekeepers have no allegiance to any person, party, or ideology but the law itself. We exist beyond and above the partisanship which can dominate discourse, and this impartiality is a cornerstone of maintaining the public trust.
It is for this reason that, as of the release of this memorandum, all Peacekeeper personnel are to immediately divest themselves from any political or ideological groups. All participation in political events including, but not limited to, marches, rallies, displayed or vocal support, or volunteering is hereby banned on and off duty.
This standard also applies to any ideological or political group, club, or gathering. For us to uphold the law free of bias, we must make immediate and transparent efforts to be a fully independent legal arm. We cannot have our officers participating in partisan groups, as this can influence or lead to the perception of bias.
This will not, of course, affect our duties, should they relate to securing political events or providing protection to candidates. That is part of our duties, and is non-partisan, but Peacekeepers cannot express a public preference for their preferred candidate, ideology, or group. This does not apply to private settings, such as with friends.
Should Peacekeepers be found to be associated with ideological or political groups, or have participated in a political campaign, they will be immediately terminated from their position, and potentially prosecuted, depending on the subsequent investigation. This is not a job for those who wish to be political or engage in the political process.
Because of this, all organizations which exist solely to advocate for law enforcement in politics are now illegal, and participation or support of them is now an electoral crime. This means in effect that all police unions will be disbanded, as well as any pro-law enforcement political and online groups. Notices to cease and desist have been sent, and it is recommended that any Peacekeepers associated with such groups terminate their association.
Please note that these restrictions do not extend to voting. Peacekeepers are encouraged to vote for the political candidates of their choice, but they may not use their implicit and explicit influence to advocate for one.
This memorandum will remain in effect until codified into law by the Congress of Nations.
- Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations
LONDON – Since the appointment of Amalda Stein to Chief of Peacekeeper Operations, there have been extensive reworks and revisions that have rocked the law enforcement world – within and outside the organization itself. The Peacekeepers have been criticized and praised by various sectors of the public for their actions, Stein's own past, and controversial topics, such as the ADVENT Prison System.
Now that the dust has settled, and many of the reforms are in place, a new normal has settled in across both the Peacekeepers and the citizenry at large. With record numbers of officers arrested and convicted as the result of internal investigations, the worldwide Peacekeeper force was diminished by nearly a fourth of its original size – creating a manpower shortage that experts predicted would cause significant operational gaps in law enforcement.
These predictions have only become partially true. "We're managing," Department Chief Lola Xi said. "The experts weren't completely wrong – were we in the old world, with similar criminal levels and organization, we'd be in trouble. But with crime itself lower, and some of our original duties given to other departments, we're able to manage the manpower shortage far better than the original outlook predicted."
Indeed, the Peacekeeper Corps has transitioned to a smaller workforce with notable success, much of it owed to the early days ,where Stein ordered an immediate purge of organized crime. "Stein set the tone the moment she came in," veteran Officer Cody Wade said. "Going after the Cartels? The entrenched organized crime? No more politics and red tape? Yeah, that puts a chill on crime for sure. It spooked everyone, as we were given license to finally go after those animals. Nothing more satisfying in my career."
Still, the drop in crime is not solely attributable to the fall of organized crime. Many independent social groups point to the expansion of healthcare, universal housing, and jobs programs as reasons for a drop in crime. "Poverty creates desperation," one social worker explained. "In some cases, it can sometimes be preferable. There's plenty of data that links poverty with an increase in crime. I imagine that was a rationale ADVENT was operating under. Most governments would just go to war against crime, ADVENT went to war against crime and poverty. I'd say they won on both fronts."
How most Peacekeepers themselves view Amalda Stein has also shifted over the months. While many were initially unsure about her record or intentions, she's slowly won them over with her staunch support of justified actions, dedication to the law, and pathological hatred of crime. "I trust her," a veteran Peacekeeper said. "I wasn't sure at first. I liked what she was saying, but actions speak louder than words. She let us off the leash, she let us go after the right people, and that converted a lot of us."
Still, there were others who praised her anti-corruption stances. "Say what you want about her, but she saved our image for a lot of people," another Peacekeeper shared. "It was bad in America, especially. Not all the damage is repaired, but it really points to how things are changing when you see news of some racist Peacekeeper shooting someone, see him arrested that same day, and then executed a week later. I still remember the first time that happened under Stein. Suffice to say you don't see that kind of thing anymore. All of the bad cops got out early, are in prison, or are dead."
"One of the things she does every week is send us a little compilation," a Department Chief shared. "Every single dirty cop that was caught and prosecuted. Usually with video of their execution or sentencing if it happened. She always mentions that her goal is to not have to send those emails out. One week that happened, and she seemed very happy. No matter what people say about her, she's not a hypocrite."
Indeed, there have been many officers who've come to strongly identify with her anti-crime crusade with similar or equal fervor, something which has received a mixed reception. "I mean, it makes sense," a Peacekeeper explained. "All of us are like Stein to some degree. We all hate crime, but join the club – who doesn't? Stein's brand is a crusade – which I won't say is an inherently bad thing, but it's a bit disconcerting to see in action. It's Judge Dredd come to life, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing yet. It's not good for crime, I'll tell you that much."
"I admit, it's a bit unsettling to always be watched by that one Stein zealot," a Peacekeeper admitted. "The one who is constantly making sure that no one is even thinking about committing a crime – which no one in their right mind is going to do. We all know the prisons, we saw her dissolve the NYPD. Absolutely no one is going to fuck with the law, which I guess is the point, but sometimes it does feel like we're walking on eggshells to completely remove the possibility that we could be engaged in a crime."
Despite the violent, contested, and tense start, now that the situation has stabilized within the Peacekeepers, the reforms are also bearing fruit in the realm of public opinion. Almost eighty-five percent of people have a positive opinion of the Peacekeepers, and a majority believe that they could be trusted "Most or all of the time".
Interestingly, nearly seventy percent of individuals said they now believed that when Peacekeepers used lethal force, it was "Always or probably justified." Conversely, anti-law enforcement sentiment has fallen to record lows, and a majority now believe that law enforcement has made "Needed and systemic changes."
Stein's own approval rating was not quite as high, with sixty-two percent of respondents approving, thirty percent disapproving, and the remaining percentage not providing an answer or being unsure. This is likely attributable to her involvement in the controversial Prison System, alongside her own personality, which she acknowledges is blunt and abrasive.
Still, internal polling of the Peacekeepers shows close to a ninety percent approval rating for Stein. Even if the public remains divided on Stein, she has been embraced by the rank and file, and it is likely that her influence will remain within the force long after her departure, for better or worse.
- Article | "The Dust Has Settled – Has Stein's Gamble Paid Off?"