Police on my back

Another really bad idea -- let's federalize the police force:

The idea behind federal supervision of local police forces is that it will make them more accountable. Instead of a bunch of presumptively racist, violent hicks running things on a local level, we'll see the cool professionalism of the national government in charge.

There are (at least) two problems with this approach. The first is that federal law enforcement, especially in recent years, hasn't exactly been a haven of cool professionalism. The second is that no law enforcement agency is very good at policing itself, meaning that a national police force is likely to be less accountable, not more. 

All true. Let's consider three separate events from the past couple of days. First, a potential terrorist attack in Texas:

Two gunmen were killed and a security guard wounded Sunday outside a "Draw Muhammad" contest organized by a free speech group at a school arena in Garland, Texas, police said.

The attackers drove up and opened fire on the security guard as the event was finishing up about 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), said Joe Harn, a spokesman for the Garland police.

Officers at the heavily-policed event returned fire, killing the men.

The suspects' bodies remained at the scene because investigators were concerned there could be a bomb in their car. A bomb squad robot was checking the vehicle, Harn said.

There were no immediate clues to the identity of the attackers.

Next, an apparently random shooting in Menasha, Wisconsin, close to my old stomping grounds:

City of Menasha Police say five people were shot in a random act of violence on the Trestle Trail Bridge.

Four of the five people are dead, including the suspected shooter.

Police had all hands on deck on the Trestle Trail Bridge after receiving a call of an active shooter just after 7 p.m. Sunday.

“Within a matter of moments there were 30 officers on scene trying to contain the situation,” said Chief Tim Styka of the City of Menasha Police Department.

Upon arrival, officers found the five people shot on the bridge.

Finally, a horrific case of arson that killed two people in southwestern Minnesota:

A home on a southwestern Minnesota farm was engulfed in flames, a generous husband and wife are dead, and three young men are in jail.

That’s the grim scenario in Lyon County, where a blaze Thursday in Balaton killed 75-year-old Jim Hively and his wife, Cathy, who was 71.

Under arrest are three men who could be charged as soon as Monday. They are all from that area of the state and range in age from 18 to 21. All are suspected of arson and burglary. Two of them also are suspected of murder.

One of the suspects, a 20-year-old man from Balaton, is on probation after being sentenced for helping his brother flee law enforcement in a pickup truck last summer following the shooting and wounding of a 30-year-old man in nearby Yellow Medicine County. The brother was caught, convicted and is in prison.

All horrible events that are utterly unrelated. How would federal involvement assist the citizenry in any of these instances?