“Any police department (or university faculty, or military unit, etc.) is only as good as the worst psycho they tolerate.” ~ H/T RedStateRocker
While a bit off-topic, I posted this on a thread about police, qualified immunity, and their disconnect from the public:
Unfortunately, the police have brought this upon themselves by not removing those that abuse Qualified Immunity.
Acting like every person you talk to in every situation like they are a hardened criminal is NOT the way to engender trust and cooperation with your fellow citizens. Treating those same employers with contempt and calling them “civilians” (while you are no more than a fellow CITIZEN entrusted with law enforcement) is another dehumanizing activity constantly in action with many officers.
Then there is the entire “thin blue line” of conspiracy endemic to most police organizations, where we are told “it’s only a few bad apples”. Well, here’s a little factoid: unlike what the Osmonds sang in the 1970s, one bad apple DOES spoil the whole bunch, if it is not plucked from among the good ones and disposed of.
When the cops close ranks to protect one of their number no matter whether that officer has betrayed the trust of the public supposedly served, that entire department becomes a co-conspirator and just as guilty of the inappropriate action of the one as anyone charged as an “accessory after the fact”.
You want the public’s support? Act like it! The trust we once had in the police has been betrayed, and that trust will have to be EARNED back.
A couple of suggestions to aid in the re establishment of trust:
Once a police officer has been convicted of misusing their position, the department’s PENSION PLAN has to pay out the monetary award, not the municipality itself. The convicted officer loses everything ever paid into the plan and is removed from the payout list forever, in every department worked in.
Every officer found guilty of any inappropriate actions and those who helped cover those improprieties should have their ability to ever again work in a police capacity removed.
Every officer will wear a camera that is sending its signal to a publicly accessible broadcast website. Any interference with that feed by the officer or an associate is grounds for immediate permanent dismissal.
While not perfect, these suggestions are a start.
Add to that no-knock warrants delivered by plain clothes cops.
“Every officer will wear a camera that is sending its signal to a publicly accessible broadcast website.”
You local dope dealer, gang leader and MS-13 would really appreciate that.
“Any police department (or university faculty, or military unit, etc.) is only as good as the worst psycho they tolerate.” ~ H/T RedStateRocker
It really is good to see an increasing number of FReepers waking up to the bad realities of modern-day policing at all levels.