That post was worth repeating.
A 70 year old would have known a time when she was taught and found exactly that; the LEO's did "protect and serve". Would she have believed or expected (especially in her blindness) that for putting one foot on the bumper of a "forbidden" vehicle her introduction to a policeman would have been to have been knocked in the head hard enough to dilodge an eye?
I am gaining even greater disrespect for even the family of LEO's who defend this kind of action for whatever manufactured reason.
There are often officers (I only hope more often) who do not participate in the current trend. Many have now left the force (read that "been forced out") because they do not qualify for this new kind of "bravery" (some of whom I know).
More often they are like the Sherrif's deputy I saw ignore two out of state young and black speeders doing 87 miles an hour on route 85 in VA to "take" an old white lady doing 79 (or whatever)in clear, bright weather with very, very little traffic. After all, the young black might have been from the Bronx and been a problem stop... Why risk his life "to make things safe"? She was speeding, too.
Guess what that old lady (and I) will teach to the younger members of our families? Respect? That they protect or serve? That they live for the power? That the county through which that highway goes needs the revenue generated by all the force they put on that road to supplement what they cannot get in taxes? That the reason most of the tickets given are to truckers or females, preferably white is because (fill in the blanks) while more of the drivers on that road are male.
A current joke for that road (and roads like it) used when someone speeds past is, "that must be the Sherrif's (wife, son, cousin etc.)" Disrespect? You bet. Earned and deserved disrespect. It would be totally inconsistent with reality to teach my progeny anything more than a wary vigilence over any action involving any law enforcement entity or agent. Certainly I could not, in good conscience teach them to trust first as children 70 years ago were taught.
If we teach our youngsters that respect is earned we can no longer exempt law enforcement agents.