When people are given the authority to stop, question, arrest and kill as part of their job they had better be responsible, courageous, judicious, sober and possess a very high degree of self control and cognitive and analytical ability. No doubt this is very hard to attain and seems “unfair” as it means that a very high standard of conduct is expected. But with great authority comes great responsibility. If people aren’t up to it they should be employed elsewhere.
There are too many stories of people that we, the people, vest with the power of life and death exercising poor judgement, exhibiting corruption and acting as if they are members of a group apart and thus in an “us against them” relationship with those they are charged to “serve and protect”. People who exhibit such characteristics should not be in a position that gives them the power to coerce and kill.
I was taught that if I ever needed help I could always approach a policeman. My parents gave me that. And I still largely believe it. But incidents where citizens are beaten because some cop was offended or because the cop decided the citizen needed a “tune up” or where citizens are shot down in a hail of gunfire under circumstances that indicate the cop(s) seemed to act in panic have undermined this belief. And if the cops don’t like that fact then all I can say is that YOU chose your profession and YOU took an oath to protect and serve or otherwise act to defend the law and the law abiding. If you find you are unable to actually act as a hero, which is what a real policman IS, then get another job.
I believe that good cops, the real heroes, cringe inside when they hear of stories like the one discussed on these threads. Or at least they would if they still hold to any sense of duty to the public trust and have a sense of just how honorable and good a man in their position should be and act.
I think I understand your sentiments here; I can honestly say that I hope most police officers would cringe [at this sort of story/situation], but on the other hand I'm somewhat of a cynic and don't believe that many have such a developed sense of either Justice or Honor to cause that cringe.
Far too many people will excuse police action (especially if it starts legitimately); far too many people weekly acquiesce to any pretense of authority (as opposed to standing with manly firmness holding to the Righteousness of Justice). As an example:
I live in New Mexico, an open-carry state. I was once exercising that right at a social gathering where I apparently "made some people nervous" and one leader, a man whom I respect, asked me to put it in my car: I acquiesced, believing that the entire situation had been resolved [this was a Wednesday night].
Not so, though; several of the leaders of this social gathering had a meeting about me [I was not present] and they called my National Guard unit [I was enlisted at the time]. No apparently this story made its way through the rumor-mills of my old unit and then someone called the police telling them that I was "at my house" and "waving a gun around." I assume this call was made on the Friday, because that's when the police showed up at my place, weapons drawn.
I happened to be away at this time, which in hindsight is probably a very good thing. Anyway the police came onto the residence's property (I live in an apartment) and were looking in a van with tinted windows when that vehicle's owner [and incidentally the landlady] asked why they were there and what they were doing. The officer's only reply was to ask if I lived there and to tell the lady to "get in the house."
She said that I did live there but that I wasn't present at the time, and again she asked the officer for identification which he refused to supply. Now at this point you must realize that this officer is on very shaky legal ground; as I understand it an officer in execution of his duties must supply [adequate] identification such as Driver's license and badge number. It is also good to consider that there was no warrant issued at all regarding this incident.
The landlady's husband forbade her from filing a complaint regarding the officer's actions; IMO precisely because of the circular-reasoning that: authorities must be obeyed because they are authorities and no-one who is unsuitable for an authority position would be given a position of authority so their merely holding a position-of-authority is proof of both their adequacy and the validity of that authority.
(i.e. one of those Christians who thinks that "render unto Cesar that which is Caesar's" means that any defiance or disagreement over what Cesar claims to be Caesar's is unchristian... despite that Jesus also said "Render unto God that which is God's" and there exists the distinct possibility that Caesar may try to claim that which is God's: like in Daniel.)
Aye, there's the rub.
Law enforcement agencies must settle for mere mortals.