Posted on 03/16/2015 1:01:13 PM PDT by Kaslin
Over the past few years our nation has seen a fair share of controversy as it relates to Peace Officers in the United States. Whether it is a Police Officer in a major metropolitan city, or a Deputy Sheriff in a rural county area, we have all been affected by the extreme focus on our profession. We have heard the mainstream media discussing a range of topics such as how we should do our jobs, how the federal government should be involved in local policing, or the supposed large divide between Peace Officers and the citizens. There have been a slew of “experts” on either side of the argument who have been quick to give their assessment of the situation, and then provide their solutions for the perceived problem. Then we have Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder further fueling the fire with their ever so wise statements and sentiments. All of this while men and women who proudly wear the uniform, go out every day and every night to do their job of policing the streets of our country.
Of course the job has not changed much over the years. Peace Officers still deal with essentially the same crimes generation after generation, some with a new twist and some formed out of new technology. Nevertheless, most often we are facing the people who cannot seem to solve disputes, families dealing with domestic violence, predators who seek out the weak and helpless, and those who are trying to escape reality through the use some substance. If you have been in this profession long enough you have most likely dealt with several generations of a criminal element, having arrested grandpa, father and son of the same family in many cases. It is what we face, and it is what we are conditioned to. As a Peace Officer, you deal with a small percentage of society a high percentage of the time. This in turn starts to affect how you deal with people, because it has to if you like living and would like to remain that way.
While we have progressed as a nation, the fact remains that society is still society and that people are still people. This means that there are still those predators and societal problems which require Peace Officer involvement. We as Peace Officers, through our training, experience and sometimes how and where we were raised, go to work each day with no clear picture of who our potential enemy will be for that shift. This fact combined with the fact that some sections of our society feel it is acceptable behavior to confront and attack Peace Officers simply because of the job they do and uniform they wear, makes an already tough profession even tougher.
As a nation we often times suffer the fact that we have a very vocal minority whom feel very entitled. They feel entitled to break laws, to cheat, to steal, and to rob. Then when these people are held accountable by the Peace Officers, they will turn around and claim they are being picked on because of some other factor such as race or religion. This vocal minority is quick to claim being persecuted and targeted, and they do so with the hope that good people will be intimidated by their allegations rather than standing their ground and facing the ridicule for doing what is right. To those who do not know the job or who have not fell victim to a predator, the argument of this minority seems very logical and they can be quick to join in the conversations against Peace Officers.
That is why it is so important for those who have chosen this profession to stay the course and remain ever vigilant, and for the people who support them to stand up and say so. It is time to vocally support these Peace Officers who put their lives at risk day after day, shift after shift, to protect the communities which they honorably serve. It is these men and women, and those like them who hold the very fabric of this country together. You must understand that each officer swears an oath to their country and the citizens, and it is by this oath that they live and die. There is a dire need to understand that this is a partnership, and that the Peace Officers of our nation need you. We need that silent majority to step up and be heard. Because it is through our actions that we will overcome the troubles that our nation is facing, and it is our actions that our future generations depend on to ensure that they have the opportunity to enjoy the greatest country in the world.
What do you do with bad apples? TOSS THEM OUT OF THE BASKET so their rot does not spread to the rest.
We need that silent majority to step up and be heard. “
Hopefully right after they pay their $1000 speeding ticket for going 73 in a 70 zone. Or the $500 for stopping at a red light 3 feet long instead of running through it and having your picture taken.(my employee just got one of these)
I doubt very much there is a silent majority anymore, if COPS want to know who the real enemy of freedom is, they just need a mirror.
I worked on a daily basis with police officers for approximately 25 years. The vast majority were good guys who cared a lot about the citizens that we were hired to serve. I was actually in an area that has more than its share of problems, and we did a lot to help those in need.
There were a couple who were jerks. He swore and threatened to arrest me when I stood up to him when I felt that he was treating a couple of citizens poorly. He got himself into trouble when he tried to get me into trouble by reporting the situation to his chief.
When the “good cops” decide it’s time to stand for truth and honor by tearing down their blue wall and clean out the vermin among them...I’ll give this plea more consideration.
Notwithstanding the extremely confrontational nature of the militarized LE agencies across the USA...
Get back on to the side of the populace who you claim to serve and pay your salaries...earn our trust and respect back.
“This means that there are still those predators and societal problems which require Peace Officer involvement.”
Indeed. And it’s a damned shame we no longer have Peace Officers. They were all replaced by Law Enforcement in the last couple of decades.
L
If a majority of cops are “good” cops, then there would be no “bad” cops. A little gather ‘round a bad cop by good cops at the beginning of a shift about how a bad cop’s life was going to get real hard, real quick if he didn’t get his act together would do wonders. I’m not sure the exact opposite doesn’t happen.
Exactly.
A few years ago, while my husband was deployed, a video emerged of US soldiers torturing a puppy and throwing it off a cliff.
You know who lead the outrage?
US SOLDIERS.
Soldiers stood up as a unit and said, ‘this is unacceptable behavior and is not tolerated.’ Soldiers helped identify the idiots and turned them in. Soldiers did not tolerate dishonor to their profession.
Yes every freaking time a cop screws up - and it’s obvious - cops defend the retard. Cops are standing as a unit against civilians and defending obvious psychopaths. Cops defend the indefensible.
Worse, the legal system never holds cops accountable for their BS. Even when there is a tape of a blatant abuse of force, the cops won’t pay for it.
It is this ‘loyalty’ among cops to one another - and not to the profession - that’s starting to stick in my craw. Police officers will stand beside a monster and allow that monster to defame their profession. Cops NEVER turn in other cops or testify against them and the judges stand with the cops.
I love cops. I do. But I’m starting to turn bitter and to lose trust because of their loyalty to the jerks who taint the uniform.
We all see it. I know the cops see it. Yet they stand quietly, with their heads down, and allow the crap to continue.
I have NO respect for good men who tolerate evil.
You are correct on that. Had my garage robbed. They filled out a report and gave it to me for my insurance. I asked what they were going to do to find the people who robbed me. The cop looked at me blank. I suggested that they notify local pawn shops and troll craigslist for my property. The cop said, ‘that’s a good idea.’
My son was robbed at knifepoint and he managed to pull a gun on the man trying to stab him. He reported it. The cops dutifully wrote down his description and appeared quite bored with the whole process. No follow up.
My credit card number was stolen and my account was cleaned out to pay random strangers’ utility bills. I reported it and the cop was quite happy to explain the scam. I asked him what they were going to do to the people who robbed me. He told me that it really wasn’t a ‘crime’ because the bank was going to pay me back. When I pointed out that we had the names and account numbers and addresses of all the people who were in on the scam and that it MIGHT not be so difficult to track him down, he was baffled. “But the bank is going to give you your money back. What’s the bid deal?”
I DON’T KNOW. A CRIME WAS COMMITTED BY CRIMINALS AND MAYBE YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP THEM FROM CONTINUING TO COMMIT CRIMES.
Neighbor’s dogs were terrorizing my yard, driveway and home. The cop told me, “why don’t you shoot them?” and refused to respond to the call.
I could go on and on and ON.
But damn. They were onto you if you didn’t pause long enough at a stop sign.
Texas cops are crap.
It would be nice if that were the case, but in my experience that is not the way that it works in real life. I really can't say how things are with police in other places. In my case I worked for a large city which contracted with a smaller outlying city to provide fire service. The smaller city had its own police department and in my opinion the people working as police there were much more customer service oriented than the police that worked for the city that I was employed by. We also worked with tribal police who were entirely different from the other two departments.
The chief of police in the small city was an amazing guy and a devout Christian who I still respect greatly. He ran a very tight ship and loved his community. He collected toys, and contributions every year through the explorer scout organization that he worked with. Every year before Christmas we walked through all of the neighborhoods in the community with one guy dressed as Santa with the rest of us handing out candy and presents to the kids. This took approximately six full days. We were on duty but ready to respond to any calls that came in. Many days the weather was just awful, but we and the police did it anyway. There were a lot of poor people who lived in the town and a lot of the kids really seemed to enjoy this.
I could tell you more stories of things that we did for people than you would ever care to know... some of it I am sure that you wouldn't even believe.
A lady whose husband was in Iraq came to our station and said she had a dead battery. My crew and I went to her house and tried to give her a jump, but her battery was bad. The three of us went to the auto parts store and bought her a new battery. We thought that they would give us a discount but they didn't. Another time we found an old man lying in the ditch. He wasn't drunk but he was cold and wet and just got tired. He didn't want to go to the hospital. We went back to the station and got him a pair of good boots and a dry pair of socks while the police warmed him up in their car. The police gave him a ride to the bus station and bought him a ticket to get him home which was 75 miles away.
One time a lady of the evening who was walking to the casino found a disoriented little old lady wandering in the night. She took her to this sleazy motel where it was warm. It was way below freezing and the old lady would most likely have died from exposure. My crew and I gave the call girl a ride to the casino in the fire engine and let her off at the front door. I told the casino security that she had just saved a life.
I could just go on and on; the mayor, former mayor, and most of the city council came to my retirement party. I had them and my co-workers laughing so hard that they were crying and pounding on the tables by talking about some of the ridiculously kind things we did for people over the years. The thing that I loved about my job is that I got paid to help people and every day we were given a lot of opportunities to do just that. Many of the police that I worked with had that same kind of spirit. But I know that the chief of my fire department and the mayor and city council all approved of how I did my job. The chief or the police department that I worked with for the last several years also approved of the kindness we showed our citizens whenever we could. I am sorry that a lot of police departments are not run that same way, but there are lots of good cops who care about their communities.
You are so correct that it depends on the department.
I should say, it depends on the leadership.
When my family moved from TX to AZ the difference was night and day. In AZ when you see a cop car, you wave and they wave back. You know you’re safe. In TX, when you see a cop car, you stare straight ahead and pray that they didn’t target you. If they did, you’re about to get searched.
Yes, I met some great guys in TX who worked for the county. But the city cops were horrible. (I thought one guy was a good guy until he started targeting my daughter to search ‘for easy fun’. He flat-out said, “Do you know why I always get you, honey? Because I know that you’re not going to give me any trouble.” She casually threatened a lawsuit and the searches stopped.)
My wife had a cop on Mercer Island in Washington stop her every time she passed him. He would berate her and say all sorts of insulting things. When I called and talked to the dispatchers to complain they laughed about it and said he was a really nice guy. I finally called the chief directly and the harassment stopped, but later we saw that he had another woman who looked very similar to my wife pulled over.
So I do not deny that there are bad cops and probably bad departments. Fortunately, the police that I worked with were good guys and the department was run by a strong leader who let them know exactly how he expected citizens to be treated. His officers respected him and for the most part followed his wishes.
Good cops, good muslims, both are equally useless.
I feel bad for laughing at that...
Where do you get that? It's untrue on its face.
You prefer bad cops, is that what we're supposed to grok?
“Grok?”
Are you kidding me?
Do you wear your Starfleet uniform as formal attire?
No, I’m referring to the fact that “good cops” like “good muslims” are utterly useless in the weeding out of bad ones....
I’ve seen the benevolence from fire and police department employees. I contribute to fire and police charities myself, and have witnessed many kind acts by you firemen and some policemen. I’ve also seen way too much lack of customer service from police who have forgotten they are public SERVANTS, and behave like law ENFORCEMENT officers. They have not learned to protect and to serve, but rather to harass or bully and to fine.
So the job can be hard to do a lot of the time, and dangerously unpredictable at times. It take a special kind of person to keep the customer service attitude under pressure. He must have a servants heart. If a policeman can’t separate the times he has to be tough from the times he needs to be cordial, he needs to find a new profession.
When “good” cops outnumber “bad” cops, those good cops can straighten out bad cops or get them fired. What we see all too often is professional protectionism of bad policing, which leads me to believe that a whistle blower would be in danger of loosing his job or worse.
You'll remember that Frank Serpico fingered the bad guys, and Melvin Purvis made up for all the time-servers and Hoover ass-kissers.
is emblematic of the problem. Too many cops see themselves as separate from the community, not a part of it. Too many cops see themselves as superior beings to the "civilians" ... as masters rather than servants. That self-imposed division must end.
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