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Protect and Serve?
Author: BobR
Date: 01/17/2014 18:33:41
Let me start off by saying I could never ever be a cop. I don't have the stomach or the physicality or the personality, and - most importantly - the desire to be a cop. It takes a special kind of person to spend every working day dealing with the denizens of society. It has to be emotionally gruelling to deal with humanity's worst day in and day out. With today's lax gun laws, you never know if someone is armed, so you always have to assume they are. Walking into the aftermath of violent death has to be rough as well.
The problem, of course, is that some of those who become cops are not that special kind of person. After dealing with the stress of constantly having to be on guard and being hated by those who see the law as a hindrance to getting what they want, some cops begin to assume everyone is guilty of something, and deserve to be treated as such. That's when we get these terrible stories about abuse of power.
Some are absurd, like arresting people for putting change in expiring meters, or for giving change to a homeless person:
An hour later he was on his way, but the cops convicted him in their own minds, and were determined to prove they were right. That mindset was taken to the extreme last year with a horrific story about a man forced to undergo colonoscopies and enemas because the police were certain he was carrying drugs. He wasn't, and after that inhumane ordeal, he sued. Ultimately, he and the police settled at $1.6M.
This is the end result of power unchecked. We hear tales of this from foreign dictatorships, and think "so glad that can't happen here". And yet - it does. The ongoing saga in NJ is just another form of what happens when power combines with moral certitude - or sometimes just a bad attitude. The rationale for the huge investigation is to be a warning to all that this will not be tolerated.
So what about the those few "bad apples" in the police ranks? The notion of the "thin blue line" is ubiquitous, but it would serve those who are proud to be cops to rid themselves of those few bad apples before the public sees the entire bushel as spoiled.
The problem, of course, is that some of those who become cops are not that special kind of person. After dealing with the stress of constantly having to be on guard and being hated by those who see the law as a hindrance to getting what they want, some cops begin to assume everyone is guilty of something, and deserve to be treated as such. That's when we get these terrible stories about abuse of power.
Some are absurd, like arresting people for putting change in expiring meters, or for giving change to a homeless person:
Greg Snider was in a Houston, Texas parking lot, on the phone making a business call. While in the lot, a homeless man approached his car and asked for change. Snider gave him 75 cents and then drove off. KPRC Local 2 News reported on the shocking thing that happened next.
When Snider pulled onto a nearby freeway, a police car pulled him to the side. Greg was surprised by how aggressive the officer was, telling KPRC, “He's screaming. He's yelling. He's telling me to get out of the car. He's telling me to put my hands on the hood…They're like, 'We saw you downtown. We saw what you did.’ And I was like, 'Are you kidding me? I gave a homeless man 75 cents.'"
He was dragged out of his car and handcuffed. So what was it that police insisted Mr. Snider had done? Give that homeless man drugs. Again, he didn’t. Snider only gave the man some money.
An hour later he was on his way, but the cops convicted him in their own minds, and were determined to prove they were right. That mindset was taken to the extreme last year with a horrific story about a man forced to undergo colonoscopies and enemas because the police were certain he was carrying drugs. He wasn't, and after that inhumane ordeal, he sued. Ultimately, he and the police settled at $1.6M.
This is the end result of power unchecked. We hear tales of this from foreign dictatorships, and think "so glad that can't happen here". And yet - it does. The ongoing saga in NJ is just another form of what happens when power combines with moral certitude - or sometimes just a bad attitude. The rationale for the huge investigation is to be a warning to all that this will not be tolerated.
So what about the those few "bad apples" in the police ranks? The notion of the "thin blue line" is ubiquitous, but it would serve those who are proud to be cops to rid themselves of those few bad apples before the public sees the entire bushel as spoiled.
