originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: IslandOfMisfitToys
And you have proof that good cops cover for bad?
And you have done your civic duty to use that proof to contact the authorities and right an apparent wrong?
No?
Oh you just post on forums, while in your nice safe home and in no danger at all, about how evil certain people are?
Or you sit in your home, made safe by the very people you disparage, and comment; never actually doing anything?
Okay
I get it
Actually there is TONS of evidence of "good" cops who cover for "bad" cops. It is what is known as "the thin blue line". It is no secret and it
amazes me when seemingly intelligent people such as yourself flat out ignore the obvious and well known. Those who do not actual assist in covering up
the misdeeds of those "bad" cops, simply turn and look the other way and do not get involved.
Need proof?? Look at the case of Abner Louima from 1997 as a perfect example.
In this case you have Officers who beat this man at the scene of his arrest. Beat him some more on the way to the station. Beat him some more AFTER he
got to the station and then proceeded to use the handle of a broomstick and sodomize this man. After they sodomized him, the Officer then took that
broomstick and shoved it in Abner Louima's mouth knocking out his front teeth.
The Officer who did this disgusting act of rape, then walked through the station holding up the bloody, excrement stained broomstick and bragged to
anyone who would listen, including his Sargent. This attack was so severe that it left Abner Louima with major damage to his colon and bladder which
required 3 surgeries to repair.
Now think about that for a second. All those Police witnesses to a beating. To the bragging. Witnessing him walking around with a bloody crap stained
broomstick. Did these good Officers get the man medical attention? Nope. Did they arrest their fellow Officer? Nope. That Officer came and went to
work like it was any other day and no one stopped him. The day AFTER this rape by an Officer, they finally took Abner Louima to a hospital. Want to
take a guess what these "good cops" told the hospital staff?
Do you think they told the staff that the man was raped with a broomstick? That he was beat by a couple out of control "bad" cops? OF COURSE NOT!!!
Cops DO NOT cross that thin blue line. Instead they told the hospital staff that Abner Louima's injuries were the result of "abnormal homosexual
activities".
Most of this would be something you would not consider proof. Only it is.... because during the trial the Officer who did this came clean. Changed his
plea to guilty and admitted what he had done. It was NYPD Officer Justin Volpe who, in 1999, was then sentenced to 30 years without parole.
But this gets better.... now let us think about this. If you raped a man with a broomstick and beat him so severely that he required multiple
surgeries to repair internal damage. Where do you think you would go to Prison after being sentenced to 30 years? I would imagine if it was me, I
would be in a maximum security State prison. General Population. Unless I was being raped myself then I could probably get a protective custody
assignment in that same maximum security State prison.... but not Officer Volpe. He is serving his sentence at a minimum security facility at the
Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman in Florida- or what guys like me would call, "Club Fed".
By now you may be wondering how this proves that "good" cops cover for "bad" cops? Clearly it is safe to assume that there were witnesses, but that
doesn't PROVE that any other cop was a witness or attempt to cover for Officer Volpe. Except that Volpe implicated a few Officers who DID witness,
help, and cover up for his actions. he implicated Officers Charles Schwarz, Thomas Bruder, Thomas Wiese, and Michael Bellomo. With just ONE of these
Officers being sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to perjury (of all things) and ALL of them being indicted and convicted ... although in
typical "take care of your own fashion" they all got their convictions overturned on appeal, (and when the news and people moved onto something else),
on the grounds that the Police did not receive a fair trial in such a highly charged atmosphere. In the end, only 2 Officers got any time.... and it
was the 2 who admitted their guilt. The rest got a pass.
Now tell me again how "good" cops dont cover for "bad" cops.
As far as the OP goes... to me this is not a story of a good cop. I do not believe people are defined by their profession. This is a story of a good
man... who just happens to also be a cop. I do not think every single one of the Officers in the Abner Louima case are bad people, but they are bad
cops. I also do not blame cops for this at all.... I blame the system. I blame the training.
Is it any wonder you have cops who over react? Act aggressive? Act paranoid? We take them from day one and pound into their heads through their
training that any time they have on a uniform, they are a constant target. That they can not trust anyone and must view every citizen with suspicion
and mistrust. The only people who will have their back are their fellow Officers. We train cops to view the public at large as the enemy and we train
them to view the world with an us vs them mentality. We train them to fear the public.
But every now and again we see stories like this.... where a human being helps and cares for another human being. Know why? Cause sometimes humanity,
empathy and love can still be stronger than fear.
The profession of this man is actually irrelevant and does not prove anything.