It seems that there's a story about out-of-control cops in the national news daily. Everything from breaking out the tazer on disabled folks,
pregnant women, the elderly, to bribery, mob ties, wholesale violence, racism, the works.
Now, cops are human, there are bound to be some crazies in any demographic. But, are there more in this profession because of the sort of person it
attracts? Can more be done to screen applicants and reduce these problems? Or, is the notion of out-of-control cops over-represented in the media
because it's so sensational? After all, when the people we arm and empower to protect us turn against us, it's pretty heavy. That's a serious
breach of trust.
Part of me says it's not possible to over-represent these crimes, they're so heinous, and the citizens deserve to know what their public servants
are up to. But are we being turned against the cops to take the heat off of crooked politicians and their backers?
Is there a concerted effort by the media to reinforce the siege mentality in LEOs and citizens? This seems to be the case, so naturally that makes me
wonder: why? What could anyone, media moguls and their connections specifically, hope to gain by turning ordinary citizens against the police, and
vice versa?
This is a story I read, that prompted me to post this thread.
www.thewbalchannel.com...
Baltimore City police arrested a Virginia couple over the weekend after they asked an officer for directions.
Debating the accuracy of any of these stories is somewhat futile, because we only have the information that we're given. Rather, I started this
thread to pose a question about the possibility that both the cops and the citizens are buying into a false reality, a media reality, that serves to
turn us against one other.
Divide and conquer...
Now, the other thing that complicates matters is the fact that cops often deal with only the worst of the worst. They have a limited perspective, and
I think over time it can lead to myopia, where they fail to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, ever. They see so many scumbags, they forget there
are good people out there, and they forget how to treat good people with respect.
I've noticed a trend among younger cops, some are honest-to-God idealists. They joined to help people, and they really don't have any interest in
power or cruelty. After a while, it seems some of the idealists leave for bigger and better things, and some lose their faith and stay on as
glimmer-less wage-slaves.
Overall, I've met a lot more good cops than bad cops. The horror stories are all over the news though, what's a humble citizen to believe?
Please, no cop-bashing on this thread. Unless you intend on serving as an illustration of the problem.
[edit on 20-5-2006 by WyrdeOne]