Quote:
Originally Posted by Stu from NYC
True. Would not want to be a police officer in a city where the police were so disrespected and know the city does not have their back no matter what happens.
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And there is a nice defining difference between the two sides in this issue. One side wants the government to support the police "no matter what happens" The other side wants the government to support the citizens when the police are wrong.
I am sad that some good police feel "disrespected" but remind them that respect is earned and once lost can be regained by good acts. Point out the bad ones in your ranks.
Exactly the same dynamic has happened within the Catholic church. Very very few of its clergy were pedophiles. But all were tainted with that suspicion because too often their peers and their leaders covered up what they knew or suspected. If the church had promptly acted to remove the criminals the fall out would have been so much less. Instead the institution of the Church protected itself, like the police unions do.
One big difference is that the Church is a private organization which does not owe any allegiance or obligation to the citizens. Police are sworn to a whole different set of obligations. The government needs to support, fund, and recruit good men and women into police careers. It also needs to have strong policies to root out bad cops and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.