Quote:
Originally Posted by blueash
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.
|
One line jumps out at me above. If only we each took individual responsibility for ourselves and owned our acts and tried to do better. The problem is this.......many of us who have had very few dealings with law enforcement, because we are law abiding, do not have a negative view of police officers. Many of us in fact have not witnessed what law enforcement sees every day. I don't think we pay law enforcement enough. I will be so glad when those who are bullies and unfair and violent people are weeded out, but I am not happy that some of the restraints of people who ARE violent will not be allowed to be used on them. I think it is unrealistic to believe that law enforcement as we know it can be replaced with social workers. Ethics and rule following had dropped so much in this country since parents no longer are with small children day to day, every day. Now parents having children are the ones in early childhood who spent about ten hours a day with caregivers who THEIR parents would not trust with their car keys.