Posted on Dec 5, 2014
Are our police force guilty of abusing their authority?
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We have had the Brown/Wilson case in Ferguson, MO the Daniel Pantaleo/Eric Garner case in NYC and the Trevis Austin/Gil Collar killings and it seems like police abuse may be present. Are we just hearing these stories because they sell news? What about cops being killed? Personally I see the police force as a microcosm of society where there are good and bad, but just like the rest of society how do we tell good from bad and can we weed the bad out before tragedies like these?
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Posted >1 y ago
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For every story about a "bad" cop, and I am certainly not saying the ones in the news fit that category, there are literally thousands about good cops that you don't hear about.
Every facet of society and, therefore, every profession has a few bad apples. The news media highlights the bad to feed the sensationalism-seeking public and, to make it worse, the race-baiters take anything that they think they can use to further their cause and spin it way out of proportion to reality.
Are there police officers who are abusing their authority? Certainly. Is it an epidemic, as some in the media would have you believe? No... I guess it is like the "Bird Flu" or "Swine Flu" pandemic or the "Y2K" disaster that were all supposed to devastate our country in the recent past. Much ado about nothing. Did I mention "global warming"... ? :-)
Every facet of society and, therefore, every profession has a few bad apples. The news media highlights the bad to feed the sensationalism-seeking public and, to make it worse, the race-baiters take anything that they think they can use to further their cause and spin it way out of proportion to reality.
Are there police officers who are abusing their authority? Certainly. Is it an epidemic, as some in the media would have you believe? No... I guess it is like the "Bird Flu" or "Swine Flu" pandemic or the "Y2K" disaster that were all supposed to devastate our country in the recent past. Much ado about nothing. Did I mention "global warming"... ? :-)
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PO2 Corey Ferretti
Very well said Sir. I love when i run into people who say all cops are bad none are good. Then you find out they are always on the wrong side of the law or don't respect authority period.
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Cpl Brett Wagner
COL Jean (John) F. Burleson Agreed sir. You never hear about the cop who rescues someone, the cop who brings toys to kids who can't afford them or the white cop caught on film receiving a hug from a young black kid during the recent riots. How many times to you hear about the cop who is killed in action?
What I do realize is that we have to do something to change the perception that currently exists. I don't know how but that is why I lean on the smart people like you and other leaders here and elsewhere. Our leaders like yourself need to give us lawful orders that we can carry out and complete the mission sir. I feel privileged to have you, SNCOs and other officers to lead us.
Ooh Rah!
What I do realize is that we have to do something to change the perception that currently exists. I don't know how but that is why I lean on the smart people like you and other leaders here and elsewhere. Our leaders like yourself need to give us lawful orders that we can carry out and complete the mission sir. I feel privileged to have you, SNCOs and other officers to lead us.
Ooh Rah!
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I can see where the police have gotten very jumpy. These last couple years seem to be open season on cops. Not sure what the solution is. But a start would be for suspects to cooperate instead of be combative. And just follow instructions.
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Cpl Brett Wagner
MSgt Curtis Borders - I hear what you are saying. There were no protests or complaints when the 4 NYC cops were attacked by the guy with the axe a few weeks back. The news media tends not to report when a cop is shot, killed etc. But like I said they are part of society and there are good and bad. Shooting a drunk high college kid who is naked seems a bit much.
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MSgt (Join to see)
And I would tend to agree with you Cpl Brett Wagner. There are good and bad. Drives me crazy how the media hypes some of this crap up for ratings. And the sad part is people suck it up.
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Sgt Michael Furphy
I believe most LEO's are good people. I have ridden many hours with them in my early years when I was going to college for law enforcement. I saw a lot of bad things the police did and a lot of good things. I believe that respect for law enforcement is on the decline in lieu of the recent media spotlight on several shootings. I believe if more people would just do what the officer says without a fight, then most of these events could be avoided. We were called to a bar fight one time and after we cleared it up and had a few troublemakers in custody, I witnessed an officer punch one of them in the kidneys (hard enough that the man crapped his pants) after he was handcuffed. Those kinds of guys have no business being police officers. You also have to figure in that after years of this type of activity that police become cynical. It takes someone special to keep his cool after years of abuse.
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I believe that the one critical component we have chosen to forget is the role that cable news outlets have played in each of these incidents. For those of you who are old enough to remember the Rodney King incident, the common practice of cable media outlets is to selectively include information.
Cable media outlets are not repositories of factual information, nor are they a reliable source for newsworthy issues. Cable media outlets exist to promote whatever political or social agenda that stakeholders want to present.
Cable media outlets are businesses. They must represent the agenda of whoever is paying the bill. Cable media outlets have subscribed to sensationalism. The facts no longer matter, it's the story that counts.
So, who really is responsible for the civil disobedience in Feeguson? How do hold the media accountable for their actions?
Cable media outlets are not repositories of factual information, nor are they a reliable source for newsworthy issues. Cable media outlets exist to promote whatever political or social agenda that stakeholders want to present.
Cable media outlets are businesses. They must represent the agenda of whoever is paying the bill. Cable media outlets have subscribed to sensationalism. The facts no longer matter, it's the story that counts.
So, who really is responsible for the civil disobedience in Feeguson? How do hold the media accountable for their actions?
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