Cops Are the Good Guys

Good stuff. As a general rule, I view LE as being on "our side". In the small town I reside in, I know most of them personally, and would have to say this model works well.

However, in the metro area I work in...I'll admit that this isn't always so easy. Without a doubt, they have a tough job, and absolutely...the best policy is to obey right away. That being said, It's beyond obvious that municipal revenue targets, restrictive policies (based largely on the issues accurately stated herein), and a climate of "trust no one" has frosted my perceptions of LE at large.

I've personally been at the "bad end" of "bad cops"; arrogant...possibly corrupt. Neither do I "trust" some of the officers I encounter to exercise "common sense"...in at least one interaction, the officer used aggressive tactics unwarranted by a simple case of an un-fastened seat belt.

That said, I've lost count of the times I've been treated respectfully, fairly (even generously) by LE.

It is indeed a "war zone" out there, and my hat's off to the vast majority. That small, irresponsible or reckless minority of officers are none the less real, and as a private citizen, I do "fear" the fact that "they" might not always be taking our own reaction to those dangers into account.

How many individuals died in county jails under Clark's watch? Yes cops are the good guys and no one is disputing that but how about he talks about accountability and responsibility when a cop makes a serious error in judgment. Better trained and better educated yet still incidents of unarmed individual being shot or mistaking a cellphone for a gun or after telling the officer you were carrying or having a toy gun. I remember the footage of the guy who followed instructions, laid on the ground, both hands in view and he still got shot.
Growing up on Southside of Chicago since I was 9 no one taught me cops are bad or racist or biased; but I did meet my share of those types of cops in Chicago and in other states over the years. They were few in number but they exist out there.
The problem isn't the perception all cops are bad. The perception is the institution of law and order are going to protect the few bad apples that do exist and make excuses until they run out of them. Nope lets blame lack of family and cultural values and Liberal politicians not just for those that resist but for those that ask questions and those that had anything in their hand. Accountability goes both ways.

Agree with you, the old cops I knew and worked with are very different then today's cops.