Protect and Serve

A linchpin (not lynch) of our society is a belief in the fairness and honesty of those who administer our laws.

When a cop writes a ticket, we depend on his telling the truth.

We don’t want cops who pull over pretty women, give them bogus tickets and demand to see their tattoos.

We don’t want cops who shoot and kill an unarmed woman because she was too whacked out on drugs to get out of her car.

We don’t want cops who beat to death a homeless man on West Burnside.

We don’t want cops who lie.

Otherwise, we risk becoming an “us vs. them” society, and “them” has the guns, the unions and the courts on their side.

But the cards are stacked in favor of the police, even though we are a country based upon “innocent until proven guilty.”

Here’s the deal: laws on the use of force by cops are based on “feelings,” not facts: if he “feels” threatened, if he “believes” he is defending his life, a cop can do anything. They know this. Their unions know this. If an officer says he “felt” threatened, who can disagree?

Accused officers are schooled by union reps on how to respond to an investigation that does not occur until days (days!) after an incident has occurred.

That should change. The public needs to have confidence. Cops who may have acted inappropriately need to be interviewed immediately, even it we have to grant them a certain immunity from criminal prosecution.

We need the truth, not a union-sanitized version of events, even as we acknowledge an officer’s right to defend himself and even as we respect how tough their job actually is.

Why worry about this? Because turning a blind eye to injustice encourages an unofficial lawlessness that indirectly affects all of us today and could well victimize any of us in the future.

Why worry about this? Because respect begets respect, contempt begets contempt, and police need public support as much as the public needs the cops to protect them against evil scum that will prey on us if there are no cops to serve and protect.

Unions need to move beyond their own “us versus them” philosophy. They know who the good cops are, and the bad ones. While solidarity counts in that world, and cops need to depend on each other, unions should end their knee jerk defense of all policemen in every situation, and encourage a new open culture.

They could start by agreeing to a zero tolerance policy backed by testing on the use of steroids by their members, drugs that affect the “feelings” that can lead to a too quick trigger.

News reporters need to stop being so damned lazy and ask, over and over again if necessary, “Who is lying? Why are they lying? What are the consequences?” They need the courage and support to publish what they learn. With names.

We do need to be careful. We do not want to Californicate our laws, to shackle police with the fear that if they do their duty they will face an automatic investigation, reprimand, termination or a law suit.

At the same time, we need a way to get rid of those who have violated a public trust and cannot be trusted.

There is nowhere to go for justice when justice is has been corrupt, when “protect and serve” becomes “threaten and intimidate,” when thugs in uniform damage the integrity of all those good cops, the vast majority, who risk their lives in the line of duty.