It Appears "The Worm Has Turned"

[Kane]

Shitty thread is shitty.

#notsurprised

[Mr. Shaman]

[Mr. Shaman]

[Kane]

[broken robot]

[fstarcstar]

You guys do know that Philly is Mr. Shaman right?

[Mr. Shaman]

[The Comrade]

i don't think philly would dedicate this much time to a sock.


chymical on the other hand...

[Libertarian602]

[Chesty Puller]

I'm glad to see that the quality of debate hasn't changed since Political Crossfire's previous life. Anyhow, back on topic. The murder of two NYPD officers is without excuse, but it is not unexpected. I think that most people would acknowledge that 99% of police are honest, hardworking public servants. Lord knows that they don't sign up for the great pay and benefits. But as with most uniformed services, they form a fraternity. And like many fraternities, they have a tendencies to protect each other from ALL reproach, regardless of its validity. And therein lies the problem. As long as the bad cops as protected from the consequences of their actions, there are many who will come to assume that ALL cops are bad. There have (obviously) been a lot of incidents in the news lately of cops shooting unarmed civilians. In my personal opinion, some of those cases were justified.

I think that if Daren Wilson had gone to trial, he would have been acquitted. That said, I think that there was enough evidence for an indictment. Whether there was or wasn't, I think that it is pretty clear that the prosecutor in the case intentionally did a shitty job. (And for that, I think that he should be fired and disbarred). On the opposite end of the spectrum, I think that the NYPD officer who killed Eric Garner should be both indicted and convicted of manslaughter. But neither one of them was indicted. And I doubt that the Cleveland cop will be indicted, though in that case I'm not sure that he should be. But the reason that he won't be is bullshit. Prosecutors don't want to come down hard on bad cops, and that fact is putting all cops in danger.

Honestly, I'm amazed that more cops haven't been attacked. Not because they deserve it (they don't) but because the justice system as a whole has not been holding bad cops accountable for their actions. And if they don't, misguided private citizens will inevitably take it upon themselves to do so, with lethal results.

Events in the real world are not determined by question of "right" and "wrong." They are determined by cause and effect. And if police want to feel safe, then they need to be willing to hold each other accountable for adhering to the standards of their profession. As a Marine, when I encounter fellow Marines who fail to live up to the Corps' standards, I call them out on it. Glossing over the screw-ups doesn't protect the Corps, it diminishes it. The same goes for law enforcement. Hold the bad cops accountable for their actions, and the people will respect the good cops more. Let them go without punishment, and no-one will trust the police ever again.