Good Cops are out there too!

[NowISeetheLight]

I’m a bit frustrated and upset. I see a lot of “PIG” comments in some posts. I remember back in the 70s when I was a kid my Dad had a sticker on his pistol case. “If you don’t like cops, the next time you need help, call a hippie”. It had a hippie making a peace sign on it.

I remember my Dad before he became a Police Chief in the mid 70s. He’d pull extra hours at McDonalds or Byerlys in Minneapolis for extra money. I remember him being hurt on several occasions by “citizens” and recall one night my Mom bundling my brother and I up and driving us to the hospital late at night. I still have the Fraternal Order of Police Legion of Valor certificate and ribbon he received after being shot in the face with a pepper spray gun of some sort. They were investigating an open door at a bar after closing and stumbled on two burglars. He had fragments in his eye for the rest of his life.

With over 800,000 police officers out there I’m sure like any population there are some bad apples. They get all the press. So I thought I’d post a few video links from YouTube about good cops. Some of the posts here make it seem like every cop in America is being painted with the same brush. I’d remind people that’s the same thinking some use to paint various racial groups the same way. It isn’t justified in either scenario.

I found the first video very emotional. The officer explains why he became a cop. It wasn’t to oppress people, or maintain the white power structure, or any of the other reasons I’ve seen some suggest.

So kick back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy some cops who seem to know what it’s supposed to be like when dealing with people. Cops who are heroes. Some of them are even “cool”. Even when they’re arresting someone. I wish I lived in a world where they were all like this. Then again I wish I lived in a world where repeat criminals don’t run wild either.

[EX500rider]

1. I agree and will add..

.. that with almost a million arrests every month obviously 99.999% of them do not end poorly.

[Hortensis]

48. Good point. Perspective.

[Hortensis]

49. Duplicate. 👍.

[treestar]

80. Yes, it is like plane crashes get into the news

but never how many took off and landed safely.

Only when something goes wrong do we hear about it, and then too many generalizations are made. Some people react to another plane crash as if every plane crashes.

[WmChris]

2. Good cops?

Good cops would hold bad cops accountable. Instead most look away and protect their brothers. That's not to say there are not some are actually trying to serve and protect they just need to root out the bad apples.

[NowISeetheLight]

7. Some Are Trying

I’ll be the first to agree the Blue Wall of Silence needs to come down. I like the YouTube channel Audit the Audit. It has some very enlightening cop videos. Some are so outrageous I wonder how they ever got a badge. But some are great, like officers calling out other officers, turning them in and even firings. In my view this is what needs to happen to restore integrity. As long as you tolerate the behavior and don’t speak up you are enabling it to continue. The January 6th insurrection (coup attempt) affected me greatly as an American. It felt like American Democracy was under attack and reminded me of 9/11 to be honest. If I was a cop I’d feel the same way about seeing bad cops. They’re a stain on the profession.

[brooklynite]

11. So would good Mayors and Council members...

How many (mostly Democratic) officials have you held equally responsible?

[Hortensis]

52. True to a serious degree, but if we

held ourselves, individually and as a group, to that black-OR-white, good-OR-bad standard, we’d all be terrible people and DU would be a gathering place for terrible people. And we find almost nothing but everywhere we went.

[treestar]

81. That is getting to be an excuse

and there is no real proof of that. Someone thought of it as an excuse for the broad brush judgment of people you'd never allow for in another context.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. LivePD is straight up copaganda. I encourage you to listen to the "Running from COPS" podcast.

I’d remind people that’s the same thinking some use to paint various racial groups the same way.

This is a pretty gross thing to say; people can stop being cops. They can't stop being racialized.

The officer explains why he became a cop. It wasn’t to oppress people, or maintain the white power structure, or any of the other reasons I’ve seen some suggest.

Then he shouldn't have joined an institution that oppresses people and upholds the white power structure. Pretty simple!

Some of them are even “cool”. Even when they’re arresting someone.

Lol what on earth.

[NowISeetheLight]

8. It's the Truth

Painting everyone in a group with the same brush is wrong. People are individuals.

I still don’t understand how having police is “upholding the white power structure”. They’re enforcing the laws. Would you prefer all the cops just quit and we have no law enforcement at all? So no laws at all? We could make it like The Purge or something?

Yes some cops are “cool” and friendly, even when they’re arresting someone. One of the videos I posted even had the cop apologizing and saying they were looking for reasons to NOT arrest the guy.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. .

Painting everyone in a group with the same brush is wrong. People are individuals.

Individuals who join an oppressive group are absolutely up for being painted.

I still don’t understand how having police is “upholding the white power structure”.

The concept of a state police force is rooted in protecting private property, slavecatching patrols, and controlling political dissidents/immigrants/activists. There are many, many written works that describe the various ways cops uphold white supremacy.

They’re enforcing the laws.

Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes their actions are completely lawless. So, then what?

Would you prefer all the cops just quit

As an abolitionist, I believe we can live and thrive without cops.

One of the videos I posted even had the cop apologizing and saying they were looking for reasons to NOT arrest the guy.

Why does this mean he's a "good" cop or even a "good" person? Is that all it takes? Someone apologizing when they take your freedom away and put you in a system designed to extract everything it can from you, including your life? That's a grim way of looking at the world; no thanks.

[NowISeetheLight]

27. Not Sure I Want a World with No Laws

“Why does this mean he's a "good" cop or even a "good" person? Is that all it takes? Someone apologizing when they take your freedom away and put you in a system designed to extract everything it can from you, including your life? That's a grim way of looking at the world; no thanks.”

Did you look at the officers demeanor, listen to his tone, hear his words. The guy broke the law. There are consequences. We are a society of laws. If crimes had no victims and only affected the criminal that would be great. But they DO have victims. That’s why we have laws. Laws that need to be enforced. Yes. If you commit a crime you lose your freedom. I’m all for it. Extract everything from you? Well if you commit crimes and end up in prison you’re going to struggle when/if you get out. Actions have consequences.

“As an abolitionist, I believe we can live and thrive without cops.”

I’ll just use the short example of what happened in Minneapolis after the George Floyd killing. The cops basically “stood down”. The only ones celebrating the lack of police were the criminals. The innocent civilians sure didn’t seem to like it. They even put disbanding the police and creating a “public safety department” on the ballot… it failed.

Have a read… These folks weren’t exactly “thriving”.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-policing-minneapolis/

“The concept of a state police force is rooted in protecting private property, slavecatching patrols, and controlling political dissidents/immigrants/activists. There are many, many written works that describe the various ways cops uphold white supremacy. “

I’m sure the Pharaoh who created the first police force in around 3000 BCE had other motives. Over time laws have been passed that were unjust. They oppressed people. The courts even upheld them. Eventually they fall by the wayside. It has taken too long, but it is what it is.

A great read about the history of policing.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/police/The-history-of-policing-in-the-West

“Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes their actions are completely lawless. So, then what? ”

Then a system should be put in place to deal with lawlessness. That’s where reform comes in. I’ve never said everything is great and police don’t need to change anything. I’m happy to admit there is room for improvement. Are you willing to acknowledge there is a need for laws and police? Or as an abolitionist do you favor a “wild west” society, with no laws and police, where people do whatever they want? What do we do innocent are victimized? What kind of world would that be? The Purge…. Every day.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

42. .

There are consequences. We are a society of laws

Sometimes.

I’ll just use the short example of what happened in Minneapolis after the George Floyd killing. The cops basically “stood down”. The only ones celebrating the lack of police were the criminals. The innocent civilians sure didn’t seem to like it. They even put disbanding the police and creating a “public safety department” on the ballot… it failed.

Under the abolitionist model, cops don't just disappear and the world is perfect. Abolitionism uses the resources we pour into a failed policing system and use it to invest in the community, in things we know prevent crime. Cops don't prevent crime; they react to it and often retraumatize victims. By increasing investments to meet people's needs, we decrease the "need" for cops.

Then a system should be put in place to deal with lawlessness. That’s where reform comes in.

150 years of reform of one of the worst departments around, the Minneapolis Police Department, resulted in the murder of George FLoyd. At some point, we have to acknowledge that it's impossible to reform a system designed to provide the outcomes it does.

What kind of world would that be? The Purge…. Every day.

Cops are taught that they're the sheepdogs keeping away the wolves, which teaches them contempt for everyone but themselves. I know what keeps me safe right now, and it's not cops. What keeps you safe?

[OilemFirchen]

59. "I know what keeps me safe right now, and it's not cops."

Do tell!

[NowISeetheLight]

63. I'm Enjoying your Viewpoint

"Under the abolitionist model, cops don't just disappear and the world is perfect. Abolitionism uses the resources we pour into a failed policing system and use it to invest in the community, in things we know prevent crime. Cops don't prevent crime; they react to it and often retraumatize victims. By increasing investments to meet people's needs, we decrease the "need" for cops."

I'd be willing to try an experiment. Take one of these cities where crime is rampant, dump a ton of money into programs and slowly reduce the police involvement, and see how it goes. If it works repeat it. Here in Palm Springs CA our police chief just announced a new program to combat homelessness (and the tons of crime it is causing here).

https://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/contributors/valley-voice/2023/01/20/palm-springs-police-chiefs-new-aggressive-plan-on-homelessness/69822997007/

They're basically going to make sure people get resources when they want them. Then they're going to focus on the repeat offenders who are choosing the life of crime. There are some real problems here with rampant vandalism, businesses having their windows broken over and over again, drugs in the parks, etc. From the article:

"Law enforcement, limited by the legislature and courts, has de-policed out of frustration and lack of consequence. The San Diego district attorney published a study that showed the criminal group is disproportionately responsible for crime. They are 175 times more likely to be charged with robbery and 183 times more likely to be charged with burglary than other groups. The majority of homeless fall into the last two categories."

They've cut funding to "de-police" and stop locking people up yet they provided no "counter" to help people.

"You can help. For Palm Springs to experience long-term results, the effort must go beyond just enforcement. We need street-level mental health workers in Palm Springs and we currently have none. The county can fund two workers for Palm Springs to help the homeless get off the street. Palm Springs has the highest number of homeless per capita in Riverside County, so focusing here seems logical. Those who cannot grasp their peril because of drugs or mental disorders must be detained in a secured facility. The legislature must immediately create laws to enable secured detention. The city can develop resources to clean up homeless camps regularly. The amount of rubbish left behind is astonishing."

Secure detention is a real issue for some. Of course the far left are totally against this as they consider it "harrassment". The far right is all for it "lock em up". I'd like to think there is a middle ground.

A big problem isn't so much the money as the people. When I moved to CA two years ago the VA couldn't even find me a therapist or a psychiatrist. This despite the fact I'm 100% service connected for PTSD and was medically discharged from the Navy. There just weren't any. Where are all these therapists, community counselors, drug programs, etc, coming from? You can throw money at the problem but the human people just aren't there. There aren't enough doctors/teachers/cops/truck drivers/ the list goes on and on. It's only getting worse. I wish I know how to fix it. I think free or reduced college for critical occupations is a start.

"150 years of reform of one of the worst departments around, the Minneapolis Police Department, resulted in the murder of George FLoyd. At some point, we have to acknowledge that it's impossible to reform a system designed to provide the outcomes it does."

MinnesotaMonthy (Magazine) had a good article on crime in Minneapolis with the post-pandemic era. Violent crime is down for the most part. One thing they're doing is increasing police presence in some neighborhoods based on data showing where the crime is.

https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/lifestyle/what-was-behind-the-twin-cities-metros-violent-crime-spike/

"Cops are taught that they're the sheepdogs keeping away the wolves, which teaches them contempt for everyone but themselves. I know what keeps me safe right now, and it's not cops. What keeps you safe?"

I went on enough ride-alongs as a police explorer in high school and on the police reserve in three years to see the "other side". There are bad people out there and you never know what you run into. I still vividly remember Officer James Anderson of Wayzata being gunned down in 1982 at a door when he responded to a family issue. My father was a chief in a neighboring city and was one of the responding officers. I also remember him crying at home that night. Fortunately the guy shot himself and saved the government (and us citizens) the cost of a trial and incarceration.

My point is the officers do view everyone as a potential killer. Because they pop up unexpectedly and can attack at any time. It's like wandering into a crowd of pitbulls. Some could be really nice... but you never really know which one will attack you. Thinking that way is a survival mechanism.

BTW - I don't agree with everything you say but I do agree with some things. Just wanted to let youknow I appreciate your viewpoint and perspective. We all have different life experiences that influence how we view things. At the end of the day we can all learn something. You've obviously had some different experiences with police than I have and I know my experiences aren't the "norm" for everyone.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

71. .

I went on enough ride-alongs as a police explorer in high school and on the police reserve in three years to see the "other side". There are bad people out there and you never know what you run into. I still vividly remember Officer James Anderson of Wayzata being gunned down in 1982 at a door when he responded to a family issue. My father was a chief in a neighboring city and was one of the responding officers. I also remember him crying at home that night. Fortunately the guy shot himself and saved the government (and us citizens) the cost of a trial and incarceration.

My point is the officers do view everyone as a potential killer. Because they pop up unexpectedly and can attack at any time. It's like wandering into a crowd of pitbulls. Some could be really nice... but you never really know which one will attack you. Thinking that way is a survival mechanism.

If people's needs were being met, the concept of "bad people" would change drastically. If the Johnsons' had the support they clearly lacked, the likelihood of there being a "family issue" would go way down, and things may have been different.

BTW - I don't agree with everything you say but I do agree with some things. Just wanted to let youknow I appreciate your viewpoint and perspective. We all have different life experiences that influence how we view things. At the end of the day we can all learn something. You've obviously had some different experiences with police than I have and I know my experiences aren't the "norm" for everyone.

I appreciate you taking my perspective seriously.

[uponit7771]

19. "white power structure", can you count on more than one hand neighborhoods that ARE mostly

... white patrolled by mostly Muslim, black or Hispanic LEOs?

Thx in advance

[WhiskeyGrinder]

26. If the system itself upholds white supremacy, it doesn't matter who's at the levers -- it will

continue to uphold white supremacy.

[NowISeetheLight]

13. I'll agree to a point

It’s very “pro-cop”. But it’s also live as it happens. I’ve seen good, bad, and ugly on that show. When I lived in SC I was in a county that LivePD frequented. To say there was a “crime problem” would be an understatement. I appreciated seeing the types of problems and people the police were running into. I recognized some areas on the show and honestly I wouldn’t go near them. I remember when I moved there I downloaded crime maps from the internet and asked the realtor about crime. He couldn’t address it directly but said “you’d like living on the East side”. He was right.

Lately I heard a department was looking to livestream bodycam footage back to a control center for real time monitoring. Great idea! I’d take steps to blur out peoples faces but I’d like to see it aired live on the web. Let’s show people what the cops actually have to deal with every night. Transparency!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. Again, I encourage you to listen to the podcast I mentioned.

[NowISeetheLight]

28. I don't see it

I’m happy to listen but I don’t see you mentioning one?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

40. It's where I said "I encourage you to listen to the Running From COPS podcast" in reply No. 3.

[NowISeetheLight]

64. Found it

I'll give it a listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/headlong-running-from-cops/id1459118695

[Kennah]

4. Do a Google News search for good cops who spoke up

It often does not go well.

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/13/876628281/what-happens-when-officers-blow-the-whistle-on-police-misconduct

[NowISeetheLight]

9. Things need to change

[Kennah]

12. I agree, but other than the corruption being less overt, what has changed since Serpico?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

43. Alot has changed,

especially with the proliferation of camera phones and the courts upholding the right of cititzens to record the police in public, it's a fact that more and more rogue cops are being held accountable for their actions,

There are plenty of youtube videos proving just that.

[NowISeetheLight]

65. Cameras are Key

Body cameras need to be a national requirement. I'd also like to see them streamed online for the public. Not real time so you could protect peoples identities, but to show people what is really going on out there. I think most cops are decent and honest but the cameras will confirm that and help weed out the bad ones with the bad attitudes.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

66. +100. nt

[Mr.Bill]

73. If no one had videoed Derek Chauvin

murdering George Floyd, he would still have his job. Every cop on the scene would have lied under oath to protect him, because if they didn't they would have to watch their back every day for as long as they were cops. There's a whole lot wrong going on with police and it's going to take a lot to fix it. Body cams and video cams in the hands of almost every citizen are a good start.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

77. Thank you.

That is exactly my point.

[lame54]

5. There are tough hippies too

[NowISeetheLight]

10. Funny Sticker

I have to admit I can still see the sticker in my mind 50 years later. It was funny then too (and prophetic). The things we remember.

[ck4829]

36. It wasn't hippies just standing around outside that school in Uvalde though

[Hekate]

75. Damn straight

[Tickle]

6. Thank you

NowIeetheLight, it was so nice and refreshing to look at some of those videos.

Thanks for sharing it does give me some hope

[snowybirdie]

14. I totally agree

Living most of my life around officers, I know there are many good decent ones. But some of the things I'm seeing here make me wince. So much hatred and generalization. I'm afraid to comment as I'll get a lot of hateful posts. So thank you. Today's policing can sometimes be awful and we need better training and hiring practices.

[NowISeetheLight]

29. I'd like to think

Everyone can have an open mind. I’m in a spirited discussion above and don’t agree with a lot of one posters comments. But I’m willing to listen and even change my mind if I see something compelling. I’d like to think we Democrats are the “stable” adults in the room (America). We actually care about our community and haven’t adopted the “I got mine so screw everyone else” mentality.

[wnylib]

61. I think that policing has changed somewhat

since your father's time. More weapons, equipment, and special units today. More guys with toxic masculinity drawn to policing.

But, systemic racism has been in American society and culture since colonial times. It has permeated all aspects of American culture, including police forces. Add toxic masculinity to that and you get racially motivated murderers like Chauvin, who killed George Floyd. In some parts of the country that has been the norm and not the exception. So I can understand the hostility of people toward police as more and more incidents are filmed and made public. While it's good that abusive and murderous cops are being exposed, it does affect how people view police when we see the videos.

I have not had many encounters with police, but one stands out in my mind as exceptionally good, especially since it was before police forces had special training on handling domestic violence cases. A doctor called in police while I was being treated in the ER as a domestic violence victim. It was 53 years ago. The responding officers were understanding of my fear and encouraged me to take action for myself. They gave me concrete advice on how to get out of the marriage without getting killed. That was before there were shelters for women.

But I have also had encounters with bad cops, like a pair of them who stopped my car after I left a tavern. I had gone there for a local contest of bands. Because I was driving, I did not drink alcohol that night, just cokes with a cheeseburger as I watched and listened to the competition.

The cops lied prolifically when they stopped me. Said they smelled beer in the car. I told them that I never drink beer due to an allergy. They claimed that I had swerved over a curb when I turned the corner. I had a low carriage car. If I had gone over the curb, it would have ripped out the exhaust system.

But it was me, alone, with two cops, late at night. I was afraid of how they could lie me into some kind of charge against me. And I am white. Imagine what a Black woman alone would have felt like. They had me exit the car and go through several sobriety tests. I was young, healthy, agile, and sober. I aced the tests and bit back the temptation to offer somersaults, too. One cop was visibly angry that I aced the tests so well. He was convinced that he could get a DUI charge on me because I had just left a tavern. The other cop told him to let it go so he just gave me an unnecessary "warning."

[Hortensis]

70. 🙂 Yes, 80 million mostly stable adult Democrats

are real. Of course, so are those who very mistakenly feel that anything but extreme intolerance of others is a failure of principle, but on the left at least they’re a significantly smaller fraction.

[treestar]

83. +1 having young loved ones who are officers

Some comments can be truly unfair. Any time a white person's arrest makes the news, you get these comments that the person, if black, would be dead. No, they don't kill black suspects every single time. And the cop involved might not have done anything wrong. Every single cop is not Derek Chauvin. And every single cop does not see others doing wrong and say nothing about it.

This job involves split second decisions.

And most of the time, it's mundane stuff. People act like a cop has to be able to handle perfectly things that may never happen in an entire career. The rare person who resists arrest is not something even big city cops will be expert at.

Making reports on DUIs, being called because someone had a fight with someone and left their purse or cell phone at the house and they are refused a return of it, even helping someone who ran out of gas right before getting to a pump at the gas station, or someone trying to report a theft of stuff they left next to the trash can on the curb.

And black arrestees not resisting arrest. But sometimes informing the cop on the way to the station of what racists they are!

[ruet]

17. "If you don't like cops, the next time you need help, call x"

The perpetual, trash, talking point of cop lovers everywhere. No, I think I'll call you and you should do your fucking job like a professional.

[NowISeetheLight]

30. Some Do...

Their jobs like professionals. I’d wager a lot more do than don’t.

[ck4829]

37. That phrase needs to be captioned under every picture of Uvalde and the Uvalde police

[Tom Rinaldo]

41. That brings back a memory...

At the peak (pun intended) of my hippie youth I walked by a car with that sticker, stopped, and left a note saying if there ever was anything they needed feel free to call me, with my actual name and phone number. Never did get a call, but hey, I offered. I was volunteering at a phone crisis center at the time, so the offer was real. It's what I was doing with a lot of my time anyway

[48656c6c6f20]

18. Well I'm glad the trains are running on time but you know

We got this other problem now.

[Keepthesoulalive]

20. Being a minority

I don't have the luxury of believing there are wonderful law abiding cops that would help old ladies cross the street, my job is to survive the encounter.

[Ferrets are Cool]

23. Bingo!!

[Celerity]

38. +100000

[uponit7771]

21. There are good black and brown people out there too, one too many PDs should know this

[Ponietz]

22. Good cops save baby ducks

[link:

Link to tweet

[Emile]

39. LOL +1

[Iggo]

86. Copaganda.

Gross.

[Ferrets are Cool]

24. Makes me wonder if you would have posted this if YOUR brother, son, dad or uncle

had just been beaten to death for a traffic infraction?

[NowISeetheLight]

32. I'm outraged

By some of these killings. But I also realize we are individuals who make choices. Some of these officers made bad choices. I’m happy to see they’re starting to be held to account. I don’t think all police officers are evil.

I posted it because I’m upset at the word “Pig” I saw in several posts. It’s a derogatory term which was used to represent all 800,000 law enforcement officers in America. I’d like to think people can make a statement about individual officers without painting an entire group with a derogatory label.

[Chakaconcarne]

46. Goes both ways... the point I think OP is making...

and it's not a bad point to make, no?

[usonian]

25. County Sheriffs advertising for new hires on the radio say "99% of cops are outstanding citizens".

That's like saying in a grocery store that 1 item in 100 is poisoned.
Or that 1 auto in 100 will go up in flames spontaneously.

I don't like those odds.

People with the power over life and death need to be 100% outstanding.

[NowISeetheLight]

33. How to get there?

I worked in healthcare and saw many cases where some doctors were not 100%. I agree 100% should be the goal. I just have no idea how to get there.

The only thing in my life that is 100% is my dogs love. Everything else is a crapshoot.

[usonian]

54. Complex, but the best bet probably is to change the culture.

To the one emblazoned on cop cars: "To Protect and to Serve".
It's too often a lie, or interpreted in the sense of protecting and serving the organization, or a subset of society (you know the one/ones).

Doctors take an oath that defines their culture. Of course, nobody is 100%, but that is the ideal towards which they strive, or their organizations strive when not navigating that slippery slope of boosting profits.

Mistakes, bad judgment and greed (as in over-prescribing opiods) can cost lives. But it's against the culture to do so.

AND, despite boards being statewide, there is a national board that keeps track of these things and tries to keep a culprit from showing up in another state to start over.

Even the military has a Uniform Code (UCMJ) of Justice.

How do we get there? In a society that claims to be Christian but operates in the exact opposite way?
Cultures can be subverted.

Leaders can change it, but if they let things slide long enough, that becomes an enormous task.
Worse if they encourage violence, racism and inequality.

[betsuni]

31. K&R

[Emile]

34. Could there be any chance the good cops know who the bad cops are?

They need to clean house!

[ck4829]

35. When there are more abortion bans, just remember who will be breaking down doors in the middle of

the night.

If the mob of 5 says "sodomy laws" are cool again, just remember who will be doing the searches and the arrests.

Will those "cool cops" denounce these thugs who will be doing those arrests?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

44. This.

[Sky Jewels]

69. ...

[Chakaconcarne]

45. Thanks...we need to be reminded of this on a regular basis here on DU.

The cop you are referring to as a fascist pig might just be the one to save your ass.

I've encountered a lot of good (souled), well-intentioned officers that don't deserve the label. Refraining from such labels keeps them around.

That is my opinion.

[fescuerescue]

47. Sometimes a few good apples

are found in a barrel of bad apples.

[jalan48]

50. Thanks for posting. A couple SF cops saved Paul Pelosi's life. I doubt he or Nancy view them as pigs

[Arazi]

51. The good cops aren't calling out and reporting the bad cops

The police unions, full of cops, are deliberately protecting bad cops they know should be fired.

Police chiefs are letting rogue cop units like the Scorpion unit in Memphis run wild with impunity.

No way do you get to propagandize cops when the systemic rot and blue wall is inextricably embedded into cop culture.

Until some drastic change happens (like defunding these pigs, or eliminating qualified immunity, or making cops personally pay for the harm they cause), I stand by my position that all cops are bad.

#ACAB

Not saying your dad wasn’t a good guy but the culture is broken and “good” cops are standing around abetting this bullshit. Fuck ‘em

[NowISeetheLight]

68. Unions are Part of the Problem

Lord knows I had several really bad teachers growing up (including one who did something unspeakable - didn't tell at the time). Teachers unions make it almost impossible to fire them. It's like colleges with tenure.

It's also like doctors with their medical licenses and state medical boards. When I lived in AZ we had a doctor at our hospital who was a walking malpractice case. The surgical reports I read were a disaster. Half the time he "couldn't visualize" something and one time he took out the gallbladder.... then had to go back two days later to take it out... because it WASNT the gallbladder the first time. I looked him up on the AZ medical board website and he had three complaints, serious (one fatality). He operated on someone with a bleeding disorder who other doctors had refused to work on and the patient bled out. He still had his license.

That Memphis Police Chief was fired from a department (Atlanta?) at one point and reinstated by some labor board or something. She covered up a sex assault by an officer. That should be an automatic exclusion from ever working in law enforcement again. Yet she went on to two different chiefs jobs.

[Arazi]

72. Then stop this copaganda

If you *personally* know how corrupt the system is, why are you perpetuating the copaganda?

Your anecdote doesn’t erase a million facts on racist bad cops

[leftstreet]

53. I miss the unRec button n/t

[BlackSkimmer]

55. Don't worry. DU is nothing if not, hmm how do I say this? Changeable.

Just not so long ago there were long threads praising the capital police to the skies.

It can be confusing sometimes.

[Arazi]

56. Not confusing at all. We can praise the Cap police for that day

And the DC Metro police too.

While acknowledging the culture is shitty. Even Officer Fanone, Harry Dunn etc have faced despicable blowback by their fellow officers for crossing the blue wall and ratting out the MAGAt officers that deride and slam them.

Until ALL police hold each other accountable, they’re ALL held to judgement imo.

Fanone (for example) will never hold another police job again. Health issues aside (and he was a detective so he could go back to work elsewhere since he isn’t a beat cop) there isn’t a police department in the US that will cross their Union to employ him because he broke the omertà.

[inthewind21]

58. Sure

And, as soon as I start hearing from and seeing those "good cops" in large numbers outing their bad cop partners publicly I might actually believe that.

[peggysue2]

60. I hear this again and again . . .

That there are good cops out there, that the majority of cops are decent. Particularly after one more ugly, indefensible attack/murder of a black person. The white population can no longer pretend this isn't race-based, even if the abuse and military mindset (us against them, a wartime mentality) trickles out to certain white communities (the poor, the elderly, drug addicted, etc). It applies even if the cops are black because police culture is dictating the tone, the attitude and ultimately the abuses that repeat themselves with sickening regularity.

It reminds me of the gun regulation argument. We go round and round after each horrific event. But nothing gets done.

I want to believe that there are good, ethical, decent cops, men and women--the rank and file--who have taken the oath to protect and serve the entire population.

But until we hear their voices, until they stand shoulder-to-shoulder condemning the abuse, the hate, the murders, until they themselves insist on on accountability, until their unions step back from vocally defending the indefensible, I remain skeptical.

Because remaining silent within your profession/your group makes you complicit to these continuing crimes disguised as law enforcement.

Silence is complicity. In this case, it's being complicit to repeated murder.

[aocommunalpunch]

62. The barrel is spoiled.

ACAB.

[Sky Jewels]

67. But ALL cops are steeped in poison--a system designed to administer white/male supremacy.

"Law enforcement" as an institution is rotten to the core. It can't be saved.

[ecstatic]

74. The problem is, when the good cops are around bad cops, they do nothing

I get it. They're afraid of speaking up. They're afraid of retaliation... of being ostracized or even fired. I was told this directly from several retired cops.

Unfortunately you can't apply the good cop label if you stay quiet while atrocities are occurring all around you. The good cops are fired or killed by their own fairly quickly. Just my opinion. Sorry.

[Hekate]

76. Here's 2 articles for you to read and contemplate, 1 by an ex-cop, 1 by an average citizen...

Both were found and posted by DUers in recent days, and both very good.

After Decades of Police Brutality, What Has Changed?
https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/after-decades-of-police-brutality-what-has-changed/article_85a1be62-a000-11ed-aa83-a32c442689ac.html

Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop
https://medium.com/OfcrACab/confessions-of-a-former-bastard-cop-bb14d17bc759

[Patton French]

78. Heavy sigh...,

That’s not the point..,

[Iggo]

82. Good cops cover for bad cops every fucking day.

[Emile]

84. Remember the good cop in Cleveland who killed a 12 year old

little boy for playing with a toy?

[NowISeetheLight]

87. I Remember Tamar Rice

There was video of this. Police responded to a call if “someone waving a gun around”. The video confirms he was doing this before police arrived. The enhanced the video and it showed that as police pulled up he reached for his waistband instead of putting his hands up when told to do so. As for the gun take a look at it (link below). It sure doesn’t look like a toy. If someone reaches for it in a waistband I can see why they shot

I do think the cops got too close though. They should’ve pulled up 15-20 feet back, stayed behind their car, and ordered him to put his hands up. By pulling up so close they exposed the passenger side officer to a direct line of fire and basically forced a quick outcome. It was too aggressive in my opinion.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/toy-gun-tamir-rice-holding-prosecutors/story?id=35982086

[ZonkerHarris]

85. They only think they are good. Unless they are actively trying to get rid of bad cops

all cops are bad.
If they are going along and turning their head to violations, assaults, and crimes then they are bad cops.


I think perhaps the only good cops are Internal Affairs investigators.