More of Scalia’s New Police Professionalism
Here are some recent high lights of cops doing more harm than good, at least in these specific instances.
First up is this rather scary beating a drunk off duty police officer delivers to a femal bar tender. Note that until this tape was aired by the news channels the officer in question was going to be charged with misdemeanors. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if the general feeling was that he would get to keep his job. Nice to know that the Chicago PD likes to arm police officers who beat up women half their size.
Also in Chicago the brave, brave cops shot a black lab while serving a drug warrant for drug use in a private home. The police usually shoot the family dog when they do one of these raids. Not only that, but if they cut through another person’s yard to get to a house they are raiding and find a dog in the yard they are cutting through…they often shoot that dog as well. Get upset with the cops for shooting your pet chances are they will throw you to the ground, handcuff you and arrest you. The policy at the Round Lake Police Department basically gives cops a license to shoot any dog they like,
It is department protocol for officer to shoot a dog if they feel threatened, Bitler said. The discretion is up to the officer.
How do you prove that your dog was not acting aggressively? Basically it is the citizen’s word against the cops and we all know how that usually turns out.
And back to Atlanta, where despite all the righteous rhetoric of the local politicians, police conduct another wrong door raid. The last wrong door raid we heard about from Atlanta had the police murdering an 88 year old woman. Barbara Cross should consider herself lucky.
All links vai Radely Balko.
Scary stuff. It’s always scary, especially for those who live in less than affluent neighborhoods, that the police might raid your home by mistake. Most police officers are good people and deserve respect, but I don’t think anyone is doing enough to weed out the bad apples.
It isn’t even bad apples, but bad policies, IMO. Doing forced entry raids on drug warrants is usually not necessary in most cases. Sure, in some cases the people the warrant is being served on will have a criminal history longer than War and Peace. Fine send in SWAT on those guys. The who lives down the street from you and sold a little bit of grass to what he thought was a friend, but turns out was an undercover cop? I’m sorry a pre-dawn no-knock raid is just way over the top.
I agree with Mr. Brown but would again add that police training is a good part of the problem. Until we train police to be part of the general community rather than a special clique with a us versus them attitude. Respect for citizen rights must start at the top.
So, Scalia is responsible for these instances of police brutality?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I have a friend I’ve known for over thirty years who is a police officer and he has shown me his “insurance policy.” It is an old rusty snub-nose handgun that he says will insure that he never shoots an unarmed person. Cops will deny this happens but don’t be fooled. I asked another officer why good cops always protect the bad cops, he said one of the bad cops might save a good cops life in a dangerous situation so you can’t pick sides. The police are not the enemy but they sure don’t command the level of respect that they did a generation ago. Better training is the key.
That didn’t happen in Chicago–it was in Round Lake Beach.
So, Scalia is responsible for these instances of police brutality?
Indirectly, yes. He’s indifferent to whether the perpetrators are punished, and when cops know they can get away with murder … well ….
mr. anderson; you sorely misrepresent justice scalia, and his jurisprudence.
Question for all you cop haters.
What dance do you do of joy when a cop dies?\
The disgusting premise that cops do more harm than good. Just love criminals don’t you?
While you sit here and spew your hate and wish of death these men are out there risking their lives daily.
What worthless filth you all are.
I bet there are criminals in every single one of your professions so I guess that makes you all criminals too.
And I really doubt any of you since you clearly have never put in a real days work in your lives put your life on the line in your jobs.
To anyone with an IQ above 5 they know the good cops far outnumber the bad ones.
What’s your favorite kind of crime since you all think murderers and rapists should get off scot free?
Steph,
A crime is a crime whether it is commited by a citizen or a policeman. You and your ilk just can’t understand that.
Bad cops and the defense of them by groupies like you make life difficult for the good cops.
Steph; Nice rant!… BTW, have you noticed what used to be “police protection” is now “law enforcement” , implying a shift toward hostility and an “us&them” mentality in relations with the public.