Thursday, September 3, 2015

The thin blue line is getting thinner all the time


A few days ago I posted an article titled 'Cops, crime, corruption, communities and violence'.  It examined the dilemma between policing according to traditional 'Peelian principles' and the current trend towards overbearing authority, and discussed the rise in violence towards cops.  Among other points, I said:

Things can't go on like this, because if they do, the good cops will leave.  Their lives are worth more to them than the risks they'll have to face to continue as peace officers.  That will mean the dregs take over . . . those who don't give a damn about citizens or their rights, and will lord it over everyone and throw their weight around behind the authority of their badges.  The more they do that, the more of them will die, and the worse the situation will get.

There's more at the link.

It looks like that reality is already affecting police recruitment.  Fox reports:

Police departments face a recruiting shortage amid a growing anti-cop mood that some fear has taken the pride out of peacekeeping and put targets on the backs of the men and women in blue. 

Open calls for the killing of police have been followed by assassinations, including last week's murder in Texas of a Harris County sheriff's deputy. Instead of dialing back the incendiary rhetoric, groups including "Black Lives Matter" have instead doubled down at demonstrations with chants of "Pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon." Public safety officials fear the net effect has been to demonize police, and diminish the job.

"It's a lot harder to sell now," Jeff Roorda, business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association and former state representative, told FoxNews.com. "This is a very real phenomenon."

. . .

"You no longer just have to worry about your life while in uniform," he said. "Now you have to be worried about the well-being of your family," he said.

Roorda said the new academy class continues to be delayed and the police force loses about double the amount of officers per year than in the past.

Knowing police face public scorn or career-ending legal battles even if they acted properly has convinced many prospective cops to abandon their dreams of patrolling America's streets.

"I saw all this anti-cop propaganda and I was like, 'Who needs this?'” said Antonio, a New Yorker who asked that only his first name be used. The 32-year-old had applied and been accepted into the NYPD academy, but withdrew his candidacy amid the cop-bashing climate sweeping the country.

. . .

Recruitment nationally is "way down," said Jonathan Thompson, executive director of the National Sheriff’s Association. He said some sheriffs around the country say the number of applications has fallen by as much as 50 percent.

. . .

Sgt. Delroy Burton, chairman of the DC Police Union in Washington, compared the current treatment of police to veterans returning from the Vietnam War.

"We have to fight the bad guys, and the policymakers go unnoticed," he said.

Burton, who was born in Jamaica and is a former U.S. Marine, said his police force is about 131 officers understaffed and has seen nearly 600 officers resign in the past 19 months -- a number he said is unheard of.

"We're sitting ducks," he said. "We're in these uniforms, brightly colored cars and there's nothing we can do. And the vast majority supports this loud vocal minority."

Again, more at the link.

When there aren't enough police to do the job, the streets will become less safe for them, as well as for law-abiding citizens.  That will further accelerate the loss of 'good cops', who'll conclude (quite logically) that their lives are worth more than the aggravation, danger and denigration to which they're subjected for doing their job.  At the same time, the 'wrong' type of cop, the 'jackbooted thug' variety who enjoys throwing his weight around, will become more prone than ever to do so, because he'll see it as preempting potential threats by intimidation and a 'command presence'.  Any objection or dissent will be seen as criminal behavior, deserving only of contempt.  That's already happening.

This is not a good place for law enforcement to be . . . and unless something is done to rectify the situation very quickly, it's going to get worse.

Peter

7 comments:

ws1835 said...

Peter -

I have seriously considered entering law enforcement at two different stages of my life. I like the aspects of community service and I see the clear need for intelligent/honest officers. However, I have to concur that it has become an impossible position for a moral, upstanding, concerned citizen to take up.

The law itself has become totalitarian in nature, LEO training actively instructs you to take advantage a citizen's ignorance of their rights, your co-workers are often incompetent or corrupt, your political leaders are definitely corrupt and will throw you under the bus whenever it is convenient, society in general is continuing to encourage lawless behavior by minorities, and now there actually are groups gunning for you.

Why would anyone sane and responsible even apply?

- WS1835

Uncle Lar said...

I saw two things these last couple of days that truly disturbed me.
The national news ran a video clip of an obviously angry black man saying that all whites and cops needed to be aware that people like him were coming to get them. If I understood correctly, he was threatening unprovoked attempts on their lives based solely on skin color and uniform. Makes me crank my normal condition yellow right up into a high orange.
And a precious flower with severe hoplophobia apparently posted on social media her intention should she see anyone open carrying in her presence to pepper spray them, snatch their firearm, and hold them at gun point until police arrived. The typical speculation on the forum I saw this posted to was as to whether her likely fate was a quick death or serious time in jail for assault, those being the only two possible outcomes resulting should she be so foolish as to carry out her threat.

zdogk9 said...

I was in the county offices today to transfer title on a boat trailer. I saw an officer from the sheriff's dept. He had on body armor, the normal weapons, a belt holding as many magazines as I normally carried while on patrol and all of this was the same shade of olive drab that I used to wear while I was in the army. ?

Anonymous said...

It's called backlash. While not always rational, it's very understandable. When you dress and behave like an occupying force, the civilian population will eventually tire of your heavy-handed dispensing of justice. They will support, tacitly or overtly, the worst that humanity has to offer simply because they oppose you too. And both sides will inflict casualties on those who just want to keep their heads down and live quietly.

There's always a period when people don't know if a war has begun, especially if the attackers are your neighbors. The Croats didn't know, most of the Jews of Europe didn't know, the Tutsis--maybe they knew, but they were defenseless to stop it. I'm not a Law and Order guy--I'm a Justice and Liberty guy. I see injustice and oppression on all sides of this. I'm not one of the heroes; I'd prefer to keep my head down and live quietly with my bride-to-be. I'm hopeful, Peter--but not optimistic.

Antibubba


Tal Hartsfeld said...

Everyone is so intent upon committing all kinds of conspiracies against one another.
This isn't a true society. It's a climate of amateur espionage agents trying constantly to upend presumed adversaries.

Anonymous said...

It's a fate that they created and now deserve. They really should have tried even a little bit to avoid making themselves the enemies of us all.

Quartermaster said...

This is the sort of thing you get when the rule of law dies. The Police are trained to see the rest of the population as either perps, or perps that just haven't caught yet. The result is Police are no longer Peace Officers, but a light infantry force acting as occupiers. Combine this with SJWs and CHORFs that hate the rule of law, and are using ignorant blacks as shock troops, you get a perfect storm.

The business in KY with Clerk of Courts is another data point on the death of rule of law.

I'd like some mental midget to pepper spray me and try to snatch my weapon. The best the special snowflake could expect is getting butt stroked or pistol whipped. Before I call the Police on her for assault.