In the last 24-48 hrs, three police officers have been killed in the line of duty: two in New York City and one in Florida. My condolences and sympathies go out to their families on their loss. There is never a good time for anyone to die and at this time of year this is especially so. We also know that policing is what it is and there is never any guarantee that when one puts on that uniform and equipment or otherwise is officially on duty that they will necessarily make it home alive. With all that said, it is rather sad that these killings, coming at a time when there is increased tensions between some police jurisdictions and communities of color, we have idiots, both in the public and in some of these police departments, looking to exploit these events in order to further divide folks rather than try to lessen existing tensions. No one in their right mind wants to see police personnel being shot and killed in the line of duty or even when they are off-duty. In that same vein, no one should want to see police personnel killing civilians and crime suspects unless they absolutely arent left with any other choice. This is especially so if/when civilian crime suspects are unarmed and are not a threat to armed police personnel. It does not matter the complexion of the police personnel and the crime suspect(s). When we have, as weve seen in both Cleveland, OH and in New York City, the respective heads of their respective police unions looking to blame Black folks and, in the case of NYC, the mayor, for the way people are viewing the police in a supposedly negative manner, who do they believe they are helping? One of the ways policing is effective in fighting/preventing crime is by engaging folks. Police look to folks to point out the troublemakers in communities and to otherwise be the extra set of eyes and ears to help them do a better and more effective job at crime-fighting and prevention. You start treating folks like shit and start to look like an occupying army in some foreign country and there is less incentive for folks to want to help you do your job better and more effectively. Trying to intimidate folks from speaking out and protesting when you screw up and then try to cover it up by making them feel guilty about their unfortunate situations isnt doing you much favor. Instead of trying to be less insular and less welcoming of change and instead be more openminded and try to not to let your biases get the better of your objectivity then it just might make for a better police officer and a better police force/department. No one is born a criminal but we do know that there are any number of reasons why some of us turn to that lifestyle. We arent asking that they be given a pass for making that lifestyle choice but neither should we excuse those entrusted by the state to serve and protect us who would engage in criminality or questionable behavior and then try to cover up their actions under the guise of simply doing my job. In addition, we live in a democracy which guarantees all of us the right of free speech and part of that means we can and should be able to criticize the actions of government and the agents of the state, if and when we believe that they are not doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. If we cant do this without these folks getting all bent out of shape and trying to otherwise silence and stifle opposing/dissenting views then how much better are we than any of the other two-bit dictatorships and police states we claim to abhor?
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:01:36 +0000
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