A BMW 528i doesn't cost 80k

[Vic]

Originally posted by: bradruth
I hope you're aware how narrow-minded your judgement of Police Officers & the use of deadly force is if you're basing everything on one instance.

Well... I'm not basing "everything" off a single instance. There are many others, but it might make for a really long post. For example, there was the Beaverton, OR cop a couple of years ago who shot an unarmed man simply for getting out of his car right after the cop pulled him over. Of course, everyone knows that you're supposed to stay in your car with your hands on the wheel, but should it be a capital crime not to? And of course another grand jury chose not to indict, and another officer who made yet another mistake that resulted in the death of yet another citizen went unpunished.
And then there was the Vancouver, WA cop in 1996 who beat his pregnant girlfriend into a coma while off-duty (she miscarried). The prosecutor went against the grand jury and declined to pursue the case because felony domestic violence assault would have meant that the cop couldn't legally carry a gun anymore, and they didn't want to see a good cop lose his job. :roll:

However, it is not the fact that abuse takes place that concerns me. It is the fact that such abuse goes unpunished (in other words, it is silently encouraged) that bothers me greatly. If us normal folks fsck up on our jobs and cost the company a couple of dollars or maybe a lost customer, we might very likely get fired. If a cop fscks up and someone gets killed, they don't even get a reprimand or lose a single day's pay, much less face the possibility of criminal charges for possibly criminal actions. In other words, what's good for the goose is not good for the gander -- they are above the law.

Are you trying to tell me that there's nothing wrong with that?

 

[bradruth]

Originally posted by: Vic
Are you trying to tell me that there's nothing wrong with that?

Of course not, but there have been instances on the other end of the spectrum, too. Wasn't there a burgler who hurt himself inside a house he broke into, and then proceeded to sue & win a substantial settlement from the homeowner? We (the police) don't decide our punishments for crimes, that's an issue you should take up with the courts.

Judging the Police as a whole as evil, rotten, & nasty based on a few bad apples isn't entirely unlike calling all Muslims terrorists. You only here about the 1% that fvck up, you don't hear about the majority that puts their lives on the line everyday, follows the countless regulations & restrictions on our behavior & conduct, and serves & protects the common citizenry. Of course those who abuse their power should be punished, but don't lump us all together.

 

[Vic]

Fair enough. But perhaps the 99% should stop looking the other way?

 

[bradruth]

Originally posted by: Vic
Fair enough. But perhaps the 99% should stop looking the other way?

Perhaps we should, but the bond formed behind "the blue curtain" is a difficult one for civilians to understand.