Every year a new series of cop shows premier on television with a similar premise. Cops patrolling the mean inner streets, taking down the bad guys, while managing to spare enough time to shoot hoops with the neighborhood kids and hit up the local bar for a beer. These shows pride themselves on being authentic to the life that officers take on when they wear the badge. I’ve taken the time to watch a few of these shows and I have one issue with the good cop-bad cop premise: Where is the good cop in real life?
I never see the officer who saves the cat from the tree or helps an old woman cross the street. I have witnessed a cop open a bottle of liquor and poor it in someone’s car and I have been pulled over and told by a police officer, “I don’t want to have to put you in a body bag.” Some may argue that my experiences are rare, and perhaps I put myself in compromising situations. But what about the 72 year-old grandmother that was so strong that a police officer had to tase her.
What is the world coming to when you can’t tell the difference between an officer of the law and a member of the Bloods Gang. I’m tired of cops being put on desk duty for exhibiting heinous behavior. I’m tired of hearing about sensitivity training for rookies. I want change and I want it now!
Yes there are true criminals that officers must protect the public from as well as themselves. Of course in these situations officers must use more force than they would in a routine traffic stop. My only cry is that they use their manpower and tactics to minimize true crime, as opposed to exercising strategic brutality. The question is how many more videos like the one below will we have to see before a change occurs.
13 comments:
TV shows arent real so I dont think that can be a good indication of real police work. NY Undercover wasnt real. Neither was NYPD Blue.
I'm not sure it's fair to shape your opinion of a group pf people on the actions of a few. If that were the case it would be ok for white people to think that black women all have baby daddy's. Or it would be ok for all black people to think that white people think like Kramer from Seinfield or Mel Gibson.
In the case of the police officers, sure there are some bad ones. But that will always be the case when you have a large number of people completing one job. All military people aren't hereo's like on G.I. Joe or Private Ryan either.
Your profile says that your located in Philly. Doesnt that city have a high death rate? I feel like CNN recently mentioned that the city was in debt and may have to lay off some police officers. Maybe the good cops are
working their tale off to catch the bed guys so that they dont hurt you so they dont have spare time to pull over and get the stray cat out of the tree.
I feel like you write about hating cops a lot. Since Ive been following this blog I feel like this is the second or third post about bad cops in a month.
The story about the liquor and the car sucks but cops arent your friends. Life isnt like Leave it to Beaver. They dont get cats out of trees and help little old ladies cross the street all day. They are here to enforce laws. Some of them are jerks but as a whole they give the ultimate sacrifice. They put their life on the line to protect people they dont even know. Your article seems a little one sided. You wrote about the few bad instances you had instead of mentioning all of the good stories about cops catching killers and drug dealers. If you wrote about soldiers would you just mention that they come home and abuse their wives or would you talk about all the bad they have seen and the good that they did overseas?
I dont get it. Cops suck because you dont see the good that they do and they didnt get your cat out the tree?
Who do you think stops crime. They dont just eat donuts all day and write traffic tickets. Most people that do good deeds dont scream and shout and jump up and down for a pat ont he back.
Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell...these are well know victims of cops abusing their power of being allowed to use violence and guns for no reason at all. And these are just a few of the well known cases not to mention the things that happen everyday. No seriously, everyday. Its mind boggling that people think the police do more good than bad. They are a gang, like organized crime.
For police to be law enforcement they sure do a lot of illegal shit.
Sure some cops profile but that doesnt mean all are bad.
We could all pick out interactions we have had with a certain race or group and say that holds true for the entire group when its not always the case.
Cops have a thankless job. They cant win. People dont want there job and dont want to thank them for it. People only appreciate them when they help them.
A friend of my told me I should check out your blog because it was funny and interesting. I logged on today and see a pretty serious posting about cops. Then I look at the comments and I see nothing at all funny. I'm white and I'm wondering if I'm allowed to comment on this. I'll keep my comment to myself.
I feel the dude that had real comments and not assumptions. If your whole life you and no one you know has ever had a good encounter with a cop then why would you like them? I dont think it was ever said that cops never do good but as you guys put there should only be a few minor cases where they do bad, right? Well thats wrong, there isnt just a few, cops do bad shit "everyday B." And what does middle eastern classmates have to do with 9/11? Oh ok.
Has the person that posted this article responded? Im interested to hear their remarks, this is a good discussion.
Has the guy who wrote the article ever had a good experience with a cop? If so why doesnt he focus on that as opposed to dweling on the cops who obviously dont do their jobs well? Does he dwell on the "bitches" and douch bags he meets as well of focus on the real people he encounters.
Does he live in the city or the burbs? I grew up in a small town so the cops had free time to talk to me and friends and to get cats out of trees. I live near Temple now and used to live in South Philly where the cops are busy trying to arrest people and stop Philly from being the murder capitol of the country for a second straight year.
Even the cats in Philly have attitudes. lmao. If they in the tree id doubt theyd want the cops help.
Philly made national news last year because of all the dead bodies. There are more black men in jail than college. There are more black men in jail than any other race. The schools in the city suck which play into the crime and murder rates.You dont mention any of that in your article. You didnt complain about the people that are really behind all the problems. Instead you
wonder why the cops arent doing the jerk when you meet them.
If you are going to write about a topic that is complicated, maybe your article should be as complicated. Otherwise it sounds like your whining.
I get it. Black men have been wronged for years by cops so there is a lack of trust. Good black men take heat from cops cause some cops power trip and profile cause the numbers show that the majority of crimes are committed by black men who turn to a life of crime cause of broken homes/little opportunity/crappy schools.
Instead of talking about that you post an article and videos about krs. If I were a black man I'd be writing about the people behind the mess. Not the cops who have to clean the mess up. They would be further down the list of people to "piss on" as your blog sometimes says.
People from Philly kill me. You guys are a national joke when it comes to crime and murder but you complain about the cop making $35k a year. My college offered a seminar trying to sell us on staying in Philly when we graduate instead of moving someplace else. The presenters from the City told me after that even though Philly has more than 10 colleges in the area, it has one of the lowest retention rates in the country.
Crime is high and my friends back home cant believe have the stories I tell them. Why didnt you write about the bigger issues instead of telling us about liquor being poured into a car? Arent you supposed to be objective when you're referencing news stories? Some cops suck just like cashiers, doctors, nurses, cable men, etc.
I bet if the cops didnt have to track down stranglers and rapists in Kensington or find the killer of that girl from PYT, they'd be more willing to talk to old ladies or get cats out of trees.
My friends from home call this place KILLadelphia. The cops arent perfect but they are doing their part to help. Are the rest of the citizens who dont talk to cops cause its considered "snitiching." Are you doing your part by failing to mention the deeper issues? Looks to me that you took the easy way out and decided to just blame the "man."
Sorry for the delay in the response guys..
ALL cop are not bad, however the severity of the wrong-doing that occurs is something that must be addressed. Sure I mentioned situations that have occurred in the city of Philadelphia to African American males, but no one seemed to mention the issue that occurred to the Caucasian woman.
We all have discussed our likes and dislikes in reference to this article. This article wasn't intended to be a cop-bashing session, but an opportunity to discuss a serious issue.
For us to sit by and say, "only a small portion of cops are acting in a foul manner to a minimal population" is unacceptable. I think that needs to be addressed.
The videos in the blog should not occur to anyone.
For the individual who came to the blog for the first time, no its not all of a serious matter. Occasionally, there is serious matter that we discuss.
All of the feedback is definitely appreciated.
Sincerely,
Professional Rationalist
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