Saturday, July 6, 2013

Bad Cop, No Doughnut

It's nothing new that people behave badly. Even less surprising is that people in positions of authority behave badly. Power corrupts, after all. We are all guilty at some point or another of abusing power, manipulating the system or simply doing something petty or malicious. However, in recent weeks it has come to my attention that police are getting an especially bad reputation for being....dicks.
Technology makes recording the actions of police officers very easy and very common. This is a good thing, because in many cases of police misconduct there is a thin blue line that protects its own. Remember, it is legal to record the police as long as you are not interfering with their duties. The supreme court had repeatedly upheld this. As a result of the ease of recording, the internet has been lit up the last few years with examples of possible police misconduct. Judge for yourself:

Cops shoot unarmed woman to death for rolling her window up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSPhC916GQM

Cop shoots and kills dog while asking for directions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mvIWFXbHNo&feature=player_detailpage



Cops shoot another unarmed man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNYVRGUmGpY

Here's a 40 minute compilation of police brutality in the news from June 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxAyprC3p80


Cops enter without warrant and tase man for filming them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PaGAy5XEv-o

Police arrest bystander and shoot his dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qv-D7hyWKs&feature=share

Police enter wrong home and shoot dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIf6o_7pMTw&feature=youtu.be

(Seriously, what is it with dogs?)

Police kill dog of homeless man who had a seizure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tx68uvOqug&feature=player_embedded

Police beat and tase man after he surrenders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsNfxt2KiqI&feature=youtu.be

I seriously could go on and on with this, but it's depressing. I know there are plenty of good cops out there. When I witnessed a hit&run vehicular assault the other week I called 911 and the cops handled it well. If I were in trouble, it's who I would call, but that's honestly because there aren't any other options. I know police have what might be the most stressful job on the planet and that each day is a risk to their lives. But you know something else? I don't care about that when it comes to situations like those above. I just don't give two shits.
Cops are supposed to work for the people, not against them. Your uniforms, fancy tasers, guns and badges are given to you by the people for the good of the people. When I have a malicious episode at work, I save a spreadsheet with bullshit information on it. When a cop decides to flex his nuts, people die. What's worse is the way that the ranks close around police to protect them from the public. Internal Affairs is a joke.
Nobody is perfect, but you know something cops...you sure as hell aren't trying very hard to be.
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