About That Blue Line

I'll be the downer.

I've talked about the cops numerous times.

I am in the odd position of not hating the police, but often finding myself hating what the police do.

I'm getting over my hang-up over the military look to my local deputy's uniforms because since the present sheriff took the job they've become leaps and bounds more cop-like in demeanor.  I can accept that compromise.

I've also said more than once that they are "the police" and not Officer Johnson to most people.

That whole uniform thing...  When you all dress alike you all look alike, it's deindividualizing.

The cops are an extension of The State and thus become a portion of a collective rather than an individual.

The shootings in NYF(spit)C  might be a good example of how the "thin blue line" covering up all manner of abuse and corruption for the "few" bad apples is making the "many" good apples targets.

It's a predictable consequence to it.  I've chattered around the edges of it a couple of times.

When A cop is bad ALL cops are bad to the people they're policing.  This is why when a bad cop is discovered ALL of the good cops MUST disown them publicly and loudly, because they serve the public; not the other way around.

To protect the bad officers is, at minimum, a disservice to the community they are sworn to protect and at worst a betrayal of the trust put in them.

Once the community has lost trust in the police, bad things happen.  Sometimes really bad things.

The ability to fix this problem is largely out of my hands.  Yet it can be fixed and my local sheriff has done a fair job of getting his deputies to be part of our community (even if the prick won't sign for some NFA items).

But even if your local police are paragons of virtue...  They will still interact with people from places where corruption is rife.  They will deal with "people" who've learned that the police are just another gang.

The bad apples affect the good far beyond their direct contact.  Time to be rid of them.  Perhaps the best way is to restore liability.