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| -War on Police- |
| ‘De-Policing' is Not Something Cops Do to Society, It's Something Society Does to Its Cops |
| 2017-08-31 |
| [OpsLens] "I served as a police officer in one of the most pro-demonstrator, anti-cop cities in America, Seattle. " De-policing, a phenomenon where officers avoid proactive patrol, including enforcing pedestrian violations, littering, and investigating suspicious people and circumstances, is occurring in many American cities. Officers do not wake up one morning and decide to de-police. Circumstances, such as political and department leaders showing little or no support, force cops to alter their behavior and adopt a professional survival mode. Still, many politicians and law enforcement leaders deny de-policing exists. They don’t want to admit their "enlightened" social justice policies have any negative consequences. I served as a police officer in one of the most pro-demonstrator, anti-cop cities in America, Seattle. I retired at least ten years sooner than I might have due to the social justice indoctrination disguised as law enforcement training infecting the department. I now also look at law enforcement through a "de-policing" lens. Meaning, does a policy compromise officer safety or the effectiveness of police officers to do their jobs properly? In today’s anti-cop environment, leftist politicians, community activists, and their allies in the media are inundating people with the false narrative that police officers are wantonly shooting minorities for sport. There’s even a socialist Seattle city council member who continues to describe two Seattle police officers as murderers and racists despite a King County inquest jury having found they acted properly in a fatal shooting incident. The two officers are now suing her for defamation. People like her caricature cops as corrupt thugs and draw a moral equivalence between criminals killed by cops and police officers murdered by criminals--as if it’s supposed to be a fair fight. Officers need discretion to do the job effectively. In today’s anti-cop world, one leftist strategy is using politically motivated policies to usurp officer discretion. Consider policies mandating universal report taking and vehicle and body camera use. The cameras do have legitimate positives, but there are still practical negatives to consider regarding policies. Cops have to wonder if agencies will use the videos to go on "fishing expeditions" to find officer "misconduct," even absent a complaint. Not true misconduct but actions that used to be, and still should be, within officer discretion? I’ve heard enough disturbing anecdotal evidence to believe this is happening. When superiors fish for officer violations, cops may feel forced to waste time taking unnecessary reports or effectively de-police. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #2 Most people who criticize or protest police officers know little to nothing about the extensive training and demands required for police work and most likely don't care. The term, the "thin blue line" is the line between the civilized and the uncivilized. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2017-08-31 11:50 |
| #1 Abusing OUR Troops. |
| Posted by: newc 2017-08-31 03:14 |