I think there very well could be more to this story. --- you want there to be more to this story.
the police are the good guys ... except those cops who aren't good guys. Study finds police officers arrested 1,100 times per year, or 3 per day, nationwide New York Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, left, departs federal court in Manhattan on Monday after being charged with corruption. A new study shows that about 1,100 police officers, or about three per day, are charged with committing crimes every year. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) So far this month, two New York City police commanders have been arrested on corruption allegations, an officer in Killeen, Tex., has been accused of sexually assaulting a female driver, a Philadelphia police officer has been charged with extortion of a drug dealer, and an officer in Honolulu has been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. Such sporadic news accounts of police officers being arrested led one group of researchers to a question: How much crime do police officers commit? No one was keeping track, much as no one was tracking how often police officers shoot and kill civilians <https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/final-tally-police-shot-and-killed-984-people-in-2015/2016/01/05/3ec7a404-b3c5-11e5-a76a-0b5145e8679a_story.html>, although both may involve use of police power and abuse of public trust. Now there is an answer: Police officers are arrested about 1,100 times a year, or roughly three officers charged every day, according to a new national study <https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249850.pdf>. The most common crimes were simple assault, drunken driving and aggravated assault, and significant numbers of sex crimes were also found. About 72 percent of officers charged in cases with known outcomes are convicted, more than 40 percent of the crimes are committed on duty, and nearly 95 percent of the officers charged are men. The study is thought to be the first-ever nationwide look at police crime, and was conducted by researchers at Bowling Green State University through a grant from the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice. The research covered seven years, 2005 to 2011, and sought to quantify not only the prevalence of police officers arrested across the country, but also how law enforcement agencies discipline officers who are arrested and how officer arrests might correlate with other forms of misconduct. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update1.jpg> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update1.jpg> For example, the study found that 22 percent of the officers arrested had been named as defendants in a federal civil rights lawsuit at some point in their careers, unrelated to their arrest case. The authors suggest that police agencies analyzing such suits “could potentially lead to new and improved mechanisms to identify and mitigate various forms of police misconduct.” In the seven years of the study, the researchers compiled 6,724 cases, or about 960 cases per year, involving about 792 officers per year — 674 officers were arrested more than once. But the study has continued beyond 2011, and lead researcher Philip M. Stinson at Bowling Green said the number of cases now averages about 1,100 arrests per year. “Police crimes are not uncommon,” Stinson concluded. “Our data directly contradicts some of the prevailing assumptions and the proposition that only a small group of rotten apples perpetrate the vast majority of police crime.” Although nearly 60 percent of the crimes “occurred when the officer was technically off-duty,” Stinson wrote, “a significant portion of these so-called off-duty crimes also lies within the context of police work and the perpetrator’s role as a police officer, including instances where off-duty officers flash a badge, an official weapon, or otherwise use their power, authority, and the respect afforded to them as a means to commit crime.” “This is probably the tip of the iceberg,” said Cara Rabe-Hemp, a professor at Illinois State University who has studied police deviance. She said the effort is the “first-ever study to quantify police crime” and shows it is “much much more common than what police scholars and police administrators previously thought.” To be clear, police are not committing crimes at anywhere near the level of civilians. Stinson’s data found 1.7 arrests of police per 100,000 population over the seven years of the study, where the general arrest rate in 2012 alone was 3,888 arrests per 100,000 population. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update2.jpg> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update2.jpg>[image: policearrest-update2] The number of arrests was “not particularly notable,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police officers’ union, “when you take into account there are between 850,000 and 950,000 law enforcement officers.” The study did not include federal law enforcement, only state and local agencies. A recent Justice Department census <http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/nsleed.pdf> of sworn state and local law enforcement officers put the nationwide total in 2012 at about 750,000. Pasco said “the level of media scrutiny of police is way up,” even in the years of the study, making recruitment of quality officers more difficult. “In that context, some departments have lowered their standards,” Pasco said. “And you get what you paid for.” The study gathered cases by using Google news alerts that send a message whenever an item on the Internet contains specific search terms. So only cases that are uncovered by a media outlet or disclosed in a police news release are captured in the database, meaning that many arrests that aren’t reported by, or even known to, the police are excluded. “Every profession struggles with what to do when a member of their own commits a crime,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). “But for the police, having officers involved in crime strikes at the very core of what is important to them: public trust and integrity.” Wexler said PERF and the Justice Department studied a series of sexual assaults committed by San Diego police officers. Officers working late shifts by themselves used traffic stops to commit sexual crimes against women they pulled over, Wexler said. “The actions of these officers impacted the whole department and resulted in major changes. Better screening for hiring, more effective supervision and early warning systems could help reduce these crimes.” He said the new study “sheds light on the extent and nature of this problem.” The study found that more than 81 percent of the crimes were committed by patrol or detective-level officers and that nearly 85 percent were reported in metropolitan agencies. New Orleans had the highest per-capita number of officers arrested, with 44.2 arrests per 1,000 officers, during a period that included misconduct committed after Hurricane Katrina. Milwaukee, with 36.7 arrests per 1,000 officers, and Memphis with 29.7 arrests were the cities with the highest arrest ratios. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update3.jpg> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update3.jpg> There were 125 officers charged with murder or non-negligent manslaughter in the seven years of the study, and the Bowling Green researchers have followed the outcomes. Of the 125 cases, 107 have been resolved and 77 of those officers were convicted, a 72 percent conviction rate, the same conviction rate as for officers in all crimes where the outcomes are known. A Justice Department study of state court convictions for all defendants, not just police, found a conviction rate in all felony cases of 68 percent, and a 70 percent conviction rate for murder. Stinson felt it was particularly significant that of all the officers arrested, for offenses ranging from murder to drunken driving, only 54 percent were fired, and 37.5 percent arrested for domestic violence lost their jobs. The study also found that roughly two-thirds of all the arrests were made by an agency that didn’t employ the officer, and “in at least some cases agencies are not aware of the crimes perpetrated by their own officers.” Although applicants for police jobs are required to disclose arrests, Stinson said all police departments should require all sworn employees to disclose their arrests or protective orders against them, “so that police agencies can document and respond to known cases of police crime.” He suggested that all law enforcement agencies conduct routine annual criminal background checks of all officers, noting that officers arrested for domestic violence sometimes are able to maintain jobs requiring them to carry guns by not notifying their agency. “Systems designed to provide an early warning of officers who are problem-prone,” Stinson wrote, “cannot be considered complete if they are unable to identify sworn law enforcement officers who have perpetrated a criminal offense.” Rabe-Hemp noted that data showing 54 percent of arrested officers being fired likely means that many officers are allowed to resign and retain their law enforcement certification. “When officers resign, they usually just go to a neighboring county,” she said. She said she had studied a number of arrested officers’ cases, and “you could find them bopping all over the Midwest.” Rabe-Hemp also pointed out that while women constitute 12 to 15 percent of all police officers, they make up less than 5 percent of those arrested. “One solution to police crime should involve hiring more women as police officers,” she said. In cases involving allegations of sexual abuse, 72 percent of the officers were fired, and more than 80 percent resulted in convictions, the study found. There were 422 reported cases of forcible and statutory rape, 352 cases of forcible fondling and 94 sodomy cases over the seven years of the study, which Stinson called “larger than expected based on the existing research.” The data search turned up 174 examples of male officers arrested in cases of “Driving While Female,” in which women drivers were harassed or assaulted. About 82 percent of those cases ended in convictions. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update4.jpg> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest-update4.jpg>[image: policearrest-update4] The study also checked each arrested officer’s name in the federal court database to see if they had ever been named as a defendant in a federal civil rights suit. Of the 5,545 arrested officers, 1,233, or 22 percent, were named as a defendant in a federal civil rights action at some point during their law enforcement career. The researchers found that “officers who perpetrate crimes while on-duty are significantly more likely to have been named as a [civil rights] defendant” than those whose crimes occurred off-duty. Although the Bowling Green database now includes about 1,100 cases per year, Stinson thought that number underrepresented how much crime police commit, both because news articles may not capture every arrest and also because police agencies may allow officers to resign in lieu of arrest because “they don’t want to air their dirty laundry.” Stinson noted that almost two-thirds of the police arrests were made by agencies other than the officer’s. In some cases, Stinson wrote, “the employing agency should have made the arrest and failed to do so,” in part because of officers extending each other “professional courtesy.” He noted that of the 960 drunken-driving arrests, there were “comparatively few run-of-the-mill cases of DUI,” and that arrests only occurred if something egregious happened, such as a crash, injuries or leaving the scene. Of the drunken-driving cases with known outcomes, however, officers were convicted only 35 percent of the time, and only about 38 percent lost their jobs. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest4.jpg> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/06/policearrest4.jpg> 46 Comments - Share on FacebookShare <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/06/22/study-finds-1100-police-officers-per-year-or-3-per-day-are-arrested-nationwide/#> - Share on TwitterTweet <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/06/22/study-finds-1100-police-officers-per-year-or-3-per-day-are-arrested-nationwide/#> - Share via Email Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Post since 1998 On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 5:16:30 PM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: > > I think there very well could be more to this story. The taser > guide-wires are still connected to Slager; and it appears that Slager > believed that Scott was running away with the taser cartridge; the guide > wires which are about 35 feet long. > > My point, is that once again, there's more to the story and a false > narrative, which we've seen far too often. > > > > > > On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 4:21 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> the fact remains he was running away from Slager when Slager shot him 7 >> times. >> --- >> there's no excuse for a policeman to shoot an unarmed citizen in the back. >> >> >> I think charging him with murder in that case is appropriate. >> --- >> so do I ... and the charges were appropriate for those who shot the >> unarmed black man in NYC 16 times. >> >> >> On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 3:14:03 PM UTC-5, Perplexed wrote: >>> >>> >>> I don't know Keith. While I'd not seen or heard anything about the taser >>> issue with Walter Scott, the fact remains he was running away from Slager >>> when Slager shot him 7 times. I think charging him with murder in that case >>> is appropriate. >>> >>> On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 3:05:51 PM UTC-4, KeithInTampa wrote: >>>> >>>> Watching the uniformed speculate over false narratives is always >>>> amusing! >>>> >>>> >>>> https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/01/04/walter-scott-shooting-case-update-officer-michael-slager-bonded-from-jail-judge-and-prosecutor-deny-speedy-trial/ >>>> >>>> >>>> https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/04/12/game-changer-or-paradigm-shift-walter-scott-shooting-enhanced-video-shows-officer-slager-with-taser-darts/ >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 1:34 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> According to the FBI there were 27 murdered on the job in 2014 and 51 >>>>> (yes, FIFTY-ONE) murdered on the job in 2015. >>>>> There have been at least 26 police officers killed on the job using >>>>> guns so far this year. That means we will no doubt lose at least 50 by >>>>> the >>>>> end of the year >>>>> --- >>>>> so there must also have been a war on police last year also, right? >>>>> >>>>> there needs to be a war on policemen who shoot unarmed civilians in >>>>> the back. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 9:21:12 PM UTC-5, Perplexed wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> The data cited in your article is quite outdated. Most of it only >>>>>> goes through 2012 and this is 2016. The militant black movements didn't >>>>>> start getting support from the mainstream media, NFL players, >>>>>> celebrities, >>>>>> and every dumbass democrat in the House of Representatives until late >>>>>> 2014 >>>>>> after months of the "hands up don't shoot" bs lies they all pushed to >>>>>> the >>>>>> mobs. >>>>>> >>>>>> According to the FBI there were 27 murdered on the job in 2014 and 51 >>>>>> (yes, FIFTY-ONE) murdered on the job in 2015. >>>>>> >>>>>> There have been at least 26 police officers killed on the job using >>>>>> guns so far this year. That means we will no doubt lose at least 50 by >>>>>> the >>>>>> end of the year even if it doesn't get any worse. That's more than TWICE >>>>>> - >>>>>> and almost THREE TIMES the number of blacks who were killed by cops who >>>>>> weren't doing something to warrant being killed. >>>>>> >>>>>> So what there isn't is a war or open season on black people. THAT is >>>>>> the lie that needs to stop being told. There IS, however, an ALARMING >>>>>> increase in the number of cops being shot by murderous thugs doing so >>>>>> based >>>>>> on the PACK OF LIES being fed to them by disgusting democrats, a >>>>>> dishonest >>>>>> media, and black activists. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 5:45:37 PM UTC-4, MJ wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Karen DeCoster >>>>>>> >>>>>>> *"Let Radley Balko's article shut up all of the hyperventilating >>>>>>> diptards. Facts are more powerful than your state-worship and >>>>>>> ignorance-based cliché recitals. " *September 10, 2015 >>>>>>> >>>>>>> *Once again: There is no ‘war on cops.’ And those who claim >>>>>>> otherwise are playing a dangerous game. *By Radley Balko >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Here’s Fox News earlier this week, shamelessly exploiting a tragedy >>>>>>> to gin up outrage. >>>>>>> http://youtu.be/x9uJHbXpMoU >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> They certainly aren’t the only ones. Here are some more examples of >>>>>>> media outlets and politicians spreading the hysteria: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - “War On Police Sparks National Crime Wave” >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/090315-769630-war-on-police-fuels-national-crime-wave.htm> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: There’s A War On Cops And Media ‘Are >>>>>>> Not In Police Officers’ Corner'” >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <http://keranews.org/post/lt-gov-dan-patrick-there-s-war-cops-and-media-are-not-police-officers-corner> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - “Police face recruiting shortage due to war on cops” >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <http://nypost.com/2015/09/07/police-face-recruiting-shortage-due-to-war-on-cops/> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - “Do Cops’ Lives Matter to Obama?” >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <http://www.creators.com/opinion/pat-buchanan/do-cops-lives-matter-to-obama.html> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - “[New York Police Chief] Bratton warns of tough times ahead >>>>>>> due to ‘war on cops'” >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <http://nypost.com/2015/09/01/bratton-warns-tough-times-ahead-due-to-war-on-cops/> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> As I’ve noted here before, we’re seeing similar rhetoric from >>>>>>> politicians, particularly from GOP presidential hopefuls, including >>>>>>> Donald >>>>>>> Trump >>>>>>> <https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAAahUKEwiluonVntvHAhWMGj4KHVH4DEE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fpost-politics%2Fwp%2F2015%2F08%2F29%2Ftrump-in-tennessee-downplays-police-brutality-promises-to-get-rid-of-gangs%2F&usg=AFQjCNGui_Bt4Y3H6WAqTfDAYsjwb6Xwbw&sig2=yxNyOcv5Baxu3zBZMH_cMA>, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Ted Cruz >>>>>>> <https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QqQIwAGoVChMIutzS3p7bxwIVgnE-Ch1K6g2N&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msnbc.com%2Frachel-maddow-show%2Fted-cruz-shows-how-not-respond-police-killings&usg=AFQjCNE4qkak84teylpnfVZ2njiLAsbBIg&sig2=Om0suqndg5UpN_fgSH_puw&bvm=bv.101800829,d.cWw>, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> and Scott Walker. >>>>>>> <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/09/03/scott-walker-couldnt-be-more-wrong-about-the-threat-to-police-officers/> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> All of this fact-free fearmongering is having an effect. A >>>>>>> Rasmussen poll taken last week >>>>>>> <http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/august_2015/58_think_there_s_a_war_on_police_in_america_today>found >>>>>>> >>>>>>> that 58 percent of respondents now believe there is now a “war on >>>>>>> police.” >>>>>>> Just 27 percent disagreed. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So let’s go through the numbers. Again >>>>>>> <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/10/02/once-again-police-work-is-not-getting-more-dangerous/>. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So far, 2015 is on pace to see 35 felonious killings of police >>>>>>> officers. If >>>>>>> that pace holds, this year would end with the second lowest number of >>>>>>> murdered cops in decades. Here’s a graph depicting annual killings of >>>>>>> cops >>>>>>> with firearms from Mark A. Perry at the American Enterprise >>>>>>> Institute: >>>>>>> <https://www.aei.org/publication/is-there-really-a-war-on-cops-the-data-show-that-2015-will-likely-be-one-of-the-safest-years-in-history-for-police/> >>>>>>> [image: PerryAEI] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> But these are just the raw numbers. If we look at the *rate* of >>>>>>> killings of cops, the trend is more pronounced. There are two ways >>>>>>> examine >>>>>>> the rate of police killings. The first is to look at the rate of >>>>>>> killings >>>>>>> of cops per 100K cops on the street. This figure is somewhat difficult >>>>>>> to >>>>>>> calculate because there are widely varying estimates of how many cops >>>>>>> are >>>>>>> on the street. It depends on how you define “police officer,” who is >>>>>>> doing >>>>>>> the estimating, and various other factors. But if you use consistent >>>>>>> sources, the number of police has generally gone up, while the number >>>>>>> of >>>>>>> officers killed has generally gone down. So your graph looks something >>>>>>> like >>>>>>> this one, from Dan Wang >>>>>>> <http://danwang.co/statistics-on-police-fatalities/>: >>>>>>> [image: FKPer100KCops] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The other way you could measure the rate of killings of police >>>>>>> officers is to look at the number with respect to the overall >>>>>>> population. >>>>>>> Here’s another graph from Perry that plots those figures: >>>>>>> [image: police1] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> As you can see, by this measure 2015 is shaping up to be the second >>>>>>> safest year for police *ever, *after 2013. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Speaking of which, it’s important to note again here that 2013 was >>>>>>> an abnormally and historically low year for police fatalities, as this >>>>>>> graph from University of South Carolina law professor (and former >>>>>>> police >>>>>>> officer) Seth Stoughton shows. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [Tweets @ link] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So when police advocates say that 2014 saw an 80+ percent increase >>>>>>> in homicides of cops over 2013, remember a few things: First, 2013 >>>>>>> wasn’t >>>>>>> just an all-time low, it was an all-time low by a significant margin. >>>>>>> Second, the 2013 figure was so low that even a small increase will look >>>>>>> large when expressed as a percentage. Third, the figure for the >>>>>>> following >>>>>>> year, 2014, (51 officers killed) was essentially consistent with the >>>>>>> average for the previous five years (50 killed), and still lower than >>>>>>> any >>>>>>> five-year average going back to 1960. ( See this graph >>>>>>> <http://i1.wp.com/danwang.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/average-police-fatalities-decade.png>, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> also from Wang.) Fourth, again, 2015 is on pace (35 killings) to be >>>>>>> lower >>>>>>> than any year but 2013. Another common response from police >>>>>>> organizations >>>>>>> and their advocates is that the reduction in fatalities is due to >>>>>>> better >>>>>>> medical care and improvements in protective gear such as bulletproof >>>>>>> vests. >>>>>>> Both things are undoubtedly true. But *assaults* on police officers >>>>>>> are in decline as well. That is, not only are fewer people killing >>>>>>> police >>>>>>> officers, fewer people are trying to harm them. These graphs from >>>>>>> Stoughton >>>>>>> show the raw numbers of assaults on police: >>>>>>> [image: AssaultGraph] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [image: WeaponGraph] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> As you can see, at best you could argue that assaults on police with >>>>>>> firearms are about even with where they’ve been for most of the last >>>>>>> decade, save for a dip in 2009 and 2010. But these too are raw figures. >>>>>>> When we look at the rate of assault on cops, from either the >>>>>>> perspective of >>>>>>> total cops or total population, the downward trend once again becomes >>>>>>> more >>>>>>> pronounced. From Daniel Bier >>>>>>> <http://blog.skepticallibertarian.com/2014/08/21/methodological-notes-on-police-fatalities-and-assaults/>, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> here are two graphs looking at the assault *rates* on police >>>>>>> officers. >>>>>>> [image: 20150320_assaultandinjuryrates1] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Any murder of a police officer is a tragedy. (As is any murder of a >>>>>>> non-police officer.) But media outlets, politicians, and police >>>>>>> advocates >>>>>>> do real damage when they push this false narrative about a rising >>>>>>> threat to >>>>>>> law enforcement. First, this sort of propaganda weights the public >>>>>>> debate >>>>>>> and discourse. When there’s a fictional “war on cops” blaring in the >>>>>>> background, it becomes much more difficult to have an honest discussion >>>>>>> about police cameras, police militarization, use of lethal force >>>>>>> policies, >>>>>>> police discipline, police transparency >>>>>>> <https://twitter.com/romenesko/status/639220767553626112>, >>>>>>> training, police accountability, and a host of other issues. Of course, >>>>>>> that’s precisely the point. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> But there’s also a much more pernicious effect of exaggerating the >>>>>>> threats faced by law enforcement. When cops are constantly told that >>>>>>> they’re under constant fire, or that every interaction with a citizen >>>>>>> could >>>>>>> be their last, or that they’re fortunate each time they come home from >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> job in one piece, it’s absolute poison for police-community relations. >>>>>>> That >>>>>>> kind of reminder on a regular basis would put *anyone* on edge. >>>>>>> We’re putting police officers in a perpetually combative mindset that >>>>>>> psychologically isolates them from the communities they serve. >>>>>>> Incessantly >>>>>>> telling cops that they’re under fire can condition them to see the >>>>>>> people >>>>>>> with whom they interact not as citizens with rights, but as potential >>>>>>> threats. That not only means more animosity, anger and confrontation, >>>>>>> it >>>>>>> can also be a barrier to building relationships with people in the >>>>>>> community the sorts of relationships that help police officers solve >>>>>>> crimes and keep communities safe. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It also just makes for a miserable work life. If you’ve been trained >>>>>>> to think your job is getting progressively more dangerous, and that a >>>>>>> significant percentage of the people you encounter on a daily basis >>>>>>> want to >>>>>>> do you harm, you’re going to be less tolerant of dissent. You’re going >>>>>>> to >>>>>>> constantly be on-guard, on-edge, and jumpy. That isn’t a state of mind >>>>>>> that’s conducive to de-escalation, that opts for persuasion over brute >>>>>>> force, or seeks out peaceful conflict resolution. It’s a state of mind >>>>>>> ruled by the limbic system, not the frontal lobe. And yes, it’s a state >>>>>>> of >>>>>>> mind that makes an officer more likely to reach for his gun >>>>>>> <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/26/a-sort-of-defense-of-south-carolina-state-trooper-sean-groubert/>. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Again, this isn’t a comment on cops. It’s a comment on human beings in >>>>>>> general. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> An over-emphasis on and obsession with a “war on cops” would be >>>>>>> dangerous and counterproductive even if it were true. But by every >>>>>>> imaginable measure, it *just isn’t true*. When this false narrative >>>>>>> comes from police organizations and their supporters, it’s at least >>>>>>> somewhat understandable. When it comes from politicians, it’s >>>>>>> grandstanding >>>>>>> and demagoguery. When it comes from media organizations, it’s >>>>>>> journalistic >>>>>>> malpractice. And it’s almost certainly getting people killed. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One last point: I’ve seen some police officials and their advocates >>>>>>> respond to these statistics by pointing out that even if assaults and >>>>>>> killings of cops are down, anti-police *rhetoric* is increasing. >>>>>>> Therefore, they say, they’re justified in proclaiming that there’s a >>>>>>> war on >>>>>>> the police. This is nonsense. Police agencies are government agencies. >>>>>>> They’re government agencies in whom we entrust the power to detain, >>>>>>> arrest, >>>>>>> and kill. Yes, it’s true that some people are demanding more of those >>>>>>> agencies. It’s true that personal technology is enabling people to >>>>>>> create >>>>>>> an independent video narrative of their interactions with police. It’s >>>>>>> true >>>>>>> that those videos have sometimes revealed police misconduct and >>>>>>> brutality, >>>>>>> and that police officers, like all people, sometimes mis-remember, >>>>>>> misstate, and outright lie when recounting contentious, traumatic, >>>>>>> high-stakes incidents. And it’s true that because of all of this, the >>>>>>> public as a whole today finds police officers as a whole less >>>>>>> trustworthy than in the past >>>>>>> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/26/public-trust-police-low-poll-finds/>. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It’s also true that some activists, pundits, and politicians are >>>>>>> demanding >>>>>>> more accountability, transparency, and training for police. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> None of these things are indicative of a “war.” On the contrary, all >>>>>>> of this new skepticism, criticism, forced transparency, and mistrust of >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> police is again coming even as violence against police officers is >>>>>>> reaching historic lows. This is how a democracy is supposed to work. >>>>>>> It’s >>>>>>> something worth celebrating. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Instead, police groups and their advocates are claiming that the >>>>>>> mere act of criticizing a government entity is akin to declaring war on >>>>>>> it, >>>>>>> and that therefore, police critics are culpable every time a police >>>>>>> officer >>>>>>> is murdered. (And given the way they ignore and abuse statistics, those >>>>>>> critics are also apparently culpable for a lot of murders that never >>>>>>> happened.) They’re essentially saying that exercising constitutional >>>>>>> rights >>>>>>> and participating in democracy are in and of themselves acts of >>>>>>> violence. >>>>>>> And in many cases, this is coming from the very people that the >>>>>>> government >>>>>>> empowers to use actual violence. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> *That* is something worth worrying about. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/09/10/once-again-there-is-no-war-on-cops-and-those-who-claim-otherwise-are-playing-a-dangerous-game/ >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>> -- >>>>> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >>>>> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >>>>> >>>>> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >>>>> * It's active and moderated. 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