Hey Officer LEO: I Don’t Give A Shit About Your Safety
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 10 months ago
Via WRSA, this analysis deserves to be heard.
Basically, think about it this way. If you put your own safety ahead of the safety of others, you have lost your heart and soul. No, not just your bravery and courage (if you ever had any), but your heart and soul.
On January 4, 2018 at 2:09 pm, Jorge said:
Are Peel’s Principles of Policing just never taught to cops these days? Or are they specifically taught as heretical beliefs?
Here’s a sample:
“To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
“To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.”
There’s 9 of them. A quick read, but quite profound, and I have yet to see a case of police outrage that can’t be easily traced back to ignoring one (or all) of those principles.
On January 4, 2018 at 11:03 pm, Mr. Gray said:
LEOs are the good guys. There’s too much “blame the entire LEO community” going around these days. It’s a liberal thing.
On January 4, 2018 at 11:28 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Gray,
Meanwhile, Andrew Finch couldn’t be reached for comment.
On January 5, 2018 at 12:59 pm, Yuri said:
“without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws”
For justice, law, order, and, liberty; this is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The just purpose of enforcing unjust laws is that their injustice become evident and such unjust laws be changed or abolished. Lacking its counterpart of justice IN the laws, this Peelian principle turns from its purpose of self-correction and becomes a perfect definition of tyranny.
In light of this, Mr. Gray’s comment has some truth to it. The individual police officers involved in incidents like this, are not those most culpable. The response of the “justice system” to this murder (of Finch) is the clearest evidence of this. And, ultimately, the blame lies at the foot of every blog commenter defending the shooter or lamenting the practice of “Swatting”, and every American who tolerates the burgeoning police state.
But what more oft, in nations grown corrupt,
And by their vices brought to servitude,
Than to love bondage more than liberty,
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty
― John Milton, “Samson Agonistes”, 1671
Of course, the guilt of the individual officer in this (or any similar) case is in no way absolved by the “just vollovink ordars” or “just doing my job” defense. [[digression: why does it appear that no LEO has ever seen the movie “Cool Hand Luke”?]]
After all, it was not the Jews of the Sanhedron who killed Christ. Nor was it Pilate. Nor Judas.
No, cops killed Jesus.
Mr. Gray should acquaint himself with the concept of fungibility.
On January 5, 2018 at 1:04 pm, I R A Darth Aggie said:
@Gray, the LEOs know who the good ones are, the indifferent ones are, and the bad ones are.
But they will stand shoulder to shoulder protecting them after the fact. Maybe they could try to get the bad ones drummed out beforehand?