Crooked Cops Are Enemies to Freedomby
Bill Barnwell
According to pundit Michelle Malkin, society does not praise cops enough. She also argues that the media only focuses on the bad cops. In her column she lists off the heroic deeds of a few cops that have gone unnoticed as a sign of our ingratitude. Malkin, a conservative with some good ideas mixed with authoritarian tendencies, also took silliness to a new level last year with a book defending the internment of 112,000 mostly innocent Japanese during World War II. Now she informs us that we don’t show enough respect to our "boys in blue." This is nonsense. Aside from rap artists mocking police and occasional skeptical media stories directed at law enforcement, cops are usually subject to lavish praise on the news, Hollywood movies and network television shows. Back from the days of black and white TV, police action movies and dramas have captivated audiences. In modern times, the long running television show "Cops" glorifies the police force. Multiple other TV programs are law enforcement dramas where police and detectives save the day. In most movies, cops are the good guys. Where there is a bad cop in the movie, he is usually foiled by the good cops. Not only that, but police are regularly honored by schools, churches and other groups for their service. Also, thinking about running for office? Well, an endorsement from your local police department will never hurt and is usually a plus with the average citizen. Let’s be very honest, the general perception of cops amongst the public is still pretty good, especially since 9/11. Apparently, this is not enough for Malkin and other apologists of the post-9/11 emerging Police State. Negative news stories and negative accusations from the political left regarding police usually have nothing to do with the allegations made by Cea, but instead obsess about supposed "racism" in departments or "racist" acts committed on the job. While I’m sure such acts do occur in real time and space, many of these accusations are bunk and most of the American public that doesn’t reside on the loony left of the political spectrum sees through it. But to dismiss them wholly would also be a mistake. The problem is much bigger, however. The real problem with police today is not racism, but inherent corruption and arrogance that is prevalent in law enforcement agencies all around the country. The problem is the law enforcement culture itself which does basically whatever it wants without any accountability from above. What Cea is describing in his book are practices that are well-known to any local cop just about anywhere, not just large powerhouses like the NYPD. Honest cops will attest to the crimes being committed by their co-workers. And it happens everywhere, all around the country and nobody in any position of power is doing anything to stop it. Instead of accountability, these same cops get mainly praise and popular pundits implore us to show even more fawning adoration for the law enforcement culture. One former cop I knew from a small town in Michigan quit the police force because of what he saw as rampant corruption. In his town of just 10,000 or so he reported the same kind of garbage that Cea said occurred in the NYPD: cops lying on the stand, intentionally dishonest police reports, collaborating with criminals and all the rest. Here’s a test: If you know a cop you believe is honest, ask him how often these things occur in his department. His answer will probably shock you. Who is willing to stand up to the abuse? Not many people. Cops routinely lie and cover for each other. Judges are not totally oblivious to the excesses of law enforcement, but usually just don’t care and are willing participants with police. Defendants and regular people stand little chance for a fair trial or fair hearing. The situation is even worse at the federal level. The FBI, IRS and other "investigative" and law enforcement federal agencies do basically whatever they please and many times are more corrupt than the people that they are investigating. Federal prosecutors and federal judges work hand in hand at making sure the accused are convicted regardless of what the facts really are. Anyone who has been targeted by the feds or has a family member who has been knows exactly what I’m talking about. There is so much that could be said about the abuses by law enforcement on all levels that a lengthy book could not even cover it all. On local, state and federal levels, entrapment runs rampant to catch everything from speeders to drug dealers. But law enforcement officials frequently commit crimes in order to catch the criminals. Hence the very regular practice of undercover law enforcement officials approaching people with drugs and possessing drugs but then arresting people who take the bait. Then of course there are the very regular well-known practices of cops just sitting around in select locations looking to bust speeders. Prime spots are usually heavily trafficked roads where the speed limit just dropped (for instance, a busy road where the limit just went from 55 to 45 or 45 to 35). Before the driver realizes the limit has dropped he is pulled over by a menacing cop who is looking to meet a ticket quota or is just "doing his job" by harassing otherwise law-abiding citizens. Have a disagreement with a cop and say something he doesn’t like (even politely without profanity)? Well, get ready to be arrested for disorderly conduct. Unaware that one of your brake lights is out? Too bad, be prepared to be pulled over and get ready for an uncomfortable interrogation. Not wearing your seatbelt? Click it or ticket, punk. None of these examples are far-fetched. They go on all the time, everywhere, everyday. Outside of these petty examples are the far more troubling allegations being raised by Cea that also happen far more than anyone wants to admit. And that’s a huge problem: we know these things exist and we know it happens far more than we let on. But we want to continue to live in this make-believe world where the cops never do anything wrong and that it’s just a "generalization" to say that the law enforcement culture has a large corrupt element to it. Yes there are plenty of good cops. But there are too many bad ones that are getting away with crimes and an arrogant abuse of power. The problem goes beyond just the personality of a particular local, state or federal law enforcement official. The problem is the culture of law enforcement itself that can step all over anyone it chooses with little accountability from lawmakers or the judiciary.
May 17, 2005 Bill Barnwell [send him mail] is a pastor in Flushing, Michigan. He spent most of his undergraduate college career studying politics and government before feeling called to the ministry. He has completed a Master of Ministries degree and is currently working towards a Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree at Bethel College in Mishawka, Indiana. Copyright © 2005 LewRockwell.com |
Perhaps
Cea’s book and other defectors can help shed light on the troubling
trends in law enforcement today. If Michelle Malkin and other law
and order apologists want to serve a good cause, they can take these
allegations seriously instead of telling the rest of us to ignore
the trampling of our rights.