• Cops aren’t that bad. Why do you rip on them so much?

Really? That is a stupid statement and a dumb question. Yeah, I am being a bit too rude and crude and offensive. But feedback like this just gets to me sometimes.

First off…there are good cops, lazy cops, generic cops. So be it. My problem is with Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). And there is a HUGE difference. Back in the good old days we had police officers whose motto was “to protect and serve” and that was fine with me, we need(ed) those folks. If a crime is committed, go catch the bad guys and get them introduced to the legal system. But somewhere around the 80’s or 90’s police transitioned to law enforcement officers and became fully militarized. But the transition began well before that.

Generally, nationwide, LEOs started their transition in the 1960’s. When the “war on drugs” began in the early 70’s you saw a huge morphing of police into militarized LEOs. 1981 saw the militarization become formalized when Congress passed the Military Cooperation with Law Enforcement Officials Act. And let’s not forget SWAT teams. Their origins go back to the socialist state of California in the 60’s. SWAT teams became commonplace paralleling the militarization of civilian police departments.

As this military approach to policing took place so did the “comply or die” mentality of LEOs; expected instant and complete compliance with any LEO order became the norm. If a civilian didn’t, they could expect to die…as unarmed civilian death statistics show.

But, let’s address your statement/question directly…

1) 12/22 – An Indiana deputy raped a woman after entering her vehicle during a stop and giving her 30-seconds to comply with his demands. She was raped multiple times, including being choked. The deputy was arrested and is awaiting trial.

2) 12/22 – In Colorado a 29-year old homeless veteran was beaten within an inch of his life by police officers. He was pulled over for an improperly displayed license plate. During the stop the officer claimed he smelled marijuana and wanted to perform a DUI test. The vet was ordered out of his vehicle, the vet asked “why?”…at that point the officer immediately grabbed him and began pulling him out of his car. Multiple officers then began punching and kicking the vet until he lost consciousness. All of this was caught on body cam footage. But the worst of it…the officers took turns having their pictures taken with the beaten bloody man, cop knuckles bleeding and officers smiling. The vet was awaiting an appointment with VA councilors for PTSD.

3) 11/22 – Five Georgia LEOs entered a cell where a man was being held in restraints. They beat and kicked him for 6 minutes, then dragged him out of his cell and continued to kick him. It was all caught on video. When the victim’s lawyer tried to bring a complaint, the event was covered up until a whistle-blower smuggled a copy of the video to the victim’s lawyer.

4) 7/22 – A 25-year old was nearly beaten to death after he ran inside his father’s home trying to hide from police. The police broke through the door, ran inside to the suspects bedroom, tased him, placed a foot on his head and beat him with steel batons until became consciousness, and continued to beat him for another 2 minutes, All caught on video and body cam. His crime, he ran a stop sign a couple blocks earlier and didn’t stop when police tried to pull him over. Why didn’t he stop? He was scared of what the officers would do to him.

5) 8/22 – Three Arkansas police and deputies nearly beat a man to death, repeatedly punching him in the head and slamming his head and face onto concrete. It was all caught on video. His crime…trespassing.

6) And then there is the man who was stopped because his cane looked like a gun to police officers. Yeah, the guy was blind and his cane was his white, red tipped walking cane. I can hardly even talk about that one.

I could go on and on and on but there is no need to. The point is simple…police deserve respect, once they earn it. And they do need to earn it because they are supposed to “serve and protect” the public…you know, the average guy on the street or driving a car.

LEOs should not exist. Police officers and peace officers should. When the police in this country earn the public’s respect, then they will receive it. Police need to solve crimes, bring criminals into the justice system, recover stolen property, arrest killers and rapists…the police should not be thugs and criminals themselves.

As I have said hundreds of times…put the bad cops in jail…honor, respect, and support the good officers.

Send me your thoughts, ideas, comments, questions, and concerns…

 2009 - 2022 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
See Content Use Policy for more information.