Coming straight from the underground

While few issues are black and white, I will say that - as a general rule - I distrust and dislike officers of the law. I say this as someone who has never been arrested or given anything more than a speeding ticket. I'm sure there are some good, compassionate police officers out there who go into the profession out of altruistic motives. One definitely has to feel for the families of the Oakland police officers killed in the line of duty last week.

That being said, in my experience for every genuine police officer out there, there is this guy, or this one. The profession draws bullies, goons who crave the power and authority and likely take just a bit of relish in "knocking a perp out." They're self-important, arrogant, and overly aggressive. They exploit their position to do things of questionable legality. In short, it's a profession that is prone to abuse. I'm not saying that all police officers are bad - just that far too many are.

Call me a hypocrite if you will, seeing as I'm not putting my life on the line "out there." Frankly, being a cop in my hometown is probably about as dangerous as writing Hallmark cards. But I'll also admit that I, and the gross majority of other Americans, made a conscious choice not to go into law enforcement. Similarly, every police officer made their own conscious choice to join up. No doubt defenders will say that the realities and dangers of the job make police officers like they are. That the stress and the fear and the unknown are to blame. Call me heartless, but my advice is get the hell out of the job if that's the case. Better yet, it's very often younger, fresh out of the academy-types who are the worst eggs. These people can't use the beaten-down-by-experience excuse. Either they're inclined to this behavior on their own, or they picked it up in their training. Neither option is a good one.

Perhaps I'm proposing a double standard, in fact I know I am: officers of the law are justifiably held to a higher standard than criminals. To get all Batman on you, the Joker was right - Batman, much like police officers, had rules, he had lines. The gunman in Oakland obviously did not. It's unfair, and we all know it's unfair. But it's always going to be easier for the criminals - when you join the force you know the score. That's what makes you different from them. Becoming a cop is not carte blanche to become a criminal one's self. You often see the motto: "protect and serve." What it isn't is brutalize and bully.