Does the officer insist because of his failure to understand the law, or his insistence on being right, or some urge he has to harass a citizen? And to lead up to a larger question, but one sincerely meant to be constructive and in hopes discussion may help us find answers... Yes, yes, yes, there are many good law enforcement officers and departments attempting to perform a very difficult job well. That never excuses the more major and violent incidents weve recently seen, nor does it even excuse this officers petty choice of action. He desperately needs better training, as so many officers do. Training in observing and listening (and better reading comprehension) would have defused the situation. This video shows one part of what appears to be a common problem, in miniature. It is the job of police officers to know and understand the laws they enforce. This officer doesnt understand the law, and hes wasting time bothering a citizen who isnt breaking any laws, when he could be helping people be safe. Hes misreading the law, and the situation, and the intent of a citizen. That sort of arbitrary harassment by one police officer is sure to do what it indeed did - inspire more public ill-will towards law enforcement in general. Add prejudice and fear, and the escalation becomes more severe, violence results, and ultimately if the officer isnt held accountable, naturally people take to the streets in protest, as our forebears did against similarly prejudiced and arbitrary upholders of British law in the colonies. I dont want a revolution, but I do want to change the world. Officers are citizens too. I want all citizens made safer. Institutionalized racism and bullying make the streets unsafe for all. What can we do to see that our actual laws are actually enforced, without more laws being violated in the attempts at enforcement?
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 03:13:22 +0000
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