While I have not always professed to have a very high opinion of - TopicsExpress

While I have not always professed to have a very high opinion of Law Enforcement in this country, I find that the recent string of cop hating videos and posts that Im seeing in light of the Jerad Miller shooting is making me feel as though I should say something. People are turning their aggression towards cops to the degree that two people just killed two of them in cold blood in what they thought was in the name of freedom. Cops may arguably possess and/or exude too much power and control over the public. Cops may abuse their authority and exude excessive force in situations that end up causing great injury or death of civilians when it clearly could have been avoided. Maybe we need to reconsider how law enforcement is being carried out in this country. All that being said, going out of your way to create hostile situations with cops by toeing the line between your rights and their power is not only stupid its dangerous. Its dangerous for you as an individual. Its dangerous for the cops because they are being put into higher stress and provoking situations when they already live in those conditions on a daily basis. Ive seen a lot of videos where people are attempting to use the law to defy, distract, or enrage police officers to lose their cool in order to show that cops are abusive and should not be trusted. Then their are the video compilations showing cops doing things that are cruel, inhuman, violent, careless, and all out wrong. While I feel very strongly that the individuals involved in these kinds of acts should be held accountable to a degree that is more severe than the average citizen because of the amount of control and power they possess over the public, I have to assume that these incidents are NO WHERE NEAR THE NORM and by and large exceptions to the rule. I assume it is very difficult to be a police officer and I for one would not pursue this line of work. Not because I am a coward, but because I would be forced to make decisions about other peoples freedoms and rights, which I feel ZERO inclination to do. Nor do wish to administer authority over anyone, particularly in moments where I have to assess who and what went wrong based on my own perception or worse, the perceptions of eye witness testimony, which has been proven to be all but worthless when attempting to figure out what exactly happened in any given scenario. Let us not forget: the concept of order, whether a shared illusion or the result of organized authority, is often what keeps many of us safe from amoral, selfish, violent, and dangerous people. I know a lot of people that would do some pretty terrible things on a regular basis if they didnt believe that they face severe consequences for it that involve the police. I wish that we had a better system. I wish that the police never made mistakes or misused their position of power, but these things are a reality and engaging police officers in a semi-hostile way simply because it is legal is a major contributing factor to how things get so out of control and the police feel obliged to defend their position in ways that make them look terrible or worse hurt or kill someone who does not deserve it. Lets focus on fixing the problem, rather than agitating it with loud finger pointing and countless videos of police brutality that make cops feel like they are on trial every day they leave the house. Lets focus on making our cops better, not angrier. Im not saying they are anywhere near always innocent, but this shit just makes it worse in my opinion. Tyler Roden I would sincerely love your input on this matter.