(ThyBlackMan.com) They abuse and even kill unarmed citizens. They break the law. They cooperate with and tip off drug dealers. They engage in ethnic profiling. They harass migrants (illegal or not). They violate their oaths. They cover for each other. They are bullies. They are mentally unstable. They misuse and abuse authority. And they get away with much of what you have just read. They are the BAD COPS OF AMERICA. And those who protect them (SOME police unions, police foundations, prosecutors, judges, police supervisors, politicians etc.) are just as bad.
Why are there so many bad cops out there? And yes they are. Their colleagues won’t help weed them out. Because people in uniform are needed or the public will cry foul that there is nobody to protect them. Because most people have no desire to be a police officer. So police departments and other local law-enforcement take whomever they can get. Whomever passes the background, the drug test and the academy. And people who should never carry a badge slip through into a uniform. The people who hire them often refuse to screen local law enforcement candidates psychologically like they need to. They can’t, because they would not be able to hire many of them.
Before you say I’m wrong, just know that I have done the research. I have carried a badge. I have driven a patrol car. I have been a supervisor. I have a trained quite a few officers. I have written the reports, done the investigations, and looked at the psychological profiles. I have been a detective. I have been a director of public safety. And all that experience does not even scratch the surface of my training. I have also seen both quite a few bad officers and quite a few good ones. So this article is about the whole truth.
I have friends who are cops, and Sheriff’s deputies etc. Supervisors, chiefs, commanders, department heads and training officers. I have backed them up. I have testified for them. I have always backed the good blue, not just backed the blue. But I also speak the whole truth. So this article is about the other side of the coin. And if you are in local law enforcement, you already know what I say is true. So while my intent is not to defund the police, nor to reduce confidence in local, law-enforcement, it is still necessary to tell the whole truth.
It amazes me how many good cops protect bad cops. Ironically, they failed to realize that bad cops make the job of good cops that much harder. Bad cops create stereotypes in the community, stereotypes that make the community suspicious and angry. Bad cops don’t seem to care about the impact it has on their colleagues who are good cops. So good cops need to learn to expose bad cops and weed them out, without fear of retribution, ridicule nor retaliation. You police supervisors and training instructors in particular, along with internal affairs, do your job.
Bad cops make it hard on everybody, and they don’t seem to care. When are the good cops going to understand that and get it through their heads? When are the judges and prosecutors going to understand that and get it through their heads. So why should bad cops be legally protected behind a shield of immunity? In fact, immunity only covers an officer when he or she is doing the job they took that oath to do. Not when they are abusing authority, or violating their oath.
In Georgia, some of the well-connected people and organizations pushed hard to get Paul Howard out of the district attorneys office. He was the district attorney for around two decades. But once they realized they could not control him, and that he would be hard on bad cops, they wanted him out. Who did they get, pushing her up front and backing her to replace him? Fani Willis. But Paul Howard, as district attorney, had the highest or strongest record of any district attorney in America for prosecuting police officers. He was absolutely necessary, and that was why many police officers either feared him, did not like him or both.
A bad cop can be bad or go bad because of several elements. Maybe he/she was poorly trained. Maybe he/she has let ego overtake oath and responsibility. Maybe he/she has picked up the habits and behaviors of others bad cops. Maybe he or she has to behave that way to get along with fellow officers who are also bad cops. Or maybe he/she is under bad leadership (training officers and/or supervisors). Maybe he/she is a racist. Maybe he/she is psychologically deficient, including PTSD from military service. Maybe he/she was bullied as a child and now has become a police officer for payback.
So we may never know why cops are bad or went bad. But they are definitely out there. Every police officer or law-enforcement officer? Definitely not. Most? Definitely not. But many more than the courts, the community, the politicians, the police unions and law-enforcement are willing to admit. And many more than they are willing to do anything about.
So what can you do? I share these suggestions under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and not as legal advice. First, you can know the law and know your rights, not just walk around saying that you do. You will not know all of the law, obviously. But you do have a phone and can look up the areas you do need to know. You definitely need to know the laws that relate to your situation or situations you are likely to encounter with the police.
Many people have said “knowledges power”. But I am saying that the wise, proper and productive use of knowledge is power. Knowledge by itself is just information. You can also pull out your phone and start recording, provided that it is allowed in your state or the area where you are. So even then, you have to know the law in that area or you could have your phone taken from you and even used as evidence against you. One way to gain evidence in an encounter with the bad cop is to dial 911 and put it on speaker so everything goes into the recorded database. Most people don’t think about that. And even if the officer tells you to turn your phone off, that will be recorded too. And yes, some citizens even use hidden cameras in watches or ink, pens or glasses. These tools are not very expensive and can be found on sites like eBay.
You can also install dash cams in your vehicles. Just make sure you follow the guidelines of the law or city ordinances in the area where you live. You can join Copwatch organizations. Many of them often have the strength to back you up, when you are right that is. And they have other ideas of how you can be prepared to protect yourself, lawfully and legally. You can use the power of social media to expose bad cops. You can file anonymous complaints. You can come together with others and come up with even more suggestions of how to legally, lawfully, peacefully, and strategically protect yourself from bad cops. The point is to be prepared before something happens.
Many police departments, or at least the bad cops, have methods of retaliating against citizens who speak up. So you need to be careful who you tell what and make sure you have back up copies of your evidence. You can also expect that many attorneys will not do all they could do to go after the police officers. That is why you never hear about them going after the police officer’s performance bond or police certification. They just go after the money and then the bad cops end up going back out on the streets or to another department quietly where they can continue to do more damage in the community.
You have to realize that you are never helpless and standing up against bad cops is never hopeless, if you do it the right way, legally and lawfully. If you are smart about it. If you are strategic about it. If you don’t give up. So step up, speak up, pull out your camera phone where it’s legal, let other people know where you are and what is happening. Know you’re right. Feel empowered. Be empowered. And be smart.
Staff Writer; Trevo Craw
A Free Thinker, who loves to talk about Politics, etc. Also, all about uplifting the Black Community even if it doesn’t fit your mindset. One may hit me up at; TrevoCraw@ThyBlackMan.com.