I'll toss on my flame suit and ask this question. I wish it could remain civil and factual but this is the 'fire after all.
A few past and now some recent events have me pondering this question and I'm looking for honest information from our LEO and law professionals here.
We hear about the few bad apples when it comes to bad cops. Some say 1% others 10% or even more. What is your definition of a "bad cop"? It is your duty to enforce the law. You are not above the law although some of them pertain to you differently. As in any profession, that person is expected to have greater knowledge and understanding in their field. That does not seem to be the case anymore.
I cannot claim innocence to a crime because of my ignorance to the law. Why is it fair for an arresting officer to take a person into custody then try to figure out what law was broken? Why is it okay for them to arrest me then drop charges later? That arrest is on my record even though I was innocent. They are not held accountable for infringing on our rights and all they have to do is claim ignorance.
Anyway, back to the original question. To all the "good cops" out there or any professional of the law, have you ever looked the other way while one of your brothers have broken the law? I hear about officer discretion but why aren't you held to a higher standard?
Are you still considered a good cop if you follow everything to the book but let other LEO slide while they fail at their paid profession?
I live in a very rural area and the majority of folks are good honest people. Our ratio of LEO to population is absurd. I'm not sure how so many bad apples can fit in one barrel. We have some great officers but the ratio isn't good. Just recently we have a couple that have been fired for beating the crap out of people while on duty, one for shooting up buildings twice and a trooper that is deemed Giglio impaired. These are just a few of the instances that are public. There are many more swept under the rug by their buddies.
I used to always give the benefit to the LEO but it is now the opposite. In my opinion this profession is going to hell and it is up to the good guys to turn it around. Are you up for the task?
