Guest Post by Jeff Thomas via International Man
In America, no one likes the police… not really.
There are many, perhaps even half of Americans, who conceptually support the idea of the police, but virtually no one likes what the police have become.
At one time, the fellow in the image above was America’s idea of the neighbourhood cop. Today, if one were to conjure up an image of a policeman, it would be a more Darth Vader-like image of a man whose face is obscured by mask, goggles and helmet, wearing body armour, and carrying an assault weapon.
Decades ago, the local cop was looked upon as a good guy – part of the community. He may not have been thought of as having been part of the intelligentsia, but he did receive his training under the concept of “serve and protect,” and for the most part, he behaved accordingly.
But that’s no longer so.
Somewhere along the line, policemen ceased to receive training under the heading of “serve and protect,” and now receive an entirely different form of training that focuses on control.
Not long ago, I watched a police training video in which police recruits were being led by a trainer, punching their fists in the air in unison, and shouting repeatedly, “I have the power! I have the power!”
And, unfortunately, that’s the direction the police in America have gravitated to – if not on a national level, then at least in areas of high population concentration.
This is quite an important change. Once the latest batch of recruits have been indoctrinated into the concept that “You must submit to my authority,” there will be more frequent extremes in force, including some actual homicides. Whilst most police will be likely to maintain a measure of self-control, there will be those few who, if any resistance occurs, will go to any length to achieve submission, including homicide.
Of course, if the police are trained primarily to control the citizenry rather than to be a part of the community, they will eventually inspire alienation, resentment and hatred.
But if we’re objective, we’ll recognize that, periodically, there have always been community protests and that they’ve sometimes become violent. In each such case the local police have been called in.
So, what’s different now?
Well, although few police have actually overstepped their authority and become unreasonably forceful, they tend to all be tarred with the same brush – both the protestors and the media tend to label them all as fascist and racist – even those police who are the same race as their accusers.
Clearly, logic is not a deterrent to typecasting.
This is not the first time such accusations have occurred – they tend to pop up whenever police are tasked with controlling crowds.
But now we’re seeing a new twist.
Governors, mayors, police commissioners and even police chiefs now routinely apologise for their officers, accepting the media’s tendency to lump them all together as being fascist and racist.
This has not resulted in a toning down of the vitriol heaped on the police. Quite the contrary – the rhetoric has only become louder and is led on a daily basis by the media.
And we’re now beginning to see the reaction by the police themselves. Those who previously accepted their task of confronting protesters and rioters have begun to call in sick en masse, or even walk away from their jobs entirely.
No doubt they’re hoping that their disappearance from duty will make both the public and their own superiors swallow hard and say, “We’re sorry, I guess we were too harsh. We should have supported you in doing the job you were hired to do. Please come back.”
But this is not what will happen. Those who are in the upper reaches of the police hierarchy will try to save their own skins, and will take a knee, on camera, in apology for their officers.
This will only serve to further polarize the front-line police from their superiors.
At the same time, we’re seeing placards by the thousands, reading, “Defund the Police.”
And this is not a mere idle threat. The media now promote a programme under which most police duties would be turned over to social workers, mental health practitioners, and “victim advocates.”
So, the objective here is not to defund, but to re-allocate those funds, diminishing the numbers of actual police drastically.
It would appear that only a small segment of the population actually support this concept, yet the great majority who may well fear diminished police protection are noticeably silent, apparently fearful of appearing to be politically incorrect.
The outcome would be to de-fang police at the local level, to render them incapable of the “protect” portion of “serve and protect.”
But why? And why now?
Well, the US has entered an economic crisis. At present, it’s perceived by most to be a downturn due to the coronavirus, but it will soon become apparent that it is a major crisis that has only just begun.
And it will be devastating to the lives of Americans.
Soon, they’ll figure out that the government, the banksters, et al, have robbed them of their economic stability and they’re headed for a state of neo-serfdom.
There can be no doubt that there will be widespread unrest and riots as a result. At this point, the US has a host of federal enforcement agencies: the NSA, DHS, USMS, CIA, FBI, BOP, USSS, TSA, CBP, BIS, OLE, DIA, NGA, OCR, FAMS, DEA, National Guard and literally dozens of others.
If and when the people of the US begin to rebel on a significant scale, it would not be at all surprising if some or most of these agencies were called out to suppress dissent.
And this perception is not by any means conjecture or “conspiracy theory.” The 2001 Patriot Act and 2011 National Defense Authorization Act effectively allow the entire US to be redefined as a battleground, to be controlled by martial law.
Of course, if federal troops are deployed in the US, the group of combat-trained individuals who are most likely to stand against them would be the local police. After all, it’s their own communities that would be under fire, their own neighbours who would be the casualties.
History has shown that, when the central government’s troops move in to control a population, the local enforcers often turn against them and become their adversaries.
Therefore, a federal government would be wise to diminish that potential opposition, months prior to any major move toward martial law.
If that is indeed what’s in store, we should not be surprised if the central government and the media work together to remove the local police from the equation.
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Hmmm no takers…OK I will start the party.
Fuck the police. Most of the LEO’s I know are not super sharp, average at best and all have adopted the US vs. Them mindset that leads to the abuses we often see.
They have been militarized, given military surplus equipment and there are 80K SWAT uses annually…..absurd and often leading to death of civilian in serving a warrant.
Fuck the police….disband all the departments except for the elected sheriffs and we will take care of ourselves….when you can’t call 911…..well the criminal elements will get sorted out rather quickly…..sure it will be more violent but only for a while. The wild west was not a violent place but a careful place where individual accountability was high and justice swift and local.
Our darker brothers used to thrive with little or no police prescence……Chiraq doesn’t work for anybody.
You had me at “fuck the police”.
These riots are excellent at making liberal mobs think they are fighting the good fight, and making the “old white guys” dig in deeper to the authoritative thin blue line rhetoric. Both of which are in the best interest of TPTB
I’d love to agree, but I can’t. Getting angry at a private in the Soviet Army instead of Stalin, a private in the Chinese Army instead of Mao, a private in the German Army instead of Hitler, a private in the Japanese Army instead of Hirohito, etc., etc., solves nothing.
It’s not about spitting fury at militarized, trigger-, baton-, or tazer-happy brutalizers; it’s about the black-robed psychopaths and pathological politicians who allow, endorse, and require such brutalities.
It’s not about defunding police, it’s about defunding the Federal Government, State Governments, and Local Governments. Tax revolt.
If you’re not ready for a tax revolt, you’re in no way ready for this:
Today’s Police = Revenue Generators. DeFund. DeFrock. Hire only AT’s and BF’s.
Let the locals do the policing.
Most of the problems with LE is leadership. Need an example? Look no farther than James Comey and his upper echelon.
Once upon a time local police were Peace Officers rather than Law Enforcement Officers. There is a big difference. A Peace Officer would be willing to overlook a youthful indiscretion if there was a valuable lesson learned. Speeding, underage drinking, with beer in the car (and possible herbal substances had the dog been called) in my own instance.
A Law Enforcement Officer seeks the maximum enforcement for maximum revenue generated. In the above instance, I would have lost my license, my job, and started my adult life with a felony record.
I have all the respect in the world for the officer that didn’t “throw the book” at me and almost none for the Law Enforcement Officers I frequently encounter. While I think a lot is training, I also think that a good amount is the personality of those applying and being accepted into the profession now.
It’s not only the officer, it’s the person he’s dealing with, too.
I see a distinct lack of self-introspection, conscience, and the fear of God these days.
Way too many ex-military being recruited for this job. Broken men and women do not belong carrying guns and enforcing laws in our country.
And back when they were “peace officers,” there were tens of thousands FEWER laws on the books, and they mostly focused on real crimes with real victims (other than the government and their “authority”).
It was administrative law that was made the law of the land in the latter part of the 20th century that made peace officers into law enforcement officers. Administrative law has no place in the criminal justice system. This law was made for corporations but since local government was made into corporations by the acceptance of this law through the State acceptance of the administrative procedures act we are all stuck with it. Thank the lawyers for this. In my opinion lawyers are soulless scoundrels that have trapped us in their web of laws. Administrative law with it’s courts practice an old form of religion of the dead because strawmen are not live people. Every name spelled out in all capital letters are strawmen.
When you go into an administrative court the judge does not address you; he addresses your strawman. Look at the name on your summons.
The people are being bamboozled by the judges, lawyers and the court system. When people go into a court of administrative law to answer charges against their strawman they should never say they understand the charge. Only the strawman should answer. But the strawman cannot answer and that exposes the sham.
But we are ruled by threat of force of violence so to avoid the violence we accept the sham.
After WW2 the Police were dominated by war veterans. The problems are not a function of the military background, it’s what politicians have expected from Police forces, and are too cowardly to support. The sort of riots we have seen recently are not mere riots, but are the spearhead of insurrection. Dealing with such is not a Police function. It’s a military function.
ANYONE SUPPORTING THE POLICE GANGS are due to have a run-in with OUR FATHER,he hates anyone who KILLS CHILDREN,and like more then one cop has said, their good target practice,and ALL their brothers cover it up..IF YOU SUPPORT CHILD KILLERS,and ROBBERS, LOOTERS,MURDERS,HOME INVADERS,you ain’t read your BIBLE..IT tells you who the police gangs are,SATANS WOLFPACK…well we won’t be seeing any of you in heaven,I don’t expect many americans to get off the fence,they have chosen poorly…
It would be worthwhile to read an opinion piece written by a policeman and not by all the “experts” who know little about the job.
Anon, amen! Well, I’m up for that offer, Admin willing.
Served for more than half my adult life as a “Peace Officer” beginning in 1966 at age 21. Many of these “expert” computer keyboard opinionated warriors here on TBP haven’t a clue about the job of being a real Peace Officer vs. a modern-day “Police Officer.” There is a mega difference between the two. Many TBP’s and others are quick to lump the two together without any knowledge or regard to the LEO’s of day’s gone past who pinned on the badge to become servants to the people.
As a Hell-raising teenager, it was those Peace Officers that gave me break after break. Sometimes even took me home rather than to jail. They were the men that i looked up to – they were my heroes … men of honor. Integrity. They were my inspiration.
In the little glass hutch in my den is a display of various medals along with my old badge, and a leather case with an ID enclosed that is marked, Retired. Peace Officer.
I agree with the author’s premise, came to a similar conclusion myself a week ago. His prose is more elegant.
Eventually, inevitably, at some point the US Government will cease exerting authority over the land and people which comprised these united states. What follows next is up for grabs. One potential outcome is hundreds of city-states where the USA formerly sat, all independent of one another.
Weakening (“defunding”) city police departments now hinders the emergence of city-states later. One could speculate what civil organization (((they))), the conspirators, prefer instead.
Hmm…back in the day as the article states WE were in my opinion a more polite society. WE during the time of my youth in the 60’s were taught to respect the police. THEY were there to protect us . THEY had common sense and were allowed a great deal of latitude in how to deal with folks without intervention from every ABC group. Drunks back then were pulled over and either a wife/friend was called to come get them or the cop took you home. That ended when MAD became a National Force.
There weren’t any camera’s to video tape the bad cops doing bad stuff. WE were oblivious to the bad cops. The only way WE were aware was when WE were told by friends etc. . Bad cops usually were removed by the local towns people because the police chief listened to the local folks. I saw this growing up when Chief Dolley ran the Mt. Pleasant police dept . .he removed bad cops with ease because there was no police union .
Then those in Washington decided that the police needed military training, military weapons etc.. The folks in Washington supported Civil Asset forfeiture which in part went to the local cops. They had a gold mine to pay for over-time,equipment and lots of other goodies . Their training made them hammers and all of the citizens were nails. You couldn’t question what they were doing, the time between put your hands behind your back and when you were slammed to the pavement was nano seconds. Cops were protected by Qualified Immunity meaning they in most cases could claim that they felt their life was in danger…even though no weapon was found or the person was merely trying to comply…but not fast enough. They got off scot free in 90% of the cases. That emboldened them. They had the police union behind them as well…which protected bad cos to hell and back .
Now we have an all out war on the cops. I guess part of it is their fault but a lot of the burden is on our shoulders. WE allowed this to happen,WE didn’t remove local politicians that didn’t remove bad policies,bad cops etc. WE didn’t tell politicians it was time to put the cops back on a sidewalk beat and let them get to know the local folks which in turn would gain trust on both sides.
I feel for the folks in the inner-city because they already live in the Wild West but once the defunding is in place they’ll have Shoot Outs At The OK Corral on an hourly basis .
I have been a witness to the change in policing, and it is really just a reflection of the decaying moral fiber that used to hold this country together.
As a kid, we would grab a 6 pack, and maybe have some dirt weed (mexican), drive down a dirt road, and spend a few hours listening to the radio. occasionally a cop would roll up on us, ask us the usual crap, have us empty our pockets, spill the beer, and tell us to go home. (that would never happen today)
as an adult, I had the misfortune of living next to a CI (confidential informant), I didn’t know it at the time, long story shot, he got me arrested on fake charges, which I eventually got dismissed.
During one of the bookings, (multiple fake charges), I would be the only podunk in the station, on a Saturday, and listening to the cops small talk, it was obvious they were all headed for a divorce or were divorced.
They were all dysfunctional humans, unable to maintain any normal relationships.
so, give someone like that the power of a badge and a gun, and there is no other possible outcome, it is a group of dysfunctional idiots who’s only hold on reality is their perceived power over their victims/sheep.
The idea of the peace officer died in the riots of the 60s. The Police were expected to do the job of the National Guard in putting down insurrection. You can either have a Police force, or you can have a para-military force masquerading as Police running around loose. The two are completely incompatible.