Defunding the Cops: Why We Now Resent the Thin Blue Line that was formed to Protect us

Defunding the Cops:Why We Now Resent the Thin Blue Line that was formed to protect us

By Steven R. Berryman

The perfect storm formed once again, writ large and bigger than the seminal 1968 period of societal evolution.  Months of cop-enforced (in Maryland) stay-at-home orders, and closing out all forms of release from regular pressures, hospital visits, to closed gyms, closed bars, closed restaurants, closed churches.  And then the tinderbox exploded after Police ultra-violence was fully filmed and circulated in Liberal controlled Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota.  For shame.   

Our cops have morphed from a grown up version of School Safety Patrols - Keystones that walked a beat with Billy Clubs - into a self quarantined organization, insulated on Segways and patrol cars, plus added armored cars for the expected "civil unrest."  Local cops bought armored cars, and what had been reserved by S.W.A.T. Teams as tactical attire for special dire circumstances became a norm.

There is long institutional memory to Kent State, when a Military Police presence of The Guard killed students.

Police units had originally been designed to keep the peace and deter crime.  Cops knew the populace, and vice versa.  Police Unions did not then protect Dirty Cops, and those on the take.  Police corruption was filmed in the movie Serpico with Al Pacino.  Then Adam 12, Dragnet, The FBI, and SWAT tried to humanize the plight of cops.

But currently, COPS are in a box.  Enforce rioting overly, and they are demonized.  Enforce minimally and they are seen as weak and useless.  To be defunded.    (Thx largely confused by weak Liberal politicians.)

To make matters worse, Cops only trust and circulate with other COPS.  Everyone else is either a potential Perp, or someone who has not yet but will commit a crime.  It became the job of Police to catch you doing something wrong, not to protect you, your property, and the general peace.  

When did Cops and citizens diverge?  Maybe it had something to do with police quotas on ticketing, and adversarial conditioning.  

Beyond potential De-funding, which is really not serious, just a political stance, is the REAL matter of just what is the mission of our Police forces.  Should every one of them be issued a sidearm?

Crime stats in England are better with their cops unarmed, than ours with every cop a SWAT guy.  Even traffic cops in America carry a 9mm Glock arsenal, with 17 round clips and spares.   

 Back during the days of 38 S&W revolvers, it had been argued that firearms were needed to protect Cops on the jobs from armed criminals.  Instead, poorly trained Police forces pull a gun at the drop of a hat.  Cops have even shot fleeing unarmed suspects in the back.  Cops have become an offensive force used seemingly to intimidate the very citizens they had sworn to protect.  

I say disarm the average beat or traffic cop, and simply have armed units in reserve for armed robberies and assaults, etc.   Since sidearms are no longer used only defensively.  

Cops don't even try to pretend otherwise any more.  Cops have lost the respect of the people because they have lost contact with them.  Except in a tactical sense, of course.  

The very nature and role of Policing is now fully on the table.  Let's get it right.  

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