re: #9 wrenchwench

That’s what I want to see. Somebody getting fired.

The folks over at policeone.com really, really hate that twitter feed from Chief Brown.

Goddamned political chiefs throwing hard working officers under the bus again and than backing up over the bodies! BTW, civilians should never have any authority to judge actions or criminal allegations against a police officer! Only street cops have the knowledge to judge the actions of another officer. We all damned well know that the most important thing is that every officer is safe at the end of the shift!!!! Civilians and the bottom feeding scumbag injury lawyers will never understand that! Liberals are destroying police work, and I thank God I only have 5 years until I get out!

**taken nearly verbatim from rants I have seen at policeone.com. One of the interesting features common to nearly all such screeds is the We all damned well know that the most important thing is that every officer is safe at the end of the shift sentiment. Apparently, defending citizens, upholding the Constitution and their oath or saving the life of another human being are not the most important things to do during the workday. The day is to be treated as a combat tour of duty and your mission is to survive. Period.

This attitude almost certainly underlies the militarization of LE since the mid 80’s and the willingness to escalate use of force to astonishing degrees very, very quickly. You see it in the viral video of SWAT teams forcibly entering homes without writ, warrant or probable cause after the Boston marathon bombing last year, and extracting terrified innocents at the point of a submachine gun, as well as numerous photos elsewhere of those officers pointing M16 rifles at residents looking out windows and being cursed and ordered to back away from their own curtains. You see it quite literally every day as dogs are shot to death in the 100 SWAT raids every day and even in ostensibly consensual police encounters where officers walk to a house to ask for directions…

Remember, protecting your rights under the Constitution are not the most important thing here. Making sure YOU get to go home alive is not the priority. The cops at policeone.com spell it out in black and white every day.