New Times / Letter To The Editor

We need protection, even if it's from the police

Karl Brown

When I was in police academy in 1985, I was told that one in four police officers would be convicted of a crime that year, that half of police officers were alcoholics, that police officers were “300 times” more likely to commit a violent assault on their spouse than the average citizen, that police officers received half of the punishment that a citizen would receive, and that just because an officer had a badge or a uniform did not mean that that officer was not a criminal.

It is not my fault that police officers commit crimes; it is not my fault that one fourth of the police budget goes to “out of court” settlements on claims against police officers; it is not my fault that police officers abuse drugs and their families and the law; it is not my fault that police officers cannot be trusted—and it is not my responsibility to risk my life or my health or my freedom trusting a police force that commits more crime than the citizenry.

It is the responsibility of the police force and the citizenry to not tolerate corruption or ineptitude in the police force and to demand professionalism and integrity and responsibility from the police force, and it is the right and responsibility of the citizenry to protect themselves any time a police officer causes them to fear for their life or their health or their safety.

It is the right and responsibility of the citizenry to call the police any time to request assistance if they feel afraid or threatened or in need of protection from anyone or anything—including the police force.