Cops - America's punching bags
Without being specific, I'd like to vent about something.
Hypothetically speaking, lets say that officer conducts a field stop on a person exhibiting the behaviors of a person who has consumed a bunch of alcohol. During this stop, for no apparent reason, the drunkard cocks his hand back and throws a punch at the interviewing officer. The officer can see the punch coming from a mile away and is able to avoid said punch while quickly effecting an arm bar take down/smash. Drunkard stops his fall to the concrete with his face.
Arrest is made, use of force is documented, administration reviews and signs off on the report. Drunkard begins making rumblings in the community, alleging cops beat him up for no reason. Local newspaper picks up the story of police "assaulting" drunkard and calls for a full investigation without so much as a Freedom of Information request filed for the report. Comments are made that the police should be able to take a punch and refrain from acting offensively.
I've read over my job description and can't find a single thing alluding to the fact that I should allow someone to harm me because "it's my job." I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's the same nationwide. So please, tell me why there are members of the public who think otherwise?
Hypothetically speaking, lets say that officer conducts a field stop on a person exhibiting the behaviors of a person who has consumed a bunch of alcohol. During this stop, for no apparent reason, the drunkard cocks his hand back and throws a punch at the interviewing officer. The officer can see the punch coming from a mile away and is able to avoid said punch while quickly effecting an arm bar take down/smash. Drunkard stops his fall to the concrete with his face.
Arrest is made, use of force is documented, administration reviews and signs off on the report. Drunkard begins making rumblings in the community, alleging cops beat him up for no reason. Local newspaper picks up the story of police "assaulting" drunkard and calls for a full investigation without so much as a Freedom of Information request filed for the report. Comments are made that the police should be able to take a punch and refrain from acting offensively.
I've read over my job description and can't find a single thing alluding to the fact that I should allow someone to harm me because "it's my job." I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's the same nationwide. So please, tell me why there are members of the public who think otherwise?
Labels: drunk, the good the bad the ugly
posted by Moe at 00:03
7 Comments:
If the drunk sues, just let me sit on the jury.
Something I've never been able to understand is why drunks fight. The more hammered they are, the more they want to start a fight with someone, especially the police. Now me, I'm a happy drunk. I don't like fighting anyway - I feel guilty if I win, and I hate losing. That said, everyone knows you can't fight when you're drunk.
Moe:
Never found in ANY LEO job description ANYTHING about EVERbeing a punching bag, a kicking post, a spitoon, a crash-test dummy, a refuse receptacle OR a doormat!
And I NEVER met ONE officer yet with the words WELCOME tattooed across their forehead, or ever wanting that word placed on them anywhere.
Stay safe.
Par for the course for today's "journalists."
I bet that same scene happens a thousand times a night across the country. The public are made up primarily of sheep. You can't get worked up over it, you just have to go out and wage war on the criminals and know that your are doing a great thing that most people couldn't do in a million years AND there are a lot of COPS who don't do that great. So if you're out hooking crooks and cleaning the sidewalk with their faces from time to time, hey that happenns. I support you.
Rick
www.aloneandunafraid.com
Because, if there weren't dumbasses in this world you would be out of a job!
I'm sorry I'm late in commenting on this topic.
Officers should never have to endure any kind of assault whatsoever. Period. It is NEVER okay to assault or even threaten to assault an officer. Even verbal threats are one step away from assault and should be dealt with severely.
This is wrong on so many levels. If officers are not safe, then we're not safe. What kind of person thinks it's okay for an officer to be punched? What kind of warped reasoning leads them to believe they'll be safe if an officer takes a punch? That thinking is just plain stupidity!
I'm currently in a police academy and every intructor we've had so far (I'm about a month and a half in), whether the topic was use of force or information systems, has at some point said something to the effect of, "As a police officer your job is to get home safely every night." We don't lose. If its between him or me with the busted jaw, sore ribs, or worse, its going to be him. An officer should never take a punch as part of the job. That certainly doesen't serve the officer any good, and it doesn't serve the public, or even the suspect either.
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