Police State

Land of the suspect; home of the cowed and subjugated.

It appears that not being of European ancestry is now a capital crime. Somehow that doesn’t ring true to the Pablum™ we were served in high school civics classes.

I used to admit to having served as commissioner of emergency services (fire, police and rescue). I was proud of our police department when it was honored as the best in the state. Now, I feel the need to explain that my involvement was in the 1970s.

Things have changed. 

One of my grandfathers was chief of police. The other served as sheriff. Law enforcement was an honorable career. Things have changed.

Look at the above picture. What do you see? Do you see a forest? Do you see jungle? No? Then why do you see grown men dressed up in camouflage? Camouflage? Really? I can see them. I’m guessing you can also. Silly? Stupid? Take your pick.

I see an unarmed teenager holding up his open, empty hands confronted by about 12 terrifying idiots armed with assault rifles, nightsticks and pepper spray, modeling the latest in bulletproof vests, gas masks, industrial-grade knee pads and combat boots. Can we describe them as dressed to kill?

I’m curious as to whether the rope is for restraining the dangerous monster they are facing or scaling some wall or for hanging.

Owners of horses, in and around my town, loaned the department their horses at Halloween and other occasions. The regular officers and volunteers would patrol the residential areas. The kids were captivated by those gentle giants.

It made the men riding them the subject of envy. Some of the children actually got to ride those beasts. It was great community relations. That became a connection between the police and the people they served. It created a bond with the children. Our children weren’t afraid of the police. Things have changed.

No. It doesn’t display the traditional slogan, “To Protect and To Serve,” but it is a police vehicle. That curb and the vegetation don’t make it look very much like a desert. Those tires don’t chew up the local streets as tank tracks would. That’s thoughtful of the department.

Were it not for the curb, the vegetation, a US Postal Service mail box and such other clues, one might think these pictures were taken in an occupied country. Well? It’s beginning to seem as though such scenes have become commonplace . . . in the ‘freest,’ ‘greatest’ country in the world. Hold on. Wait just a moment while I deal with this nausea.

I understand. The military is being generous by donating their excess to our communities as their overseas missions wind down. After all, if we leave it to our “friends and allies,” it will likely be ued against us in the near term.

Is the military mindset appropriate when the police are dealing with those they are supposed to be protecting and serving? Or, did I misunderstand? Protect whom? Serve whom?

This type of equipment has no place in our communities. The military is being shortsighted in not keeping it for use in next month’s war.

Law enforcement attracts properly motivated men and women who wish to serve their fellow citizens. However, it also attracts bullies and sociopaths. The process of weeding out these types of applicants seems to be receiving inadequate emphasis. Far too many are on the streets.

The nature of police work works to inure them to some of the less pleasant aspects of society. It’s an unconscious mode of self-protection. Good officers will eventually reach the ‘us against them’ perspective. That is why ongoing sensitivity training and community contact programs are of such importance.

Police work is dangerous. However, those who used to be in my charge as firemen will want me to let everyone know that more firemen are killed in the line of duty than are policemen. Regardless, we must respect the police. But, that has to be mutual. Were I to be put in charge, every person in uniform in the first picture would be taken off the street and retrained or terminated.

Larry Wilmore, who is taking over Stephen Colbert’s slot when he leaves for The Late Show, has a serious take on the subject that is among his funniest. The video is from The Daily Show and begins with a short commercial.

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