Det. Frank Serpico to Det. Joe Crystal: Nothing Has Changed in Police Work

Baltimore Post Examiner ^ | May 19, 2015 | By Doug Poppa

[Alberta's Child]

Are the riots, thug behavior, knockout game, burglary, robbery, looting, arson, high homicide rate symptomatic of the “police state”?

A lot of these things take place in jurisdictions with enormous police departments -- many of which are filled with people who can write a mean traffic ticket and that's about it. That itself is a major symptom of a police state.

[zeugma]

…The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. We create an atmosphere in which the honest officer fears the dishonest officer, and not the other way around.

Pretty much sums it up. The police have a real serious problem. When conservative sites like FR are chock full of folks who will no longer give them the benefit of the doubt,  they are in real trouble.

[PapaBear3625]

I could not count the number of times a spaced-out offender fought while resisting arrest. Police carried wooden batons and later the PR-24 side handle baton. When trying to subdue on unruly person, sometimes we had to resort to the use of the baton.

That ended shortly after Rodney King. With widespread video recording capabilities, police did NOT want to be recorded smacking an "unarmed" suspect with enough force to subdue. The baton gave way to the taser.

Since the taser does not always work, the raser has given way to the gun. Police depts are more willing to deal with the bad PR of a shooting, than deal with a police officer's disability claims.

[PapaBear3625]

I don't know about that. I was reading an article written by an emergency room nurse. She told of how many doctors routinely covered up serious mistakes made other doctors. These bad doctors operated while drunk, high, half-asleep, etc. The good doctors rarely reported the bad doctors.

Good doctors get accused of malpractice too. They need to have ALL the other doctors ready and willing to cover their backs.

[Pirate Ragnar]

You are contradicting yourself. Is writing a “mean” traffic ticket and not doing much else indicative of a police state?

[Pirate Ragnar]

They tasered Rodney King. He pulled out the barbs and charged an officer. The officers were using their batons to try and achieve compliance rather than deadly force.

[gaijin]

We have a tough, dangerous job.
Our brother cop did not get up that morning with the goal of becoming involved in an officer-involved shooting.
The dog needn’t be large to have a lethal bite —good shoot.
If you’re REALLY not up to no good you won’t mind me taking a look, right?
What, are you a hippy..?
Still mad about that ticket, 10 years ago..?
We’re just doing our jobs.
Police SOP’s are well-established —the police violated the rights of no one.
The key thing is for us to go home safely at the end of the shift.
Next time you have an emergency, just call the ACLU.
We have to make split second decisions —you’re being unfair.
Don’t paint us all with the same broad brush.
I don’t think you understand just how highly we are trained.
We’re the thin blue line, what, ya want anarchy..?
The investigation showed the police followed department procedure.
You must just be a cop hater.
Ever been a cop? Then you’re unqualified to judge us —walk a mile in our moccasins.
It’s cops vs. the bad guys, and if you’re not for us, you’re AGAINST us.
You’re asking about something that’s the subject of an ongoing investigation —no comment.
We can’t comment on topics of ongoing investigations.

[HKMk23]

I never claimed the same sort of dynamic was exclusive to union organizations; I’ve seen it in every org where the structure insulates its members from negative consequences. Academia does it with tenure, for example. Union labor is simply the second-most wide-spread form of such an organism. First place goes to governments.

Like government, unions are notorious for their failure to rid themselves of bad actors; they don’t oust people, they protect them, instead, and point fingers of blame at “management.” Union guys never work slow; they’re always “taking the time necessary to do it right.” “He’s not a bad employee; ‘management’ is only saying so because they have an ulterior motive.” Poor workers are those who work too diligently; they’re too conscientious; they get done too quickly and leave a trail of quality workmanship behind. THOSE guys get shown the door for making everyone else in the union hall look like slackers. And don’t even start in about the poor greenhorn who goes to the shop Steward to report another guy loafing on the job. That’s a rookie mistake that gets you a big arm around your shoulders and a stern, private office monologue that typically begins something like, “Son, there’s a few unwritten codes of conduct, here, that you really need to take to heart.”

“Union whistleblower”? Don’t make me laugh.

There’s a reason why the mob and union labor knock around together: they’re organizational kin.

[mosesdapoet]

What would be the purpose of The Baltimore Sun dragging out a name from the past ,Frank Serpico, involved with exposing some serious police drug corruption in New York city. Then linking in his name in their article questioning some recent arrests strongly suggesting the same ?

How about not seeking the facts and justice but instead defending the political agenda and the status quo attempting to legitimize the bogus charges against the 5 coppers involved in the arrest of Gray ?

It boggles the mind but it’s a clear demonstration here in FR’s on why the propaganda from the left instead of being questioned works.

[mosesdapoet]

Correction That’s the Baltimore Post Examiner not the Baltimore Sun.

[Steamburg]

You have a point.