Holding Cops Accountable
I’ve said it before and will say it again, the “thin blue line” is Bullshit! It’s a myth promoted to differentiate between cops and the criminals. It aids in fostering an “us against them” attitude. At the same time, and to its detriment the sentiment also sets up a dynamic where it differentiates cops from law abiding citizens retaining the “us against them” attitude. This mythos is the main reason why so many "good cops" cover for "bad cops". Oddly enough this dynamic benefits government whether or not individuals in the government consciously do anything to push it. To me it sounds like a typical divide and conquer technique.
I know many cops in real life and respect most of you as men. Having said that, when I hear you bitch about disrespect, I give you my two cents. I‘ve said it to your faces but I’ll say it here, what do you expect? I know it’s not fair, you do things right and others do not but you get painted with the same broad brush. You will get lumped in with the rest; its human nature and you do it too.
The disrespect the cops get from the public largely comes from the cops inconsistently upholding the law when one of their own breaks it. If you want respect you’ve got to earn it; you have to start now by defying your politically appointed Chiefs and holding bad cops accountable when they break the law. The only way you can regain the respect you have lost is to start holding yourself and those you work with to a higher standard. Drop the thin blue line BS. You know 99% of the time the fight is over by the time you get there; it’s handled by someone for better or worse and all you do is gather statistics. It is your duty and you are in the best position to stop those who violate their oath by failing to protect the rights of citizens.