Another Cop Killed
Following the killing of New York City police officer in the line of duty, another cop has been killed, this time in Idaho. The story didn't get the national coverage of the NYC cop's death. This officer was apparently killed, as was the New York officer, in the line of duty.
With all the protests going on because of questionable behavior by certain police officers, we might step back and wonder why such behavior is rare. Remember please, the sorts of characters these two police officers encountered when they were shot: "bad buys doing bad things." Spending your waking hours dealing with those whose lives are enmeshed in not just breaking the law, but doing so violently - with little regard for human life - must over time affect one's sensibilities. The very fact that most police officers exercise discipline and self-control deserves acknowledgement.
On the other hand, it does seem that the plethora of shootings, some of which result in the death of the suspects, may flow from a growing number of, shall we call them, "rogue" cops who do not display any such discipline and self-control. Such individuals, enamored of the power the shield and the gun that accompanies it, are, in a sense, the flip side of a coin whose other side displays the face of the very criminals they purportedly pursue each day. While one understands the need to curtail the activities of these bad guys, sometimes by force, the ability to distinguish between a real "bad guy doing bad things" and some miscreant who poses more danger to himself than to the rest of us is critical to good policing.
Yet, is it any wonder that - if true - there's an increase in bad police officers, i.e., those who abuse the power of their office. We live in a post-Christian, modernist world that does not acknowledge Truth, minimizes the difference between good and evil - when it's recognized at all - and panders to the lowest common denominator in aesthetic taste. Our public and private schools teach valueless or "values-neutral" ethics based on utility, resulting in a concentration on acquisition of money, position, and power without regard to right and wrong. Perhaps the contingent of police officers displaying a lack of ethical behavior simply reflects pool of graduates of our educational system. The problem is, of course, that these guys wield a badge and a gun.
"This was not an ambush attack," White said in the morning about Renfro, who was on felony probation. “This was just a bad guy doing bad guy things."The key here is "bad guy doing bad buy things." Too many of us, removed as we are (Thank God) from the dark underworld where criminals live their lives, appreciate the nature and behavior of such people. Heck, most people I know have never even seen really poor areas of cities, where many violent criminals hang their hats when they're not committing crimes.
With all the protests going on because of questionable behavior by certain police officers, we might step back and wonder why such behavior is rare. Remember please, the sorts of characters these two police officers encountered when they were shot: "bad buys doing bad things." Spending your waking hours dealing with those whose lives are enmeshed in not just breaking the law, but doing so violently - with little regard for human life - must over time affect one's sensibilities. The very fact that most police officers exercise discipline and self-control deserves acknowledgement.
On the other hand, it does seem that the plethora of shootings, some of which result in the death of the suspects, may flow from a growing number of, shall we call them, "rogue" cops who do not display any such discipline and self-control. Such individuals, enamored of the power the shield and the gun that accompanies it, are, in a sense, the flip side of a coin whose other side displays the face of the very criminals they purportedly pursue each day. While one understands the need to curtail the activities of these bad guys, sometimes by force, the ability to distinguish between a real "bad guy doing bad things" and some miscreant who poses more danger to himself than to the rest of us is critical to good policing.
Yet, is it any wonder that - if true - there's an increase in bad police officers, i.e., those who abuse the power of their office. We live in a post-Christian, modernist world that does not acknowledge Truth, minimizes the difference between good and evil - when it's recognized at all - and panders to the lowest common denominator in aesthetic taste. Our public and private schools teach valueless or "values-neutral" ethics based on utility, resulting in a concentration on acquisition of money, position, and power without regard to right and wrong. Perhaps the contingent of police officers displaying a lack of ethical behavior simply reflects pool of graduates of our educational system. The problem is, of course, that these guys wield a badge and a gun.
Comments