(05-29-2020 06:26 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Inconsistency in Law Enforcement

In my young man days I traveled 100 to 150,000 miles a year and drove them all. I was in major cities, rural towns, midsized communities, and whistle stops. I covered 5 states in the process and sometimes traveled to more depending on conventions etc.

In that time I never had a moments worry or trouble if pulled over by a State Trooper anywhere. Those guys were professionals with sound manners, no nonsense yet courteous engagement and they controlled the situation without threat. Kudos to them they were one classy collection of officers. City police fell into 3 categories: Professional, Unsure of themselves and dangerous, and crooked. Local cops fell into 2 categories, unprofessional but friendly, and crooked. Whistle stop constables were mostly out for revenue to justify their jobs.

I never felt uncomfortable with a State Trooper anywhere. I felt apprehensive with City cops until you could see what kind they were. I always was apprehensive with Local Law, and simply endured the fleecing of the Whistle Stop yocal and chalked it up to cost of doing business.

During my time a competitor that I knew was shot and killed for being a responsible driver. He was getting sleepy on I95 and found a place to pull over to sleep. A local cop decided to check out his car. He didn't use the PA. He didn't identify himself or hit the siren or lights. Instead he got out of his patrol car with a flashlight and walked up to the drivers window and shined it inside and then rapped the window. The man woke up had no idea who was trying to get in his vehicle and reached for his weapon that he had a permit to carry and was shot 4 times and died.

They don't have to be brutal, or crooked, or even bigoted for any of us to get killed. They only have to be poorly trained, unfamiliar with procedures, and stupid and it could be any of us getting killed for nothing.

There are innocent whites killed by lousy law enforcement every year. There is no story unless its local. Here on I85 we had an airman traveling from Texas to a new duty assignment who got clipped by an 18 wheeler. The truck driver pulled over and called for an officer to write up the accident. He got out and was exchanging insurance information with the airman when a rookie idiot fresh out of high school parked his cruiser about 100 yards from the accident and started walking towards the two drivers. He saw that they had something in their hands and started screaming for them to raise their hands. They didn't reply because they couldn't hear him over the interstate traffic noise. So he drew his weapon and yelled as he walked closer. The Airman turned and he was shot. All he was holding was his wallet and the insurance card of the truck driver. He didn't die but he'll have a colostomy bag the rest of his life and will never be able to return to active duty.

So what grinds my gears is how we can so wonderfully train State Troopers and so miserably train locals and city police. If I saw a Trooper in trouble I'd stop in a heartbeat to help. If I see a local cop in trouble I wouldn't dream of stopping for fear of getting shot, and not by the perp.

Something has to give. And as always due apologies to competent law officers in any level of law enforcement. I'm just sorry to say they have so much placed on them by their brothers and sisters who aren't up to the task. But it is what it is and it is a real problem. I think before we give anyone a badge and a gun they need to have completed standardized in depth training and have served as a junior partner to a veteran officer somewhere.

My roommate from USNA was briefly a Sheriff in a small town after he separated from the Navy. His recounting of the experience was that there was a lot of unspoken resentment towards him. Not because of his race, but more that he had far better options than they did. In essence, these individuals felt that law enforcement was the only means to achieve respectability and power while he could obtain such accolades in a multitude of fields. He left after two years but in that two was promoted twice.

Like you I know the issues that come up from police brutality are initiated by a handful of individuals, but I think the mindset of the transgressors are similar.