No, Of Course We Don't Have a Police Problem in Our Country

The following stories from the last two days, on my Facebook feed this morning:

"Video shows Georgia cop slammed elderly black man’s head on concrete and lied about it" 

"Alabama cop admits to lying to protect colleague who viciously beat a handcuffed man" 

"SC cop killed teen with two shots to the back during weed bust — and didn’t even report it: attorney" 

"San Jose cop followed black family home and held them at gunpoint for no reason: lawsuit" 

"COP KICKS SUSPECT: The Delaware Attorney General's Office has indicted a Dover police office on assault charges after he was caught on camera kicking a suspect in the face, knocking him out and breaking his jaw" 

"This Alabama jail really did torture an inmate with a Burmese python"

 I have to mention a couple of stories I heard recently on Thom Hartmann's show.  The first involves a guy who was refused a chance to be a policeman because he scored too high on an intelligence test.  He took the police to court, and lost.  The judges ruled that they had a perfect right to reject him because he was too smart.  The second involves a discussion that Thom had with someone who alleged that a very large percentage of police are steroid users- and if you think about the shape of most policemen you run into, and their belligerent attitude, sort of makes sense.  So, stupid steroided-out guys.  Just who we want wandering around the streets with guns.  I can't confirm that last story, but something is desperately wrong with our police forces in this country.  Maybe they are all just violent right wing bullies.  But whatever it is, I think it's time to stop it.  Don't you?

Comments

Frank said…
Yes, certainly it's time to stop. Steriod testing of police and prison guards charged with violence should be initiated. Police brutality exists as much in rural areas as in urban areas of the United States. In those small town courtrooms public defenders, judges, and the police collude big time.
July 31, 2015 at 4:48 PM
Green Eagle said…
And may I say that this steroid testing would be the direct result of the fact that we just cannot trust the majority of our police officers to do their job without descending to criminal violence.
July 31, 2015 at 8:19 PM
Magpie said…
The Guardian newspaper has a running count…

England and Wales, population 56.9 million, 55 people killed by police in the last 24 YEARS,

United States, population 316.1 million, 59 people killed by police in the first 24 DAYS of this year.

Nearly three times more people have been fatally shot by police in California alone this year than the annual average for all of Canada.
July 31, 2015 at 10:13 PM
Dave Dubya said…
Maybe they are all just violent right wing bullies.

Maybe not all of them, but most.

We can bet dollars to donuts that right wing authoritarian personalities constitute the majority of police officers. They gravitate to the military and law enforcement. Mix in racism, ignorance, and steroids and we have basically the same goons who would have volunteered for the SS.
August 1, 2015 at 12:25 PM
Green Eagle said…
I would have not thought so a few years ago, but if forced to make a bet, today I'd place the number at somewhere around 80%.
August 5, 2015 at 10:55 AM
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