POLICE OFFICERS: AN OPPRESSED MINORITY WHICH NEED PROTECTION

Police officers are not the oppressors, but oppressed victims in our present day society.

An interesting study conducted in the UK recently (2019?) indicated that almost 90% of police UK officers were assaulted during their careers.  And almost 40% were assaulted  within the year that the study was conducted. Both the violence  of the assaults and the frequency are on the rise according to recent UK studies. Being punched, beat up by gangs,  run down with a vehicle, spit on and having objects thrown at them were all on the rise    The commentators described the force as “an oppressed minority in the UK”.  They indicated that UK police were well aware that they were on the front line against those who have made a decision to break the law and thus expect resistance to arrest, but the rise in violence in has resulted in many leaving the department in large numbers. Often their expressed reason is: they do not want to be the butt  for  politicians who bad mouth them and the “punching bag” for a public who physically assault them .  Does this sound familiar? 

US Police officers are today similarly under enormous pressures from the media, and government-and some elements of our  political establishment.   The nearly one million (880,000) officers in the USA are often portrayed as “criminals and killers“ by the MSM  and left wing press and the political left.  They are indeed “ an “oppressed minority“ much like their colleagues in the UK.

The charges against police are too often overblown and misplaced—and are grossly out of proportion with the facts.  In  reality our police forces have a low rate of illegal, unprofessional and criminal acts. For example, between  2005 and 2019 (according to Washington Post data) some 104 officers were charged with murder or manslaughter over that 14 year period as a result of a confrontations which occurred while on duty.  That is about 7 unlawful killings per year (104/14=7.4 ) over that period of time.   But there are about 880,000 police officers serving in the USA. Thus for the nearly one million men and women serving -and not counting the millions of contact hours—only a very tiny proportion are involved with crime or disproportionate use of force.  The numbers:   7.4/880000 = 0.000008. ( 0.8/100,000)   OK so lets say roughly 8 officers in 800,000 or one “bad apple” in every 100,000 officers  (one in one-hundred-thousand  or 1/100000) is a pretty small number for any profession.  For physicians, those cited for malfeasance ( like removing the wrong kidney) the “bad apples” are about 7 out of 100.

It means that the vast number of police officers are innocent guys just serving the laws and thier community doing their jobs and committing no crimes,  . 

But to follow up on the oppressed minority theme—as in the UK—our officers are increasingly exposed to both verbal assault from politicians and journalists and physical assault as well as increasing numbers of deaths in the streets.  Sadly the rate of are fatal assaults on police are climbing at an alarmingly   The rate of officers that are killed—good decent men and women of all races —are on average about 150 per year.  Over the same time period of the Washington Post story —2005-2019— when 104 Police manslaughter’s and murders were committed —nearly 2000 offices were killed while on duty.  This should not have to be stated So bluntly but the facts must be put into perspective:  So bad apple officers killed with excessive force  about 7 individuals annually, but their own death rate on duty is approx150 officers killed per year.  That is (150/7.4= 20) or there are  twenty times (20) times more officers killed in the line of duty than those who committed crimes such as use of excessive force.   

All of us—black, white, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American are dependent upon an effective functioning police force.  The first priority of any government is to protect its citizenry, to maintain order and encourage and enforce obedience to the laws that the society itself promulgates.  This is THE essential component that insures a civil society.  We are all  rely on , are served by, require the ability and freedom to go about our daily tasks, tend our businesses and our lives in peace tranquility and security....all of us.   When ill informed and unthinking government officials remove the threat of arrest, or of incarceration  (as in no cash bail schemes) or restrain police from functioning, or when they are removed from the streets, those elements of society who  have made the decision to ignore the law, and to break the law are then unrestrained —free to act outside of the norms of a civil society —and in this way the rest of us—all of society—become hostages to lawlessness.

A strong police presence is essential for our survival as a society and as a nation.  Those who suggest otherwise are simply ignoring  human nature, unaware of history and blind to what we see  every day on our TV screens and on our streets in certain cities where crime, chaos, burnt-out businesses, declining populations and decay are the result.

But simply supporting the police is not enough.  Police officers must be confident that when they are acting in their official capacity as officers of the law they are protected from unwarranted and unfair retribution.  We as citizens go into a contract with our police officers—we give them the authority to protect us and to confront those who break our laws. We give them the right to use justifiable force —we can not simply withdraw that solemn contract unilaterally when vagaries of public opinion and violent demonstrations become a source of political pressure.

At the present time, we have so undermined the nation’s police forces—“bad mouthing”, lack of support from government, politicizing the command structures, preventing police from using appropriate force to disperse violent mobs, etc. etc., etc. to such an extent that in some cities we may have a nominal police force—but they are so demoralized, so fearful of losing heir jobs, pensions or being charged with a crime that they are unable to perform the essential functions of a police force—-enforce the law.

This situation, this behavior is an existential threat to our nation, our economy, our cities and our liveihoods and bodes nothing but social and economic decline and descent into chaos and vigilantism. 

As of 2016, sixteen US states have codified the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. (LEBOR)   The bill protects officers constitutional and other rights as well as the right to a safe, civil society in which citizens can live and do business without fear of violence and threat of crime.  It insures that police officers will not be fearful  of confronting rioters, law breakers, rapists, looters, etc., etc., etc, —insures us that they enforce the law —whomever beak it—-and treat all citizens as equals regardless of the color of their skin or their ethnic background. The police  are assured that there will be no retribution—as a result of their lawful professional acts.   They will not lose their pensions, lose their jobs or be charged or incarcerated for criminal acts while conducting lawful policing. The LEBOR should become national policy.  

The situation we face in some cities such as NY City, Chicago, Baltimore, Kenosha, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, etcetera is that citizens are taxed to support the police forces, but —as a result of recent riots and political pressures are too often  left to have to protect themselves, from thugs and looters, crime and violence, The results are ineffective and  often end with deadly consequences—to themselves. 

It is time to address the problem of this existential essential but oppressed element of our society—our police forces.  We must encourage the national adoption of the LEBOR, oppose thoughtless, defunding of police forces, maintain adequate force levels, increase training—especially use of non lethal physical force, jujitsu, martial arts so officers can more effectively disarm and subdue criminals rather than being forced to use more lethal assets,  The police  are essential to our all our well being as a civil society we must all unite to support them.