In the City of St. Louis, MO I have started noticing people stopping and observing the police when a “law enforcement event” is taking place in public such as police questioning an individual or group of individuals, or even giving a traffic citation. This is happening because the police are not trust-worthy anymore. They have too many incidents of brutality and harassment that are on camera against them. They can’t seem to shake this animosity towards them. Making the situation still worse is the fact that the police now monitor, at will, the general population using various public, private and government security video cameras in St. Louis. The police know where all the cameras are because they are the monitoring authority. They are careful not to get out of line when on camera, but who knows what they do when not on camera? Even if they are not doing anything wrong, the impression they leave is that they are.
According to the Police Officer’s Union the police seem to think that their personal privacy is being cast into jeopardy if they are required to wear “body cameras” while on the job. It’s alright for them to monitor our public life and license plates at will, but when we, the public, want the same courtesy they cry foul!
I think that, as trusted public servants and law enforcement officers, they should be required to wear body cameras at all times where close public interaction is possible. This Police Officer’s Union excuse of “personal privacy” is BS and they know it. They just want to be able to play their same old tricks and games and get away with it. A leopard can’t change its spots. A few corrupt and intimidating police officers have caused this schism between the public and the police to open up. Their union covers for them and causes the schism to get wider.
It’s time for complete transparency by our law enforcement authorities. If transparency does not happen then the flame of anti-police violence will be stoked until it’s an inferno requiring extraordinary methods to put it out.
All across America the line between the federal military and civil police are being wiped out. There are many good cops, most that are being sucked into this believe they are still doing it for the right reason. While most are the mind set of power has festered after the “War on Drugs” with the probable cause for search and seizure. Bounty for drunk drivers opens the door for abuse of power. Along with the thousands of laws just made for collecting large sums of revenue for the feds, state and local governments. Not to mention the billions made in legal fees for defense lawyers. What a never ending cash cow. The sad part is I would go as far as to say that as many as 98.5% of the average law enforcement officers are there to serve and protect. (might be high)
The number of law enforcement killed in the line of duty is up 85% since 2014. Obama and the DOJ along with Al Sharpton are pushing for a total federal police force. They have stated so several times both during and after Ferguson, Mo. Nothing good could ever come out of more federal controls at the state and local levels.
Always remember when we give up our liberty for what appears to be safety we will surely lose both. We the people should be wiping out laws that force law enforcement into what many dread. It will take weeding out the “bad cop” idea. Making the punishment to actually fit the crimes and be hard. Remembering camera’s on cops will lead to cameras in your cars, homes and even on your very person along with even more tracking devices.
The cancer is the lawless thugs, from the White House to the streets. While cameras on cops sounds like the answer to keep them flawless or catch them when they are not. Need to X-ray where these ideas are coming from. Marxist, Socialist, Tyrant King want to be. It bleeds down hill from there.