freyasman
Senator
Or is it just that the corrupt are drawn to positions of power?
https://mises.org/wire/why-police-cannot-and-will-not-protect-our-rights
From the link;
"Why Police Cannot (and Will Not) Protect Our Rights
TAGS Bureaucracy and RegulationMonopoly and Competition
09/11/2017William L. Anderson
It would seem that most people on the planet have seen the viral video of Alex Wubbels, the nurse at the University of Utah Medical Center, being arrested by police officer Jeff Payne because she insisted on following state and federal law, along with hospital protocol, regarding Payne’s demand that he be permitted to draw blood from a car accident victim. Not surprisingly, most viewers have reacted with outrage and after the incident became public, the Salt Lake City Police Department placed both Payne and his lieutenant, James Tracy (who ordered the arrest), on paid leave.
Pretty much everyone agrees on this one point: Payne and his boss at the very least violated department policy and probably broke the law. Whether or not they are punished is another matter.
In releasing the video during a press conference last week, Wubbels said that while she was grateful for the overwhelming support she received and for the apologies given her by the Salt Lake police chief and the city’s mayor, she called for “more training” for police officers to keep them from violating the law. Would be that Payne and his lieutenant engaged in this outrageous behavior simply because they had lacked proper “training.”
We have been down this road many times. The idea that government is supposed to protect our “inalienable rights” (in the words of Thomas Jefferson’s eloquent Declaration of Independence) is woven into our mystical political fabric, but instead of protection, governments hand out abuse, lots of abuse. While the vilification that Payne and his police allies presently are receiving is well-deserved, the real problem is not people like Payne, nor will firing him – as much as his superiors need to do it – will solve any fundamental problems with government agents abusing everyone else.
RELATED: "Why Police Prefer Drug Raids Over Investigating Violent Crimes" by Ryan McMaken
No, the real problem is that we are like Charlie Brown every October, who believes that this time Lucy van Pelt will not jerk the football away just before the hapless Charlie is about to kick it. We train police officers to obey the law, write “protect and serve” on the sides of squad cars, and then watch helplessly as police rampage through our communities, shooting innocent and unarmed people, stealing their property via “asset forfeiture,” and killing their pets as an added bonus.
Let us look at the situation in Salt Lake City. Despite the fact that the police knew from when Payne arrested and brutalized Wubbels that he had acted illegally (the video of the entire incident makes that point clearly), the authorities did absolutely nothing until the video was broadcasted around the world. Yes, the police chief and mayor were “outraged” (their words) by what happened, yet their people had known about what happened and were quite satisfied with their non-response – until having their hand called. Suddenly the local district attorney wanted a “criminal investigation,” yet prosecutors had shown no interest until the general public saw firsthand their “public servants” at work.
No, we are being given the ubiquitous dog-and-pony show in which officials are shocked, SHOCKED! that one of their own would do such things, but they promise to “fix” the problem. Of course, all of us are aware at some level that what we are seeing is little more than a rehearsal for the next round of police abuse in which their supposed public overseers once again will express “shock” over what they have seen and are apologizing profusely to the next victims. And so on.
While all of us would like to “fix” whatever problem exists with police abuse, in reality it is just as impossible to rectify the situation as it is for Lucy to keep the football on the ground. It won’t happen because it cannothappen. Although we want government that actually protects our “inalienable rights,” we always will get the Jeff Paynes instead of the Thomas Jeffersons.
I am not making a cynical statement, nor is this a clarion call for people to “take back” their governments. The hard reality is that governments will not and cannot protect our rights, and it has little or nothing to do with education or one’s personal commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for others.
For all of the talk about “the policeman is your friend,” or that police allegedly “serve the public,” police forces are little more than the muscle arm of the state. They act as revenue collectors (although most of the revenue they collect through traffic tickets goes directly to police coffers) but their most important duty is to enforce the numerous rules that governments impose on citizens.
Far from protecting the “inalienable rights” of citizens, the police generally violate those rights – in the name of a utilitarian view of “fighting crime” and (of course) “keeping us safe.” Try reciting something from the Bill of Rights to a cop that is trying to force you to do something against your will – even if you are not suspected of having broken the law – and you will find quickly that the officer is visibly angered by your assertion of your rights.
This is not something that “more training” will cure. Most problems regarding police brutality are not the result of a lack of “training,” but rather are the result of the police officer representing a government body that is demanding submission.
Continued below
https://mises.org/wire/why-police-cannot-and-will-not-protect-our-rights
From the link;
"Why Police Cannot (and Will Not) Protect Our Rights
TAGS Bureaucracy and RegulationMonopoly and Competition
09/11/2017William L. Anderson
It would seem that most people on the planet have seen the viral video of Alex Wubbels, the nurse at the University of Utah Medical Center, being arrested by police officer Jeff Payne because she insisted on following state and federal law, along with hospital protocol, regarding Payne’s demand that he be permitted to draw blood from a car accident victim. Not surprisingly, most viewers have reacted with outrage and after the incident became public, the Salt Lake City Police Department placed both Payne and his lieutenant, James Tracy (who ordered the arrest), on paid leave.
Pretty much everyone agrees on this one point: Payne and his boss at the very least violated department policy and probably broke the law. Whether or not they are punished is another matter.
In releasing the video during a press conference last week, Wubbels said that while she was grateful for the overwhelming support she received and for the apologies given her by the Salt Lake police chief and the city’s mayor, she called for “more training” for police officers to keep them from violating the law. Would be that Payne and his lieutenant engaged in this outrageous behavior simply because they had lacked proper “training.”
We have been down this road many times. The idea that government is supposed to protect our “inalienable rights” (in the words of Thomas Jefferson’s eloquent Declaration of Independence) is woven into our mystical political fabric, but instead of protection, governments hand out abuse, lots of abuse. While the vilification that Payne and his police allies presently are receiving is well-deserved, the real problem is not people like Payne, nor will firing him – as much as his superiors need to do it – will solve any fundamental problems with government agents abusing everyone else.
RELATED: "Why Police Prefer Drug Raids Over Investigating Violent Crimes" by Ryan McMaken
No, the real problem is that we are like Charlie Brown every October, who believes that this time Lucy van Pelt will not jerk the football away just before the hapless Charlie is about to kick it. We train police officers to obey the law, write “protect and serve” on the sides of squad cars, and then watch helplessly as police rampage through our communities, shooting innocent and unarmed people, stealing their property via “asset forfeiture,” and killing their pets as an added bonus.
Let us look at the situation in Salt Lake City. Despite the fact that the police knew from when Payne arrested and brutalized Wubbels that he had acted illegally (the video of the entire incident makes that point clearly), the authorities did absolutely nothing until the video was broadcasted around the world. Yes, the police chief and mayor were “outraged” (their words) by what happened, yet their people had known about what happened and were quite satisfied with their non-response – until having their hand called. Suddenly the local district attorney wanted a “criminal investigation,” yet prosecutors had shown no interest until the general public saw firsthand their “public servants” at work.
No, we are being given the ubiquitous dog-and-pony show in which officials are shocked, SHOCKED! that one of their own would do such things, but they promise to “fix” the problem. Of course, all of us are aware at some level that what we are seeing is little more than a rehearsal for the next round of police abuse in which their supposed public overseers once again will express “shock” over what they have seen and are apologizing profusely to the next victims. And so on.
While all of us would like to “fix” whatever problem exists with police abuse, in reality it is just as impossible to rectify the situation as it is for Lucy to keep the football on the ground. It won’t happen because it cannothappen. Although we want government that actually protects our “inalienable rights,” we always will get the Jeff Paynes instead of the Thomas Jeffersons.
I am not making a cynical statement, nor is this a clarion call for people to “take back” their governments. The hard reality is that governments will not and cannot protect our rights, and it has little or nothing to do with education or one’s personal commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for others.
For all of the talk about “the policeman is your friend,” or that police allegedly “serve the public,” police forces are little more than the muscle arm of the state. They act as revenue collectors (although most of the revenue they collect through traffic tickets goes directly to police coffers) but their most important duty is to enforce the numerous rules that governments impose on citizens.
Far from protecting the “inalienable rights” of citizens, the police generally violate those rights – in the name of a utilitarian view of “fighting crime” and (of course) “keeping us safe.” Try reciting something from the Bill of Rights to a cop that is trying to force you to do something against your will – even if you are not suspected of having broken the law – and you will find quickly that the officer is visibly angered by your assertion of your rights.
This is not something that “more training” will cure. Most problems regarding police brutality are not the result of a lack of “training,” but rather are the result of the police officer representing a government body that is demanding submission.
Continued below
