Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Cops and Criminals

For starters, just to know we are all on the same page, definition wise: Cops in their many forms and guises are essentially purposed to enforce the law. Those laws levied by our duly elected and/or appointed legislators and/or officials. Criminals are the ones who break those laws. Ipso facto the catalyst that brings the cops and the criminals together is the suspicion or commission of a crime, the breaking of a law. For emphasis, the cops don't make the laws... As said, those laws are ostensibly made by we the people, through our elected and/or appointed legislators, as is the practice of our jurisprudence system. To this point I can't imagine our opinions being at odds with one another. That said I for one am having difficulty with the appraisal of many of you in the much publicized resent committed crimes in Missouri and New York, their enforcement, in turn their subsequent adjudication. No question "our" laws such as they are were broken, the cops duty bound to enforce those laws were directed to do so, did; the legal procedure to process the results of the apprehension of the criminals, grand jury decided. In knowing what that grand jury was changed with judging i.e the apprehending cop's motivation at the time of the confrontation, was it appropriate or inappropriate by the prescribed rules of engagement-, decided it was appropriate. To this point the required legal protocol adhered to was apparently observed and carried out, right? Now, were the laws broken, in themselves appropriate-, the force used in the apprehension of the criminals in itself appropriate? Therein lies the rub! And, I note our judicial system provides for resolution of those questions beyond the grand jury's verdicts going forward. Change the law; change the rules of engagement and punishment of the criminals to be apprehended and tried in breaking those laws; try the case itself in Civil Court for thought to be appropriate reparation of the crime allegedly committed. Again that said, I persist in feeling these crimes and the criminals apprehension, as unjust and tragic as they might appear, were not racially motivated but criminally instigated and dealt with accordingly. Ask yourself, what if both of these young men said...." You've got me Officer, I got caught up in the moment.."  What do you think would have happen? I can't imagine them being shot or asphyxiated......And don't get me wrong, I have difficulty in dealing with our sometimes over zealous, storm trooper garbed, military armed policemen that have replacing the once affable neighborhood beat cop of yesteryear. But, times have dramatically changed, criminals more violent, seemingly more of them, and far less tolerant of police intervention of any kind. I know the prevailing statistics on the subject are an anathema to the black community, but they are what they are!

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