RB> Again, to repeat myself, I am not saying that *all* police officers
 RB> lie *all*  the time. I am saying that corruption and bias is
 RB> institutionalized in the  criminal justice system.
 RT> What is interesting about this is that the majority of corruption and
 RT> bias within police ranks that comes to public light comes to light via
 RT> the efforts of police officers within those ranks, not outside third
 RT> parties.
I think that most intelligent people know that police corruption is not
institutionalized or systemic, but this sounds better to some folks like Ryan
who obviously hate the police. I certainly appreciate you making this
observation.
I work in a relatively small department with 147 sworn officers. One bad cop
here can tarnish the reputation and good work of the other 146. This is one
of the primary reasons why there is a concerted effort to prosecute,
discipline, or fire this one cop, depending on what the one officer did. It
is not fair for the other 146 good cops to be shamed by the actions of one.
Even in some of the worst examples of police corruption which have made the
news in the last few years, it was the good cops who fried the bad ones with
no quarter given. New Orleans is the example I am thinking about, and I have
several friends there who were involved in the preparation of cases
against the bad cops there. Those who serve with honesty and integrity don't
appreciate bearing unjust shame for something they had nothing to do with.
When is comes time to fry a bad cop, tremendous resources are expended to do
the job right.
Tom Rightmer - A Victims' Rights Advocate
... If nobody measures up, it's time to check your yardstick.
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30
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