They’d rather risk your child, than the 1/1000 chance that you’re the monster.  Liability is all that matters; not what’s right.

The reason you don’t hear about that sort of thing too often is because it’s not hot news. When cops are assholes and get away with it, now that is what makes the news.

Johannes Mehserle is the only former police officer I can think of who’s been convicted of criminal charges for shooting someone while on duty.  FWIW, he resigned rather than cooperate with an internal investigation. I suspect he’d have walked had he cooperated with the investigation, since an ex-cop doesn’t enjoy the same protection that a cop does.  Instead, he did two years.  So even the counter-example doesn’t include a cop being fired.

I know of some cases of local cops, typically involved in the drug trade, getting busted by feds.  My favorite argument for a strong federal government in the US is that federal law enforcement can help reduce corruption among local police and politicians who are effectively beyond the reach of local authorities.

Zacqary has a good point, while Police who do this sort of thing need to be punished/fired, Officers need to have a better training system to teach them to be less of a soldier and use more common sense and human decency. I’m currently studying Criminal Justice and I’ve seen the militaristic training that these people go through, and the method that a number of the academies use is one that turns out militaristic officers who believe “Okay, now I’m tough, so I can do anything I want” Where the training needs to be more one that turns out officers similar to the police in Japan, where the officers get to know the people on their beat, are kind and polite, but are ready to kick ass when/if the time comes.

Good, they should live in fear of the consequences of their actions.

Why not “leapt to assumptions”? Racism isn’t all sheets and burning crosses. It’d be a lot less prevalent if so.

I would rather pay the civil suit than their salaries.

I’m not worried about thinking about it, I’m worried about it being an excuse for Law Enforcement to act without thinking.

Might as well own it, I guess. Who wants Kombucha? Maybe some homebrew cider?  I’ve also got some lovely grass-fed, humanely raised beef from northern VT that I’ve been saving for my equinox party…

This American Life rebroadcasted it, that’s what people are remembering: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/362/got-you-pegged

I sort of wonder what a cop would have to do to be fired.  I suppose being found to be actually running a massive drug cartel or human trafficking ring, or being convicted of being a serial killer, might do it.  Less than that, I really doubt it.  They don’t get fired even for crap like planting evidence.

FTFY

But what I meant was that this will soon apply to everyone.   And not just at the level of pretending that we like X and not Y.

If you would rather read than go to a club, pretty soon you had better start memorising names of the local clubs and developing a cover story to hide it.   If you’re a guy who thinks wearing an earring is cool, better make it a clip-on — and live with wearing it in private. 

You really don’t want people thinking that you are weird, do you?  Because weird people come to the attention of uniforms.

One cop father even had the balls to have a bumper sticker on his car reading ‘If You’re not Cop, You’re Little People.’

I am curious: Was the cop in question quoting Blade Runner, or were they both quoting the same meme?

Not that this incident should have happened to anyone, but of all the suspicious persons out there, APD picked on Scott Henson?  It’s like finding out that you sold a piece-o-shit Chrysler to Ralph Nader.