Good Cop/Bad Cop

I look at this poster with deeply mixed emotions- the same experience as when I look upon the Red, White and Blue.* A lot of cops are pretty decent people, some exceptional, some actual heroes... And for those cops, its demeaning for them to be portrayed as pigs. But there are way more than just "a few bad apples." And as far as they're concerned, that depiction is an insult to pigs everywhere. 

Unfortunately, we'll never know the actual ratio- those records don't exist, at least, not for public perusal. And as for "decent" cops, well... all depends on how you interpret the word "decent." And do we even want someone who's just... "decent" for a cop? Hell, I don't want someone who's just decent as a cook, if I'm paying good money at a restaurant! And to paraphrase Chris Rock, how many commercial airlines admit, however grudgingly, that they employ a "few bad apples" as... pilots? 
 

Photo: © Stan Banos

Hey, being a cop is a dangerous, thankless job- each and every goddamn day! You don't get easy days for a job well done. It's tension, tension, tension! Non-stop, 24/7- ease up and you may earn yourself a permanent vacation! That's why if you're gonna give someone the power over life and death, you're gonna need someone who's far above decent, far above average- someone who's goddamn fuckin'... Exceptional! Ethically, emotionally, morally! Was gonna say intellectually, but nah, not necessarily; you gotta be street smart, people smart... emphatic- not to "coddle" criminals, but to deescalate, reason and yes, sometimes even help. The best can display authority without resorting to outright violence; respect can go a lot further than needless degradation and humiliation, it's not an overnight quick fix, but a long term and eventual, mutual solution.

Yes, defund police, and have them do less of what they're not supposed to do- something they've been crying out for themselves, and rightfully so! Hire more: social workers, mental health professionals, drug rehab counselors. Give police the competent, professional training they justifiably need and deserve- demand higher standards of them, and yes, pay them more!

You may argue about that artist's rendering all you want, rightly or wrongly- but that statement above... 

100% Undeniably True!

* Another story, another time.