Father Andrew Greeley, as he often does, made a most
salient point in his editorial that appeared in the most recent Sunday
Chicago Sun-Times (Sunday July 23, 2000, Pg. 43A).Excerpted from: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT- EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Saturday, July 29, 2000, Vol. 4, No. 211
ERRI OPINION/EDITORIAL
"Damned If They Do and Damned If They Don't"; Police Will be Blamed For Any Problems That Occur at Upcoming Conventions
By C. L. Staten, ERRI CEO/Sr. Analyst
Father Andrew Greeley, as he often does, made a most
salient point in his editorial that appeared in the most recent Sunday
Chicago Sun-Times (Sunday July 23, 2000, Pg. 43A).
In his most enlightened editorial, Father Greeley predicts that, if anarchists should carry out acts of violence at the upcoming Republican convention in Philadelphia or at the Democratic convention in Los Angeles, "the national media will blame the police." Past experience would suggest that Father Greeley could be correct.
According to Father Greeley, "If the cops fail to maintain order, they will be blamed for incompetence ... If they succeed [in maintaining order] they will be blamed for excessive use of force." "Head or tails, cops lose, anarchists win," Greeley concludes. And, sadly, given what is beginning to appear as a large-scale media bias, Greeley's prediction is likely to come true.
A number of good questions immediately come to mind after reading Father Greeley's editorial...why do any number of reporters seem predisposed to immediately jump to the defense of anyone involved in an altercation with police officers? Could it be that many of today's reporters just don't understand the true nature and inherent perils of law enforcement? Or, is it possible that we as a society, in our quest for a 'kinder and gentler' sort of police force, aren't being realistic in our expectations of them?
Or, is is possible that a number of today's reporters haven't actually "paid their dues" or spent any time working as a "fire/police reporter," in order that they might better understand the dangerous, dirty, and demanding challenges that "street cops" face everyday? Working the "police beat" used to be part of every young reporters education, training, and evolution. Nowadays, it seems that all too many reporters believe that they can skip "spending their time in the trenches" and jump immediately into public analysis of police (or other emergency operations) without any further background or experience.
Why is it that when any sort of military conflict occurs that the newspapers and 24-hour-a-day news stations are filled with military veterans and former officers, who are asked to comment on on-going operations -- but even very junior reporters seem to find themselves qualified to pass public judgment on complex riot-control circumstances, complicated arrests, hostage/barricade situations, multiple shooting incidents, or even terrorist events? Shouldn't veteran emergency personnel be interviewed to provide an "expert analysis" of these situations? But, I digress and must return to the topic at hand.
Certainly, there are brutal, corrupt, inept, incompetent and uncaring police officers. And, we all want to weed-out unprofessional police officers from our communities. But, anyone who has spent time around law enforcement will tell you that they are a very small minority in a large body of reliable and trustworthy men and women who work very hard everyday to protect and serve the communities where they work. In today's police forces, more officers are women and people of color. Almost all pursue advanced education and training to help make them more qualified to deal with a bewildering mix of actions perpetrated by criminals and malcontents. Today, it should be noted that many officers care about many of the same issues as those who will be protesting in Philadelphia and Los Angeles -- things like racial equity and opportunity, the environment, and the rights of working people.
A primary difference between the officers and the anarchists is that the officers are tasked with protecting all of the community and preventing the arson and property damage that the anarchists somehow view as "legitimate protest." Most officers believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, maybe with a fervor that even exceeds that of the protestors, who seek to exploit these same privileges in the pursuit of "other agendas" of various kinds. And, yet somehow, there are those that want to automatically blame the brave men and women of law enforcement for the acts of "anarchists and thugs," as Father Greeley calls them.
Maybe, the time has come for the public and press to give our police officers an even break. Moreover, should a questionable incident occur, they deserve the same presumption of innocence that is given to law breakers. Finally, we believe that police officers deserve our respect, admiration, and heart-felt thanks for the sacrifices they make (and are prepared to make) on a daily basis.
© EmergencyNet News Service, 2000. May be redistributed to bona-fide
law enforcement, emergency service and other government agencies. Other
publication or redistribution without expressed permission of EmergencyNet
News is prohibited.
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