Sunday, August 25, 2013

Law Enforcement is No Longer About Serving and Protecting

Chicago, IL—Once upon a time the local cops were there for you and your family.  If you heard something go bump in the night they came and you were glad to see them.  Those days are over.  You need learn how to lock your doors and to use self-help. 
The politicians have changed our cop’s jobs and duties and not for the better.  Today a visit with the police is nothing more than about government by extortion.  Sometimes it is as bad is it can get.
Today we have photo traffic enforcement cameras designed strictly to generate revenue.  The ultimate collection agency is always the local cops that arrest you and tow your vehicles.  Of course the cops are always armed and ready for combat.  This is not about traffic safety but local government funding all the crap we don’t want or need.  The happy contractors involved always fund those expensive political campaigns. 
An insult to injury on the government traffic extortion cams is that our courts are too often allowing hearsay evidence and we have millions of wrongful fines being levied.
The other monster is the out-of-control federal law enforcement agencies.  More and more Congress has given federal agents powers over ordinary street crime.  The problem is the training the feds just don’t receive.  They are never trained in local laws or residential law enforcement.   
Federal police only know how to make felony street stops.  They have no training about or authority over local traffic laws.  They are not even taught how to deal with a routine family disturbance call or handle a tavern brawl.   Understandably these can be very complicated events. 
The federal agents began decades ago to impersonate state and local police by wearing insignias that say POLICE.  Federal cops have jurisdiction over federal crimes and only have the power of Citizen’s Arrest over local crimes.  Of course the ignorant public does not really have a clue. 
The FBI has a perennial complaint.  When they announce their office to make arrests and enter property with search warrants people never believe them.  Unless that have combat SWAT gear or Raid jackets people blow them off as impostors.  Today initially they yell out, “police!” not FBI. The same is true with the other alphabet federal law enforcement agencies.
They have gone around their problems by forming joint operations.  That localizes the feds and federalizes the locals.  The not so fun part is when you get charged with the same violation in both the federal and state courts! 
Today anything more than a lost dog call, seems to be a SWAT operation.  This is not about public safety but law enforcement people and their bosses living out Walter Mitty dreams of being the fictional Hollywood movie SWAT commandos.  The amount of deaths and life changing injuries has never been higher during these senseless operations.
SWAT operations and hostage negotiations have their place just not on every home visit!
Law enforcement people have forgotten that they can do so much more with a telephone and kind words than with their bucket helmets, jackboots and automatic weapons.  Today there are tons of leftover combat crap like tanks, Humvees, and firepower from Hell being handed over to local cops. 
Serving felony arrest warrants seems dangerous right?  It will be for sure if you turn every warrant into a man hunting operation.   I was taught to contact the wanted subject’s mothers by phone.  I’d tell them their son was wanted on a warrant and the bail amount for release that was set.  Additionally I’d tell them if their boy shows up at my station at 9:00 AM with the bail cash he’d simply get booked for court and sent on his way. 
If the bond was too much I’d tell the mom that I’d get him in front of a judge quickly and the fact that he self-surrendered would go a long way to help the judge reduce the bail amount.   In the long run cooperation will help with sentencing issues.  If your boy has to serve some time he could be in minimum-security comfort or wind up on, “The Rock” based on how he responds to the warrant.
Needless to say every Monday morning I have a full house.  The rest I’d have to chase down or simply wait until they got caught on a street stop. 
I know there is still some cops someplace serving warrants with class by telephone.  However today any excuse to kick down doors and toss the cool and very destructive flash bang grenades seems to be the way of the “New Breed” of cops.   I guess the Old-Breed won’t make for an exciting reality TV show. 
I have to say there can be no question that many more lives are saved by telephone then by SWAT operations.
Frankly citizens need avoid contact with law enforcement whenever they can.   Don’t call 911 for anything more than fire or medical emergencies.  When the cops come they have to guess just who are the good and bad guys.  Trust me they don’t always get it right.   That goes double if the “victim” is emotionally upset for any reason.
Avoiding conflict and choosing your friends and lovers wisely is still the best way to keep the cops away.  When the cops visit you today it will cost for those old fines, bail bonds, lawyers and perhaps your job if you can’t show up for work. 
The feds have so many laws that I’d venture to say we break plenty without even being aware we are in violation.  Our Congress has armed the IRS, EPA, and every obscure federal agency with war weapons.  The federal building security guards they now call Homeland Security are out making petty traffic stops on federal property.  
United States of America is a full blown police state.   It will only get much worse.

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