1/ Thread. -- I've been thinking about this a lot. A few days ago I read something by an officer in the NYPD (which I now can't find) who said that the restrictions on police behavior were like "having a d*ck shoved down our throat."
I thought: you work for us.
I thought: you work for us.
2/ The police MUST be subject to (a) the law, and (b) civilian control. That's what separates them from random armed gangs. If they think that being told to treat citizens with respect is "having a d*ck shoved down our throat", they are in the wrong profession.
3/ Moreover, if they think that being told what to do by their superiors is like "having a d*ck shoved down our throat", they would presumably object to ANY job in which they have a boss at all.
When I worked in a biker bar, I had to obey MANY orders I disliked.
When I worked in a biker bar, I had to obey MANY orders I disliked.
4/ I was told, for instance, that I had to wear makeup and "dress Western." (My tips tripled. Gack.) Did I think this was like "having a d*ck shoved down my throat"? No; I thought it was one of those things my boss got to tell me to do.
5/ And I would be on MUCH stronger ground objecting to being ordered to wear makeup than any police officer would be if s/he objected to being ordered to respect the rights of protesters.
My customers did not have a constitutional right to see me without makeup, after all.
My customers did not have a constitutional right to see me without makeup, after all.
6/ The police need to understand -- as I'm sure many do -- that this is not a dominance fight among chimpanzees, or a pissing contest. This is a JOB. They have SUPERIORS. Those superiors get to give them LAWFUL ORDERS. And they have the obligation to obey those orders.
7/ This is especially true since policing is PUBLIC SERVICE. If I got pouty at my biker bar, that would not be a big deal for anyone but me and my manager.
If a police officer decides s/he doesn't like to be ordered to treat citizens with respect, that's important to all of us.
If a police officer decides s/he doesn't like to be ordered to treat citizens with respect, that's important to all of us.
8/ Not everyone likes being told what to do. I get that. But if you don't like being told to respect citizens and the Constitution, you need to get another job.
/Fin.
/Fin.
