Many years ago, in a small liberal arts college in Minnesota as I studied for my degree in Criminal Justice, I heard an adage that decade after decade has proven to be true. “Society gets the police force it deserves.” People need to pay attention to that. It’s deserves not wants.
Think back through history if there is still any history that hasn’t been rewritten. As America grew and as cities grew, they went through times when they went from peaceful communities where people wanted to live. They attracted more people and with them came what is best known as a criminal element and the social problems that every community develops.
Not all marriages are pleasant and domestic violence occurs. Often job pressures and family life include drinking and drug problems. How do you pay for all this good life? Gambling goes beyond a pleasant once in a while event and leads to more issues. Thefts and robberies happen when you can’t afford the lifestyle you want. More and more bad things become more and more commonplace.
As communities grow, there is a need for a police force to keep life happy and the community safe. It would be great if everyone knew what was wrong and behaved properly. It would be nice if no one ever slapped their spouse or got drunk and broke a window. Remember, Mayberry was a fictional town. It never happened and never will.
In each case the police forces developed in response to societies problems. If you had an idyllic community, you could afford a sheriff who didn’t carry a gun. Police respond to violations of societies laws. Police work is reactive. If there was no crime there would be little or no need for the police. Police manpower budgets are based on projected crime levels. If cities believed there would be no crime the police would be cut loose immediately.
It becomes clear why the idea of defunding the police will fail. The problem isn’t the response to the crime. The problem is the source of the crime.
If buildings were completely fireproof and cars never burned the need for firemen would be greatly diminished. If people never got sick the need for doctors and nurses would go down. If people never fell off ladders new ones wouldn’t come plastered in all those warning labels.
The problem is people need to take responsibility for their actions. Stop breaking laws. Stop stealing. Stop trying to solve problems by hitting people. Take responsibility for your children. Make sure they are properly fed and teach them right from wrong. Take responsibility for your actions and accept that you will be held responsible for them. Stop blaming others for your actions. Grow the F#@& Up!
What does this mean today? Well, the communities seeing their police walk out deserved it. The communities that saw the please stand down when ordered to by their political leaders deserved to see neighborhoods taken over and held hostage. The communities that loot and burn the stores only to see them leave the area completely deserve it and have no right to cry about it.
So, go ahead and defund the police if you want. You will deserve the police you get and the community that results. I suggest you begin to place the blame where it belongs. Start with the family that neglects their children; the neighbors afraid to take any action when they see criminal behavior. Blame the preachers who care more about their collection plate then eliminating problems in their communities. Blame the aldermen who only worry about the kickback they get from the realtor looking to sell a property and the gang donations to their reelection campaigns. Blame the mayor who revels in the sense of power and the under-table money they make. Blame the judges who are more concerned with reelection then criminal justice. Blame the main-stream media who slant and bend stories to increase their own personal agenda rather than show journalistic integrity and report something accurately.
There is a long list of those that should be blamed and defunded before you ever get to the police. If you did, you might find at that point any problem with the police will probably have gone away.
I know I am preaching to the choir here. This needs to be read by civilians not worn officers who each day risk their lives, so pass this on. Share it on your Facebook page so your non-police friends might read it. More important stay safe. These are dangerous times.
Run low and zigzag,
– Robert Weisskopf (Lt. CPD ret.)
Note: You can find more articles from Robert Weisskopf as well as links to his other work on his website www.bobweisskopf.com.
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