Protecting Their Own

Frankly, I'm pretty damn surprised. I didn't follow the case very close, but I'm still surprised by the verdict. One thing is for sure, these officers, in fact the entire Milwaukee Police Dept., will not come out of this clean. The actions of these officers, and their colleagues who "protected their own" was absolutely shameful. The fact that officers who try to do the right thing are tortured by their own is even worse. These sorts of events abound in this country, and it is starting to get to me. The idea that the people who are charged with protecting us are not held responsible for their wrong doings.

In Virginia, there is a similar controversy over a SWAT officer (whose name is being protected by the local police) who wrongly shot and killed an unarmed man. In that case, the prosecutor is refusing to even press charges against that man, and is withholding information from the family, which is just shameful.

Police forces will never have the trust of the people who they are supposed to serve and protect unless they are open and honest about their mistakes, and don't protect those who don't deserve protecting. We hold some rights very high in this country. There is only one group of people who are allowed to take those rights away from us. Those people, those who can take from us what is most dear, need to hold themselves to the highest standards. Those standards aren't being met.