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Here in America, police just do not realize who their worst enemy is. Right now, their worst enemy is Derek Chauvin. Derek Chauvin is a prime example of a policeman who has been corrupted by the police culture of abuse of power as a policeman’s right. As Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, he obviously feared no legal consequences even if it killed Floyd. He felt untouchable even with witnesses and on camera. As for the witnesses, he was sending precisely that message to them. “I am untouchable and be warned that I can do this to any one of you too”. He was confident that his superiors and, of course, the police union would back him up. He was passing that message to the other three cops there and in fact they dared not oppose his vicious action. They dared not oppose ‘standard police procedure” or they would face severe ostracism or worse back at the police precinct.

That is the problem, for if they don’t go along, they face police vindictiveness like Serpico did. Do you remember the movie “Serpico”? It was based on the true story of a New York cop, who was harassed and threatened by his fellow cops because he resisted and opposed their corrupt practices. But, why is Derek Chauvin the worst enemy of police? It is because he has blackened the reputation of police and  destroyed any trust people might have in the police.  This trust is crucial. Among his worse victims are the good police which constitute the majority.  As I state in my book, “Leave the Rat Race to the Rats”, published five years ago in 2016:

“Good cops must endure the stain of bad cops. The worst threat to the police is bad cops. They ruin the reputation of the police, sow distrust, enmity, and disrespect in the community. A cop’s job is hard enough. Bad cops ruin it for cops everywhere. Bad cops breed distrust of the community and good cops suffer the consequences.

 In the present  cop culture, too often  good cops are not respected in the police force. They must go along with police abuses or face hostility and kiss promotional opportunities goodbye. They must be helpless spectators to police brutality or face serious consequences. For instance:

Officer Carol Horne of the Buffalo police force found that out the hard way.  After stopping a fellow officer from using excessive force, she was fired from her job and had her pension withdrawn. Horne, who worked as a police officer for 19 years, responded to a call for assistance at a domestic dispute and saw another officer punching a civilian in the face. After the suspect was led out of the house in handcuffs, the officer became violent again and began to choke him.

Horne stepped in, telling the other officer to release the restrained suspect. When he refused, Horne grabbed the officer’s arm off of the man’s neck. The violent officer responded by punching Horne so hard in the face that he broke her nose. Horne was fired over the incident, her pension effectively withdrawn because she was terminated two months before the 20-year mark.”

I am glad to report that this took place in 2006, but just last week, the courts have not only cleared this courageous former officer, Carol Horne, but have rescinded her firing, restored her pension and granted her back-pay.

In conclusion, I turn once again to words from my book, “Leave the Rat Race to the Rats” :

“All people want is to be treated fairly with respect and dignity. They want to be considered innocent until proven guilty, not stereotyped and profiled as guilty before proof. Black ghetto residents are prime victims of crime and should be able to obtain police protection instead of police persecution.”