wow, Fern...
I thought I was out of breath when I finished Tom's piece, but your post is the icing on the proverbial cake and now I'm actually panting.
the first time I was arrested, with absolutely no predicate...I was parking a car outside my building, it was by the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force (TPF) in 1968 (actually, it was Erev Yom Ki…
I thought I was out of breath when I finished Tom's piece, but your post is the icing on the proverbial cake and now I'm actually panting.
the first time I was arrested, with absolutely no predicate...I was parking a car outside my building, it was by the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force (TPF) in 1968 (actually, it was Erev Yom Kippur, which is pretty funny). same deal...an "elite" unit that demanded nothing in the way of proof that the cops in it would behave any differently from any group of cops left to their own devices. it was disbanded a couple of years later, but, as Tom points out, every time a politician needed to convince voters that he was "tough on crime," similar units would get different acronyms and end up behaving the way these Memphis psychopaths behaved. I remember that, for a long time, NYPD members were getting easier and easier to deal with (I speak as a nominally white guy, of course) and then Giuliani happened. almost overnight, the cops became Professional Assholes again. ironically, this was the same time I was writing briefs for my brother-in-law's law practice, which was dedicated to getting cops accident disability pensions (a sweet deal...three-quarters of final salaries, tax-free...retiring cop brass were awarded these pensions automatically), so I got to know a LOT of cops close-up and they were all big fucking crybabies when they had to deal with anything official. I say all this while allowing that there are plenty of cops who are good guys. for example, I have an NYPD detective living next door, and he's a great neighbor and really sweet guy whose gorgeous wife has made it her business to feed me most nights (she's a kindergarten teacher, so he's obviously a good guy...kindergarten teachers being among my favorite people). getting back to Giuliani, I pride myself on never once thinking he was anything but a total prick..."America's mayor?"...yeah, right...does anybody remember that he tried to parlay one reasonably eloquent moment into an illegal third term because "nobody but me can get this city through this?" the city got through it. more or less.
so yeah, these so-called "elite units" have always been a disaster and police departments have always turned a blind eye to this fact.
the wrong people tend to be the ones who want to be cops. as someone who became very familiar with the policies always in play at Lefrak City (the location of the police medical and psychological facilities), the problem also has a lot to do with the general orientation and behaviors of the psychologists who are supposed to weed out the people who should NEVER get badges.
my close friend Ruth has a nephew who's a sergeant and who told her that a lot of the cops he supervises were coming in with "Justice for Ashi Babbitt" t-shirts. he told them to never do that and that "she got her justice." and a day later, he started to get death threats.
the David Simon series that aired last year, "We Own This City" dealt very eloquently with that "elite" Baltimore unit. I recommend it to anyone who missed it, as it's unfortunately become more relevant yet again (it's on HBO).
...and how come when I view my own comment, it gets cut off? in my version of my post, the last sentences are "the city got through it. more or less," but obviously everyone else can see the whole thing. has anyone else noticed this?
I read the whole thing, then when I closed and returned it had lost the command to expand the comment (a shortened version is shown with the option to expand) but closing the entire post and reopening restored the last of the post. I know; it's like trying to do something blind. Also, try expanding and contracting the text/image size on your screen, or force a refresh.
wow, Fern...
I thought I was out of breath when I finished Tom's piece, but your post is the icing on the proverbial cake and now I'm actually panting.
the first time I was arrested, with absolutely no predicate...I was parking a car outside my building, it was by the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force (TPF) in 1968 (actually, it was Erev Yom Kippur, which is pretty funny). same deal...an "elite" unit that demanded nothing in the way of proof that the cops in it would behave any differently from any group of cops left to their own devices. it was disbanded a couple of years later, but, as Tom points out, every time a politician needed to convince voters that he was "tough on crime," similar units would get different acronyms and end up behaving the way these Memphis psychopaths behaved. I remember that, for a long time, NYPD members were getting easier and easier to deal with (I speak as a nominally white guy, of course) and then Giuliani happened. almost overnight, the cops became Professional Assholes again. ironically, this was the same time I was writing briefs for my brother-in-law's law practice, which was dedicated to getting cops accident disability pensions (a sweet deal...three-quarters of final salaries, tax-free...retiring cop brass were awarded these pensions automatically), so I got to know a LOT of cops close-up and they were all big fucking crybabies when they had to deal with anything official. I say all this while allowing that there are plenty of cops who are good guys. for example, I have an NYPD detective living next door, and he's a great neighbor and really sweet guy whose gorgeous wife has made it her business to feed me most nights (she's a kindergarten teacher, so he's obviously a good guy...kindergarten teachers being among my favorite people). getting back to Giuliani, I pride myself on never once thinking he was anything but a total prick..."America's mayor?"...yeah, right...does anybody remember that he tried to parlay one reasonably eloquent moment into an illegal third term because "nobody but me can get this city through this?" the city got through it. more or less.
so yeah, these so-called "elite units" have always been a disaster and police departments have always turned a blind eye to this fact.
the wrong people tend to be the ones who want to be cops. as someone who became very familiar with the policies always in play at Lefrak City (the location of the police medical and psychological facilities), the problem also has a lot to do with the general orientation and behaviors of the psychologists who are supposed to weed out the people who should NEVER get badges.
my close friend Ruth has a nephew who's a sergeant and who told her that a lot of the cops he supervises were coming in with "Justice for Ashi Babbitt" t-shirts. he told them to never do that and that "she got her justice." and a day later, he started to get death threats.
the David Simon series that aired last year, "We Own This City" dealt very eloquently with that "elite" Baltimore unit. I recommend it to anyone who missed it, as it's unfortunately become more relevant yet again (it's on HBO).
Hm... so you're saying the psychologists who screen the cops should be screened.
Most members of the "helping professions" are the ones in need of the most help.
in Social Work School, my feeling was that I wouldn't want to talk to half the other students about a hangnail.
thanks for that. it's a good way to put it...easier to remember.
in fact, I'd call it a slogan.
Just Wow. Thanks for your 1st hand insights David. Darn.
thank you!
...and how come when I view my own comment, it gets cut off? in my version of my post, the last sentences are "the city got through it. more or less," but obviously everyone else can see the whole thing. has anyone else noticed this?
Don't worry, it's all there.
whew! thanks, Tom.
I read the whole thing, then when I closed and returned it had lost the command to expand the comment (a shortened version is shown with the option to expand) but closing the entire post and reopening restored the last of the post. I know; it's like trying to do something blind. Also, try expanding and contracting the text/image size on your screen, or force a refresh.
thank you. yeah, it's frustrating. and I wondered what "expand" means. now I know.