PA had a great post on appealing to the humanity of police officers in times of tyrannical rule, in which he links to a news story mentioned by AnonCon. Air Marshals were ordered to follow and observe people who were not on terror watch lists and were not supposed to be trailed. It did not sit well with them, but they did it. PA discussed appealing to the conscience of police officers when they are ordered to enforce tyranny. It’s a topic worth discussing.
In my younger days, I worked professionally with a lot of law enforcement officers (LEOs) from many different state, local, and federal agencies. Here are some generalities I encountered.
1. The majority of cops are old-school conservatives, good natured, upright, law-and-order types.
2. There are enough dirty cops that anyone who is not suspicious of the police is out of his mind.
3. They are generally speaking fiercely loyal, but not necessarily to the public. They are loyal to those with whom they feel a particular bond, and that typically means they watch out for each other before they look out for the public. Sometimes it’s looking the other way when a guy with FOP license plates runs a red light. Sometimes it’s turning a blind eye to a cop with a drinking problem, an aggression problem, or both (both tend to pop up a lot with LEOs).
Even cops who are naturally right-wing will very often enforce tyrannical laws rather than go against the grain. There is a large element of conformism among many LEOs, and lots of them are middle-class family men who want to protect their livelihoods and pensions. If that means booking a guy knowing he will go to prison unjustly and be raped and beaten there, they justify it by saying the prosecution and sentencing are out of their hands. They just do their part.
They are just following orders.
Do not count on the consciences of police officers to protect you in a clamp down. Count on their desire to go home alive to protect you.
