The real problem is not Memphis or colour as such, but rather police attitudes in general. Many years ago in Toronto, a Rookie cop who had always wanted to be a policeman and do good saw someone speeding and pulled him over to give him a ticket. The speeder said “I’m on the fFrce.” The Rookie replied: “ I don’t care who you are, you were speeding. Here’s your ticket!”
From that day on, nobody on the Force would speak to the Rookie unless absolutely necessary. How DARE he expect other cops to follow the law? In the end, he was sent to another city.
Here’s the point. The Rookie was right and the other cops were completely wrong. With a sense of entitlement like that, they should never be allowed to remain on the Force! Instead of supporting the Rookie, the Administration sent him to another city, which punished him instead of the cops with lousy attitudes. Sorry, but the police chief should have given the Rookie a medal or a promotion and made it abundantly clear that THIS Is how a good cop behaves, and that any other cop who continued to hold a grudge and treat the Rookie badly would find himself without a job. THAT is how to change things. From the top down. But the police chiefs and the politicians don’t do that. They never do what they should to control their own boys in blue. And when an incident like this occurs, it is never the police chiefs who get blamed. Time to start telling everyone on the Force – including the top brass – that their attitudes will be taken into account and if things don’t change, they will either be demoted or fired. Oh, and telling a cop during a scandal that he is suspended WITH pay during the enquiry? Nope! Tell him he will be suspended WITHOUT pay until the months of inquiry are finished. THAT would probably stop most cops from overstepping the line. So it IS possible to stop such incidents in the future… but don’t hold your breath!
The real problem is not Memphis or colour as such, but rather police attitudes in general. Many years ago in Toronto, a Rookie cop who had always wanted to be a policeman and do good saw someone speeding and pulled him over to give him a ticket. The speeder said “I’m on the fFrce.” The Rookie replied: “ I don’t care who you are, you were speeding. Here’s your ticket!”
From that day on, nobody on the Force would speak to the Rookie unless absolutely necessary. How DARE he expect other cops to follow the law? In the end, he was sent to another city.
Here’s the point. The Rookie was right and the other cops were completely wrong. With a sense of entitlement like that, they should never be allowed to remain on the Force! Instead of supporting the Rookie, the Administration sent him to another city, which punished him instead of the cops with lousy attitudes. Sorry, but the police chief should have given the Rookie a medal or a promotion and made it abundantly clear that THIS Is how a good cop behaves, and that any other cop who continued to hold a grudge and treat the Rookie badly would find himself without a job. THAT is how to change things. From the top down. But the police chiefs and the politicians don’t do that. They never do what they should to control their own boys in blue. And when an incident like this occurs, it is never the police chiefs who get blamed. Time to start telling everyone on the Force – including the top brass – that their attitudes will be taken into account and if things don’t change, they will either be demoted or fired. Oh, and telling a cop during a scandal that he is suspended WITH pay during the enquiry? Nope! Tell him he will be suspended WITHOUT pay until the months of inquiry are finished. THAT would probably stop most cops from overstepping the line. So it IS possible to stop such incidents in the future… but don’t hold your breath!