Dogs and Cops

I commented three times on the thread on this post at Hullabaloo.

There were several truly frustrating thing about many of the posters over there. At least the ones who seemed to approve of the way the cop handled the stop.

They seemed unable to separate the stop (which was probably ok) from the actions of the cop after the stop (which were not in any way ok). There was also the complete acceptance of the cops version of the speed the couple were supposedly traveling (100 mph according to the cop).

Cops always exaggerate in their reports. Always. They want to make themselves look good and the defendants look bad. Not really that unusual for people as a whole.

But the real issue seems to be a quite a few people who frequent a very liberal blog seem to think that if people break the law in any way to any extent then they deserve what ever the cop wants to do.

I'm a dog (and cat) person. But the bigger issue seems to be a kind of admiration of power simply because it is power. Not because it is right.

Did the couple act in a way that they shouldn't have (speeding)? Maybe. A lot depends on where they were speeding and who else was on the road. Must the letter of the law always be obeyed? DFHs don't think so. I don't think so.

But even assuming that they were wrong. The justifications for the cop's actions after the stop simply amaze me. "He should not have escorted them to a vet clinic because that wasn't his job/didn't have the time/they should have known better/they could have hurt someone."

None of these justifications are real. The one that comes closest is "he didn't have time." That one is bullshit. He had the time they always have the time. That is their job to serve and protect. Serve us.

The authoritarian mind set always freaks me out. "Those in power do what they do and it is ok because they are in power."