EDITOR:

I think yours was a pretty courageous column, given that any criticism of the police by a newspaper tends to bring about a lot of hostile reactions. Nonetheless, I think you were right: the police stepped over the line and there are some things that we cannot lose.

Unfortunately, the larger issue is that once we lose our liberties, we don’t get them back, and Americans apparently that by trading their liberties for a larger and, frankly, more violent police presence, they will be better off. What happens, as we know, is that the more authority that regimes grab, the more insecure they become, and the more violent they become.

I was the one who wrote the material in the Lew Rockwell blog link, complete with the picture of the cop waving a loaded shotgun in the face of a child. If someone had been killed — and given that many cops today are trigger-happy because they know their unions back them no matter what — no doubt we would have had the usual slew of excuses.

Yes, it is important that robbers be apprehended, but if we must resort to having what effectively is a Gestapo to do it, then the truly dangerous people are not those committing crimes on the street.

Thank you for standing up for what was right. I noticed that the Denver Post completely took a powder. Of course, with Denver having what passes for an armed gang in blue uniforms as its police force, I guess what happened in Aurora seems tame.

Bill Anderson

William L. Anderson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Economics
College of Business
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, Maryland

8 replies on “When police take liberties, they’re gone for good”

  1.  I too am pleased to see the coverage given to this topic.  However, are there not at least a dozen other issues that are being ignored by the Sentinel?  Does someone really need to point them out for the Sentinel or are they just being swept under the rug?

    Shouldn’t our home town newspaper be reporting these transgressions and we the people be active in holding our officials feet to the fire.  I mean is this a newspaper or Better Homes and Gardens?

    1. Hi Beck,   Can you elaborate about topics you would like to see in the newspaper?  Perhaps that could be addressed.

      1. I
        think there is a subculture of people who receive this kind of treatment
        on a daily basis and it has now crossed over into the mainstream.  It
        is only now that when the mainstream experiences this heavy hand that
        “FOUL” is screamed.

        Our only way of knowing about these actions is through the reporting from the press or to experience it ourselves.  In this case we experienced it ourselves and that was probably a mishap.  Not meant for public consumption.

        I like to think that our public stewards desire our support, recognition, and acceptance.  They can only experience our support if we the public are aware and are willing to become involved.  They may feel threatened by this scrutiny but transparency is the only way this can happen.

        Punishing our public officials by cutting salaries and benefits will only divide us even further.  I also think that lawsuits only damage ego’s and our public coffers, and with no real satisfaction to the recipient.

        My solution would be make all actions by city employees public knowledge and then communicate our expectations. If the public employee then does not respond appropriately they must be removed.
         

        1. Beck, you have  elaborated upon things well but I disagree with you about financial punishment.  You perhaps don’t understand that because most public employees practically have to commit a felony to be fired and disciplined in any manner.  This needs a tougher approach than what you are suggesting.  We are already doing this  and it has not helped. I hope an ACLU attorney takes this case. 

          1. I know that I am chimming in quite late but I have to disagree with DesireeLeigh.  The City of Aurora is an at-will employer and has been known to levy large cash fines against employees who question illegal or unethical directives.  This keeps employees from sharing information with the public and creates  situtations where members of the public are mistreated. 

            I am in the process of collecting information on the practice and publicizing it on the web.   We have the power to make changes if we the people choose to take our power back.

  3. And when the criminals take over that will be better huh? Don’t call the police then…you call then want to nit-pick every little decision.

  4. Ouch! the police only show up after the crime. until the Patriot Act made it illeagle to think about a crime. Now we have the Thought Police for real.

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