To Protect and Serve…
Note to self. Cops can come into your home, shoot you six times by mistake and still get off the hook. The incident in question took place in 2008 and a lawsuit has recently been filed by the victim. Of further note, rule number one of being a cop: you aren’t guilty until it’s caught on tape. I have respect for cops and the danger that they put themselves in, but with stories like this one, you HAVE to see that police officers are just as capable of morally reprehensible actions as the baddies they are supposedly protecting us from.
It really is a sad day when you can’t trust your appointed police officers. When I read stories like this, it makes me wonder what exactly does it take to become a police officer? Here are Phoenix’s requirements. High school diploma or equivalent (you don’t even need to be smart!), no felonies, et cetera. Standard stuff. Notice the ninth one down, though.
Must have good moral character and personal integrity.
Sounds good to me, Phoenix… at least on paper. But how is this determined? By an interview? Background check? Sprinkling them with holy water and seeing if they sizzle? This is bullshit “feel good” verbiage with no realistic means of evaluation. Additionally, why not list this requirement at the top of your list? The first and foremost (!!) thing I want out of a uniformed police officer with authority to arrest me, throw me in jail or take my life is sound moral judgment, pristine personal integrity and a no shit commitment to defending my personal liberty. Police officers have the responsibility of making life and death decisions everyday. It is IMPERATIVE that they make the RIGHT decisions.
Unfortunately, cops are human and they fuck up from time to time. I understand that. What I do not accept is Officer Brian Lilly and Sergeant Sean Coutts, the on-scene supervisor, attempting to cover up the mistake and trying to cover their own asses… especially when a man may have been shot to death by mistake. Even if we give these two the benefit of the doubt and accept that they snap decisions under immense pressure, as citizens of police jurisdictions around the country, we need to know that mistakes of this magnitude will not happen. Peoples’ lives are at stake!
“That’s all right. Don’t worry about it. I got your back. … We clear?”
Police officers are viewed as having a very high level of integrity and are given immense amounts of respect (PDF, see page 3) Rightfully so. They perform an immensely difficult and dangerous job. That image is tarnished, however, by incidents like this one. When you shoot a man six times before establishing who he is and then attempt to cover up your mistake, you have had an unforgivable lapse in judgment and should no longer be a police officer. Whether it was unintentional or not is irrelevant. He was the homeowner and was speaking with a 911 operator for fuck’s sake! Officer Brian Lilly and Sergeant Sean Coutts should be off of the force.
The lesson to be learned here is that you can’t turn your back on anyone. Not even the police. Police officers are not elected and are not beholden to the citizenry they are sworn to protect. They are appointed and those responsible for such appointments delegate that responsibility to police academies and the like. Police officers are normal people and do not possess any special characteristics that make them ideal for law enforcement. Individual police officers can and do regularly operate outside of the law. Furthermore, in a court of law, the word of a cop will be given more credence than that of a civilian any day of the week. Unless of course there is some form of recording. I’m not saying to distrust police officers entirely. No, I’m merely saying that it is foolish to trust them implicitly. You would be wise to keep this tragic story in mind when you next find yourself dealing with an officer of the law. I know I will.