Law
Enforcement: Harassment or Intimidation?
By
Richard Hannibal, Retired Police Sergeant
Professional
Law Enforcement Officers have been taking a lot of flak lately. The
media and public criticize them when they are too proactive or when
they are not active enough. Often these critiques arise from the
emotional perceptions of a crowd mentality that are inflamed by the
self-interest of so-called
leaders — leaders who sometimes have their
own agenda not based on fact.
A
recent Letter to the Editor is a good example. The letter chastised law
enforcement for harassing and intimidating the writer. The letter went
on to say that the writer arrived at this conclusion simply because a
police car was driving behind him on the freeway.
We
all get an uneasy feeling when we have a marked police car anywhere
near us, but does this arise to harassment and intimidation? The writer
seemed to think so and his perceptions no doubt influenced others. I
can't imagine how anyone could feel the mere presence of a passing
police car is harassment and intimidation.
Police
officers know about harassment and intimidation because they are often
the victims. On many occasions, the sole intent of a complaint against
the police is to harass and intimidate them. In my prior life, I was a
police officer in Los Angeles County. This was during the intense civil
unrest of the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. At that time, the complaint
"flavor of the month" was to accuse officers of "kicking pregnant women
in the stomach." This had the desired emotional appeal. Note, it had to
be a woman, she had to be pregnant, and the blow had to be where her
fetus resided.
Nothing
less would accommodate the nefarious intentions of the person or group
stating the lies. I was the occasional victim of these lies, but
ordered to not address the ridiculous allegations. Thus, the public got
a one-sided version of what happened. This did not stop the media from
presenting the story with little or no research, which fermented more
rumors and unrest.
These
blatant, slanderous lies continue today. As usual, the police will not,
or cannot respond to them due to an ongoing investigation. Thus, the
public receives a slanted picture of what happened. Of course, there
are civil remedies for slander. But, most officers would not consider
that course of action. They consider false accusations to simply be
part of the job.
Imagine
if someone named you as committing a horrendous deed you did not
commit. Then you are ordered not to respond to the allegation. Think of
the impact it would have on you, your family, and your career.
I
don't deny that misconduct by the police sometimes occurs. Without
question, harassment, intimidation, or brutality by someone in power is
immoral and unethical.
However,
many times it is a false perception in the eye of the beholder.
Officers stop drivers for failing to stop at a stop sign. I've heard
drivers call this harassment. About all the officer can do is try to
explain the traffic stop or ticket to the driver and move on. They can
only hope that the driver's perception will change.
Intimidation
is another subjective perception that police are wrongly accused of.
Of
course, the police try to ‘encourage' folks to obey
law—that's their job! Usually, their mere presence is all
that is needed. This is the purpose of uniforms and marked police cars.
On occasion, an officer must take action in the form of a citation or
arrest for non- compliance of a law. Should the lawbreaker consider
this intimidation or harassment?
Most
police officers are well aware that their power comes from the people
and that power is not self-ordained. They realize that they are merely
citizens, set apart from the general population to maintain order. We
are a nation of laws that requires law enforcers. Adults don't like to
be told what they can or can't do. When they violate a law, they try to
justify their actions by stretching the truth. The reason could be
merely to "save face." However, another reason could be the intentional
undermining of our laws and society.
As
citizens, we must control police power and hold them responsible for
their actions. No one knows this better than a police officer. But,
keep in mind that police officers are citizens and have the same
constitutional rights as everyone else.
Suspected
police misconduct is not solved by burning buildings and looting
stores. We must resist joining the hysteria that screams, "Burn the
witches." Let our system of checks and balances investigate the
incident and allow the judicial process to render a verdict. That is
the foundation of our nation. Anything less could result in demoralized
law enforcement with obvious consequences to our orderly society.
Sgt. Hannibal at Work
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