There seems to be more and more debate of “good” cops and “bad” cops. Where are all the good cops coming out to stand for more accountability, and a real fix to the system? The side would argue these are isolated events and that the majority of cops are good cops. But, I would have to argue that there is no such thing as a “good” cop, a “good” enforcer of law not based in opinion, funded through extortion and plunder.
The argument I would make is that you cannot base this job on extortion, plunder, and authority and hold any moral ground. A uniform doesn't give people authority over others, and badges don't grant extra rights.
Some will say we should direct our anger at the lawmakers. I absolutely agree with that. But you can't just say the law makers suck, and at the same time defend police action. They are enforcing the shitty laws made by shitty law makers. If the police did not enforce them, they would hold no weight. They hold an amount of the responsibility for their actions (if not all of it), and if they are part of a system that is oppressing people, they are responsible for the actions of all in the system that they are supporting. You could argue people shouldn't be held accountable for another individual's actions, and in most cases I would agree. But in this case, you have to understand that when someone is beaten, arrested, or murdered, there is a resentment that is put on them as a system, as a group. Sure, the individuals who actually murder others should be held to much harsher judgment than the others. But, in being a part of the system that created the opportunity for this situation to happen, you have to know people are going to try to hold you responsible.
What about those who are ignorant to this idea, those who go out and believe they are making a difference? I'm not arguing that a person who has this idea of going out and defending his community against aggression is a bad guy. I think that is very noble, and especially in more dangerous areas, courageous. But, even with the best of intent people do bad things. That is what this is. Their intent is to help, but the laws they enforce (the ever growing stack of arbitrary rules) are mostly unjust, and with that immoral. Even if you don't go out and beat up some punk who talks shit to you, even if you pull an elderly woman out of a burning building, you are still a part of the system that is also doing awful things, enforcing arbitrary rule, extorting citizens (seat belt laws, as an example, don't do anything to help anyone, just take responsibility off the individual), and accepting funds taking through plunder (taxation). That is not a good job. You are feeding the system that extorts others, and even if your actions don't reflect that, your piece in the system is necessary for the bad things to happen (if all the good people who are cops put down their badges I think the police would be a lot smaller, and be easily handled by the good people who left the system).
But, to be clear, this is only a condemnation of the job they do. All cops are bad. Every time someone puts on this uniform, goes out and extorts and funds the rest of the system, it is a negative on society. But, those people with good intentions, lets go back to them. A good man can become a cop. A good man could, on his down time, go out and volunteer in homeless shelters or what have you and make a positive impact in society. I will not argue that there are not good people who are cops. That would be crazy, I don't claim to know every single individual's life story. In fact, I very well think there are good people that put on that uniform. But, when they go out, and they are a “cop”, there is no need for an adjective because the nature of the system they are contributing to is a negative one and already infers it is “bad”. If the good people only realized this, we could really look into the problems our system faces, and hopefully talk about a better way to help others.
I would say, instead of the plunder we accept, we use our money and our property, and voluntary and peaceful trade to protect ourselves and our communities. There are markets emerging even now, with services like Cell411 that look to put the idea of protection back into the community's hands. The fact is the market can solve these problems, people can solve these problems, innovation and technology can solve these problems. But, an entity that itself feeds on the plunder and extortion these people enforce will not likely do much to change the status quo. It is up to us, as moral conscience beings to take a stand against such a system of plunder, and take a step into taking responsibility for our own lives. And if these good people that are cops do exist, i can't imagine their feeling of obligation to help others will leave them. Maybe they start their own business based on emergency response or community outreach. Maybe instead of using some time to be a positive on society, and some time being a negative, they could remain a positive, helping part of the community. That sounds like a much better way for us all to get along.
