Chet - In my locality I have seen police officers get fired on several occasions based on complaints from other police. I can only remember once where the termination was the result of brutality. I can think of two others who were terminated or forced to resign for misconduct, as opposed to incompetence. I heard about a cop who was terminated before I came on some fifteen years ago, who was fired for lying in court. One of the people I went through the academy with was terminated before the end of the academy for breaking a rule and then lying about it. I can recall several other occasions where the complaint, (officer initiated) was a lesser offence which resulted in discipline. I personally have never encountered an abuse so blatant I had to become part of the internal investigative process. I believe there is a code of silence in some places, but there are several former cops, and many more who have had to face discipline in my county, who would have to admit that the police can and do police themselves. In my opinion, we consistently hold ourselves to a higher standard, and much of the discipline currently imposed would not occur if we had a fair and impartial citizen's review board. However, in this fractious community, a fair and impartial citizen's review board would be nearly impossible.

On a few occasions I have expressed concerns individually to other officers when I thought an arrest or citation was "skinny," something likely to lose in court. Generally, we know that every time we lose a civil or criminal case, the criminals only get stronger and bolder. This tends to make us very circumspect, not only with regard to investigation and arrest, but in use of force situations as well.

On several occasions, I have witnessed verbal abuse which could have resulted in discipline if the citizen had complained. For instance, during a traffic stop of a person (he was trolling for hookers) who was on parole for Sodomy, the driver got snotty with the officer who initiated the stop. The officer, normally a fairly well-controlled person, said something like, "You don't tell me how to do police work and I won't tell you how to sodomize people." (Cringe, cringe) It shut the guy up and he never initiated a complaint. Had he done so, I might have been contacted by an investigating supervisor, and I would have had to tell him what the officer said. If there had been a complaint, the officer who made the comment would have admitted to it without reservation.

Several years ago, at an out-of-state training class, my friends met two cops from another state who were blatant racists, and perhaps we have them here too. I'm pleased to be part of a police culture in which racism is something abhorrent. In my department racism is not tolerated by either the brass or the line personnel. If there are racists, they keep their dirty little secret hidden, because it is something to be ashamed of. Still, there are those who never pass up an opportunity to accuse each of us, and the department as a whole, of being racists. I bet katlaughing's daughter is the furthest thing from a racist you could possibly find, but if she becomes a cop, she will regularly, though never in good faith, be called a racist just for doing her job.

I've had the alternative media accuse me of racism, theft, and "arresting people because of the way they look." That last part is true in a way. I have arrested people because of the way they look. I've arrested them because they look exactly like the person who sold us drugs a few days before. Of course they get on the public access channel with the anti-cop group and say they never sold drugs, the cop stole their money, and they were singled out because they have long hair. I suppose I could get on the same channel and show the video I have of them actually selling the drugs. But I prefer not to do that until I have to. You see, we take the video from somebody's house or business, and if this gang knew about it, they would vandalize the places or threaten the people who offer me an observation platform.

There are several officers I work with who have lateraled in from larger departments in big cities. They have horror stories of cops indicted for robbery, extortion, and murder. I don't know any cops who wouldn't jump at the chance to put somebody like that in prison.

In my old dictionary, the definition of demimondaine included "society's fringe," of which I proudly proclaim myself a former member. I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and I had some wild times before I decided to become an adult. It left me with a more rounded perspective, which helps me in my job. I think it makes me more empathetic.

And Tucker, before I became a detective I rode a police bike, and I found it a very effective means of catching "johns" and prostitutes in the act. The people in that poor neighborhood, where I grew up, whose names I know, were very grateful and regularly applauded my team when we arrested the johns and the hookers. The women in that neighborhood got real tired of having men drive up to them and ask them if they were looking to "party." I would estimate that three of the eighty or so prostitutes in my city are cocaine addicts. The rest, every single one of them, are heroin addicts. So every time some guy drives through the neighborhood and picks up a prostitute for twenty dollars worth of sex, (sometimes they even check the prostitute's arms to make sure she has track marks, and therefore, is not an undercover cop) he's contributing twenty dollars to enrich the heroin and cocaine dealers who do everything they can to keep these women ensnared. (that's what I call entrapment) I have many horror stories, and a few, very few, successes with getting some of these women out of that lifestyle.

So Tucker, (and I'll say this hoping we can still be friendly) if you had streetwalkers and drug dealers hanging out in front of your house or business, would you think that was just fine? Maybe you would. But most people don't.