Why good cops don't stand up against corruption and brutality

Many of you probably remember the story of Regina Tasca, a good cop who was smeared by her department because she had the effrontery to defend an innocent man from being beaten by out of control cops. The department immediately suspended her, saying she had mental problems, claiming she was "psychologically unfit" for duty.

She fought against the charges and, in spite of the judge determining that she had acted in accordance with departmental policy, she was still fired and now, the department is trying to collect back pay from her from the time she was on suspension. The "logic" used to justify her firing defies the imagination and she has been vilified in the local press as a bitter woman claiming sexual harassment.

Tasca instinctively did what any legitimate peace officer would do: She intervened to protect the victim, pulling Rella off the helpless and battered young man. Tasca's act was one of instinctive decency, genuine principle, and no small amount of courage. It was also the action dictated by her department's use-of-force policy, the first page of which specifies that it is "the responsibility of law enforcement to take steps possible to prevent or stop the illegal or inappropriate use of force by other officers."

In his report on the case, Judge Donohue acknowledged that Tasca acted in compliance with the use-of-force policy — but he dismissed that fact on the preposterous grounds that "no evidence was presented to establish that Officer Tasca even knew about the document."

Only an uncommonly inventive sophist would pretend that the important question is whether Tasca was aware of the document stating the policy, rather than whether her actions were in accord with that policy.

Lewrockwell.com

She served 20 years on the force with never a citizen complaint but was canned when she stood up for those she's charged with protecting. Maybe the fact that she never had any complaints was another reason she had to go.

Here's her story, in case you aren't familiar with it.


Its become pretty clear that law enforcement in the US is out of control and one of the greatest criticisms is that good cops don't stand up against what's going on. This case illustrates why they don't; because they will be slapped down, vilified and fired, that is if they aren't arrested outright for going against the "thin blue line".

The fact that an outside arbitrator sided with the department in this absurd case goes to show that there is an organized movement to encourage more violent and oppressive behavior on the part of law enforcement while suppressing those cops who still think its their job to PROTECT the public.

They want to avoid confrontation
They don't want to be outcasted from their fellow cops
They fear of harassment that may follow or losing their job
They are in on it themselves
They are afraid and intimidated by their fellow cops
They don't have proof it happened
There is valid reason to weigh the cause and effect of reporting corruption within their ranks
It's difficult to prove and they are aware of other failed attempts to do so
They don't want to be labeled a snitch, and fear the label can follow them to their next career assignment
They are taught that the force is necessary and standard practice and therefore would have no reason to fight against it


There's just a few reasons I can think of off the top of my head

It seems that the persecution of good cops and those who blow the whistle on corruption and brutality is on the uptake while stories of cops abusing their authority and brutalizing the public and getting away with it, even after being taken to court is also on the rise. It seems to be sending the message that its good to be bad if you are a cop, while those who fight against the corruption of this institution are systematically suppressed and persecuted.

The local news story focuses on how much Tasca has cost the Boro in legal fees and makes a point of mentioning that she's gay and makes it seem as if all her complaints against the department stem from gender discrimination. Check out how they refer to the incident that got her fired.

Tasca, who is gay and was the borough’s first female police officer, was fired last month, after the borough adopted Donohue’s recommendation. She had faced more than 20 administrative and departmental charges and an unfit for duty charge in connection to two April 2011 incidents.

She was accused of failing to help her partner as he struggled to restrain a drunken woman in the first incident and interfering with two Ridgefield Park officers as they tried to restrain an emotionally disturbed man in the second.

North Jersey.com

FortAnthem


It seems that the persecution of good cops and those who blow the whistle on corruption and brutality is on the uptake while stories of cops abusing their authority and brutalizing the public and getting away with it, even after being taken to court is also on the rise. It seems to be sending the message that its good to be bad if you are a cop, while those who fight against the corruption of this institution are systematically suppressed and persecuted.

The local news story focuses on how much Tasca has cost the Boro in legal fees and makes a point of mentioning that she's gay and makes it seem as if all her complaints against the department stem from gender discrimination. Check out how they refer to the incident that got her fired.

Tasca, who is gay and was the borough’s first female police officer, was fired last month, after the borough adopted Donohue’s recommendation. She had faced more than 20 administrative and departmental charges and an unfit for duty charge in connection to two April 2011 incidents.

She was accused of failing to help her partner as he struggled to restrain a drunken woman in the first incident and interfering with two Ridgefield Park officers as they tried to restrain an emotionally disturbed man in the second.

North Jersey.com

"restrain", "pummel"......these two words have different meanings.

If I restrain someone that is out of control, it is to peacefully as possible stop an attack.

If I pummel someone, that is what is known as a "beat down" where I come from.

These are two very different things. One is meant to stop aggressive acts, the other is meant to perpetrate them.

Pretty much black and white honestly.

How incredibly typical.

Here we have one cop ... who calls more cops. What happens when you call the cops?? ... it usually ends badly for somebody.

I've really looked, but I can't seem to find the specifics behind firing Tasca. I think I know, but I can't find it 'in print' anywhere.

Unless her case makes it into a federal court ... I imagine the lawyers are going to milk this as long as possible.

Regardless, of the outcome....the persecution of the lady officer is unquestionably an injustice and an affront to decent human beings everywhere.....
Where are all the citizens whom she stood to protect when she needs THEM....?

Ive always found that good cops simply like people and trust their governments and laws too much to interfere, since its their job to simply protect and serve, leaving the other jobs to people trained to do it.

Bad cops are aggressive and angry people and enjoys getting away with it and also, avoid confronting the problem that exist in the white house.

Good cops simply dont bring their pain and rage to work, bad ones let it out.

reply to post by FortAnthem


I can assure you that after almost a decade of LE experience you will get every kind of pressure put on you if you disagree with the mission. I wont go into detail with my story but ill say this. I was one of 3 out of 40 officers with a college degree in my department....I noticed this "operation" they came up with was complete entrapment...so I opted out of it. I was labelled as a "cancer" and not a "team player". I was next in line to be promoted but the way it works you can take any of the top 3 and I was passed over several times....also to become a senior administrator you had to have a degree...since so few had one that made me a shoe in for senior administration...they then changed the rules to anyone with an interest in college instead of a college degree.

I literally watched senior administrators recommend to search people without any right to...I explained how they couldnt do that and it was illegal...I was told "you are such a liberal".

I witnessed my department sell old items from evidence to include firearms...some were sold illegally...I brought up the fact that it was being sold illegally...they honestly were so dumb they didnt realize what they were doing was illegal...they did stop and were ignorant of the law..but would they give you a break if you were ignorant of the law?

After all this I was gone after pretty hard core until I resigned....the day I left I was able to breath so much easier. Was such a relief. I spent more time fighting my administration than crime. LE is a sick world....and there are a lot of damn good men and women in the job that just get sucked into the game. When you see # every single day...you just become so desensitized to the human race. I say this with deep sympathy to the LE community but most are mentally ill....and Im not saying that as if they are bad people (I was there myself once)...im saying it as I feel so bad for them and wish them the best. Ask any ex cop....any ex cop..how they felt the first day after they quit, resigned, got fired etc...they will all say...relief.


So what is the solution? Cops do 5 year rotations tops.....they either move to administration or are let go to pursue another career.

Cops and organized crime sleep in the same bed, they just can't be trusted.

A good cop would probably get killed if he was really fighting corruption from inside.

reply to post by theMediator


I've seen it posted by a few different people in the Posse Comitatus forum - all cops are bad cops. While I don't implicitly believe it, when you fire the good ones for doing what is right it means ALL the remaining ones that "GO ALONG" with the status quo REGARDLESS of how "good' they might be are BAD COPS.

It's becoming more and more evident that cops can't be trusted. I realize that it depends on many things:
1. City/state/municipality
2. History of corruption/violence
3. Neighborhood (poor neighborhoods prob. get it worse than middle income and upper income neighborhoods)
4. The attitude of the cop(s) that happen to show up that day

I've known a decent number of cops in my life (family, friends, neighbors, etc), some corrupt and some not. I can honestly say, that the ones that weren't corrupt aren't working as police anymore and the several of the corrupt ones are still working. But that's a relatively small data set, just interesting personal perspective.

The way I see it, there is an organized effort to create a system of penalties and rewards which rewards bad policing and penalizes good cops.

When cops abuse citizens or ignore people's rights, the establishment stands behind them, makes excuses for their behavior and sweeps everything under the rug. Sure the injured party may win some money from a lawsuit in the end but the officers never face any personal consequences and even the department loses nothing as their insurance picks up the costs. In the end, the offending officer is showered with support from his fellow officers, thus encouraging further bad behavior and giving them the impression that they can do anything they want and get away with it.

Officers who try to do the right thing, or even just try to distance themselves from the corruption while turning a blind eye are labeled as "not being team players" ,disciplined for petty offenses (against other officers) and fired if they actually attempt to stand up for the rights of regular citizens. The press then joins in by smearing them as whiners and misrepresenting their story to reflect only the official version presented by their department. If it weren't for the alternative media, we would probably never hear their stories.

reply to post by cosmicexplorer


My uncle was a cop and I think he felt the same way. He served in Vietnam and according to his wife/parents it changed him, made him a bit of a thrill seeker. He joined his departments SWAT team, if there was a shooter he was always the first one to respond, and so on. Basically he couldn't get rid of the soldier persona, which is fine... I think we can all agree every department needs some real combat vets. Then he saw his entire department start to become militarized, start doing shady things, and so on. It made him so sick he left and became a court bailiff because there was no way to combat it... he could either help perpetuate it or just leave.