Peoria community members support officers with Back The Blue rally

[DennisinMH]

I'm sorry @LovelyRita, but I'm with @AV8R on this one here.

I have no problem with the Back the Blue rally in Peoria. Why?

Because the police force here is better trained, and 95% of them are not like the cops we've seen in cities in Seattle, Portland, or Minneapolis. One of the former Police Chiefs, John Stenson, after retiring, worked at PCCEO as a Weatherization Inspector contractor. We talked a lot about law enforcement in Peoria. And this was before the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson.

[DennisinMH]

From LovelyRita:

"The back the blue bullshit. Cops aren't special. They don't need parades and flags just for doing their job. Where are the parades for physicians and teachers? It's all nonsense."

Hey, love the idea! I nominate you to lead and organize a parade and rally for physicians and teachers!

Seriously, we do need something especially for hospital doctors, nurses, and more. They've been seeing the effects of this virus up close and personal for months now.

[AV8R]

You've mischaracterised my statement. Why aren't you rooting out the abusers? Why don't you help make the badge mean what it's supposed to instead of defending bad cops? I can hold 2 opinions at once... Public safety is important, police brutality is a huge problem. It's quite easy.

But you don't hold those opinions. You've stated on this very forum that "all cops lie.
All. The. Time.

So again, you've proven yourself to be full of shit.

[LovelyRita]

I said public safety is important. Not cops.

[AV8R]

I said public safety is important. Not cops.

I guess you've never heard of the Department of Public Safety? Do you know who works for an agency with that name?

[LovelyRita]

If cops can't keep from killing black and brown people, maybe they don't need to be involved in public safety. Because that's not really safe.

[CCubs]

I sure as hell would not want to live in a city, state, or country where there was no police protection. Can you imagine the rampant crime effect that would have? How can anyone seriously think that we could do without police? I don't doubt that there are a few bad apples in the bunch, but for the most part they are honorable men who are underappreciated. I don't know why anyone would want to go into that career right now, but I'm sure glad they do. A simple fix for a lot of these situations is to STOP committing crimes, and report the ones that you see or know about.

[LovelyRita]

Across the country cities and towns are looking at new ways to deliver public safety services. Armed officers are not needed or advised in every situation. Obviously what has been in practice isn't working. Communities should be open to exploring every alternative available and if that means taking money from cops and increasing mental health services, that is what should happen.

[AV8R]

I sure as hell would not want to live in a city, state, or country where there was no police protection. Can you imagine the rampant crime effect that would have? How can anyone seriously think that we could do without police? I don't doubt that there are a few bad apples in the bunch, but for the most part they are honorable men who are underappreciated. I don't know why anyone would want to go into that career right now, but I'm sure glad they do. A simple fix for a lot of these situations is to STOP committing crimes, and report the ones that you see or know about.

I agree, and to Rita's point, I have always known that like any profession, there are people in law enforcement that have no business in that line of work. I worked with one in the southwest who hated Hispanics and took every chance he could to violate their constitutional rights. I turned him in on several occasions and refused to back him up on traffic stops he conducted because I knew what would likely transpire. Eventually it caught up with him and he was fired, but it took longer than it should have because back then there was not the proliferation of video we have today. I arrested a couple of my fellow officers on domestic violence as well. No excuse for that. Period.

I do not agree with Rita's belief that all cops lie, that all cops are bad, etc. That's a broad brush that doesn't paint an accurate picture of the police, but rather an accurate picture of her hatred. As a detective, I lost a few cases at trial because I told the truth of what happened, and that put reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror. If it was something I missed in the investigation, I learned from that and strived to do better next time. That's how our system is designed though, and it's one worth defending. Sure, I could have lied and gotten a conviction, but I decided early on before ever pinning on a badge that my integrity was something nobody could take from me, and something I'd never give away.

I also agree I don't know why anyone would go into LE now. I counsel those who ask not to. Rita thinks she's getting my goat when she says she's glad I'm no longer in LE, and my response is always the same, and always truthful. It's "me too."

[peoriafootballfan]

I have noticed the attraction between you LovelyRita. At first I thought you two were friends making jabs. I see that is not the case after reading some of these threads.
Thank you for your service. Integrity is what makes you.