I don't trust police. According to a recent study, this places me in the minority among Arizona residents. Over the summer the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at ASU released a study that shows that the majority of Arizonans trust the police.
Before I say any more, I feel I should further explain what I mean when I say I don't trust police. I look at each police officer as an ant in a colony supporting those in charge; therefore, I do not see them as individuals but part of a whole. I do not believe all police officers are terrible human beings, but when they are wearing their uniform I am cautious until they show me humanity.
People assume the police are meant to serve the public, but I believe the police are meant to serve those in power. The best example of this is the controversial photo radar cameras on the Loop 101 in parts of Scottsdale. While criticism remains from what appears to be the majority of the people the cameras remain activated, including a Janet Napolitano stamp of approval. Since the police run these accursed machines to reduce accidents, despite the use of a high intensity flash at night aimed at drivers of vehicles traveling over 76 mph (which sounds a little dangerous in my opinion, but I am just a lowly opinion columnist at ASU), they are able to claim to be serving the people. But since the cameras themselves create dangerous situations it can be assumed that the cameras are used to gather money for the city it is serving, (the debate over the speed radar cameras is a whole different issue).
So, the police as a whole simply support those in charge, but let me point to a few examples of why we shouldn't trust police. On March 31, 2006 the Mesa police were called for a domestic dispute. The police arrive and the man, upset that the police won't let him handle his woman his own way, throws a plastic chair at the police officers. In response the police shoot the man to death (if anyone was wondering, the man is named James Deon Lennox). I want to state I am not against police being able to defend themselves, but I tend to think shooting a man to death for throwing a cheap plastic chair at the officers could be considered excessive force.
The story gets better. A Mesa police spokesperson (Sgt. Chuck Trapani) informed the public that none of the officers were carrying stun guns. Furthermore, the officer who killed Lennox had previous altercations with the deceased and was found to have had splotches of pepper spray on his clothing. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to think if an officer has been pepper sprayed they should not be firing a weapon. Also, in the previous altercation, Lennox punched the officer, which creates the possibility of distorted judgment on the officer's part.
The second incident does not involve excessive use of force, but police ignorance. My bicycle is my main mode of transportation and as such I have become well versed in the laws of the road. Just the other day I was riding and a truck was inches from me, narrowing my space of riding to about an inch of movement space on either side of me. Thinking this was a justifiable cause to call the police for endangerment, I called up the Tempe police. When the officer spoke to me I casually mention that as a bicyclist I have a right to the road when there is no bicycle lane (ARS 28-815) and that cars are supposed to give me three feet of passing distance (ARS 28-735). With an expression of bafflement the officer tells me he has never heard of any such laws. At this point in time I offer to point out these laws in the Arizona Revised Statutes, but the damage was done. This man who I called to protect my rights and my life, since I was almost hit, had not even heard of the laws giving me these rights.
So I salute you, the majority of Arizonans. Continue supporting these people who don't know your rights and might not even take the time to be equipped for non-lethal force. These are the people you trust to protect you, and I could not think of a better bunch.
If you or any loved ones are police and would like to send hate mail, feel free: norman.shamas@gmail.com.
