I may sound like an old hair bag, but when I was a cop in NYC during the late sixties, the seventies, and the early eighties, cops got respect, even from violent street hoods and gang members.  That’s because we knew the job we were assigned to do, and we did it without worrying about political ramifications from left-wing radicals who never saw an arrest situation they agreed with.  We had backing from our superiors and from the political establishment.  The reason we had their support was that our toughness helped make residents in those high-crime areas feel more secure.

When the world witnessed street thugs pouring a pail of water over the heads of two uniformed NYC cops a few years ago, law enforcement was set back a generation.  Such a demonstration of contempt for the law is a result of decades of liberal policies by local governments that would rather tolerate utter disrespect for the police than have to deal with riot situations that often occur after cops do the job they were trained to do.  Those cops should have been fired immediately for dereliction of duty.  In addition, those thugs should have been charged with assault on police officers and forced to do jail time.  The reason for their punishment is not merely because of their affront to the law, but because their actions made cops look weak and ineffective.

It’s been my experience that law-abiding residents of a neighborhood want tough cops on patrol in their areas.  That’s because they’re smart enough to know that weak cops are useless against the brutal hoodlums who terrorize them in the streets, as well as in their homes.  Thanks to the anti-American Biden/Harris regime, savage gangs have entered our country and set up operations.  As President Trump has emphasized over and over, those gang members are more vicious than any we currently have in our major cities.  What type of cops do you think we need to deal with them?

Yes, we have an army of well trained law enforcement officers in every urban area.  However, all their training means nothing without the backup of local authorities.

Let’s face it: we are at war with violent criminals in every major city.  The public has been conditioned to believe that the police are a racist occupying force.  Yet even a cursory examination of the victims of crime indicates that blacks are overwhelmingly murdered, raped, robbed, and assaulted by other blacks.  The decent, law-abiding people in those areas want more effective policing but are afraid to speak publicly, lest they be targeted by the organized gangs who are a constant threat to their lives.

They shouldn’t have to protest in order to be safe.  That’s the government’s most important function!  The police are the arm of government that is tasked with that job.  It’s a highly sensitive job because it deals with some of the worst elements of society.  Do you think you could be an effective cop if every move you made were on video, subject to scrutiny by left-wing groups, politicians, and legal aid attorneys?

The old adage tells us that a visit to a sausage-making factory would turn our stomachs and change our diet.  Police work is not for those with weak stomachs.  Cops get paid to handle that which regular people don’t need to see as they’re enjoying dinner with their families.  What most cops deal with, in cities and towns across the country, often involves the worst form of human garbage on the planet.  (To those who would quote Scripture to scold me for my language, I say walk in a cop’s shoes for a while before you talk about something you haven’t experienced in your typical 9-to-5 job.  The Monday-morning quarterback is generally someone who has never thrown a pass...or donned a uniform.)

I’m trying to explain what I learned after 20 years in some of the busiest precincts in NYC, ten of which were assignments in plainclothes street patrol resulting in about 500 felony arrests.  If you’ve ever been in a threatening situation, what’s the first thing you do?  If you look around, hoping to see a police car nearby, you are typical of every other decent citizen.  Imagine if that police car made a U-turn when the driver recognized the threat.  Although it’s hard for me to imagine that occurring, I know that the police have been under siege every time they make a move, and they’re only human.  Every time a cop is intimidated by political and media-driven bias, we are all in danger.

Tough cops are a danger only to violent criminals.  The average citizen will almost never be involved in a police incident.  However, when someone is unfortunate enough to become a victim of street violence, what type of cop does he want to come to his aid?  A Tren de Aragua gang member has lots of experience with violence.  If the cop that confronts him is squeamish, you’re toast.

The fact is that we’re paying cops to enforce the law, so why not let them do it?  Moreover, try to understand that they are effective only if they’re tougher than the thugs they’re going up against.  How safe would you feel if they were afraid to grapple with the monsters that prey on innocent people every day?  How long would it be before you became a victim?

Criminal behavior is like a disease that will fester if not eradicated.  The only cure for it is on the streets of your city, and it’s wearing a blue uniform. 

Image via Pixabay.