On 11/18/2011 8:07, Warp wrote:
>    There are people who have claimed for years that the average American
> policeman is corrupt.

I think this is (A) a relatively newer phenomenon, and (B) a problem that 
even the honest police don't report the bad apples.

I.e., I don't remember hearing anything like "the usual police brutality" 
until maybe 10 years ago here, and certainly nobody was afraid of police 
when I was growing up. I don't know whether to attribute it to me just 
paying more attention or to the police actually going downhill in terms of 
being good police. Certainly there was a lot of talk of "community policing" 
which meant the police living where they worked, knowing the people who live 
there, etc.

Certainly the whole Rodney King beating was astoundingly brutal and all 
that, where as nowadays such a thing would be seen as business-as-usual by many.

I think as the economy has gotten harsher and the politicians have gotten 
bolder in their disregard of the law, the brutality and such has trickled down.

The other problem is that police who do this sort of thing aren't 
disciplined by their "brothers in blue." It's a bit understandable, as you 
really don't want to be squealing on the guy who tomorrow might have to save 
your life. So now people are thinking even the average cops are bad cops, 
because they're defending the bad cops even if they're not doing bad things 
themselves.

FWIW, I think what you're seeing with the cops now has much longer been the 
case with prison guards and such. I don't think anyone ever considered 
prison guards to be kind and caring to those in their institutions.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   People tell me I am the counter-example.

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