A young lady in my ward is writing a paper on the issues surrounding law enforcement and asked if she could interview me. She had some very insightful questions and I think we had a good conversation. Speaking with her gave me an opportunity to organize a few thoughts that I want to put down here as well.
One of the things we discussed is how people with cell phones and other media devices capture officers using violence and what affect this has on society. To some people it may seem like cops have become violent thugs and are always beating people up and shooting people. I don't believe this is true.
Most people living in America today have never experienced a violent encounter with another person. The most dangerous thing most Americans have ever experienced is a car accident - and while that is frightening, the other driver most likely was not trying to kill them. It was just an accident, or the result of negligence, but the other driver was not actively trying to hurt or kill them.
Americans have become so completely removed from violence, that they have no context to frame it within when they see it on youtube or the nightly news. It just appears "wrong" to them. It seems that many Americans simply cannot conceive of a need for violence. Corporate boardrooms have developed lingo for dealing with confrontations and "elephants in the room" and everyone talks over their differences. Schools teach violence is never the answer and expel anyone for fighting - no matter the reason.
Fewer and fewer children are involved in aggressive sports and we don't keep score anymore so we don't have to deal with winners and losers. America, for the most part, is so incredibly peaceful that any form of violence is simply inconceivable.
People are quick to recite, "violence is never the answer". THAT IS JUST PLAIN WRONG! There are situations where violence is the only answer. People forget that America was founded by fighting a long and devastating war for independence. Our freedom was won, and preserved, through the proper use of violence. But, by and large, we have created a society that believes violence is never the answer.
So when people see videos of cops shooting and fighting with people, they get up on their high-horse and say "violence is never the answer. Why can't you just sit down with that poor, misguided, justice involved person, and talk about the elephant in the room?" They simply have no framework to comprehend what they are seeing. They understand and believe in the concepts of law and order, but they want it to happen without anyone getting hurt.
This is the root a lot of the problem surrounding law enforcement today. Everyone is walking around with a film studio in their pocket and recording everything that happens. People are seeing it more and more, but they don't understand what they are seeing because they are absolutely clueless when it comes to dealing with violent people.
Sometimes Violence Is the Answer
There are some situations that can only be resolved through the proper use of violence. When a person goes into a mall, movie theater, or school and starts shooting people, the only thing that will make that person stop is violence. Another person has to confront the shooter and stop him through the proper use of violence - which usually involves shooting him multiple times until he can no longer function. That is not a bad thing, it's a good thing.
When some drunk, drugged, or crazy person is endangering everyone on the road, running from law enforcement and we ram them off the road, that's simply the proper use of violence. When they get out of their car and we have to fight with them because they refuse to go into custody, that is the proper use of violence. No talking about elephants in the room or counseling sessions will bring those situations to an end.
Some People Only Understand Violence
There are some people in society who only understand violence. They only respect that which they fear. We call them terrorists, criminals, and bullies. They do whatever they want, to whom ever they want, until they are physically stopped. They only understand the use of force. If you come into a courtroom, you will find these people (for the most part) being very cordial and respectful talking to the judge. You might look at them and think, "they're not so bad". But don't be fooled. They simply know that the odds are stacked against them. They know the judge can give an order and they lose their freedom. But they're not afraid of the judge. That judges just talks. They are afraid of the cops in that courtroom with guns, tasers and fists who will enforce the orders of that judge.
Even on the streets we typically don't have too many problems with these people (once we show up on-scene) because they know we will take away their freedom, hurt them or kill them if they press the issue with us. They only understand force and who can bring down the greater amount of force at any given time. If they perceive a weakness in the cops, this is when they will attack. They have to understand that we will kill them, and then for the most part, they are fairly simple to deal with.
Violence As a Last Resort
For the most part, law enforcement is reactive. We are reacting to other peoples' use of violence and force. It's not lawful for us to take somebody down because they "might" hurt someone. We have to wait until they have already done something or until we get hard evidence that shows they are going to hurt someone. We also react to their level of violence. If some drunk guy is outside his girlfriend's house yelling threats, we can't just roll up and shoot him.
Violence is our last resort, but it's one that we willingly use when needed. Violence is a last resort, but we're good at it... and that simply freaks some people out because they just can't comprehend the proper use of violence.
Peace is achieved by violence. Peace is maintained through violence or the threat of violence. Sometimes, violence is the answer, but fewer and fewer people seem to be able to see that. I believe this situation is one of the root causes of the "anti-law enforcement" furor sweeping the nation today. Most Americans simply have no context for understanding the proper use of violence.
Unfortunately I don't know what will change that. Fewer and fewer people have served in the military. Fewer and fewer people are getting into law enforcement. Fewer and fewer children are learning that it's OK to fight for a good cause. I'm afraid the only thing that will change this trend is for more and more people to experience personal violence in their lives - and then maybe they will start to see there is a proper use of violence and appreciate the people who are good at it.
"But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." - Romans 13:4
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