Private Investigator Calls For an End to Police Immunity (VIDEO)

The post below was sent in via the CopBlock.org submission tab by Rick Gurley, who’s also featured in the video above and the author of the text below. While I agree with most of what’s said I believe the ‘bad apples’ issues is just a fallacy. Also the tough spots LEO’s find themselves in are due to government involvement in the protection business. Gurley notes that when discussing double standards but either fails to see the comparison for those ‘tough spots’ or wants to sell a softer message so that LEO’s actually hear him.

Nonetheless, even if I don’t agree with it 100%, there is value in his post. Particularly the number of offenders, that the state would commonly deem dangerous, that Gurley states he’s captured without having harmed anyone. IMO, that speaks volumes for being able to hold people responsible for their actions. Especially when it comes to those who provide a service that you have to pay for. If the private sector had impunity like the public sector you’d see the same result.

By Rick Gurley

Law Enforcement Officers have a tough job, let’s not deceive ourselves on that point. They are always put in a “damned if I do and damned if I don’t” position ten times a day every day. They must feel like they can’t do anything right, because they are always placed in situations where whatever decision they make is going to result in someone being unhappy, and often time even making a complaint against them. LEOs see the worst side of society day in and day out, and naturally having to see the things they see and deal with some of the people they have to deal with, one could understand why a Law Enforcement Officer might seem “less than optimistic” at times.

I am quite sure that there are a few “bad” Law Enforcement Officers out there, but I am also quite sure that the good Law Enforcement Officers greatly outnumber the “bad” Law Enforcement Officers. Overall I believe that we have a decent judicial system, with good people trying to serve their communities. I also think that nothing is perfect, and we should always strive to make things better in an imperfect world.

Erasing Double Standards

Sometimes all it takes is a small adjustment to make things a little better for everyone. Personally, I think that immunity for Law Enforcement Officers is a mistake and always has been. Anytime a government agency has less accountability than your average citizen, I believe there is a problem. Accountability is supposed to work in the opposite direction, our government is supposed to be more accountable to us then we are to it. With immunity for Law Enforcement, what we have done is create a really good start for the public NOT to trust in their government. With reduced accountability and transparency comes reduced public trust in government.

My thoughts are that there is nothing sacred about being a Law Enforcement Officer. Nobody gets the ability to walk on water when they are issued a badge, and all Law Enforcement Officers are human beings, susceptible to the same emotions as any other human being; rage, anger, jealousy, and hate. As long as this is the case, Law Enforcement Officers should not be treated any different than any other citizen in society.

Now I know that Law Enforcement Officers are thrust into bad situations that require split second decisions to be made. I also know that it is hard to make the right decision when there is no time to think about it. But I also know that private sector police officers, security guards, bail bondsmen, and even private investigators encounter the same type of decision making process in the field too, and yet none of these professions get immunity for making an incorrect decision in the performance of their job. It also seems to me that the real professionals, don’t get sued because they know how to do their job without giving anyone grounds to sue them.

I think that many of our problems that we are facing right now in regards to Law Enforcement and community issues stem from bad ideas like immunity for Law Enforcement Officers. I also think that society needs to see that Law Enforcement Officers are held to at least the same standard as everyone else, and I don’t see how that can be the case when one has to jump through more hoops to sue a Law Enforcement Officer that one does to sue another citizen that is not a Law Enforcement Officer. The fact of the matter is that nobody makes a Law Enforcement Officer become a Law Enforcement Officers, and they all have a pretty good idea of what they are getting into when they sign up to become a Law Enforcement Officer. Law

Enforcement is like any other job, if you don’t know what you are getting into, then one probably should not get into it.

H/T Citizens For Justice for putting together the video.

Rick Gurley
Director of Operations
RMRI, LLC.

Private Investigator Calls For an End to Police Immunity (VIDEO) is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights

Source: http://www.copblock.org/157572/private-investigator-calls-for-an-end-to-police-immunity-video/