I feel like we repeat this stat a lot but I don’t think that a lot of us really think about what this issue means apart from another reason why cops and the vertical power structures which accompany them are harmful.
“…But abuse at home is far worse for the wife or girlfriend of a cop. Who will she call—911? What if a coworker or friend of her husband responds? Police officers are trained in the use of physical force and know how to hurt someone without leaving a trace. They have guns and often bring them home. And if a cop’s wife runs, where will she hide? He usually knows where the women’s shelters are. Some shelter staff admit they are powerless to protect an abused police spouse. Her abuser may have training and tools to track her web use, phone calls and travels to find out if she is researching how to get help or, if she has fled, where she went.
The counsellors available to help other abuse victims are often clueless about how to help police spouses. “Victims of police officer batterers typically report that advocates do not appreciate how different their situation is because the abuser is in law enforcement,” writes Diane Wetendorf, a retired Chicago-area domestic violence counsellor who has helped hundreds of abused police spouses and is author of Police Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Victims. “It is disappointing and frustrating for a victim to have to educate the very people who she had hoped would be able to inform her.”
…Police departments often try to steer complaints into closed-door disciplinary hearings instead of the criminal proceedings that civilians would face. The internal hearings usually result in no more than a token slap on the wrist for the officer. Despite the high number of abusive officers, charges are laid in only a tiny number of cases—often, it seems, only those too extreme to ignore. In court, the officer has major advantages, too. He is usually at ease with courtroom procedures and testifying on the stand. He may have worked in the past with the prosecutor or judge. Officers called to testify are notorious for covering for each other. In police lingo, it’s called “testilying.”
you could curse a police officer out, kick their car, throw a temper tantrum and throw trash. and that still doesnt mean they get to kill you. what the fuck is wrong with yall? why do you think police get some special license to kill when they get disrespected?
if they cant do their job without murdering unarmed people, they dont deserve their badge, or anyones respect.
Except it isn’t always that simple.
Except it literally is. I deal with verbal and emotional abuse daily at my job. I get disrespected daily. I’ve had customers throw things at me. Not one of those situations have I ever felt the need to pull a gun on them and shoot them. In fact, I am expected to tolerate that kind of abuse with a smile and often times those people get rewarded for their behavior.
If a cop can’t deal with being disrespected without murdering people then they don’t need to be a fucking cop.
paramedics & emergency room medical staff deal with people pulling the most disrespectful, violent, deranged shit and still continue to provide care. they shouldn’t have to put up with that but they fucking do, and they don’t fucking shoot people for being rude to them.
Add teachers to the list of professions that deal with some wild behavior and still manage not to kill people.
