Obama to police chiefs: US safer because of your efforts

[niyad]

Obama to police chiefs: US safer because of your efforts

CHICAGO (AP) — Defending police officers who have come under scrutiny like never before, President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the men and women who risk their lives to provide security are wrongly "scapegoated" for failing to deal with broader problems that lead people to commit crimes.





Unemployment, poor education, inadequate drug treatment and lax gun laws are not the responsibility of police officers, Obama said in remarks to the International Association of Chief of Police, which held its annual meeting in the president's Chicago hometown.

He blamed the news media's tendency "to focus on the sensational" for helping to drive a wedge between police officers and a public they take an oath to protect and serve. He called for rebuilding the trust that once existed between them.

Obama delivered his speech amid a roiling national debate about officers' treatment of potential criminal suspects following the deaths of unarmed black men in New York, Missouri and elsewhere by police.

"Too often, law enforcement gets scapegoated for the broader failures of our society and criminal justice system," the president said. "I know that you do your jobs with distinction no matter the challenges you face. That's part of wearing a badge."

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http://www.mail.com/news/politics/3916924-obama-to-police-chiefs-us-safer-your-efforts.html#.7518-stage-hero1-5

[Hydra]

1. Ugh. In the midst of unarmed people dying for being a vulnerable minority...

[niyad]

2. made me ill.

[Snobblevitch]

3. President Obama is correct.

The. Ast majority of LEOs in the U.S. do a difficult job everyday and do it well.

[GummyBearz]

5. That majority also alows a minority of their comrads to beat and kill

innocent people. Why not speak up? It is part of doing their job, and IMO, they are NOT doing it well.

[Snobblevitch]

7. That is repeated enough so that too many people believe it to be true.

I know of two cops who were fired. One was fired for insurence fraud. The other because he was a lazy SOB who didn't do his job. They were both turned in by their fellow LEOs.

[GummyBearz]

8. Insurance fraud and laziness on the job...

Wow, sure fixed the big problems by getting those 2 out of uniform.

[Snobblevitch]

9. So, you think they should still be on the job?

[Glassunion]

10. Wow, 2 whole cops?

Meanwhile... For the better part of 2 decades an entire division of police officers looked the other way while their officers, detectives, sergeant, lieutenant, commander, and lieutenant-commander tortured hundreds of confessions out of innocent people. Torture consisted of slamming telephone books on top of suspect’s heads, cattle prods and other electrical devices (attaching wires to the suspect’s genitals or face), a violet wand said to be regularly placed either on the anus, into the rectum or against the victim's exposed genitals, stun guns, adapted hair dryers, mock executions, putting plastic bags over heads, cigarette burnings and severe beatings, ect. to some as young as 13 year old children.

Detectives, officers, and investigators did their best to make sure when it was finally exposed, to cover it up.

The city had to pay for both the prosecution of and defense of the Detective Commander in charge.

So my anecdotal data trumps yours.

[Snobblevitch]

11. I'm only one person.

[Glassunion]

12. Me too.

[Oneironaut]

6. +1 - Police maintain order and prevent anarchy

They're the foundation of a civilized society. One can acknowledge this and still be critical of the police. Too often here and in the media the idea seems to be that if you say something good about the police, you must be a bootlicker, and if you criticize the police, you must want anarchy. Too many people fail to acknowledge the middle ground.

[Rex]

4. And in other news water is still wet.

What he said was very true...of COURSE LEO keeps us safe. Without them this country would be an anarchy. I don't think that is the major issue here that needs facing. The issue here and now, is that SOME cops are causing ALL trust in LEO to dissapear between their community and local authority.

The issue can only be fixed by COPS. Their union leaders must actually go after bad cops or this issue will NEVER GO AWAY.