NYPD jumps guy for not dispersing fast enough.

I think it comes down to people assuming that police (or anyone for that matter) are either "good" or "bad."

That's it.

Most people assume that, because they don't like to be very introspective of themselves.
They assume they are a good person, and they ignore their faults, they ignore the "grey" in some of their morality.

If you consider that, it's easy to see why it's a systemic problem.

If you're a police officer who doesn't assault people, doesn't violate their civil liberties, so on and so forth, you see yourself as "good". Do you call the bad officers out? No. Do you report them? No.

Why?

Because on the one hand you know them personally, maybe for a long time. You enjoy their company, they have a family, they coach little league.....do they do "bad" things? Sure, but you know them, and you start making excuses for them.

On the other hand even if you do report them, what does that mean for you?

Suddenly everyone in your department stops being friendly with you. They don't have your back anymore. In a job like this, that could lead to you being injured or killed.
And that's the best case scenario.

Worst case scenario is they force you out. They find a way to fire way and screw you over. You've got 10 years on this job. It's got a great pay, lots of easy overtime, amazing health insurance, another 10 years and you retire in your late 40's with a great pension. You've got a family to take care of. Your wife and kids are more important.......

So you just keep seeing yourself as a "good" person because you don't do these things and the people who do aren't really that "bad".....right?

Like it or not, that's how most people think.

This kind of thinking goes on everyday in nearly every career. It's just much more serious in law enforcement.

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