'Lazy cop' syndrome

Posted at 8:21 AM on November 19, 2011 by Bob Collins (8 Comments)

One thing that's clear after this week's various Occupy protests. The more "non-lethal" tools you give a police department, the greater the chance the cops will misuse them.

Coincidentally, this point was also affirmed by last week's "60 Minutes'" segment on how Tasers are being misused.

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Comments (8)

I don't think "lazy" is the right word; I think it's more a deliberate attempt to inflict pain or discomfort in retaliation when given the opportunity. Cops put up with a lot of grief, and when they have a chance to take it out on someone they do. Not all of them of course, but enough of them. The cop in the video certainly looks to be enjoying himself.

Posted by John P II | November 19, 2011 10:11 AM

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Police and criminals have the same basic psychological profiles.

The difference being that criminals tend to be individualistic rebels, while the person that chooses to become a cop prefers the camaraderie and structure of an organization.

Posted by Jim Shapiro | November 19, 2011 11:52 AM

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"lazy cop syndrome" was a phrase from the 60 Minutes piece.

Posted by Bob Collins | November 19, 2011 2:01 PM

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I heard the police chief is standing behind the officer that used the pepper spray, which in my opinion, makes cops look even scarier to the public. All I can think is, why does a civil protest need pepper spray? It looked like just another cop on a power trip.

Posted by Aaron | November 20, 2011 7:38 AM

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Post 9/11, almost all law enforcement agencies received huge budget increases or grants to beef up their capabilities. Could it be that with these new tools a sense of entitlement to use them comes with? When looking at some of the military style apparel some of these departments now wear. I don't think it's big a leap to using military style (non-lethal) force to achieve their goals at peace keeping.

Posted by Rich | November 20, 2011 9:25 AM

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Live by the sword, swiftly die by the sword.

There will be peaceful justice.

Posted by This is NOT lucy | November 20, 2011 11:24 AM

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I'd like to apologize to any cops I may have offended with my previous comment. I was not aware that using chemical agents and baton strikes on peaceful protesters is now standard police procedure.

Posted by John P II | November 20, 2011 1:46 PM

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I've been saying this for a while. It's not just non-lethal, it's things that don't leave a mark. Cops are running wild with tasers. Old woman doesn't want to get out of bed? Tase her. Pregnant woman getting mouthy at a traffic stop? Tase her. They might have some hesitation at clubbing an 80+ year old woman but tasing her or spraying her with pepper spray seems less lethal and is also harder to prove after the fact.

Our police have been trained that they always need to "be in control" and that any orders they issue have to be obeyed immediately. We see people who are, at worst, misdemeanor offenders whose judicial punishment would be a small fine or a day in jail being given major extra-judicial punishments for "contempt of cop". It's time to stop this. The police do NOT need to be obeyed at all costs.

Posted by Dave | November 21, 2011 6:37 AM

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