The police in Costa Mesa, California, have taken an irrevocable step, and I hope that the City Council will address it forthwith.
For those who won't click over (shame on you), the Police Union in Costa Mesa hired a law firm known for its mob-like tactics in handling "negotiations" with City Councils which were considering putting fiscal sanity before Police protection money. Surprising precisely no one with a brain, this law firm then hired a PI who attempted to set up a City Council member for blackmail and extortion. That attempt failed, and the Police Union and law firm are quickly back-tracking and attempting to throw the PI under the bus. Read the whole thing for more details.
Once again I'm drawn to point that these are the logical consequences of a growing police state. When the Police are seen more as revenue generators than as peace keepers and law enforcement, it only stands to reason that they will begin to see themselves as mercenaries and demand ever increasing payments.
Gone are the days when police were encouraged to "walk the beat" and be part of the communities they patrolled. Now they are apart and aloof, overseers and enforcers for the Government. But, like any hired army, when you try to explain that they're too expensive, they don't consider your needs, only their own situation. Thus activities like those in Costa Mesa can hardly come as a surprise.
Certainly this specific situation needs to be handled forthwith. The police chief and all the upper command structure must be fired, and new officers brought in to help combat the obvious corruption of the police in Costa Mesa. To do any less is to send the signal that these mob-like tactics will be tolerated, if not fully accepted.
But there is a larger problem here. It is one that we, as a nation, need to address. That is the problem of the ever growing police state. From local governments banning smoking in restaurants, to proposed State-wide bans on using cellular phones while driving, to the Federal Government giving the department of Education a SWAT team, the state has gone from a posture of protecting Liberty to one of protecting its privilege. This must be combated soon. It is the neo-feudal system, where the government is made up of vassalage and fiefdoms, and those not in a position of power are, at best, second class citizens, and at worst slaves of the state.
Which, it turns out, is how Democrats view us anyway.
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