CAN'T SECOND GUESS COPS

How many of you have been yanked out of your vehicles lately and been
subjected to impromptu versions of Stomp the Yard, Sole Train or
noggin' dancing with the (APD) stars?

Hmmm, just as I thought - save for a few shady drug dealers in Ravine
Park, nobody. Oh sorry, I mean "suspected" drug dealers. Hate to smear
reputations of those park-strolling nature lovers, right?

Thanks to the wonderful world of YouTube, an Oct. 9 takedown of
suspected dealers in Abbotsford has become a disturbing case of
"suspected" police brutality.

And even though the YouTube offering lacks context, fails to show the
lead-up drama to the controversial takedown and clearly shows the
refusal of one suspect to follow simple orders, it is the police under
the investigation microscope for such things as excessive force - and,
undoubtedly, for doing more to these suspects than our impotent courts
ever would.

And some media outlets, not too worried about mixing facts with sexy
stories, have been quick to play judge and jury on this
less-than-crystal clear-case.

Yes, here in the Murder Capital of Canada, where gangs run the
streets, threaten schools, endanger kids' lives and tap our stretched
police resources, where hookers stroll the streets and drug dealers
work the schoolyards and street corners, we still sit around wondering
how a legal system can offer no justice.

Funny how that works, eh?

I get it that nobody is, or should be, above the law. We know that
police officers have strict rules to follow, but if someone ever dies
in that kind of takedown drama, I don't want it to be a cop.

I'm not exactly sure why we have a small segment of society that wants
our cops to fail. Or that feels all our rights are being trampled.
It's simply not true.

Unless you're running in an unscrupulous crowd, there's a good chance
your face-to-face meetings with police officers will be limited to
Christmas roadblocks, speeding crackdowns or a community fundraiser.

As many of you know, APD officers have blitzed the schools with
anti-gang and anti-drug messages.They have offered former and
borderline gang members an opportunity to have tattoos (and crime
affiliations) removed.

Stats show they have been extremely effective in the areas they can
control, and while it's impossible to stop gang members from killing
each other, the senseless carnage hasn't claimed any innocents here
thanks to solid police work (and perhaps some luck).

And even though our taxes go toward drug rehab centres and every other
drug-related ailment, there are those who love to play the "victim"
card when it best suits them - like when a police officer has a gun
pointed at your head for dealing.

Going back to the YouTube offering for a moment. Did the suspects have
weapons? Did they threaten the officers?

Did they have a vehicle that they refused to put in park? Do they have
past records of violence? One would think all of these answers come
into play before you can accuse the police of wrongdoing.

Is there a chance that a drug dealer operating in this tough city
might be armed? Would it not make you want to see this person's hands
at all times?

While we can't permit a society filled with crooked cops, or those who
can't get their Taser stories right, we should never jump all over the
good cops for trying to keep streets, schools and parks free from
society's predators.

Some of these lowlifes should be thankful they only get stepped on at
gunpoint, because with most cases in that lifestyle, the one holding
the gun doesn't have a badge.