One reason cops get angry

A few weeks ago I talked, briefly, about "de-policing" after I worked an overtime detail and spent the better part of my night being accused of being a racist. I talked about the phenomenon, seen in Cincinatti and other places, of cops who, when accused of brutality, racial profiling and bigotry, go into a fire department style of policing--stopping all proactive patrol activity and simply responding to 911 calls.

I thought of that after I saw this video today. In it, San Francisco Police Officers Association president Gary Delagnes gives the assembled media a piece of his mind. On July 26, San Francisco PD officer Nick Tomasito-Birco was killed in the line of duty when his squad car was struck by a van full of robbery suspects fleeing the police.

Evidently, a significant amount of media coverage focused less on questioning why a 19 year old with prior arrests and pending cases was out on bail, and instead focused on the conduct of the police involved in the pursuit. The head of the police union gave a brief press conference and gave voice to the frustration that tens of thousands of decent, conscientious, hardworking cops feel all over the country.

Once again, here's a link to the video. You have to sit through an ad first.

Here's a link to the memorial page for Officer Tomasito-Birco.