In the sense of “peacekeeper” (i.e., protecting people from violence), I have the utmost respect for the police – I think it’s a tough and very necessary role to play. In terms of monitoring traffic, I also approve as it appeals to my sense of order and I think most traffic laws are quite sensible (I won’t oppose the eventual GPS/robot monitoring and fining of vehicular misbehavior). In those senses, I’m willing to yield to and support their authority. [Incidentally, by “police,” I mean to refer to all branches of law enforcement, from local sheriffs to the FedBurInv (but, not, obviously, the law-averse CentIntAg)]
However, in the sense of enforcing hundreds of thousands of laws, many of them outdated or nonsensical, I think it’s a ridiculous endeavor (see my posts law is not your friend and expiry for laws), both in terms of being impractical and in terms of being unreasonable. How can anyone blindly support and enforce the myriad of moral edicts issued by flawed humans in power? I can only imagine that policepersons engage in a very powerful form of disengagement, or game of pretend (imaging that these laws come from an almighty god). Of course, I know that some of the more outlandish laws simply don’t get enforced, but still – even consenting to enforce “all law” seems pretty outlandish to me.
All of that presupposes an ideal police institution, free of corruption and politics and prejudice, which if you add into the mix, you end up with a much more problematic situation. Now you have the police enforcing disenfranchisement of the poor, people of color, immigrants and sex workers. You have police enforcing political games, like the wildly inconsistent so-called “War on drugs” and perpetrating violence on peaceful demonstrations (WTO protests, etc.). You have police kidnapping nonviolent people, tearing them away from their families and all they know and imprisoning them in a highly prejudicial institution, perhaps to await a cursory trial by “peers” (usually from a completely different social caste) or perhaps to be kicked out of the country. The prison industrial complex does not address any of the social issues intertwined with most “criminal” activities, but it does create an oppressive environment that exacerbates inequalities and poisonous social norms (such as machismo).
A great article addressing some of these issues is: On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists (somewhat tangential, but well worth reading).
