600 Rogue Cops in Capitol?

I've been telling you to buy more ammo. You may need it for local patrolling: it appears that the cops are about to go rogue.

“Police have just announced to the crowds inside the occupied State Capitol of Wisconsin: ‘We have been ordered by the legislature to kick you all out at 4:00 today. But we know what’s right from wrong. We will not be kicking anyone out, in fact, we will be sleeping here with you!’ Unreal.

We'll see what actually happens. This could be some big-mouth/low-mental-wattage Chicago/Detroit/Minneapolis local yokel who has nothing to say about it anyway.

OTOH, if the cops decide that they aren't subject to legitimate State authority, then they're asking for a lot more trouble than they ever want to handle.

Jacobson editorializes:

More than anything, this shows the dangers of public sector unions. Those who work for the state occupy a different position than those who work in the private sector because they carry the weight of state authority. When those state workers are in law enforcement, they carry special obligations not to use their positions for political purposes.

A friend of mine has argued that there's no reason not to privatize fire, ambulance, and police services. Well........I have no problem with privatizing fire/ambo; after all, that's what volunteer FD's are all about. National "fire code" regulations--written by full-time fire-department personnel--have made volunteer FD tasks more challenging (you can guess why), but training is provided.

Cops? Not so easy to do, and Jacobson nailed the reason: "....they carry the weight of State authority." And as he also mentions, that implies--explicitly--a non-partiality which can be difficult to maintain. Difficult, but not impossible.

Granted, the partiality in the Madistan Mess is not germane to traffic tix, criminal apprehension, and DV affairs. But explicitly breaking the chain of authority will create a shadow-of-doubt in the minds of citizens.

That is not good, period. It's worth remembering that when they are in trouble, the cops expect citizens to step up and help. It's what good citizens will do. That's why the "Buy more ammo" meme--it's part of what citizenship is all about.

Somebody over the age of 25 should have told that cop to STFU.

HT: BBVWRC