Too many judges, jurors, and members of the general public accept cops’ words hook, line and sinker, merely because they are cops. Becoming a cop does not cloak a person with superhuman powers not to lie, cheat and steal. Police are drawn from the general population, and lying, cheating, and stealing are rampant in the general population; nothing makes police less susceptible to doing so.

As one of the latest examples of extreme lying by police, liveleak.com had posted two disturbing videos — no longer available on that platform — of at least two Hollywood, Florida, cops showing no qualms in fabricating what led to one of the cops’ rear-ending a driver that the cop then arrested for drunk driving. Had the cop told the truth of how the accident happened, what is the worst that would have happened other than a successful traffic accident settlement and possibly demerits or some desk duty for the cop’s not having driven more safely, unless the cop was routinely hitting other cars with his? If not revealed, the cop’s lie could have better assured a conviction and a heftier sentence for driving drunk with a cat in the driver’s lap — a cat who, according to the cop’s lie, ran out the window, distracted the cop, and caused him to his the driver.

Jon Katz.

ADDENDUM: Thanks to a listserv member for posting the video link to this nauseating story.