there are definitely standards and people come out of the woodwork wanting to be cops. unfortunately they are almost always the last kind of person that should be a cop. it's nearly impossible to find individuals who think the job requires service to a community, and when you're talking about lots of people needed to be cops it's basically impossible. and then the pressure put on those who do care about their community usually erodes their viewpoints so that before many years have past they become just like all the other cops. it's very difficult to be a cop and not develop a "them" and "us" mentality. think about it for a second, your job requires you to arrest people. and *all* of the people you arrest either claim to be innocent or justify their actions. you *must* be able to simply ignore the noise they make unless they say something incriminating. then you *must* remember it and use it against them in a court of law.

let me point something out here... the system is broken. keep doing things the same way and you get the same results. it must change. the courts, cops and corrections are not going to change. so we must. when you serve on a jury remember that it is now your job to evaluate and determine the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a crime. the courts will tell you that if the evidence indicates beyond a reasonable doubt that they did in fact commit the crime you must find them guilty. bullshit. our system has become stuck on words and the intent behind laws no longer matters. if you are on a jury and the person is guilty, but a conviction would be an injustice DON'T FIND THEM GUILTY. if you are on a jury and the crime in question is something that should not be a crime DON'T FIND THEM GUILTY. quit blaming the system and start fulfilling your obligation to make it work. judges will tell you that you have no choice but to find guilty if the evidence indicates. wrong. a juror always has a choice.

i've personally heard judges yelling at prosecuting and defense attorneys that he didn't care if a suspect was guilty or innocent - get a plea bargain and don't come back till you do!!! waiting for the system to fix itself just means it won't get fixed. we are all needed to make it work. quit abdicating your responsibility.

ross
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www.rosscroft.com