Praise For Some Cops

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am no fan of police. I have been known to refer to them as, "fascist stormtroopers of the state." One of the things that makes police in America better than police in the UK is that the ones in America are more willing to take bribes. The police in the UK, however, are better in as much as most of them don't carry guns. I'm not sure which I prefer, although given that I don't have much money, these days, perhaps I am better off with the gunless, UK police. As an aside, I'd like to mention that female cops in Britain look sexier in their uniforms than do their American counterparts. That's probably because the uniforms female cops wear, in Britain, is more flattering to the female form, than are the ones worn by the Americans.
My two favorite cops of all time (so far) are Peter Christ and John Perry. I like Peter, a retired Captain, because he is retired, he has the cool surname "Christ," and because he taught me anger reduction techniques. John Perry, who died in the September 11th attacks, was a good friend who got me started in acting. He appreciated the difference between victimless "crimes" and crimes in which innocent victims were harmed. I have now come across a couple of cops here, in Britain, who deserve praise. The first is Ian Redhead, Deputy Chief Constable of Hampshire. Referring to the growth in CCTV surveillance cameras ( http://itn.co.uk/news/b75c2839e2c7fe1120b66281d1105cf3.html ), Ian said:
"If it's in our villages, are we really moving towards an Orwellian situation where cameras are at every street corner?
"And I really don't think that's the kind of country that I want to live in."
I think he gets it!
While I was looking for Ian's quotes, I discovered another chap, Colin Langham-Fitt, Acting Chief Constable for Suffolk (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=455600&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490 ). Colin expressed concern that the CCTV culture is eroding civil liberties. I think he gets it, too!
Not to be a critic who never gives praise where praise is due, I wanted to celebrate these two British cops for having the courage to speak out in favor of liberty. Now if only I could find some good looking, female cop, who thinks the same way as they do, to frisk me, then all would be right with the world. At least this corner of it.

How Sweet It Is!

Imagine how happy Marilyn Gordon must have been. She had lost her purse, but it had been recovered by the police. As she entered a police station in South Tyneside to claim her purse, the 72-year-old was probably thrilled. All that probably changed rather quickly, when Marilyn found that she was being questioned by the cops on suspicion of possessing cocaine. It seems that alert police discovered small, white tablets in a plastic bag, inside the old woman's purse. Note to self: if you lose a purse with cocaine in it, don't turn up at the police station asking for it back. Oh no, what is a poor old lady to do? At some point during the questioning, the tables were turned on the zealous men in blue. The cops discovered that the tablets were merely artificial sweetener that Marilyn used for her tea. Maybe next time, the officers might test a substance before subjecting a little old lady to questioning. Ironically, Marilyn is an ex-magistrate. I wonder what punishment she'd inflict on the cops? Perhaps lining the officers up and smacking each of them in the face with her purse would be appropriate.

Dick On the Rise

See, if I write about you, good things happen to you. The police woman I wrote about on Saturday (see "What a Dick!" 17 February, 2007), has been promoted. Cressida Dick has now been made Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in London, which is one of the highest positions in the department. She's probably an over-achiever, trying to make up for her unfortunate name. Dick's rise is not without controversy, though. It turns out that she was the commander in charge of the operation that resulted in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, in July, 2005. Jean Charles' family are not happy about Miss Dick's promotion. Perhaps they just don't like Dick. Whenever a Dick goes up, someone complains. Cressida is welcome to contact me for an interview. She could let me put her positive side forward. Perhaps she would bring along her handcuffs. She might frisk me. Would she be able to find my concealed weapon?