If you look at a newspaper today, it’s mostly filled with news of crime and politics. Crime is rampant everywhere, not just on the streets but in most homes as well in the form of domestic violence. It’s arguably the worst kind of crime and ranks right up there on the horror scale with incest and child abuse because it’s perpetrated by people the victims consider family or close relatives, people they trust and love and who abuse these emotions by taking advantage of them when they’re weak.
A recent domestic violence case that was in the limelight was worse than usual because the criminal belonged to law enforcement – Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Hedges was arrested and charged with 4th degree assault for domestic violence against his girlfriend of four months who accused him of kicking her in the stomach besides abusing her verbally as well. Hedges belongs to the Louisville Metro Bomb Squad, and the arrest was made by Chief Deputy Danny Thompson at Hedges’ home in Bullitt County. Officers also confiscated several guns and rifles from Hedges’ home and also a device that looked potentially dangerous.
The problem with cops turning criminals is that:
You lose trust in the system when those who are supposed to protect turn out to be the perpetrators.
With their easy access to and legitimate use of weapons like guns and rifles, they are potentially more dangerous than unarmed criminals.
You don’t expect them to be the bad guys, and so you end up trusting them more than you should.
They are known for their violent methods when handling and interrogating suspects.
For now, Hedges has been suspended without pay and is awaiting trial. But he is just one among the hundreds and thousands of cops and others in law enforcement who break the law, one of the miniscule numbers who are arrested and actually tried. Others get away scot-free because their victims are too intimidated to complain against them or because cops tend to protect their own. They have been known to withhold evidence and generally do what they can in order to protect one of their own, forgetting that they are duty-bound to protect the public because of the uniform they wear.
Domestic violence is related to rage and anger – two emotions that take over your senses and make you abuse a fellow human being, someone who you profess to love, just because they don’t comply with your demands. It’s an issue that needs psychiatric treatment and counselling, besides time spent in the penitentiary as punishment. Cops and other men in law enforcement don’t want to admit that there is something wrong with them, and this makes the problem of cops and domestic violence harder to solve.
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Brooklyn White, who writes on the topic of Forensic Science Technician Programs . She can be reached at brookwhite26-AT-Gmail.com.
Here's the link: http://www.forensicsciencetechnician.org
[KY] Deputy Hedges arrested for kicking girlfriend in the stomach and explosive device
ReplyDeletehttp://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2010/02/ky-deputy-hedges-arrested-for-kicking.html
Hello Cathy,
ReplyDeletedomestic violence is about power and control, two traits that are very common in many law enforcement officers as well as civilians. Although the American Institute of Stress reports that law enforcement jobs rank among the top ten stress-producing jobs in the U.S., intimate partner violence (IPV) is a choice: individuals who engage in this type of abusive behavior choose to react abusively.
Domestic violence is not genetically inherited, is not caused by mental illness, nor it is caused by substance abuse (alcohol and/or drug usage). The abusive behavior and substance abuse may be related (law enforcement officers have high rates of alcohol use); however, alcohol consumption does not cause the abuse.
I would also like to add that historically, law enforcement regarded domestic violence as a private family matter and treated it as such. I am glad that so much has been accomplished since the British common law tradition where women were considered a man's property and wife beating was lawful: in 1824 the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that wife beating was legal as long as it was not extreme...
Today, domestic violence is a crime and domestic violence perpetrators need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, whether they are law enforcement officers or civilians.
Hello Cathy,
ReplyDeletedomestic violence is about power and control, two traits that are very common in many law enforcement officers as well as civilians. Although the American Institute of Stress reports that law enforcement jobs rank among the top ten stress-producing jobs in the U.S., intimate partner violence (IPV) is a choice: individuals who engage in this type of abusive behavior choose to react abusively.
Domestic violence is not genetically inherited, is not caused by mental illness, nor it is caused by substance abuse (alcohol and/or drug usage). The abusive behavior and substance abuse may be related (law enforcement officers have high rates of alcohol use); however, alcohol consumption does not cause the abuse.
I would also like to add that historically, law enforcement regarded domestic violence as a private family matter and treated it as such. I am glad that so much has been accomplished since the British common law tradition where women were considered a man's property and wife beating was lawful: in 1824 the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that wife beating was legal as long as it was not extreme...
Today, domestic violence is a crime and domestic violence perpetrators need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, whether they are law enforcement officers or civilians.