The Dallas Police Department is “mentally beat down,” according to its Rob Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association. Amid the recent nationwide backlash against police brutality, numerous local criticisms have apparently taken their toll on department morale:
The head of the Dallas Police Association tells CBS 11 News that longer 911 response times can be blamed in part by officers being mentally beaten down.
“The bottom line is response times are up, violent crime is up, and officers are fed up,” said Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association.
Many of the 3,000 officers he represents are moving slower because of concerns over safety and fears about violating department policies, Pinkston said.
“The motivation is a little lacking,” he said. “I think it’s just the fear of doing the right thing and that they are going to get disciplined for doing that.”
Pinkston said officers are too often being reprimanded for the way they drive during high speed chases or for the difficult decisions they have to make when using deadly force.
Yeah. Boo hoo. You try to give constructive criticism on a particular aspect of the job they are doing, and rather than receive your opinion with a level head and grow from it, police decide to make things personal. This is just another outworking of the reason they are being criticized in the first place—they take extreme measures. For once, it would be nice if police just operated in a level-headed, professional manner.
Imagine if you went to a restaurant and ordered an omelet. You specifically asked for no salt. Salt was added. You send the omelet back. Then the chef, mentally beaten down from so many complaints, sends you a note back, “Cook your own omelet and see how you like it.” That’s basically what’s happening here with the Dallas Police Department. “Let’s see how you like it when your house gets broken in to, and we’re not there. Bet you’ll regret all the mean things you said about us then.”
I for one don’t feel bad for them. It’s not too much to ask that police generally abide by the traffic laws they have been commissioned to enforce unless it is an absolute necessity to break them. It’s not too much to ask that they not shoot unarmed citizens not wanted for capital crimes. When your employer—that’s us, in case you forgot, Mr. Police Officer—criticizes the way you’re doing your job, you might be tempted to sulk or shift to the opposite extreme. But don’t do that. It’s childish. Take the middle road. Grow.