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phill4paul
06-22-2013, 05:53 AM
What Cop T-Shirts Tell Us About Police Culture
Posted: 06/21/2013 3:00 pm EDT | Updated: 06/21/2013 11:51 pm EDT

Earlier this week, an anonymous public defender sent Gothamist this photo of an NYPD warrant squad officer wearing a t-shirt with a pretty disturbing quote from Ernest Hemingway:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1204987/original.jpg

The Village Voice reports that the quote was also printed on t-shirts worn by NYPD's infamous Street Crimes Unit, which was disbanded after shooting unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo 41 times in 1999 as Diallo reached for his wallet. The Voice also reports that at least two NYPD police commissioners have used the phrase "hunter of men" to describe police work -- Bernard Kerik and Howard Safir.

There have been a number of other incidents over the years in which cops have donned t-shirts that reflect a mentality someone less lofty than "protect and serve." Most recently, a Northern California union for school police officers came under fire for printing up and selling these shirts as a fundraiser:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1204993/original.jpg

The head of the union later apologized and stopped selling the shirts. In 2008, the Denver police union was caught selling these shirts in advance of the Democratic National Convention, and the political protests the city was expecting:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1205005/thumbs/o-BEATCROWDS-570.jpg?4

Charming, no? Police were spotted wearing similar shirts at the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago.

Just before the 1996 DNC in Chicago, a local printer made up a batch of shirts that read, "We kicked your father's ass in 1968 . . . Wait 'til you see what we do to you." The front read: "Chicago Police," and then, "Democratic National Convention Chicago--1996." The shirt wasn't endorsed by Chicago PD or the police union, but it became so popular with cops that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley issued a warning that any cop seen wearing one would be disciplined. And not just in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported at the time that search were a huge hit at "Police Week," the annual convention of cops in Washington, D.C. Such a hit in fact, that when "a Washington newspaper tried to do a story on them, the only shirt the paper could find [for sale] to photograph was a bootleg version."

In a 2011 investigative series on police shootings, the Las Vegas Review-Journal revisited a 2003 case in which LVPD Officer Brian Hartman shot and killed a man named Orlando Barlow. Hartman shot Barlow in the back, as he was on his knees, unarmed, and attempting to surrender. According to the Review-Journal, Hartman and the other officers in his unit celebrated the shooting by printing up t-shirts "depicting Hartman's rifle and the initials B.D.R.T. (Baby's Daddy Removal Team), a racially charged term and reference to Barlow, who was black and who was watching his girlfriend's children before he was shot."

That phrase, "Baby Daddy Removal Team," lives on in police culture. In 2011, officers with the Panama City, Florida Police Department adopted the acronym as the name for their police league kickball team. You can buy a t-shirt with the slogan from a number of online stores that sell police-themed clothing.

In 1997, police in East Haven, Connecticut called their own softball team "Boys on the Hood," a cop-ified take on the 1991 John Singleton film. According to the New York Times, the shirts included an image of "officers pressing the heads of two grimacing gang members onto a car hood." The shirts became a source of controversy after a white officer with the department shot black motorist Malik Jones four times at close range, killing him. The officer said Jones' car was rolling backward toward him, and he feared for his life. The department has had a slew of racially-tinged incidents since, most recently after a recent video of police harassment taken by a Hispanic priest was posted online. Latinos in the area had been reporting increasing incidence of police abuse, and the priest was trying to capture one such incident on camera. Instead, he was arrested. The charges were dropped when his video directly contradicted the officers' account of the incident. Meanwhile, "Boys on the Hood" continues to be a popular slogan for cop-themed t-shirts.

In 2003, officers with the Kern County, California Sheriff's Department went beyond t-shirts and put the slogan "We'll Kick Your Ass" directly on the department's squad cars. The sheriff later had them removed. That department too has frequently been in the headlines over the years, most recently in March after deputies beat an unarmed man to death, then attempted to seize the cell phones of witnesses who recorded the beating.

In the late 2000s, Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood sold t-shirts depicting his department as a "scumbag eradication team." Proceeds from the shirts went to fund a mentor program for teens who want to become cops. That department too has had its problems, including questionable dog shootings, a cop accused of shaking down a local Starbucks, and a highly-publicized incident in which an officer Tased a woman at a Best Buy store. In 2012, Florida Circuit Judge Joseph Will called Daytona Beach officers "liars" in dismissing evidence obtained during a drug search.

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1205012/thumbs/o-SCUM-570.jpg?6

It's no coincidence that the same departments and units caught wearing shirts displaying this sort of attitude tend to also get caught up in controversial beatings, shootings, and other allegations of misconduct and excessive force. The "us vs. them" mindset has become so common in U.S. police culture that we almost take it for granted. In my new book, I argue that this is the result of a generation of incessant rhetoric and policies from politicians that treat cops like soldiers, and tells them they're fighting a war. The imagery and language depicted on the shirts in these stories are little different than the way pop culture, the military, and government propaganda have depicted the citizens of the countries we've fought in wars over the years.

Within the more militarized units of police departments, the imagery is even stronger. Former San Jose, California police chief Joseph McNamara told National Journal in 2000 that he was alarmed when he attended a SWAT team conference and “officers . . . were wearing these very disturbing shirts. On the front, there were pictures of SWAT officers dressed in dark uniforms, wearing helmets, and holding submachine guns. Below was written: ‘We don’t do drive-by shootings.’ On the back, there was a picture of a demolished house. Below was written: ‘We stop.’” In his 1999 ethnography on police culture, criminologist Peter Kraska writes that one SWAT team member he spent time with "wore a T-shirt that carried a picture of a burning city with gunship helicopters flying overhead and the caption Operation Ghetto Storm."

More recently, the San Jose, California PD's tactical unit (McNamara retired in the 1990s) has received criticism for printing up shirts with this logo:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1205020/original.jpg

The message gets even more disturbing in the broader police culture with the gear that's marketed to cops. The police-gear retailer Bullet-50, which according to its out-of-date information page is run by San Fransisco PD officer Joseph Salazar, features shirts that label the wearer a "death dealer," and a "thug hunter."

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1205107/original.jpg


This shirt is for sale at a number of online shops that cater to police, although it's unclear if it actually originated with anyone from the Chicago Police Department:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1205024/original.jpg


As I've reported here at HuffPost, the shirt isn't wrong. And while Chicago cops will indeed blow down your door for smoking pot, it can be difficult to get them interested in, say, investigating an assault.

This comment thread at the online police forum PoliceLink has more examples of t-shirts the law enforcement commenters found amusing. Among the comments:

-- "In God we trust, all others get searched,"

-- "A picture of an electric chair with the caption: JUSTICE: Regular or Crispy"

-- "B.D.R.T Baby Daddy Removal Team on the back and the initials on front with handcuffs. You should see peoples faces when I wear it....HAHAHAHA"

-- "Human trash collector. ( above a pair of handcuffs )"

-- "Take No Guff, Cut No Slack, Hook'em, Book'em and Don't Look Back!"

-- "'Boys on the Hood' Pic had two gangbangers jacked up on the hood of a patrol car with two officers."

-- "SWAT T-shirt: 'Happiness is getting the green light!'"

-- "I have one that sates "SWAT SNIPER" on the front and on back it has a picure of a "terrorist" with a shell ripping through his skull and the "pink mist" spraying from the back of his head. Below the picture it reads, "Guerillas in the mist".

-- "Save the police time, beat yourself up"

-- "An ounce of prevention is fine and dandy........ But we prefer 168 grains of cure."

-- "Be good or you might get a visit from the bullet fairy."

-- "Sniper - When you only have 1 shot at an opportunity......We'll make it count"

-- "Law Enforcement......Helping perps slip down stairs since 1766"

-- "Math for Cops.........2 to the chest + 1 to the head = problem solved"

-- "I had a couple of 'em a loooong time ago....1 showed a cop leaning on his rather long nightstick, saying "Police Brutality....the fun part of policework."......obviously not very PC....another was a picture of a LEO with smoke coming from the muzzle of his pistol, with a badguy falling backwards (lookin' like swiss cheese) with the caption.....The best action is OVERREACTION....also not very PC...."

-- "Cops make good roommates...they're used to taking out the trash."

-- "There was also one I saw where there was a big burly looking Sarge behind his desk and the cation read 'It doesn't say kindness and sympathy on the badge.'"

-- "happiness is a confirmed kill"

-- "Park Ranger T-shirt: One of funniest I ever saw: Picture of Smokey the Bear with Riot Gear and he's just poked a protester in the chest with a riot baton. The Caption Reads: "Smokey Don't Play That". Funny!"

-- "My Daddy can Taser your Daddy"

-- "School Patrol - You fail em, we jail em"

-- "Got one that says, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted and used against you."


It's worth noting that policing is a high-stress job, and one that often puts officers in contact with some pretty awful things. Like other high-stress professions and professions that encounter difficult subject matter -- defense attorneys, medical examiners, emergency room doctors and nurses -- cops often develop a morbid sense of humor. It's a coping mechanism. But it's one thing to crack jokes inside the department, or at a bar after work. It's quite another to openly advertise and promote a culture of abuse. As with most police abuse issues, the real failure here is on the part of the elected officials. They're the ones who can't resist the urge to incessantly declare "war" on things, who are responsible for setting the policies that have given rise to this culture, and who have done little to nothing to rein it in.



Radley Balko is author of the forthcoming book, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/what-cop-tshirts-tell-us-_n_3479017.html

tod evans
06-22-2013, 06:02 AM
As soon as federal money is removed from the equation these morons will be accountable to the citizens.

Until then expect worse..

Working Poor
06-22-2013, 06:05 AM
They need a
"Pigs is people too"
shirt to stir up public support.

kathy88
06-22-2013, 06:17 AM
Way to piss people off early on a beautiful Saturday morn.

phill4paul
06-22-2013, 06:21 AM
Way to piss people off early on a beautiful Saturday morn.

Tyranny doesn't take weekends off. :(

Uriel999
06-22-2013, 06:51 AM
These punks think they are warfighters. They are just amateur animal abusers with badges. They don't rate to pretend to think they are like me.

tod evans
06-22-2013, 06:54 AM
Relevant shirt;

http://rlv.zcache.com/the_last_great_act_of_defiance_t_shirts-r66dac8c5d4a5435399cfd6ce0054fa21_804gs_512.jpg

SeanTX
06-22-2013, 07:30 AM
I remember one time at the local mall seeing a t-shirt for sale that said something like "First Responders : Just Because We Save Your Asses Doesn't Mean We Have To Kiss Them ! ". I can see a cop wearing one of those, and maybe even a firefighter.

satchelmcqueen
06-22-2013, 08:22 AM
my ego driven ex whore bag wife had a few firefighter/ems shirts that had some pretty astounding things on them. most of them were of the hero mindset though. almost would always depict a firefighter looking down and being all dirty with the american flag somehow wrapped around them or some shit like that. the cops/firefighters/ems would always have some mean gun/fire/syringe/eagel laden sticker on their vehicle just to remind you of how important they were in case you forgot.

tod evans
06-22-2013, 08:26 AM
It's some kind of an internal struggle, self adulation is indicative of a mental defect..

talkingpointes
06-22-2013, 08:45 AM
Police openly bragging about abuse -- no way! What's next the government is going to convince us to give up our rights and that we like it?

Yeahh right.

We just need the right police, the right amount of power, and the right words. We won't abuse people, promise. Abuse doesn't come from power, it comes from personality defects -- yeah!

Barrex
06-22-2013, 09:04 AM
Relevant shirt;

http://rlv.zcache.com/the_last_great_act_of_defiance_t_shirts-r66dac8c5d4a5435399cfd6ce0054fa21_804gs_512.jpg
I dont get it...is that some "american" thing?

tod evans
06-22-2013, 09:09 AM
I dont get it...is that some "american" thing?

Close-up;

http://codgerville.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/lastgreatactofdefiance-1.gif

Wolfgang Bohringer
06-22-2013, 09:18 AM
As soon as federal money is removed from the equation these morons will be accountable to the citizens.

Until then expect worse..

No, I don't think so. The founders of the United States opposed professional government soldiers at all levels. That's why armed government goons were prohibited by the states' bills of rights that were first ratified in 1776 as well as the federal constitution and bill of rights (ratified in 1789 and 1791).

You can't have an armed government and freedom at the same time:


"a bill of rights [must] secure freedom in religion, freedom of the press, [and] freedom from a permanent military..." --Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Francis Hopkinson (March 13, 1789)

http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/presidents/thomas-jefferson/letters-of-thomas-jefferson/jefl75.php

Things started going bad, the moment that the state and federal constitutional prohibitions against standing armies were first violated and we should expect worse until both local and federal cops are disbanded.

Are Cops Constitutional? (http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm)

Weston White
06-22-2013, 09:53 AM
Here are some more:


http://ilovecops.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/some_people_need_stick_time_police_humor_t_shirt.j pg
http://ilovecops.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/im_going_to_kick_your_ass_and_get_away_with_it_cop _tshirt.jpg
http://ilovecops.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cuffup_black_red_in_your_face_law_enforcement_t_sh irt.jpg

http://ilovecops.com/tag/police-shirts/

Carson
06-22-2013, 09:57 AM
phill4paul,

Well the last one is pretty funny.

kcchiefs6465
06-22-2013, 02:35 PM
Way to piss people off early on a beautiful Saturday morn.
Fucking right. I know I shouldn't read stories like this.

Origanalist
06-22-2013, 02:48 PM
ilovecops.com, isn't that special?

kcchiefs6465
06-22-2013, 02:57 PM
ilovecops.com, isn't that special?
Does anyone own "ihatecops.com"?

Could sell anti-police tshirts, Ice T cds, and no hesitation targets.

Nobexliberty
06-22-2013, 02:58 PM
This can not be good.

Origanalist
06-22-2013, 03:09 PM
Does anyone own "ihatecops.com"?

Could sell anti-police tshirts, Ice T cds, and no hesitation targets.

Close;

http://www.copwatch.org/copwatch_poster_wanted.jpg http://www.copwatch.org/copwatch_poster_regular.jpg

http://www.copwatch.org/copwatch.jpg http://www.copwatch.org/copwatch_policedatingservice.jpg

http://copwatch.com/AAAindex.html

Pericles
06-22-2013, 03:10 PM
These punks think they are warfighters. They are just amateur animal abusers with badges. They don't rate to pretend to think they are like me.

That ^ anybody who gets to sleep in his own bed at night and get a shower once a month whether you need it or not, has no clue about what real warriors can do.

Anti Federalist
06-22-2013, 03:23 PM
And I'm gonna call criminal lunatics like this for "help"?

Yah, right, not on your fucking life pal.

I'll take my chances with the mugger rapers and father stabbers first.

Anti Federalist
06-22-2013, 03:26 PM
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1204987/original.jpg

Hmmm...armed men in NYC?

Not likely.

Like most men who have seen armed conflict up close and personal, they don't often brag about it.

And if the hunted started shooting back?

What then...

Pericles
06-22-2013, 03:27 PM
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to tod evans again.

I thought the only reason to have the rep I do is to give as much rep as I want.

Origanalist
06-22-2013, 07:49 PM
I thought the only reason to have the rep I do is to give as much rep as I want.

RPF's version of the federal reserve? :confused:

DamianTV
06-22-2013, 08:24 PM
RPF's version of the federal reserve? :confused:

Hmm, Enabler of EVERY abuse performed on American Citizens. Does that work?

kcchiefs6465
02-03-2015, 08:34 PM
Bump

muh_roads
02-03-2015, 08:58 PM
People always say a "gray state" scenario couldn't happen here. This thread should say otherwise. Many might defy orders, but everyone has a price. And for some the price isn't that high so long as they can get their jollies off of killing a fellow human.

Completely disgusting t-shirts. That Hemingway quote is creepy as hell.

Weston White
02-04-2015, 05:29 AM
I worry that they don't realize that Hemingway was a fictional novelist. It is interesting that this favored quote precedes the following (On the Blue Water, Esquire's First Sports Reader (1936), pp. 62-64 (http://archive.org/stream/esquiresfirstspo00unse/esquiresfirstspo00unse_djvu.txt)):


The other night I was talking with a good friend to whom all hunting is dull except elephant hunting. To him there is no sport in anything unless there is great danger and, if the danger is not enough, he will increase it for his own satisfaction. A hunting companion of his had told me how this friend was not satisfied with the risks of ordinary elephant hunting but would, if possible, have the elephants driven, or turned, so he could take them head-on, so it was a choice of killing them with the difficult frontal shot as they came, trumpeting, with their ears spread, or having them run over him. This is to elephant hunting what the German cult of suicide climbing is to ordinary mountaineering, and I suppose it is, in a way, an attempt to approximate the old hunting of the armed man who is hunting you.

This friend was speaking of elephant hunting and urging me to hunt elephant, as he said that once you took it up no other hunting would mean anything to you.

Perhaps they should instead idolize the following Hemingway quotes:


Courage is grace under pressure.

Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.

You can wipe out your opponents. But if you do it unjustly you become eligible for being wiped out yourself.

No weapon has ever settled a moral problem. It can impose a solution but it cannot guarantee it to be a just one.

What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.

Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth.

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

Never mistake motion for action.

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honor.

The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.