Police sue colleges claiming public criticism ruins their careers

MassPrivateI

Police across the country are quitting their jobs because they don’t like being criticized.

Last month Seattle officers complained about being criticized by City Council members.

“Officers are growing tired of the constant barrage of negativity from council members like Kshama Sawant, Mike O’Brien, and Lorena Gonzalez. In exit interviews with the SPD.”

Seattle Police Officer’s Guild President Kevin Stuckey likens critical city councilors to being on the “anti-cop bandwagon.”

An article in Mises.org reveals that law enforcement thinks cops should never be subjected to public criticism, “Police should not be subject to criticism from the unqualified and spineless peanut gallery”.

This really should not come as a surprise.

A Google search for “U.S. police don’t like being criticized” returned more than one million hits.

An article in ABC News claims police departments cannot hire enough new recruits because they are getting a ‘bad rap.’ Jim Burch, Vice President of the Police Foundation said,“with everything happening around policing from salary to criticism, the question many people are asking is it worth it?”.

Police upset about being criticized is not really a new thing but a lawsuit against one college should worry everyone.

Police in Washington are taking public criticism to a whole new level.

Last year former Evergreen State College Police Chief Stacy Brown resigned because she allegedly did not like Black Lives protesters demonstrating at her swearing in ceremony.

“The baiting and stigmatizing of Brown began at her swearing in, and continued throughout her tenure as chief,” he continued. “The fact that the college administration encouraged the frequently illegal actions of the protesters, and tied the hands of the police, made Brown’s job all but impossible.”

The Olympian reported that Thurston County Sheriff Chief Dave Pearsall was upset that 20-30 protesters were chanting  “fuck cops” while Brown’s kids were present.

“A group of 20 to 30 students disrupted Brown’s swearing-in ceremony in January, Pearsall said. Brown’s children were at the event, and the protesters were using vulgar language, he said.”

Brown was also upset when former Director of Student Activities Tom Mercado told her restaurant employees making oinking sounds at cops was an expression of free speech.

“When Chief Brown advised Mr. Mercado of her concerns about the restaurant employees’ actions and the posting of discriminatory and hostile flyers about her and the police around the student activities building Mr. Mercado appeared to become angry and defiantly informed Chief Brown it was ‘freedom of speech’.”

Brown filed a $625,000 tort claim alleging that “there was a pervasive hostility towards law enforcement” on campus.

Her attorney Christopher John Coker claims that public criticism ruined her career.

“The damage to Chief Brown’s reputation as a potential Chief of Police is damaged beyond repair.”

We have a lot to worry about if courts allow law enforcement to sue colleges because students are allowed to exercise free speech.

Evergreen, like many colleges, has a right to concerned about their future, “years of expensive litigation would drain resources.”

It’s not just colleges who should be concerned about this frivolous lawsuit.

Will police be allowed to sue a private company whose employees criticized the police in the form of protesting?

Could a police department sue a company because they didn’t fire protesting employees?

Is America still the land of the free and brave when we allow police to sue colleges over free speech?

https://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2018/07/police-sue-colleges-claiming-public.html