Tyre Nichols

Rule #1 in politics: Never take the fall!

It’s politics that create police task forces with wider powers. It’s those special units that attract the Dirty Harry-like fanatics in a police force. The main objective of those individuals is not to instil respect from the outside world to authority; their objective is to work off their own feelings of aggression due to unresolved psychological issues or an innate lack of restraint. They are no different from actual criminals and act according to the principle ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ Or rather, ‘as the Romans used to do.’

Their mayor or governor – or whoever is positioning him or herself for re-election – tells them to ‘keep up the good work’ proudly pointing at the statistics about less crime in their streets … ignoring the alarming rise in complaints about excessive police abuse in their district.

Simply put, officers get to hear that they are on the right track and may count on the support of the powers that be for their mafia-like practices. There seem to be no legal restrictions to their use of excessive violence. And a culture of untouchability sets in and spreads.

Does the man or woman in power take the fall when things spiral out of control every now and again(!) – ‘Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa’?
No way, José!