Conservatives have often and loudly blasted the power of unions in America (a concern not shared by many libertarians). There’s a benefit of consistency, however, when conservatives blast the power of police unions, and are willing to take on that often-petulant lobby of the status quo. See, from National Review, It’s Time to Take On Police Unions: Recent events suggest Republicans have given them a pass for far too long —
What was NYPD officer Peter Liang doing in those six and a half minutes as his commanding officer and emergency operator tried desperately to reach him? So far as we know, he was not crouched on the floor, attempting to resuscitate Gurley, the man into whose chest Liang, gun drawn, claims he “accidentally discharged a bullet” during an unauthorized stairwell patrol, sending Gurley’s body tumbling down two flights of stairs.
No, as Akai Gurley, the 28-year-old father of a two-year-old daughter, was bleeding out on the floor, Officer Liang was texting his union rep. The Akai Gurley episode is a disturbing reflection on policing in America and of a law-enforcement culture that now prioritizes officers’ professional and personal liability concerns over the well-being of the citizens.
This is the reality we have wrought for ourselves, thanks to the far-reaching might enjoyed by America’s police unions….