so- just to clarify- what happens if another call to serve the public comes in while a leo is "moonlighting", and they are the closest responder, but beholden by the businesses contract with the department to protect the business at that time? would the leo sit tight at the business, or is the leo allowed the lattitude to respond to the rest of their constituency while moonlighting?
there are lots of laws that are not just, and i understand that as a leo you cant always choose whats just over whats law. but as others have mentioned, there is something that unsettles me about privatization of government functions, like the aforementioned scenario.
there may be nothing illegal about moonlighting in uniform, and i must add that ive not met a bad cop in my limited experience- but the idea that someone with money (business or private citizen) can acquire more access to a government resource irks me. i understand not illegal- just doesnt jive with my idea of the country i love. public resources REPRESENT somehibg to the people. its not just a task to be completed. in America, government exists (in my hopeful mind) to level the playing field- to act as an intermediary between strong and weak, opressor and oppressed, poor and wealthy, etc. the APPEARANCE of a leo or other government function being purchased by ANYONE is contrary to my ethos. The appearance of a leo or any govt service favoring one entity over another, especially if the latter entity's needs suffer due to that prefernce, skews the publics sense of fairness, culminating in the "us and them" mindset that is ripping us apart when we should be joining hands more than ever. to sum up: to me, government is not just an entity, it is an idea that defines our society's cohesiveness regarding ethics and philosophy. i believe that appearance of nonbias is one o the ideas that unites us and makes us believe that there IS a level playing field in this country, and gives us hope to pursue life and liberty without fear. someone buying special access to the guardians of my freedom undermines my sense of equality, and thus undermines both my faith in the system entirely, and for some people, may become a reason that they withdraw from the rule of law, feeling it no longer serves them. thats my armchair analysis of todays societal breakdown.
i get why it happens. i get why a leo needs to take the gig. i get why the business wants it. soooo...my ethos conflicts with reality. i love my leos, but i hate the system that we have let our country drift into where special interets make the laws, and not whats in the best interest of the constituency.
what changes can we make to our society so everyone gets a seat at the table? honest question.
