Glenn Hendricks · Top Commenter · University of Denver
I wore a badge for a short while back in the 70s in suburban Denver. It isn't just about race, even then. Race is a huge predictor, true. The casual racism in this department of 200 (with 2 black officers in a town that was 22% black but whose arrests of blacks were 44% of the total arrests) was readily apparent. The other piece that no one seems to get
is that it is nearly as much about not being Blue. The PDs inculcate an 'us against them' attitude about everyone. If you aren't in a PD uniform you aren't squat. Only other officers truly understand what you're going through and only other officers will back you up. This was the reality in 1979 and from what I see it is even worse now. The militarization and isolation of law enforcement really have turned them into a force apart from the society in which they operate.
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