Patterico's Pontifications

2/19/2008

Al Martinez Insults Cops while Praising Randy Simmons

Filed under: Dog Trainer,General — Jack Dunphy @ 11:03 am



[Guest post by Jack Dunphy]

In Monday’s Los Angeles Times, columnist Al Martinez wrote in praise of LAPD officer Randy Simmons, who was shot and killed Feb. 7 during an attempted rescue in the San Fernando Valley. But even in praising Simmons, Martinez can’t resist reminding his readers of the low opinion he has held of police officers. He began the column as follows:

In the volatile world of the street, cops haven’t always been the good guys.

They’ve been known to apply brute force as a form of justice in the shadowy confines of downtown alleys and to quell peaceful protests with swinging truncheons.

We’ve seen them get away with videotaped crimes against civilians, and we’ve seen their militaristic units turn into undisciplined mobs.

Instances of racism and sadism once stained cops’ badges, making a mockery of a call to respect and support them when their brothers were killing black people in the South and challenging the right of peaceful assembly in the North.

Apparently, Martinez knows nothing about police officers other than what is printed in his own newspaper.

Randy Simmons was an exemplary police officer and an even more exemplary man, but he had been a cop for 27 years and a youth minister for 11, yet not a word was ever written about him in the Times until he was killed.

Every day, all over Southern California, police officers carry out acts of bravery, compassion, and service, scant few of which are deemed worthy of mention in the L.A. Times. As I reported in this post, the editors at the Times couldn’t even find room in their newspaper to cover the LAPD’s Medal of Valor Awards last May, even as they ran story after story about the May Day melee at MacArthur Park.

Cops don’t object when our misdeeds are covered fairly in the press, but must we wait for one of us to be killed before our accomplishments are recognized?

— Jack Dunphy

17 Responses to “Al Martinez Insults Cops while Praising Randy Simmons”

  1. This is maddening. And fwiw, I will be writing the LAT – again – and cc’ing it to Sam Zell.

    Also, please know that this does not reflect the general public’s view of police officers or department, but only a few hubris breathing self-important few.

    Most of us are immensely grateful and hold our police officers in the highest of regard.

    Dana (b4a26c)

  2. Dana,

    What is Zell’s email? It is time Zell got an ear full about the catbox liner he bought.

    PCD (c378fd)

  3. “…but must we wait for one of us to be killed before our accomplishments are recognized?”

    The LA Times has answered this question many time already. Their answer has always been “yes”.

    tyree (d9bd6c)

  4. Which LA paper has a “things cops did good today” seciton? I know some that have a police blotter but that is more of a “look some cops did their job today” section. I agree.. where is the positive “news”….. anywhere?????

    EdWood (c2268a)

  5. Al Martinez is like everyone’s insane old uncle who spouts off obnoxious things only because he knows he is so old that no one will dare punch him right in the nose as he deserves. He is an excellent example of why newspapers should have mandatory retirement ages for columnists.

    Maybe someone can put him in the old folks’ home next to Anthony Lewis and Tom Oliphant, and they can be cranky old lefties together.

    JVW (b03dfa)

  6. When you open a eulogy with an insult, you are insulting the person you’re eulogizing.

    You’d have to be insane to think you could open up with statements like that and not be coloring your comments on the deceased.

    You can’t praise someone after three paragraphs of insults, it’s like hitting someone with a mud pie and then trying to wash it off with an eyedropper.

    Al Martinez is a putz.

    Merovign (4744a2)

  7. Who wrote this post?

    Leviticus (ed6d31)

  8. Cops don’t object when our misdeeds are covered fairly in the press, but must we wait for one of us to be killed before our accomplishments are recognized?

    Yes, then they can pity you as a victim of The System.

    Patricia (aaa977)

  9. In the world of the LAT, a cop dying is the only recognition they wish to extend.

    JVW has good insight on what needs to be done with Mr. Martinez. Though with such a gathering, the “bile pumps” would have to work beyond capacity to keep the room clear.

    Another Drew (f9dd2c)

  10. The asymmetry is interesting. Al Martinez writes a eulogy for a police officer, and cannot help himself but bringing up multiple instances of police misconduct.

    Now, let’s turn the tables. What would happen if a person wrote a eulogy for a community leader of color, and brought up gang violence repeatedly—even though there was no evidence that the community leader had any involvement with pimping, drug dealing, and murder?

    The latter would be (rightfully so) unacceptable. But so is tarring Officer Simmons’ memory.

    And if confronted on this subject, I’m certain Martinez would hem and haw and again demonstrate his asymmetry.

    I think it is a terrible thing to inject personal politics into a eulogy for an officer killed in the line of duty. I’m sorry that Mr. Martinez cannot see that.

    Eric Blair (2708f4)

  11. You always have some POS that has never served anyone other than themselves running down those who serve the American people and do it well. I have yet to see a reporter that is worth spitting on. Worthless do nothings that will never do anything but try to project their failure in life onto others. A bunch of little weenie wimps trying to cover their insecurities (mental retardation/cowardance) with a pen. Notice also they are 99 44/100% democrats.

    Scrapiron (c36902)

  12. Sadly typical of the LAT and the Liberal MSM, in general. To vilify all over the misdeeds – real or imagined – of a few, smacks of ignorance, prejudice and insecurity. I doubt that Martinez is coming to your rescue when someone PoS with a gun starts killing everyone in your family. Simmons was a true hero, as is everyone who has ever pinned on a badge and taken an oath to protect those who are weaker. Godspeed, brother..

    Mike (e74dd2)

  13. I can tell by the above, and by the many missing voices that I about to get totally creamed. Just pasteurize me first ok?

    Since 9/11/01 100% of cops and firepersons have been placed instantly on the “Hero” pedestal.

    Sorry as I can be, but it aint so! And those leading departments are in a different file drawer as well.

    BTW, not one word I may say applies to Simmons, who was a “good” cop and an even better community support person. My heart really goes out to him and his family. Though such end does not come often for SWAT members, it can happen on every mission. They know this, sad as it may be, it’s a voluntary position. They go willingly into the most harmful situations knowing their kids and wife may have another filling their role. Willingly! (smart alek remark reserved).

    But why are we using SWAT teams to serve a warrant in the middle of the night on a suspect that has no prior record of violence? Does not seem to any real threat to anybody? Bash in his front door as opposed to stopping him on his way out, or in to the home? Seems like hurling a missile at a motorist because he is speeding! I view such as a misuse of what a SWAT team is created for.

    SWAT was created for the specific purpose of intervening on a situation that was beyond what a normally equipped officer could handle. For those situations they are probably needed, but explain to me why a town of under 5k would ever have need of a SWAT team?

    Too many people are killed by raids, by both and non swat police, even though they are well equipped and could appear to be swat, they are not, and they kill innocents on a regular basis in this country serving warrants for non violent crimes. Almost in the middle of the night, and time of day is not always applicable, using military tactics!

    Many based on some unknown “confidential informant”. CI’s are almost 100% known criminals, caught in some crime or another and offered some deal to rat out somebody. Well they do, many times very much wrong information. (Seems they have a desire to run free). But it also seems that ZERO investigations actually happen before warrants and raids are undertaken!

    While always difficult when an officer is killed, most of officer deaths are still while in the vehicle they are driving! MOST cops die in traffic accidents! I can only assume as well that most cops deaths are avoidable, by the cops themselves. MOST, not all! Simmons is valid evidence of such.

    But we need to be training cops using the Andy Griffith method and not the Barney Fife method. There was a reason Griffith did not allow Barney to have any bullets in his gun/(update, Taser). Can you imagine Barney with a taser?

    Mushrooms are easy to grow, keep them in the dark and feed em shit! Seems that all too many cops are being grown the same way today.

    Cops are both good and bad, they too are just people and also have to do things they are ordered to do by superiors.

    A good cop just got killed in Chesapeake, VA as well, nice guy, family man, shaved head looked scary as hell. Is it the steroids that makes a man that can grow hair on his head to shave it? He was shot by a homeowner, awoke from sleep by his two dogs going bezerk and when he hit the front room, armed, shot a guy half way into his house through the bottom half of the door. He is charged with “first degree” murder! Premeditated and planed killing?! Really?

    Citizens need to understand that the resulting suit will cost them 200 times the cost of the the entire police budget for several years! Their tax dollars! Because some cop took the word of a known criminal, did no actual investigation and caused the death of one of their own in the process.

    Another case in the same county 30 years ago resulted in a apology from the dept and no charges filed!

    Think Griffith vs. Barney!

    Protect and serve, not provoke and punish.

    The above was not intended to defend in any way the LAT article, as I did not view it, but really folks, too much crap goes on under cover of law in this nation daily and it needs to stop. It will only stop when citizens stop it, cuz it’s a long walk to find anybody making a living from it to have it so much as altered.

    Remember that the Nifongs can’t do it alone, and Gottfried was nifongs enabler. He was a cop. Fast food and police depts require the same prerequisites for employment.

    Just food for thought.

    (climbing into nuke shelter now).

    TC (1cf350)

  14. Anybody remember Waco?

    An arrest of the desired subject could have been had almost any time on any day by just stopping his vehicle.

    89 dead, many children! Several local cops, none of the cops instigating the action died. (I could be wrong, but does it really matter?)

    And nobody has been charged with a crime!

    Please elect Hillary for more of the same!

    TC (1cf350)

  15. For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
    But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country,” when the guns begin to shoot…

    Kevin Murphy (805c5b)

  16. “In the volatile world of the street, cops haven’t always been the good guys.”

    Okay, let’s turn that around: “In the volatile world of the street, guys with names like Martinez haven’t always been the good guys.” Anyone who is offended by the second but not by the first is badly in need of brain surgery.

    pst314 (49bdf5)


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