MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
In Wednesday's Ransom Note: I got an email today from a Memphis cop who's African American, and he told me he's tired of everyone being so hard on police. He said he's disgusted by what happened to George Floyd, how the three other officers stood by and did nothing. He also acknowledged every police force has bad apples, but he said the protesters, the media, and celebrities are unfairly painting all police as bad.
The fact is he has a point, and I thanked him for his service. I have several retired or current officers in my family.
Every profession has bad apples. They take away from those who take their jobs seriously and do them well.
But here's what's different about police: very few professions protect their bad apples as much as police do. Police unions have so much power. Cops get fired for bad behavior and re-hired. They turn off their body cams at police shootings and keep their jobs.
So of all the reform ideas out there, it seems to me making sure bad officers are held accountable is the single biggest step we can take to restore the public's confidence, helping to give good cops the credit they deserve.