Forced to resign? They should have fired his ass. Cops presence in parades is only partially for show. It actually accomplishes several things. First, it establishes good will with the community. Second, it provides an extra security element to the parade itself.
Doesn't matter if the SLC cop was offended. The primary reason he was supposed to be riding a motorcycle at the front of that parade was to visually check the route for threats to the participants. Looking good, and showing community support is just secondary. Hell, I knew a gay police officer who had to provide a police escort for President George Bush, and while he hated the president, and bitched about it before and after, he still did his job.
I'm sure that not many officers are thrilled when supremacists groups hold public rallies or parades yet they show up and do their job. He (the policeman in the article) should have done his job like everyone else!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2015 11:38AM by Virg.
I have to applaud Police Chief Burbank for seeing the bigger picture. You cannot have an effective police force to protect the public if the individual officers are allowed to decide whether to accept assignments or not depending on the people involved and their own personal beliefs and/or prejudices.
After this statement by the officer involved the Mormon Church really should make him their poster boy for their proposed legislation that guarantees their right to discriminate.
if this police officer was a True Professional, it wouldn't have mattered. period.
Police are regularly assigned to be present at VIP / dignitary appearances where some/many are of a different political - philosophical values (maybe not so much in the IMW, ja ja).
Everyone knows that at certain public functions police are required to be there.
This officer has insulted everyone's intelligence by inferring that the public sees their presence as support for whoever they are protecting. We all know they are just assigned to that particular duty that day and nothing more.
I disagree. He offered to do traffic control or something else. He just didn't want to preform with his roadbike. When he was told no, he accepted and advised he would be training. I don't see why they made such a big deal. People have a right to be uncomfortable. Maybe he was raped as a young child.
I am still amazed at the lengths people will go to justify bigotry. Cops should not be allowed to be bigots, because they interact with the public. How is this cop going to act in a case involving gay individuals if he cannot behave in public?
I remember back in 1996, the DC cops would only police gay pride if they were allowed to wear gloves in the summer. They didn't want to touch the icky gays for fear of getting AIDS.
Don't they realize that there are probably police officers who hate having to celebrate the Days of '47, the celebration of a tyrannical religious bigoted bigamist dictator leading people into the valley. But they do their job. Utahans would have a fit if the motorcycle brigade wouldn't be in their parade because it celebrates something that is against their moral conscience.
I'm so tired of people who are so consumed with hate against people who have never done anything to hurt them. Marriage equality is not ISIS at our shore. Women using any kind of contraception they want is not Boko Haram lying in wait to kidnap our daughters. There are too many things that matter to obsess over things that don't.
I'm not sure what the officer means by having to perform "celebratory circles." I'm getting a mental image of the Shriners driving their mini-cars around in a zany fashion during parades. Is that what he is talking about? I can't imagine why he would object to simply riding his motorcycle before or in the course of a parade for purposes of assessment, protection and maintaining order.