Media vs Law Enforcement – Interview with Mike Casey (Part 2)
National Police Support Fund would like to continue highlighting board of directors member, Mike Casey. (Read part 1 of the interview here)
We asked Casey what his thoughts were on the recruiting shortage for law enforcement. “It’s unfortunate. I can see why, given with all the negative publicity people would shy away from a career in law enforcement,” said Casey. “But I feel that an organization like the National Police Support Fund has a vital role in all this. And that role is education.” Casey added that he thinks somehow we need to show law enforcement really is a viable career and an honorable way to serve the communities and our nation. “Sometimes a lot of the media does not give law enforcement a fair break and there has to be someone out there willing to stand up and say, ‘Wait a minute. This isn’t really accurate. This is what law enforcement is, and this is what we do.’ And I see an organization such as the National Police Support Fund being vital in that role,” said Casey.
Casey also has an issue with the judiciary in that there are a lot of judges that take an activitist approach to the law. “You know, they’re not content with just looking at how cases apply within the law,” said Casey. “What they’re trying to do is push a certain agenda. And I think judges should be impartial. A judge, you know, you got the scales of justice and Madame Justice is wearing a blindfold. She’s supposed to be blind to personal and political considerations when it comes to application of the law, but too often we see judges that are pushing a certain point of view and it’s wrong whether it’s a liberal or conservative point of view. Judges should be neutral and should judge a case based on its merits and how it apples vis a vis the law versus trying to come up with a preconceived outcome for a specific case. Too often, in many parts of the country, especially, you know in Federal Courts, the Ninth Circuit is notorious for this. You get people that will judge shop and find the most sympathetic judge to their point of view and really it’s a miscarriage of justice in my view. Judges should be appointed both at the federal and state level who are known for their wisdom and judgments”
We discussed with Casey if he believes law enforcement will be a hot topic issue in the next two election cycles? Talking about the 2020 presidential and the 2022 midterms. “Absolutely, I do think that it will be and especially if there are more high profile cases like Ferguson, Missouri.”
“It seems that every time an officer makes a poor judgement, it is sprayed all over social media. The national networks, like CNN, MSNBC, they take it and run with it. Now granted, there are law enforcement officers who make the wrong decisions on occasion; the law enforcement people are human beings, but I believe that people get a skewed view. They say, ‘Boy, these cops are running a muck. And they’re just shooting people.’ If you read, if you look at some of the national media, that’s what you might be led to believe, but I believe that the cases of law enforcement misconduct, the percentage is so small yet people see a skewed view of it and I believe that a lot of this is to pursue a certain political agenda.”
Stay tuned for part 3 of the interview.
