http://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-club … g-concern/- Police officers and outlaw biker gangs often stand on common ground. Both attract the young and adventurous who value order, discipline and brotherhood. And on weekends tens of thousands of cops routinely trade their cruisers and badges for choppers and club colors.
The bond doesn't mean a free pass for criminal motorcycle gangs, but even some within law enforcement worry that too many officers believe bikers are just misunderstood Robin Hoods. And empathy from officers who emulate or even aspire to the outlaw life can put police or the public at risk, gang experts warn.
"They're supposed to be putting them in jail, not schmoozing with them, not socializing with them," said Charlie Fuller, a retired special agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "That's a no-brainer to me. You have a huge security issue for the whole department. Here's a cop that's hanging with them socially. What's he telling them? What are they asking him?"
Americans have an unhealthy fascination with criminal culture. The mafia, and biker gangs get a bad ass pass while black people put gangs on a pedestal. It even bleeds into the police community evidently.
The sopranos and the wire both handled criminal culture in a critical way while telling complex human stories. They were good and I watched them. But there are many other shows that glamourize criminal culture especially organized one like the show Sons of Anarchy and the mob television series on basic cable. Don't even get me started on rappers. It is all distressing.
Organized crime is a blight and the government should probably do more to delegitimize these groups in the eyes of the public. You don't have to violate freedom of speech. You can just promote alternative narratives.
And the government can start this process by booting cops with ties to biker gangs.
