This Criminal Life
Reality can be disturbing. I watch television sometimes as a relief from reality. I prefer historical programs - almost anything will do because almost all programs are historical in the sense of being concerned about the past. Television producers seem to believe that the past is real, concrete and unchanging. This is, of course, rubbish. Anyone who watches television or reads newspapers knows that. Stories about events are told in many different ways. The “facts” keep changing. So the past is whatever the author says it is. And as George Orwell said: Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
Oh, too deep. I just wanted to talk about stories of crime and criminals. They are fascinating. I pretend they are true because mostly the criminals are caught and brought to justice….by the police. This is, of course, quite hilarious since that old spoil sport, reality, tells us that there have been, and almost certainly still are, as many criminals at large in the police forces as there are freelancing as common criminals.
I can see the benefit in being a crooked cop. The people pay you to protect them from the criminals so you have a permanent, steady wage. But you can also make a nice earner from protecting the criminals from yourself. Everyone wins! (If “everyone” means you and excludes all others.)
Is all this true, meaning does this happen in reality (whatever “reality” means)? Well, if you believe what you read in the newspapers and on TV and film then, yes, it is true. My references are wide ranging.
Firstly, legend: In Sherwood Forest, the Sheriff of Nottingham was royally screwing everyone while carrying on a personal vendetta against the honest Robin Hood;
Secondly, a few movies: Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) in “Touch of Evil” (1958); In “Batman” (1989) there is a crooked cop called Lieutenant Eckhardt; Detective Alonzo Harris in “Training Day” (2001); Almost the whole NYPD in “Serpico” (1973). (I have obviously omitted many other films because there are too many crooked movie cops and in any case I don’t know them all. But I have purposely left out the Hong Kong movie “Infernal Affairs” (2002) because Inspector Lau was, strictly speaking, not a cop gone bad because he was bad from the beginning. Ditto the US copy “The Departed” [2006])
Thirdly, and more recently, many TV shows: “Blue Murder” (1995) which focussed on Detective Sergeant Roger (the Dodger) Rogerson; Chief Wiggum in “The Simpsons” (1989 and continuing); and The Strike Team in “The Shield” (2002-2008).
Finally, public reports of inquiries into corruption in Australia: Just read the report of the Wood Royal
Commission into corruption in the NSW police and the Fitzgerald Royal Commission in Queensland. Currently, the Victoria Police are in the spotlight for, among other things, their policy of shooting first and asking questions later as well as the political infighting over the Police Union. Also, just watch the news any week for the latest report on crooked cops. We truly have the best police money can buy.
Which brings me to my point: Intelligent criminals join a police force and have a longer and more prosperous criminal career.