Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Democrats are back in array!

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

In after Baud. Damn.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

He really is that stupid.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Racial Justice / Black Lives Matter / This Just Screams ‘To Protect and Serve”

This Just Screams ‘To Protect and Serve”

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This is a 2008 Recruitment Video for the Newport Beach Police Department.  Horrifying.   I found this video is from a link on Nancy LeTourneau’s blog, and then followed it down a rabbit hole.

I guess this is better?  From their recruitment page in 2021.  Still doesn’t look like “protect and serve” to me.

The NBPD physical agility test video from 2021

2012 Police Recruitment Video for Decatur, Georgia.  This actually does scream to protect and serve.

2018 Police Recruitment Video for Decatur, Georgia, still on their current page.

I would love to see and compare stats of all kinds between these two cities.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

81Comments

  9. 9.

    Spanky

    Play “spot the POC” in the NBPD video. There were 2, by my count.

     

    ETA: The second video. I did NOT watch the first.

    ETA2: OK, I watched the first. Seems a tad … testosterone-laden.

  10. 10.

    Baud

    If I were doing a police recruitment video, I’d feature a lot of cops riding horses.  And police dogs.  Horses and dogs are cool.

  11. 11.

    JustRuss

    I lived near Newport Beach a long time ago.  It was pretty white and wealthy back then, doubt it’s changed much.  what’s cop in the car saying over the PA at the end of the first clip?

  12. 12.

    burnspbesq

    @Spanky:

    That’s pretty representative. Look at any list of America’s richest zip codes, and you’ll find 92660 close to the top.

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @Spanky:

    Play “spot the POC” in the NBPD video. There were 2, by my count.

    I actually thought about watching a second time and counting.  Thanks for saving me the trouble.

  16. 16.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Baud: Or as the old joke goes, the [insert ethnic group to be disparaged] cop jumped on his whistle and blew his horse.

  19. 19.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @WaterGirl:

    Well, it should come as no surprise as Biden’s a Deep State puppet. After all, knowledge, expertise and appropriate qualifications are globalist characteristics //

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    A long time ago, I read somewhere that the most realistic cop show on TV was Barney Miller — where you never saw a cop fire a gun or beat anyone up.

  22. 22.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Amir Khalid:

    Funny enough, I think the cops themselves said that.

    Saw Barney Miller recently and thought it was kind of boring and unfunny imo. Hardly ever changed sets/scenery

    I’ve been watching old episodes of TJ Hooker and it’s the exact opposite. An early episode had Hooker’s rookie partner monologuing about Law and Order and how dangerous the streets were. ? Definitely straight out of the Reagan Era.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    @Amir Khalid:

    A long time ago, I read somewhere that the most realistic cop show on TV was Barney Miller — where you never saw a cop fire a gun or beat anyone up.

    Interesting point. Fun show. But also it was almost exclusively set at the police station and the room where the plain clothes officers worked.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Well, as long as he is an ignoramus who will challenge random uppity women to label some country on an unlabelled map, I think it will be okay.

    For the life of me, I cannot recall who that was?  Was it Pompeous Man?  All TFG’s entitled, arrogant racist pricks are starting to run together for me.

  28. 28.

    Mike in NC

    @Amir Khalid:  There was a brilliant episode of ‘Brooklyn 99’ where the captain recalls the time he became the first black detective to join the precinct in the 1980s or thereabouts. The white cops in the squad room are smoking and joking when he opens the door and introduces himself. Dead silence follows until one detective asks, “Are you here to turn yourself in?”.

  29. 29.

    MomSense

    @WaterGirl:

    I took my leftover pizza out of the oven, put it on my plate, turned for a second – and she ate it.  I don’t even think she burned the roof of her mouth she swallowed it so fast.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: Bad dog!

    I am guessing there isn’t more pizza in the fridge for you to heat up.  :-(

    I probably shouldn’t say that for a second I flashed to some cartoon I must have seen where we could see inside, and I pictured a big pizza sliced shape (totally unthawed) inside of Kora.

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    More like straight outta Dragnet. Which ran on radio both before it moved to TV and concurrent with its first television incarnation.

    No interest in checking whether or not the Efrem Zimbalist Jr. series The F.B.I. (also pre-Reagan) is out there for viewing but expect the years have not been kind to its Hoover-approved ethos.

  37. 37.

    Wag

    What we have here, beautifully demonstrated, is an NRA orchestrated rising level of gun aggression. People are driven to fear, promoting them to buy guns. Because of an increase number of guns in the populace, the cops feel the need to increase the intensity of their arms. Cops have increased firepower, prompting increased fear of a police state by RWNJ gun freaks, who buy assault rifles. Populace has Assault rifles? Police response with sniper rifles and tanks. The never ending arms race ends with mutually assured destruction of civil society.

    All in service to the worship of the Second Amendment.

  40. 40.

    OGLiberal

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I know “access” and her editors probably would have shit on her for it but the moment he made that proposition she should have waited for the map to come out, tell him that she’s a offended he even challenged her on that, said “the interview is over and I will follow-up with your people”, then on  the way out, point to Ukraine on the map and walk the fuck out.

    One can dream…

  41. 41.

    guachi

    That Newport Beach ad looks like a parody but the Decatur, GA ads look like not only an ad for the police but an ad for the city, itself.

    “Come live in Decatur, where the police aren’t a-holes”

  45. 45.

    cain

    Goddam – that first video is something else. It looks like a gun nut’s dream job. The only thing it was missing was bikini clad women to complete the testosterone leaden ad.

    I first thought it was Newport, OR and I was like – y’alls crazy, nothing happens in that sleepy town – you probably have to amp everything up in this ad just to get people to join the force there.

  47. 47.

    Brachiator

    @geg6:

    OMG, that show is one of the greatest of all time. Such great comedy actors! Jack Woo and Abe Vigoda are geniuses!

    Yep. Good show.

    BTW, the actor you meant was Jack Soo. I liked his cool, deadpan style. I recall reading a bit of his biography. He was Japanese American, born Goro Suzuki. He and his family were sent to a relocation camp during World War 2. He later changed his name when he was working at a Chinese night club, and to escape anti-Japanese bigotry.

    His character on Barney Miller was Japanese American, which confused some viewers.

  49. 49.

    Amir Khalid

    @NotMax:
    Another thing I read: Zimbalist had to pass the FBI vetting for real agent candidates before Hoover approved his casting.

  50. 50.

    cain

    @geg6:

    Ron Glass was pretty good with his dead pan humor. I really loved him in the Firefly series.

    It was definitely an understated series – and I generally enjoyed it.

    TJ Hooke on the other side.. bleah.

    Although, my favorite cop show was Sledgehammer which was just hilarious since it made fun of gun nuts. Similar in character to Tackleberry from the Police Academy movies.

    If you want to see something making fun of the police – Police Academy was a good one.

  51. 51.

    zhena gogolia

    @NotMax:

    I just finished watching Cycle Savages on Prime. It was a favorite of my high-school crowd when we saw it at the drive-in. I swear Bruce Dern must have improvised all his own dialogue. He is brilliant.

  52. 52.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    @Mike in NC: ​
      There’s an episode of South Park where Tupac’s hologram walks into a police station and the cops frantically debate whether to shoot or choke him.

  56. 56.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @NotMax:

    Can’t forget about the granddaddy of copaganda Dragnet! “Just the facts, ma’am”. Yeah right!

    @Baud:

    I bet not lol

    @MagdaInBlack:

    Took me a bit, but I found it. I’d forgotten all about this story

    @OGLiberal:

    I know, would’ve served that Pompous price right

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Of course it is! Putin is a stand-up guy who uncovered the evil American Surveliance Deep State and is totally NOT a killer. Also too, Biden is a neoliberal who bombs the Middle East and Trump is the one who should get credit for withdrawing the US from the War in Afghanistan //

  59. 59.

    zhena gogolia

    @raven:

    The director of Hell’s Angels on Wheels died recently, and it was his obituary that sent me back to Cycle Savages — I wasn’t sure which one had Bruce Dern.

  64. 64.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @geg6:

    Eh, different strokes for different folks. I’ve heard of Abe Vigoda but I can’t remember what else he’s been in off the top of my head.

    On a related note, I was in a place today that had Three’s Company on. From the snippets I saw it was kinda funny. I only know about it because of the film Stay Tuned starring Ritter and Pam Dawber. Had a hilarious scene where Ritter’s character ends up on a Three’s Company-like set and two lookalikes of his co-stars appear and ask him, “Where have you been?” and Ritter just starts screaming lol

  66. 66.

    John Revolta

    @Wapiti: ​
     I must object. I had a German Shepard once……….the Mrs. and I went out and left him and the kid home. When we came back, he met us at the door, all excited, and led us into the living room where the kid was sleeping on the floor with a plate of cold cuts next to him, and Rocky was all “See that? I didn’t eat it!! I’m so good, right??”
    (Of course, we had to give him the cold cuts then, PLUS all the praise and stuff, so………)

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Can’t be alone in remembering Broderick Crawford’s patented gruff rat-a-tat-tat delivery in Highway Patrol.

    Episodes of which ended with a stern, terse homily. Example (from ancient memory so maybe not verbatim):

    “An accident doesn’t determine who’s right, only who’s left.”

  72. 72.

    Planetjanet

    This is one crazy story from Ft. Belvoir. Four soldiers were having lunch at IHOP. A lady came over to their table and offered to buy their lunch in honor of their service. She put $30 on the table. Later, she came back, took the money and left $6. She came back a third time claiming they all stole her money and threw a fit. It is exhausting to hear how many ways people can be so mean.
    https://www.armytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2021/04/21/4-black-soldiers-harrased-by-ihop-patron/#.YIIiZnilWTM.facebook

  73. 73.

    PJ

    I only watched the first video, but it looks like someone hired a high school student to make a recruitment video and had them watch old SWAT episodes to pick up ideas for the content. Too bad it didn’t feature the actual theme from SWAT. But I did appreciate that it featured a cop with a chokehold on a suspect on the ground who is not resisting while the cop barks, “STOP RESISTING!” No need to wonder why this happens so often in real life . . .

  75. 75.

    eclare

    • Since we’re talking about boring police work, I’m watching a Dateline where a detective went through a suspect’s garbage on a weekly basis for months.
  80. 80.

    Zeke

    What the hell kind of crime do they have in Newport Beach? Video makes it look like the inspiration for Mad Max, or maybe Snake Pliskin’s New York.

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