Thursday, June 30, 2011

Peace Officer vs. Law Enforcement Officer

BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor police officer conducting a check of downtown businesses arrested a local transient shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday after finding him charging his two cellphones in an outdoor electrical outlet hidden behind some flowers on Harlow Street.

Shaun Fawster, 23, was charged with theft of services as well as with carrying a concealed weapon, Bangor police Lt. Jeff Millard said Tuesday, citing an arrest report.

The report indicated that Fawster had a folding knife tucked underneath his shirt, Millard said.
This, an excellent example of the difference between a Peace Officer and a Law Enforcement Officer.

A Peace Officer would've warned the guy. A Peace Officer would help a drunk get home from a bar, give him a ride or get him a taxi. Mission accomplished: no one was harmed or injured, and the situation was defused.

This Law Enforcement Officer found a way to make an arrest. That's what they do, that's who they are. They seek out ways to enforce the letter of the law, no matter how trivial or what consequences an arrest will have for the 'lawbreaker' or how much of a chilling effect they cause for society. Law Enforcement Officers seek to build up their own usually overinflated egos, and desire to make sure everyone knows that they are large and in charge.

Our nation now has many more Law Enforcement Officers than Peace Officers, and is in a much sorrier state for it.

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