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TLC Goes from Jon & Kate to, ?There?s Always A Good Time to Use A Taser?

By Steve Lombardi

Now that the TLC is finished making destroyed family values into weekly entertainment the network is moving into the area of crime is sexy and making it into weekly entertainment. Meet the latest reality series on of all things, The Learning Channel: Meet the Police Women of Broward County, on the TLC. A better name would be, "Who out there is desperate enough to marry me?"

I watched the YouTube and Discovery site clips and wondered, what is it exactly that TLC is hoping we learn from this? Well let's just take a look and see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RBT6m0LHRM

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/police-women-of-broward-county-meet-andrea.html

Yes you heard it right, a police officer bragging that, 'There's always a good time to use a Taser.' Right from the mouth of the people entrusted to uphold the law is bravado about turning, what should be a department issued deadly weapon, into a sound bite for entertainment consumption. How is this even close to be something to teach young adults? Is this what American society has become? Is this what are tax dollars are being used to do; to put weapons in the hands of law enforcement who think Tasing citizens has entertainment value? This clearly demonstrates what goes wrong when the government gets into the entertainment business.

How about instead of playing to the TLC camera, that our police officers do what law enforcement is constitutionally empowered to do: simply to enforce the law.

This comment by law enforcement is inappropriate, unprofessional and can be later used to show malice by the Broward County Police Department and officers when someone dies after being Tased. And who will pay for this indiscretion? You guessed it the taxpayers will be paying. The taxpayers of Broward County will be paying for it in wrongful death damages after little Miss Blonde Deputy Gun Slinger gets her fill of always having a good time to use the Taser.

It's my opinion that government law enforcement participating in reality TV shows is not an appropriate governmental function. These shows started as educational opportunities and they've turned away from education to focusing on entertainment. When did police work turn into the latest reality TV series? I don't recall the Boston Police wearing makeup. Was I missing something? I don't believe my cousin Anthony wears makeup when he rides in the squad car. Anthony do you? When cops turn into movie stars crime turns into an excuse for profit and the cops begin to examine which criminal activity drives the best ad dollars. The police then play up to the camera instead and the mouths of these officers prove that point.

Making police work entertaining borders on an unconstitutional exercise of the State of Florida's police power. A basic function of state government is law enforcement not entertainment. So using government law enforcement resources to entertain the public is wasting those resources and encouraging the perception that the purpose of law enforcement is to take economic, social and financial advantage of criminal activity.

This is disgraceful for the State of Florida and especially its police departments. This officer should be sanctioned and either removed from the show or from the service of police work. The Broward County Sheriff's Department needs to withdraw from the TLC.

Does TLC stand for Taser Loving Cops? Let's just call it like its being produced, T_ts love crime?

Perhaps next we'll have a Tase booth at the Iowa State Fair. 'Step right up ladies and gentlemen and try your hand at Tasing the Moving Criminal! It's great fun and even helps reduce the deficit created by irresponsible government spending! Hit the felon twice and we'll credit your property tax bill! Kill him and we'll give you a full year of property tax relief! Come one come all!'

This disgusts me; this officer needs to be retrained by the Iowa State Troopers who by the way don't carry Tasers. They use what is called verbal judo, what the rest of us know to be communication skills. Notice the Iowa State Patrol's motto: 'To preserve lives, rights & property through courtesy, service & protection.' No boasting, no bravado and certainly not stated for entertainment value. The Iowa State Troopers make the Broward County Sheriff's Department look like Communist thugs.

America is ill. The American public is being dumbed down and law enforcement is not doing it's job in a respectable way. We are all focused on reality television instead of reality. The three branches of government should be ashamed. As a lawyer statements like the one here make me wonder if we've developed very far beyond the Roman Empire and its use of lions eating slaves for entertainment. Long live Caesar.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on August 20, 2009 (boomark / email).