A Necessary Evil: by Candace Hillroy

LSD note: It’s a rare treat to have a guest writer submit such an important opinion piece. Without further ado, enjoy this piece by guest writer Candace Hillroy. As a reminder, you may find articles within LSD that fall under the category of “Opinion” and are the opinions of that author and are not necessarily a reflection of any singular group, entity, or LSD as a whole.

A necessary evil is still evil. Yet, we accept it due to its necessity. Until what point? What if we don’t feel it’s necessary? Would we miss it if it were gone? Would we still consider it evil?

At the risk of ruining the metaphor, law enforcement is a necessary evil. Society is heavily motivated by fear. Anyone, at any time, can be robbed, beaten, or murdered. Anarchy could break out at any moment. So, individuals are tasked with keeping society safe. They are given equipment, training, and power. Lots and lots of power.

These individuals are empowered. They will keep society safe. They will make sure that people can sleep soundly. They will become the thin line between order and chaos. And all that power they have? It would never be abused. They are, after all, tasked with protecting society.

And then, the work begins. Criminals are arrested and end up back on the street too soon. Violence becomes a daily routine. A realization comes: the fears were justified all along. There is true, insidious evil out there. There are people who, regardless of what actions are taken, take joy in ruining lives. Society is ill-equipped to deal with them. After all, they keep coming back.

Protection turns into war. Gangs and criminals call law enforcement tyrants. The justice system fails to punish the guilty. Officers are attacked in retaliation. Someone snaps. One thug says the wrong thing at the wrong time, and an officer beats him to an inch of his life.

Was this inevitable? Someone was going to snap at some point. Then what happens? Other officers understand the situation. After all, there’s a war out there. Society has failed law enforcement. People call the officer a bully and tyrant, while other officers are being brutalized daily. How is any of it fair?

But then, nothing happens. A new hit song is released, or a new fashion line, and people move on. Perhaps fighting back is an option. Or, perhaps law enforcement needs to be more proactive. Some people sympathize with gangs and criminals, surely they’re the enemy. And what if officers are a bit rude during traffic stops? They’ve been risking their lives to protect the population.

Maybe these people should be more thankful.

Necessary evil becomes evil. And the gangs and criminals? They capitalize on this. They recruit. The police are the enemy, and gangs are the only option to fight back. It becomes a full-scale war.

No good comes out of war. The innocent people caught in the middle? They suffer. They suffer because the state is too cowardly to act.

Police brutality is caused by poor training, stress, long hours, and the need to hire large numbers of officers, or as we should rightfully call them, soldiers. For the public to win, both sides need to be controlled.

Enough with the slap on the wrist! How many times does a person need to be charged with the same crime before we give them sentences that actually mean something? Maybe if we didn’t let criminals run free, we wouldn’t be dealing with these issues. Maybe a life sentence wouldn’t be such a bad idea after twenty bank robberies.

And the police? At this point, they need to be policed. Necessary evils can’t be removed, but they can be controlled. Strict oversight is necessary. Sometimes, officers need support. Sometimes, they need to take some time away from the force. Sometimes, they need to spend more time with the population they’re supposed to protect- to rehumanize.

And, sometimes, they need to be removed. Sometimes, true evil sees the necessary evil as a way to spread its malignant influence. Sometimes, bullies realize the power that the words “lawful order” have. There is no saving these bullies. There is no excusing them. They are the worst humanity has to offer, and should not be given the power they crave. Their fellow officers are their worst victims, as they suffer retaliation.

Law enforcement cannot police itself; an outside force is necessary. Individuals who understand their struggles, but aren’t part of it. Individuals who can look at the situation with both detachment and compassion.

And ultimately, the true disease needs to be cut off. The police are tasked with protecting us, but we are failing them as a society. They put in the work, get the arrest, and a few months later, that same criminal is back to terrorizing the state. It’s cyclical, and we haven’t found how to break the cycle.

As citizens, all we can do is hope.