Over the years, I've gotten used to the International Association of Chiefs of Police and their anti-gun rhetoric. This group takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from the anti-gun Joyce Foundation and is always quick to promote the latest gun control scheme. It's not a group of rank-and-file police, but the politically connected bigwigs. Many of the policies they support actually make the streets more dangerous by disarming everyday citizens while the criminals run free.
The group was meeting in Boston this week, and we got to see firsthand how these fat cats treat the regular Joes on the police force. The Boston Herald reported that 10% of the Boston police force was assigned to be chauffeurs and bellhops for the chiefs, at a time when violent crime in Boston is on the rise. These officers went from being public servants to private serfs, at the beck and call of any of the chiefs.
The Herald reported that some chiefs were given cell phones so they could call officers for a ride if they'd had too much to drink. Others used recent graduates of the Boston Police Academy as porters at the hotel where the convention was headquartered.
And the worst part? Boston mayor Tom Menino, who's been blaming the rise in violent crime on gun owners in states like Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, had no problem pulling these cops off their beat. In the words of the Boston Herald, the mayor quote- declined to criticize the practice saying it is a courtesy extended to keep visitors safe -end quote.
Officers are angry about this, and they should be. The local police union head said his office had heard from a lot of their members who were upset about the way they were being used. The Herald quoted him as saying, "We certainly shouldn't be using what little resources we have to drive chiefs and carry bags. He's right, Menino's wrong, and the people of Boston should be asking why the mayor cares more about providing around-the-clock security for a visiting police chief than providing protection for families in Roxbury and Dorchester.