Being born and raised in Southern California naturally exposed me to cultural traits associated with that part of the country. Often while growing up, and long after graduating from high school in 1975, I was forever on the beach running, swimming in the surf, and catching waves. Plenty of exercise, soaking up the sun, and healthy eating, was all a big part of my life.

Right away when I came to Virginia in 1982, I noticed some obvious cultural differences. One day around that time frame, I was driving through a somewhat rural area (after Southern California, almost anywhere else looked rural to me) of central Virginia and I needed a bite to eat. I stopped at a grocery store and began searching up and down the isles for the “health food” section; something you could find in virtually any grocery store in California. Back then it was the section with all the granola bars, foods without preservatives, organic items, and other similar stuff.  

Finding no such thing, I spotted a male employee, a healthy looking fellow himself, who was stocking the shelves. I had seen many farms in the area as I was driving and I wondered if perhaps this gentleman had grown up on a farm. He looked like he was no stranger to hard physical labor.

“Excuse me sir, could you tell me where the health food section is?”

“The what?!” he replied.

“The health food section,” I repeated.

He looked at me like I was either from Mars or Candid Camera and he had no time for such nonsense. I could imagine him thinking, “What are you talking about boy?” After staring at me for a couple seconds and retaining his look of disdain, he resumed stocking the shelves without saying anything else. I walked away wondering, “Was it something I said?” I then found some juice, purchased it, and left the store.

It was in Virginia where I first heard The Civil War referred to as The War of Northern Aggression. It was also in Virginia where I saw a bumper sticker saying, “Teach a Yankee How to Drive – Point Him North.” That is a cultural aspect of some parts of the south just like a Southern California post card and lyrics from a Jimmy Buffet song saying, “The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful,” exemplifies part of the Southern California culture.

I know that every person in California is not going to fit into cultural stereotypes from that part of the country - same goes for Virginia. I’ve lived in both places for many years and I’ve seen many different aspects of culture from those areas. People don’t possess every single aspect of a culture native to their environment.

I also am familiar with another type of culture.

From many years of experience as a police officer responding to 911 calls for service and from years of instructing various police subjects, I am well aware of aspects of law enforcement. I know of officer safety concerns, the stress involved in seeing human misery, the desire to pursue and apprehend, and the fatigue of shift work - those are all interwoven components of the police culture.

I am here to tell you, unfortunately, that there is an additional aspect of police culture which is a significant hazard to public safety. It does not need to be there and there is no excuse for it. Far too often when an officer purposely abuses his or her authority, there are too many officers willing to either turn a blind eye or actively help to cover up. The problem is compounded when those who have the power and authority to hold police accountable take no meaningful steps to do so.

Recently, The Philadelphia Daily News reported another example of police abuse of authority and the Code of Silence (you can also find a good commentary on the incident at Injustice Everywhere).

In a nutshell, a Philadelphia police officer abused his authority, roughed up some private citizens, threatened them with a gun, lied about it, and then other cops tried to help cover up the abuse. The sum total of accountability so far has amounted to a slap on the pinky for one officer and nothing for the rest.

It’s no big deal if a Southerner wants to point a Yankee back north, and it is no big deal if someone from California enjoys the surf and sun but can’t find a granola bar. It is however, a very big deal when police culture continues to allow for abuse of authority and efforts to cover it up. When that happens, the lives and liberties of innocent persons are put in jeopardy.

It is not all police who engage in such activities but it is far from just a few. It is also something of which you should be fully aware.