Is it the job of the police to protect you?


Most people assume that the purpose of government is to somehow take care of them. This assumption is probably bolstered by politicians hoping for justification of the confiscatorial taxes they currently impose. Once children reach adulthood, perhaps they unconsciously yearn for someone to take care of them in lieu of their actual parents. The most obvious arm of government to intervene in time of immediate danger is the one in your neighborhood which is armed with guns - the police.

But, is it actually the job of police to protect you in time of danger?

According to the highest authority of our government, the answer is clearly, no. The supreme court issued an unambiguous ruling that the police have no responsibility to protect any individual - only "sociey". So, when you read on the police cars such mottoes as, "To Protect and to Serve", it really means "to protect and to serve society". When it comes to your own personal safety, you are on your own.

In point of fact, police cannot protect you even though they may want to - there are many times more criminals than police, and the police are almost never at the scene of a crime anyway. They only take pictures and write reports afterward.


Back to the Sorry But You're Wrong main page.

Back to the top of this page.


This page last updated 13 July 1998.
All materials on this site are copyrighted,
and may not be reproduced by any means
without express written permission.
All rights reserved.