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READER-SUBMITTED ARTWORK
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    Except as specifically indicated, Copwatch.com does not necessarily support or oppose any particular viewpoint expressed by the contributing artists. The editorial comments that accompany these illustrations were written by “Angela”, a Copwatch.com intern, and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of Copwatch.com. These comments are not directed at any specific individuals, but at the field of law enforcement in the abstract.

    Some of the artwork displayed below may be considered stereotypical, insulting, or otherwise offensive. We publish such artwork because it constitutes a very understandable response to current conditions. As long as bad cops go unpunished, as long as bad policies are pursued, as long as bad laws are enacted and enforced, then the resulting frustration and anger of the people will inevitably be expressed in disturbingly graphic terms (pun intended).





    (Hit reload if any of the pictures fail to display completely).





    ABOVE: This picture was submitted by "Maryland Speedster". Great job!!! It hits very close to home, and will likely prove more
    prescient than we care to contemplate, as domestic militarism increases unhindered in the name of “Homeland Security”.






    ABOVE: Another submission by "Maryland Speedster". This guy is good! As discussed in our Crucial Reforms section, modern police are the spiritual descendants of the Sheriff of Nottingham's henchmen. Acting as the "muscle" or "enforcers" for cash-hungry politicians, their primary task is to squeeze money from the peasants at every opportunity. The politicians try, without success, to justify this extortion by citing "public safety". However, it is a well-established fact that the safest speed limit for any given road is the velocity at which 85% of vehicles would travel in the absence of artificial constraints. Unsurprisingly, politicians prefer to deliberately ignore safety considerations in order to fill the government coffers.






    ABOVE: This piece of artwork was created by the 8-year-old son of one of our readers. Thanks for the contribution, Jr.! These days, it’s certainly hard to argue with your perspective. What’s particularly interesting about this picture is that it indicates that the pro-cop propaganda which permeates our society has not successfully indoctrinated our youngsters with the false beliefs desired by the government. (Think, for example, of the hip trendiness of “NY Undercover”, the weekly travails of tragic hero Andy Sipowitz, the dashing derring-do of whatever character Don Johnson is currently playing, the regular visits of “Officer Friendly” to every elementary-school classroom, and the fawning media portrayals of that murderous bitch Janet Reno). Thankfully, most kids are able to see the sordid truth behind the lies and the misrepresentations, the glitz and the glamour, the solemn declarations of honesty and integrity, the sex and the fast cars.

        Coincidentally, two of our staffers recently had separate public encounters with cops. During each encounter, a random passer-by accompanied by their child was overheard to tell their child, “If you don’t behave yourself, that policeman will come and take you away.” On each occasion, the officer became extremely irate, and yelled to the pedestrian that he would NOT come and take the child away. Each cop subsequently remarked to the staffers that it was irresponsible for parents to tell such things to their kids. From our perspective, this purported issue should be the LEAST of cops’ concerns, yet each cop acted like it was of the most crucial importance. We suspect that this non-issue is a major part of the curriculum in police academies across the nation. The cops are undoubtedly taught to view this phenomenon as the sole explanation for the low regard in which the majority of society holds police. This permits the cops to conveniently absolve themselves of any responsibility for their evil reputation, and shift the blame to the “bogyman will get you” threats of irresponsible parents.

        In the warped world-view of the cops, society hates them not because they are corrupt, brutal, rude, vindictive, arbitrary, condescending, and contemptuous, (which of course they NEVER are), but because virtually every parent in America is an irresponsible anti-establishment loser.

        A word to the wise, coppers-- if you act like an assholes 90% of the time, no one will buy your act on those self-consciously awkward occasions when you give a lollipop to a baby. Even if we were to grant (just for the sake of argument) that your lame theory contains a tiny grain of truth, the question remains: if every parent in America were to consistently tell their kids that cops were “Heroes in Blue”, how long would it take before the kids realized this was a lie? Most kids are raised to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but no one retains those beliefs into adolescence. A belief in the moral rectitude of cops is more delusional than a belief in Santa or the Tooth Fairy.







    ABOVE: Another submission by our own Michelangelo, "Maryland Speedster". Excellent work!
    We’re running out of superlatives to describe the work of this talented individual.
    Where’s the thesaurus? Synonyms needed for “great”.






    ABOVE: Illustration courtesy of “Maryland Speedster”. Another excellent contribution.

    Of the many aspects of modern American policing which reveal the gangsterish proclivities of the cops, perhaps none has received such undeserved public acclaim as the D.A.R.E. program. Essentially a massive P.R. campaign designed to put a pleasant gloss on the cops’ penchant for summarily confiscating the personal property of alleged drug users, the D.A.R.E. program brings community-liaison officers into classrooms, where they are given free reign to intimidate the kids with exaggerated tales of busting alleged druggies. In most cases, the cops are allowed to keep the personal property of alleged drug users even when the allegations against the “suspects” are proven false. In other words, the cops are able to steal your property, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like the gangsters they emulate, the cops like to drive around in the fancy cars they’ve stolen. Like the gangsters, they like to decorate their rides with custom paint jobs. Like the gangsters, they obtain particular enjoyment from flaunting their new-found, ill-gotten wealth in the face of the public. This obsession with showing off their fancy cars springs partly from the fact that most cops could never afford such nice vehicles if they had to earn the money to purchase them in an honest fashion.





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    WE ARE NOW SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS OF SUITABLE ARTWORK, including Flash, banners, logos, and original .gif or .jpeg images.
      Can you depict the stark reality of police brutality with Goya-like intensity? Can you design Copwatch.com logos that will oppose the propagandistic "To Serve and Protect" logos of the cops? Are you able to visually convey the Orwellian police-state reality which confronts us? Can you create original works of art which address any of the issues covered by this site? Do you have the subversive desire to undermine the status quo with satire or caricatures? In other words, are you an artist with something to contribute? If so, feel free to submit anything which you believe may be apropos- there's no need to check with us in advance.





    * Do you lack any artistic talent, but have a great idea? Tell us what it is, and we'll pass it on to someone who can bring it to fruition.

    * Do you possess artistic talent, but lack an idea? Let us know that you're available, (and tell us your area of expertise), and we'll forward you an idea.







    Do you have any comments about the issues raised by the above artwork? Give voice to your thoughts here.







        TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
        * All submissions become the property of COPWATCH.com. If the artwork is used, credit will be prominently given to the artist upon request.

        * All submissions must depict the url of the website as follows: Copwatch.com (The phrase "Policing the Police" may be added at the artist's discretion).

        * All submissions must contain the following phrase, (in small letters):
        Copyright ©2002 Copwatch.com, Inc. All rights reserved. May be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes.

        * If applicable, the submission must contain the word PARODY, in small letters.


        DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL MATTERS:
        All of the images used here are Copyright © 2002 Copwatch.com, Inc., all rights reserved. Any persons depicted in this artwork are public figures, and their appearance does not imply any endorsement of Copwatch.com, nor any affiliation with any specific organization or ideology, regardless of any uniform or insignia which may be displayed, or may appear to be displayed, on their person. Any images of actual police personnel are used for the purposes of satire, parody, and/or political speech.







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Help copwatch fight police brutality. Bad cops must be prosecuted. Police corruption is a major problem - copwatch will root it out. Dirty cops threaten the criminal justice system. Police misconduct is an epidemic. Police abuse innocent citizens all too often. Police harassment is a frequent occurrence. The blue wall of silence protects bad cops, and police culture must be reformed. Deviant cops must be fired. Police deviance cannot be tolerated. Last year saw a bad cop arrested for rape, a dirty cop charged with extortion, police corruption involving drug distribution, a criminal cop jailed for brutality, a disgraced police chief sentenced for domestic abuse, a convicted sheriff guilty of theft, moonlighting police disciplined for misconduct, convicted cops fired for sexual assault, a guilty cop suspended for harassment, a discredited cop charged with perjury, and a law enforcement officer suspended from duty for being on the take. Police corruption is common across the country. Such activities are a disgrace to the badge, and dishonor the uniform, so the offending cop was forced to turn in his badge. Subsequent reports revealed a state patrol officer investigated for arson, a highway patrol officer indicted for fraud, a state trooper jailed for assault, a top cop ousted for brandishing his weapon, a Police Sgt. fired for bribery, (while another Police Sergeant quit the force), a Police Lt. pressured to resign (the Lieutenant is accused of murder), child-molesting police, and a Police Commander crashed his squad car in a high speed pursuit. The police department engaged in a coverup to hide evidence of misconduct, refusing to release relevant public records and public documents, despite the open records law and the submission of a public disclosure request. Finally, Serpico breaks ranks. As the bad cops close ranks, good police put their lives on the line, while an overzealous county mounty (or mountie) is an embarrassment to the force. An ex-cop turns in his gun. Learn how to prevent police brutality. The Police Benevolent Fund manufactures support for the police department - a department under fire amid accusations of misconduct. The Police Guild negotiates a new contract for its members. The Police Union demands raise in overtime pay. Funds are increased with the seizure of drug money. Forfeiture proceedings are instituted, and the police seize the property of alleged drug dealers, including cars, homes, planes, real estate, guns, and drugs. At the same time, police raise funds for charity and participate in public service programs. Community policing resulted in ride-along programs for local citizens, and increased participation in police Explorer programs. But the broken-window, zero-tolerance program is difficult to evaluate. A gun-buyback program was successful, with cops collecting a variety of firearms, including assault rifles, handguns, Saturday night specials, automatic weapons, shotguns, tec-9, glocks, taurus, S&W, .45 caliber, .44 caliber, .357 caliber, 9mm, all military style. The guns were auctioned off or melted down. BATF agents were investigating the sale of handguns. The FBI conducted a background check, so citizens interested in the militia movement attended gun shows, where they were able to purchase handguns from vendors. Issuance of a concealed weapons permit was allowed, and this gun permit allowed the man to use his handgun for concealed carry in a shoulder holster. The national law enforcement memorial fund is a beautiful tribute to the boys in blue who have made the ultimate sacrifice. To serve and protect is their honorable motto. Duty and honor is another. The LAPD scandal tarnishes public perception of police officers. Police brutality is a major issue in minority neighborhoods. Neighborhood watch programs were quite effective in reducing crime statistics and increasing neighborhood safety. Cops shoot suspect, and then the cops shoot suspect again. The suspect is wounded, and then the suspect dies in police custody. This pattern is called custody death syndrome. Positional asphyxiation is often blamed for the death of prisoners, after the prisoners are pepper-sprayed, maced, beaten, handcuffed, and thrown in the back of a police car. Suicide by cop is another term that is becoming popular, as police seek to blame the victim and excuse their unprofessional behavior. These police cover-ups are ineffective, and police brutality is found to be the cause of death. Cops and robbers is a nice game, but when the cops kill or fatally wound a suspected robber, the circumstances are often suspicious. Many cops are drug abusers, some police are drug addicts, many officers are alcoholics. Cops on steroids often exhibit roid rage when police abuse steroids. Amadou Diallou was sodomized by police on steroids. Police brutality and racial profiling are two issues that often arise at major metropolitan police departments. Bill Sheehan created a website revealing the social security numbers, home addresses, and home telephone numbers of Kirkland Police Department (KPD) officers. SPD info was scheduled to go live on April 1st. Civil rights abuses probed. Officer convicted of drunk driving. Man killed in police raid. At the N30 demonstrations, cops without nametags beat nonviolent protestors without provocation. The direct action network, DAN for short, was created in response. During the Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday celebrations in Seattle, a roving gang of black thugs beat Kris Kime to death as he was attempting to assist an injured women, and the police stood by and did nothing. This murder is on the hands of Mayor Paul Schell, who refuses to prosecute the perpetrators for hate crimes. Some people have argued that a database of bad cops should be developed. Many authoritative academic studies examine the psychological profile of police officers. There are many deviant police officers. Some police departments foster a culture of police deviance. Where is a free punk music concert? Kids like to thrash on their skateboard. Snowboarding, or boarding, is enjoyed by straightedge skinheads. RATM is phat. The swat team, equipped with military gear, broke down the door and swarmed into the apartment with guns drawn. Dynamic entry police raids are dangerous to citizens. Police brutality is a growing problem.