US Cops’ Hubris and Entitlement Are Nothing New

This article was originally published here

The terror of police power is a recurring fact of USian life, particularly in this country’s poorest communities and in communities of color. The power of officers comes not only from the strength of arms, but also from a legal system that is swift to protect its enforcers, yet slow to hold them to account. Where did this virtual immunity from prosecution come from? Has it always been this way? And if not, how has police power and impunity changed through the ages? Historian Joanna Schwartz joins The Real News Network’s The Chris Hedges Report to discuss her new book, Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable.

Joanna Schwartz is a professor of law at UCLA, where she teaches civil procedure and courses on police accountability and public interest lawyering.

A transcript of the show is here.