Yes, it’s important to condemn the “code of silence” that made it so that even the most over the top Milwaukee Police Officer could not be found guilty in the trial of Frank Jude Jr. but let’s not forget what our officers are dealing with every day.

We should also be expressing outrage at the “stop snitching” shirts and slogans that are floating around out there. “Stop snitching” is just a civilian version of the “code of silence” so let’s just dispose of any one-sided indignation right now. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that violence in our society is something that all law enforcement deal with on a daily basis. Let’s not forget that our officers, whether they be in the Milwaukee Police Department, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department or in surrounding communities, put their life on the line. Often, for the first 5 years they’re working they’re making a lousy wage and they have to see and hear of fellow officers who were attacked or killed.

So let’s do away with this one sided blame game we’ve all been hearing about lately.

I can’t excuse what the officers did to Jude. It was wrong, heavy handed and gave all law enforcement a black eye. Whoever the officer or the officers who beat the hell out of him disgrace the uniform and should never be allowed to wear it again. What’s more, many people serving in law enforcement were shocked and appalled (rightly so) when the not-guilty verdict came down. But keep in mind though that many of those officers go out to investigate murder scenes only to hear that neighborhood residents have picked up the shell casings before police arrive to protect the criminal from prosecution. Those same officers who put their life on the line to protect the public are dealing with communities who care more about protecting a murderer than they do about protecting themselves.

Some of you might be reading this are asking yourself, isn’t this something you would normally see on a conservative blog? Here’s the problem with that; this isn’t now and shouldn’t be either a conservative or liberal issue. What this should be is an issue of common sense and common decency. Liberals who decry the police brutality in Milwaukee without also condemning the developing culture of “stop snitching” ought to have their good lefty cards revoked and exchanged for whiney anarchist cards.

Yes, the community should be enraged by the verdict in the Jude case. However, when t-shirts that sport “stop snitching” slogans and orange prison-style jumpsuits make it into the mainstream as an acceptable and even unembarrassing attire to be sold in stores and worn in public, it should have served as a wakeup call that “stop snitching” was about to work both ways.