#Why good cops increasingly fear getting ‘canceled’ for being bad

Law-enforcement officers are just like you. We have families: spouses and children, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. We have friends we care very deeply about, communities we love, and dreams we’re pursuing. We celebrate wins but we also make mistakes. Not all cops are bad, and not all are good. 

But recent events have conspired to make some people suspicious, or even afraid of cops. Not just bad cops — all cops. 

Events in 2020 have made it much more difficult to be a cop. At a time when the media are breaking stories alleging police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in police custody, and politicians and activists are calling to defund the police, good cops are paying the price for isolated instances of atrocious conduct. We’re all getting tarred with the same brush and that’s not right. 

As I explain in my book, “Breaking Blue: Real Life Stories of Cops Falsely Accused,” I know what it’s like to be a cop falsely accused of wrongdoing. 

In 2010, I was labeled as an unindicted co-conspirator by the US Attorney’s Office. It was alleged that I was involved in witness tampering, kidnapping, and having knowledge of or participating in the theft of money and/or drugs. The allegations were fabricated by two individuals facing federal charges. Federal charges that would incarcerate them, potentially, for a lengthy time of their lives. I was never formally charged, but my name was dragged through the media. I spent the remaining 11 years of my career with the “unidentified co-conspirator” scarlet letter pinned on me, when I had done nothing wrong. 

Defense attorneys loved to come after me in court. Suspects on the street would insinuate I was a dirty cop even though they had never even met me. Street gangsters threatened me on their social media accounts. 

And while the allegations were proven bogus, nobody was held accountable for their lies. The liars weren’t accused of perjury. Time and time again they are able to do it and face no consequences for putting officers through this. 

Now this is happening more than ever. False accusations against police officers are posted regularly on social media and are continuing to flood local departments around the country. This, in turn, has created the false narrative that all cops are bad and has contributed to the negative relationship between the police and their communities. Police are now scared to intervene in some situations due to fear that each civilian interaction is a chance for their good name to be besmirched in the media. 

When we take our oath as law-enforcement officers, we know the risks of physical harm. But there is a new fear among police officers that inhibits us from doing our jobs the best we can: the fear of being sued for something that never happened; the fear of being investigated or convicted of wrongdoing that never occurred; the fear of having our good name smeared on the evening news or dragged across social media. Cancel culture has taken over and even us cops are afraid of being immediately “canceled” before the truth has time to come out. 

Amid these fears, I’ve heard from many officers who no longer think being proactive to prevent crime is worth it. Due to the focus on rare instances of bad cops committing crimes, we’re not innocent until proven guilty. We’ve already been found guilty in the court of public opinion. 

Sergeant Sean “Sticks” Larkin is a former police officer with the Tulsa Police Department, analyst on the hit show “Live PD” and host of the Law & Crime podcast “Coptales.” His new book “Breaking Blue: Real Life Stories of Cops Falsely Accused” is out Tuesday.