Instant access to records means that the authorities run everyone’s ID through in every incident. Not surprisingly, they often get an arrest record, or even an outstanding warrant. A prior arrest and/or conviction record may prejudice authorities in their treatment of both victim and perpetrator. Maybe worse, it contributes to a police-state like attitude on the part of some law enforcement personnel, which casts the general public as a group of perps just waiting to be arrested.

The idea that once in custody a prisoner is at the mercy of the personal whims of law enforcement is a corollary of the belief that “…you gave up that right when you ______ (fill in the blank, e.g. failed to appear)….”, and now the rules don’t apply to you. Sounds like Guantanamo, doesn’t it? We don’t need no stinking habeas corpus!!

Warrantless wiretapping and other access to personal information, Guantanamo, torture, special rendition, weakening of Miranda, all contribute to a general erosion of respect for the public (including both victims and suspects) by law enforcement.

Of course there have always been bad, unprofessional cops who use their authority to vent their personal hang-ups and prejudices. Just as there have always been, and continue to be, law enforcement personnel who are extremely capable, competent, and aware of their limits. We should do our best to weed out the bad ones. And that’s often very difficult in a “brotherhood.” But that’s not the larger issue.

An overall atmosphere of lack of respect for human rights (including privacy rights), and the possibilities for access to personal information created by new technologies, have combined to create an atmosphere where some of the worst qualities of the worst cops at every level are enabled. This noxious atmosphere is cultivated at the very highest levels of law enforcement policy making and enforcement.