[poker-penguin]

No worries, if I actually cared about people saying mean things about me on the internet, I'd probably have checked into a mental institution by now.

When I screw up, I often try and cover my ass too. The difference is that when I screw up I don't shoot innocent people multiple times (well, I did during an army training exercise a few years ago, but it was pretend shooting).

Covering your ass is a natural reaction, and usually causes more problems than it solves. I'm just basing it on what I've seen on both big and small scale over the last few years.

Maybe I am exagerating, but given the power the police have over the populace, they need to be held to a higher standard than us citizens, and that includes admitting they made mistakes.

I'm not saying to fire the officers or prosecute them for murder. I am saying that lying and then getting caught blatantly lying is not a good thing for anyone, especially the police, and that it happens a lot.

Whether or not 99% of cops are good people (and I believe they are), the reaction to mistakes seems to be to close ranks and deny the truth to protect the officers involved. It's an admirable instinct, and probably necessary given some people who do thing policemen should take dire consequences for their mistakes.