BP #6: Cops Parking Illegally

Some of the topics I covered in my other blog posts were kind of serious, so this time I’m going to talk about something that in the larger scheme of things isn’t that bad.

Down in Miami, Florida, a U.S. active-duty Army major, Glen Carr, has reported over 100 cases of Miami police cars parked illegally in the city. Each report contains photographic proof that the car is indeed parked illegally. I have to give this guy some respect just on what he says about the subject, “It’s not like I’m against them. I just want them to be better at what they do. I feel they don’t hold each other accountable.”

Again, this issue pales in comparison to some of the other things that are currently happening in the world. However, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be completely ignored. Comparing this to Kant’s concept of the “Good Will,” this example can be used to highlight the important difference between doing things for duty and doing things from duty.

To explain this distinction further, acting for duty means that you would be acting not because the action is correct or “good,” but because you have some other inclination or motivation to do so. The police officers that have parked their cars illegally are acting for duty, using their power in a way that isn’t inherently good, but because it provides them convenience in their daily life.

Acting from duty means that you are acting because the action is the right thing to do, and you have no ulterior motive or inclination. If these police officers had to park illegally in order to help somebody, that would be an action from duty. Major Carr is trying to show us that these officers who are parked illegally aren’t acting from duty because their actions aren’t done solely for “good”.

This is a very small concern in the grand scheme of things, but it’s not one that takes a lot of effort to resolve. I applaud Major Carr for bringing this issue to light because it shows an abuse of power that sometimes goes unnoticed. Again, a quote from Major Carr that shows why this issue should be resolved, “I was able to show my daughter, hey, they were wrong; the police can be wrong too. But they have to be accountable.”

Thank you for reading this, if you have any questions for comment feel free to reply below!