How do you handle punishing the rogue police officer who disregards the rules of "to protect and to serve" and considers him or herself above the law? Well, in Thailand, police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday. The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.
Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late - among other misdemeanors - will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won't wear the armband in public. "Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor," said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok. Why should they have to stay in the office, maybe they should go out in a "Hello Kitty" patrol car!
"Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said. He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public. "We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses," Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.
Here in LA and others cities, it's the bad cop that gives the other 99.9% a bad name. The police do their best to make peace out of chaios and it is those few, who think that the rights of citizens do not exist, that should get this punishment in LA or any city. This might be a way to control some of the macho officers who got carried away in LA's Mayday Melee. But I don't think that LAPD Chief Bratten would got for it!
Hello Kitty, invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974, has been popular for years with children and young women. The celebrity cat adorns everything from diamond-studded jewelry, Fender guitars and digital cameras to lunch boxes, T-shirts and stationery and now police armbands. My only fear about this new trend?Thome coppers may just like it and think it's a fashion statement.
