There are plenty of urban areas around America, that quite frankly, are dangerous, especially for those that are members of that community; of which some of the main reasons why this is so would be the guns, the poverty, the lack of opportunity, the violence, as well as often the lack of a good moral compass. These types of areas, often consist of people that aren’t all that relaxed, that aren’t at ease, and to the large extent, they are agitated and nervous. In that type of cauldron, to add plainclothes police officers to that mix, is going to be a highly volatile situation, which will invariably lead to regrettable and violent outcomes. Consider this well, not everything that glitters is actually gold, and not everyone who is in plainclothes and thereupon claims to be a police officer is actually a police officer; to wit, people that have turf to protect, are going to have a strong inclination to protect their turf and to damn the consequences, so of.
When police officers are permitted to try to blend into a community by wearing plainclothes, and to act the part of being someone or something that they actually are not; this is going to lead to some rather bad outcomes, that really do not need to happen. It is important to acknowledge, that in today’s world, there are all sorts of ways to monitor a given urban area, that does not necessitate plainclothes police officers; such as through snitches, drones, surveillance of all types, wiretaps, and so on and so forth. Those that really want “boots on the ground” should really make it their policy, that those boots be part of the clear identification of a police officer, rather than some sort of undercover and deceitful policy, which pretty much asks for trouble from the get-go, and almost always ends up getting trouble in the end.
Those that are sworn to protect and to serve, should do so by wearing the colors of their profession, rather then pretending to be something that they are not. Anytime, that a police officer is in plainclothes for some law enforcement assignment, they are pretending to be something that they are not; in order, apparently to combat crime, by essentially being deceitful, which is never going to be an appropriate way to build trust or acceptance within a given community.
Those that are officers of the law, should lead by example; of which, that example should be that they are forthright, honest, fair, and just. After all, to entrap or to entice somebody by deception, misdirection, and lying, are not the attributes of a good person, but rather are the refuge of those that are scoundrels and are up to no good. Those that are paid to uphold the law, should themselves be answerable to that same law, by themselves being obedient to it. All the words in the world, can’t change the fact, that actions do speak louder than words; and that those then that do not walk the walk of their talk, are not good exemplars for the community and aren’t therefore of benefit to it.