Add Armando Perez to the growing list of top cops who have been busted in America since June of this year.
Until September 10 Armando Perez was Chief of Police in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On that day Perez and Bridgeport’s acting personnel director, David Dunn, were arrested and charged with fraud and false statements in hiring papers.
Chief Perez, with the apparent assistance of at least two other cops as well as Bridgeport’s HR director, is alleged to have rigged his own selection as Bridgeport’s new police chief. Bravo1, Armando, bravo.
Perez’s arrest and resignation are not linked to BLM protests or other unrest growing in America in the past months. The man is merely another example of how misconduct is present in cop culture, in all ranks from top to bottom.
Those who knew Perez for his 35 year career may remember his accomplishments. Perhaps they’ll defend his bravery or his integrity.
History will have none of that. Perez thought he deserved the spot of Top Cop. All he did was erase his standing in history, his honor (if he ever had any), and his integrity. Chief Perez took the Down elevator, straight to the pig pen. From now on, he’ll just be remembered by history as another corrupt porker, an oinker, a pig. Homo vorsutus spp. sus.
Does this incident make all cops in some way ‘complicit’ in Perez’s corruption? No – although NPR reports that “Perez is accused of enlisting two police officers to “secretly draft and write” his written exam.” Nobody should be surprised if other officers are also exposed in the coming criminal investigation and trials.
What this incident does do, however, is continue the accelerating erosion of the reputations of, and trust in, cops everywhere.
Like William Munny said in Unforgiven,
“Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”
1 Bravo: see Merriam-Webster’s definition, noun, Entry 1 of 4.
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