Good cop, bad cop–or better cops

I’m not in the habit of “cop bashing,” especially since I grew up knowing and hearing about the lives of legendary police officers of the Manila Police, now known as the Western Police District.

From my Tito Jimmy a.k.a General James Barbers, Col. “Dong” Adolfo, the feared tandem of Col. Juanito “Johnny” Lagasca and Ruben Escarcha, the late mayor Alfredo Lim and Vic Vinarao, each of them committed and courageous.

I came to know them during the time my father, the late Louie Beltran, worked as a police reporter for the Evening News. The rules back then were simple: commit the crime, you pay the time; cop killers don’t live long and a policeman’s best assets were a tribe of informants and reliable bullets and hard work.

In terms of media, the police back then built trust and relationships with the “PRESS.” The only time they spent time in the limelight was in relation to solving high profile crimes that angered the public. They were careful about publicity until after the case was solved. In my mind, they were certainly the “Good Cops.”

Sadly, times have changed the circumspect nature of police engagement with the media. Later batches learned that the right amount and right kind of publicity could earn you a promotion or posting without getting shot at.

So, some of them traded “scoops” and “inside info” for favorable write ups, features or even just a mere “honorable mention.” That made them, as well as the local mayor, look good. The problem was there were very few positions and stricter promotions boards.

As expected, the system became political and commercial. What good press could not do, political endorsements and paid PR soon became a practice.

This was eventually exposed by then PNP chief Ping Lacson, who now sits as senator. The exposé certainly discouraged the practice but did not completely put a stop to it. The good news is that this type of PR for cops has been reduced.

The bad news is that social media, political pressure and internal pressure from higher ups to be seen as doing their jobs have forced today’s police chiefs to prematurely inform the public of the latest developments in an incident, based mostly on “observation” than scientific validation.

In the case of the two Ateneo athletes who died during team building exercises, one of the statements that has gone viral is “mukhang hindi aksidente.” In English it would be: it does not look like an accident.

In the principle of First Mention, that statement is the first to take root in the minds of families, the Ateneo community and the public at large.

That might also become the direction taken by investigators, lawyers, insurance companies, etc. The problem is how the statement is interpreted.

To be fair to the officer who made the statement, he could have been taken out of context or misinterpreted. He may have meant that the death of the athletes was caused by negligence (kapabayaan) and was totally avoidable.

Remember the case of “reckless imprudence resulting in homicide” or the US version, “involuntary manslaughter.”

I know it is easier said than done, but the Philippine National Police really, really need to learn and adapt the policy of “No Comment” practiced by the UK, US and Australian police. No comment until the investigation is completed or when validated and substantial information warrants.

The only other time the local police should be reaching out to the media and the public is when they need information or public cooperation where time is of the essence.

Maybe Congress can pass a law that prohibits officials, whether police or politician, from meddling or pressuring investigators to give updates until a final report is made.

The PNP should also make sure that the scorecard for promotions of police officers is based on track record, personal accomplishment and expertise and not PR. The PNP should also be careful about warnings and good news announcements.

At the start of the Iran-US/Israel conflict, I remember an announcement or advisory from the PNP for the public to be aware and careful because there may be a slight rise in petty crimes such as burglary and robbery.

Sometime last week, the PNP proudly announced that the average rate of crimes committed had gone down due to policies and presence of the police in different communities. That’s good news.

The bad news came when a good friend and in-law of a former president shared that sometime on June 12, 2026, his 73-year-old aunt and a female helper living in Novaliches were murdered during a burglary.

He described how the criminal stabbed both women multiple times in the chest and slashed her neck. I’m no cop but the suspicion is that the brutality of the attack indicates the possibility of the suspect being a drug user.

I understand that our police officers are not fortune tellers, mediums or prophets who can see into the future and prevent a crime. But my prayer is that they all acknowledge the need to seriously clamp down both on drugs and criminality.

We are suffering enough under corrupt government officials; must we also live in fear of being victims of criminals? Please, sirs, You don’t need to serve us but do protect us.

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