Al Capone: Police & Judges are Bought
on Wednesday, October 24, 2018Al Capone Money Quote saying law enforcement leaders are easily bought & courts are run by judges on the payroll of crime bosses. Al Capone said:
“Don’t ever talk to me about the honor of police captains or judges. If they couldn’t be bought they wouldn’t have the job” — Al Capone
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In this quote, Al Capone seems to be cynically suggesting that many people in positions of authority like police captains and judges only hold their jobs or wield influence due to corruption and bribery, not honor or integrity. Some key points:
- Capone directly tells the listener not to discuss the “honor” of these types of officials with him, implying he does not believe such virtues truly apply to them.
- He asserts that if these captains and judges “couldn’t be bought”, meaning accept bribes or kickbacks, then they would not have attained their roles to begin with.
- Capone appears to believe systemic corruption is what enables many in law enforcement and the legal system to rise to leadership, not qualifications or propriety.
Overall, the quote conveys Capone’s perspective, as a notorious criminal, that corruption was rampant in law enforcement and the courts at the time, such that those in authority did not gain or keep positions through merit but through willingness to engage in unlawful dealings. It reflects his cynical view of graft and questionable legitimacy within the institutions ostensibly opposing his criminal operations.
Birthday: January 17, 1899 – Died: January 25, 1947