I just finished writing a rough draft of an article that I want to submit to a LEO paper. I know it's long and there are a lot of rough spots but I was hoping that I could get some additional LEO insight for missing information, ideas or corrections.
I know its like a homework assignment so I wouldn't be surprised if nobody read it. ONLY READ THIS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR HAVE THE TIME.
Thanks
Police
Do you hate Cops? Are Cops around when you need them? Are Cops racist? Do Cops racially profile? Do Cops always seem to pick on you? Are Cops lazy? These are all questions that I will attempt to answer in this article. Today’s Police Officers are faced with overwhelming opposition from all angles. They are judged by everybody from victims to the prosecuted and everybody in between. The hatred of Police Officers increases by the second and I’m here to show you why.
Right about here is when an irrational person who refuses to educate himself/herself will stop reading. I not only write this article for people who support the Police but I also want to provide anti-police personalities with some understanding and insight. The goal here is not to stop people from hating the Police, but to provide people with an abundant amount of information as to how Police Officers work and what they deal with. This information will help the reader understand and will increase the likelihood of a positive outcome the next time they have dealings with Police.
The subsequent writings will detail what Police Officers do and how the public perceives it. I aim to inform the reader of these truths and hope that the following does not fall on deaf ears.
Training
First, let’s discuss the roles and responsibilities of a Police Officer. A Police Officer is employed to provide police services and protection to the general public, which is a very broad brush to paint this picture with. More specifically the police attempt to provide information, safe neighborhoods, safe roads, safe schools, safe housing, and containment of dangerous persons.
Somebody who is looking to join the law enforcement community undergoes a rigorous pre-hiring process. This process includes a written exam which consists of English and basic math. The applicant then takes a physical examination to determine if they are capable of performing basic, physical police duties.
The next step is completing a Personal History Questionnaire, which dissects and analyzes every aspect of a person’s life. The Police Department learns of a person’s employment history, drug history, financial history, family life history, significant other history, gun ownership history, driving history, legal history, medical history, education history and much more. Keep in mind, if there is any hint of violence, rage, irresponsibility, neglect, laziness, malaise, or any trait undesirable, the applicant will be dropped from the process. If the applicant makes it this far in the process, they are assigned a Background Investigator that will run Federal, State and local checks on the applicant. The Background Investigator will also contact everybody (approximately 20) listed in the Personal History Questionnaire and verify the information listed. Often times a Background Investigator will obtain more contacts from the contacts that are listed and continue the process.
After the background dissection is complete, the applicant is sent to a polygraph test (Lie Detector) and is asked the same questions that were answered on the Personal History Questionnaire.
The applicant then undergoes a psychiatric evaluation, which includes a written portion and an oral portion. During this testing process it is most likely that an applicant has to submit some form of written paper to further evaluate writing skills. The applicant then submits to a drug test.
Pending the successful completion of all testing, the applicant is then scored and placed on a hiring list. The Police Department selects the number of applicants needed for the academy in numerical order. If the Department only needs 20 Officers to replenish it’s ranks, only 20 applicants will be chosen and sent to the Academy. The list eventually expires and many applicants have to start the process all over again to get on the new list.
Upon acceptance to an Academy, a Police Recruit Officer must undergo a strict training standard set by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. A Police Recruit Officer goes to a Police Academy where these standards are already set and approved. A Recruit Officer will spend 6 to 9 months of their lives in the Police Academy.
What does a Recruit Officer learn in the Police Academy? The instruction includes law (both criminal and civil), sensitivity training, first aid, physical training, defensive tactics, driving, shooting and a multitude of simulations. A Recruit Officer must perform to a high academic standard or be fired from the Academy. The background process eliminates the most applicants but the Academy is second for failure rates. A Recruit Officer must maintain a quiz average of 80% or higher and must maintain a test score of no less than 80% on every single test. A Recruit Officer is also required to pass ALL simulations and scenarios. Simulations and scenarios are a live testing process where a Recruit must operate on his/her feet and solve problems while being evaluated.
After successfully completing the Academy, a Recruit Officer goes into FTO, which stands for Field Training Officer. A Recruit is assigned to multiple Field Training Officers, in multiple phases, who observe and evaluate the Recruit for a period of 3 to 6 months. The Recruit is tasked with learning an immense amount of information during this phase of training. The Recruit has to learn Department Policy/Orders, 10 different computer systems, how to operate the patrol car both emergency and non-emergency, how to talk on multiple radios, how to communicate with dispatch and other Officers, how to write reports, how to maintain traffic control, arrest and booking procedure, juvenile procedure, court procedure, evidence procedure, identification procedure, parole and probation procedure, citation procedure, districts and sectors of the city/county, geographical orientation of their patrol district and much, much more.
Just to illustrate, I will provide an example of a simple call and the procedures that a Recruit Officer (and every other Officer) has to think about.
Dispatch comes over the radio and says there is a Priority 459 Prowl (burglar breaking in while somebody is home) in progress at 123 B St, Apartment 412. A recruit has to first of all, hear this call and recognize that somebody’s life may be in danger. Then they have to determine if the call is in their sector because they need to respond to dispatch. Once they determine that the call is, in fact, theirs, they need to respond correctly. The response would be something like “Three Frank Thirty One David, were 10-98.” After response from dispatch the Recruit needs to determine if they should go Code 3 (lights and sirens) or remain Code 1 or Code 2 (non-emergency response). Well, since somebody is breaking into a house that is occupied; Code 3 response is warranted and let’s just say that the Recruit decides to go Code 3. The Recruit then gets on the radio and advises his Sergeant (per policy) that he is responding Code 3. The Recruit has to listen for the Sergeant’s response because his advisory may be denied and downgraded. The Recruit then turns on his lights and siren and begins to drive toward the call. During this time, the Recruit has to listen to the radio for updates from dispatch and also, pull up his call on the computer to check if there are any additional details. All of this is done while negotiating pedestrian and vehicular traffic that does not want to yield to the emergency vehicle. Now comes the fun part. The Recruit has to know where they are going. Add in traffic/road conditions, radio traffic, computer noises telling the Recruit to hit the next page, comprehension of the call, Code 3 driving, mental review of laws and arrest, questions by the FTO…..you have the recipe of a car accident or brain lock, not to mention, where the hell the Recruit is supposed to go. Now for the sake of simplicity, let’s say that the Recruit is now approaching the call location. The Recruit needs to shut down his lights and sirens a few blocks away so the prowler is not clued in that an emergency response is coming his way. The Recruit blacks out his lights and parks a few buildings away from the location to maintain and preserve Officer Safety. The Recruit advises dispatch that they are on scene. The Recruit exits the vehicle and makes a tactical approach toward the building. The Recruit also has to remember the address and apartment number of the call along with the name of the caller. Now the Recruit has to decide if he wants to wait outside for backup and set a perimeter while calling for a K-9 and SWAT. Again, for simplicity the Recruit places himself tactically in front of the door and rings the doorbell. Now the Recruit has elected to draw his service pistol for Officer Safety and point it in the most tactical direction (low and at the door opening). An old lady opens the door and starts to scream at the Recruit who is now on sensory overload. The old lady screams, “I called you guys back and told you that it was my son who was coming through the window.” Just then, the radio cracks and dispatch advises 3F31D, you can cancel your response, there’s no merit. The Recruit responds and confirms the transmition with a Code 4 (no more units necessary). Now the Recruit is faced with a number of problems. Per policy of his city, he has to confirm the identity of the person who entered the apartment but now the owner of the apartment is already pissed off at the Recruit. The Recruit has to calm the lady down and then ID the “intruder.” The Recruit then has to return to the police station and complete a “Code 3” response form and submit it.
I know the call was lengthy but this is just an example of a, no report, simple response, routine call. I just wanted to give a small peek into the thousands of decisions that have to be made instantly and under stress by Police Officers multiple times per day.
Finally, after successfully completing Field Training, a Recruit Officer becomes a Police Officer and is placed on Probation for a period that is usually a year. During probation, a Police Officer is continuously evaluated to correct any trait that may need to be addressed.
A Police Officer’s training is extremely intense with a high failure rate. Departments today cannot afford to choose anything less than the best because the Department is liable for Police Officers and their actions. A Police Officer needs to be honest, self sufficient, resourceful, intelligent, effective under stress, and resilient. The testing process attempts to retain all applicants with these qualities, however, it should be noted that no process is perfect. While not being perfect, I believe that Police Departments in general do a thorough job of providing the public with the best choices possible.
Pressures
A Police Officer feels pressure from all angles. Most occupations do not even come close to what a Police Officer experiences on a daily basis. These pressures originate from so many places that a lot of Officers feel like they can’t go anywhere with out feeling it. Police work, unlike most professions have no boundaries. Let’s take a look at what I mean.
The husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend relationship creates stress that Officers feel both at home and at work. Police Officers work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This means that all time and day shifts have to be filled. Working at night and on weekends will create stress in most relationships. Issues at home need to be maintained and what better time to do that when the Police Officer comes home. Sleep and health subsequently suffer. Also, there’s no guarantee that an Officer won’t get that murder call in the last 15 minutes of their shift. This could possibly put an Officer at work for 10 more hours.
Another aspect of the home relationship strain is when the Officer is working with somebody of the opposite sex. Officers that are partners spend more time together than they do with their families. This can create immense pressure from home up to and including divorce/breakup.
Peer pressure amongst Cops is as common as Starbucks. Officers pressure each other to work harder and work smarter, almost to a fault. Some of the pressure is good as it keeps Cops honest and hard working. The other side of the coin is that so much pressure can be applied to one single Cop that it will significantly affect them in a negative way.
Other sources of internal pressures come from the brass (bosses), DA, and other mutual agencies. The problem with internal pressures is that it doesn’t create an environment where an Officer can relax or lower their guard. An Officer has to be on their toes even in their “safe zone.” Being “on” all the time creates pressure; pressure creates stress; stress creates fatigue; fatigue leads to failure.
Pressure is applied by many outside sources as well, which I will explain later. Outside pressure include the media, citizens, arrestees, watchdog groups, etc.
Prejudice – Critique – Speculation
The group that has the highest amount of prejudice levied against them is not a race or a religion. The group is a profession and they are Police Officers. I have no study to back this claim but all that it takes is simple observation. I have observed, first hand, the amount of pre judging that occurs when the subject is Police Officers. Police Officers are painted with such a broad brush that you would think all 900,000 of them were present during the Rodney King “incident.” If you wear a badge and drive a black and white car, everybody who sees you has already made a judgment about you. Generally that judgment is conveyed via a negative response.
I have observed communities where small children are taught to spit at the mere sight of a Police Officer. Spitting is a sign of disrespect for those that aren’t aware. It’s almost comical when driving a police car through inner city neighborhoods and watching people spit as you drive by. It reminds me of the wave at a ball game. It also makes me wonder how dry their mouths must be in heavily patrolled areas.
Another way to measure prejudice is to observe the actions taken by other people when exiting a police car or dealing with a citizen. The fact that camera phones turn on every time a police officer approaches somebody clearly indicates that the Police Officer has been prejudged. Trust me, nobody puts videos of Cops handing out candy to children or coaching community ball teams on youtube. The minute a civil conversation takes place between a citizen and a Police Officer, the cell phones get turned off.
This one is a little confusing but there is a lot of prejudging prejudice. At some point during a police contact with a citizen, in inner city areas, the race card WILL be pulled and dropped in a manner loud enough to create a gathering. I would say that this happens at an alarming frequency even when there is say, a black subject and a black Police Officer. The race card gets dropped so many times that I’ve heard of White Cops being accused of being prejudice by White subjects. Police Officers are continuously accused of being prejudice without foundation or provocation.
I believe that people are so desensitized about accusing the police of being prejudice that they actually believe it. I have questioned hundreds of people accusing the police of being prejudice or racist. 100% of the time the subject being questioned did not have any personal experience with regard to prejudice or racism and the police. People keep these made up, third party tales going and it spreads like wildfire. People also tell the tales so often that they believe the authenticity and subsequently form their own prejudice from the fictitious tale. On one occasion, I spoke with a Black individual who told me that White Cops were to blame for importing drugs into the inner cities and getting “Black People” hooked so they could be arrested. This individual believed his story with every fabric of his being. I made an attempt at confronting the rationality of his thought but the attempt was futile. I also (in a serious manner) asked for evidence or personal experience in the matter and was just met with a blank stare.
Since we are on the topic of prejudice I want to talk quickly about police profiling since the two are synonymous. Police profiling is a necessary part of effectively PREVENTING or ANTICIPATING crime. The elements needed to profile are: time of day (car driving slowly at 2am), location (car driving in a high narcotics area), vehicle (car with 100% tinted windows, expensive rims, lowered, consistent with the types of vehicles drug dealers and gang members drive), actions by the driver (driver slouched to one side effectively concealing his face from view, driving too slow or too fast, making hand signals to people standing on the side walk, paying more attention to pedestrian traffic than to vehicle traffic), appearance of driver (wearing clothes consistent with gang wear, gang paraphernalia, hat pulled low to conceal the face, immediately averting eye contact or the exact opposite). This, my friends, is police profiling. At no time did I consider his race as a part of the profile. The only time race should be considered is when specific gang paraphernalia indicates a certain race gang (check for consistency).
People have blown police profiling way out of proportion. The media pawns off police profiling as a green light on anybody who doesn’t have white skin. The problem with this is that people are not smart enough to filter what the media gives them. Inevitably, people will have a new fictitious story to go along with what they just saw on the news. If there is something that the media is consistent with, it’s being wrong, over emphatic, opinionated and theatrical. I will talk more about the media later.
Prejudice is sad no matter which direction it travels. Keep in mind Police Officers hear prejudice on car stops, arrests, investigations, even lunch breaks, all day long. Want to be immediately hated? Put on a police uniform and walk around without even taking any sort of police action. The looks and comments will disappoint and sadden you.
Critique – Speculation – Comment
Here’s another fun one. Police Officers are the most critiqued profession in the world. I would say that being a professional athlete is a distant second. The primary difference between a Police Officer and a Pro Athlete is the fact that nobody can run down onto the field while the player is doing his job, jam a camera phone in his face, attempt to recite the rule book, call him racist, attempt to physically get in the way, demand to speak with his boss all while yelling at him.
It’s humorous, to a point, to see all the people that think they know what the law/policy/procedure/rights are and how to enforce them. Hell, most lawyers have no idea how laws are enforced. They know the laws well but the practice of law enforcement itself is just a theory for most lawyers.
Have you had any conversation lately about what is legal and what is not? I love hearing these because it at least provides me with a smile. Ever hear the one about how long a knife blade can legally be to carry? How about if you are a black belt or a green beret; are your fists now lethal weapons? Does a Cop have to tell you he’s a Cop when he’s working undercover? Can a city cop pull you over when you are driving on the freeway or should you make the dash for the boarder? I can do this all day and they all make me laugh. I hear people’s interpretations of the law all the time. The funny part is that people will actually argue with Police Officers over what they heard was the law. People! Cops aren’t making this crap up just come over and make your day worse!
Policy and procedure is another aspect of policing that a lot of people are “experts” on. People have no idea the rules that Officers follow in course of their duties. As usual, the day will bring some person along that completely disagrees. Example: It is policy that ALL cars WILL be towed if a person is caught driving on a suspended license. 80% of the time, (probably 100% of the first timers), the subject will yell at the Officer because the car will be towed…and let the yelling for a supervisor begin.
Quickly, I will talk about rights. Want to annoy a Cop? Yell in his face, “I know my rights!” Really? I don’t think so. Everybody that I have ever heard that saying from knew nothing about their rights. I have observed arrestees demand that they have their rights read to them. Having your rights read to you is not a right. Two things need to happen for a Police Officer to read you your rights. One, you need to be in custody and two; the Police are going to interrogate you. If a Cop doesn’t want to talk to you, it’s simple; you don’t get your rights read to you. Miranda rights are a series of rights that protects you against self-incrimination. We don’t want to trick the criminals into incriminating themselves. I’m pretty sure that the criminals didn’t give their victims the same courtesy but we are bigger than that, right?
Search warrants are another thing that people screw up in their minds. There are a number of reasons why a police officer can enter a house/room/building etc., without a search warrant. Want to make the Cop take a hard look around your place? Yell at him/her that they need a search warrant when they have legal right to be standing inside of your house.
If you take all of the above writing and give it to the news media, they will spin the story any way they can to make it appear that somebody’s rights were violated somehow or there was some Police misconduct. Again, I will talk more about the media later.
In short, nobody knows exactly what a cop is supposed to do except for another cop. Wanna become an expert in police policy? Join the police department. During the course of a Police Officer’s duties, they have to obey the law, follow police procedure/policy/orders all while attempting to come home in one piece. It is a very tight line to walk but it is absolutely wearing when people who have no idea what they are talking about critique every step. The most ignorant and apathetic people about law and procedure are always the ones who comment the most and the loudest.
No other profession has to endure what Police Officers go through on a daily basis. Imagine somebody that knew nothing about mechanics walking into an auto shop and yelling at the mechanic that he’s doing something wrong. Then take the scenario a few steps further and break out that camera phone and demand to speak to the mechanic’s boss. For a more interesting trip, go ahead and spit on the mechanic while you are doing all of this. You would be lucky if you made it out of the shop in one piece. This scenario would not fly in ANY profession, yet it’s tolerated in regards to the police and the police are expected to act professionally in the face of all adversity. I know there are some arguments like, “That’s what you guys get paid to do.” I disagree. Cops are people and not punching bags where you can dump all of your anger, baggage and misunderstanding. Cops are not an excuse for you to act like a 3 year old having a tantrum. People need to grow up and act like adults. Too many people blame everybody but themselves (it’s called, lack of personal accountability). It’s a sad direction that this country is headed in.
The Degradation Of Our Society
This is a topic that is far too broad to encompass all aspect in one article. I will talk about the part that Police Officers play in the unraveling of the US. Values, accountability, responsibility, consideration, discipline, ethic: All of these traits, when deficient or absent at the same time will cause chaos. Who should take care of chaos? The police should, of course.
I will start off small by referencing a recent article in the news that reports of an incident where an 8 year old was pepper sprayed by police. Here it is:
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KABC) -- An 8-year-old boy was pepper sprayed by police officers in Colorado after the boy became unruly at school. Now people are asking, how young is too young to get pepper sprayed?
Police say they felt threatened, but the boy's mother, Mandy Elliott, says they had other options.
At first glance, Aidan Elliott appears to be an energetic kid. But it was his behavior in the classroom that led to him being handcuffed and pepper sprayed.
Police say their actions were necessary due to Aidan's threats.
Steve Davis of the Lakewood Police Department said Aidan told police and teachers he would kill them, and Aidan doesn't deny it.
"I said, 'I'm going to kill you once you get out of that room,'" he said.
School officials say the incident began in Aidan's class - a class for children with behavioral problems. They say the second grader was spitting, throwing chairs and threatening his classmates and teachers with a piece of broken wood.
Police arrived and decided to pepper spray the boy.
Aidan's mother says police used excessive force on her son and blames his school for his behavior.
"It doesn't happen with babysitters, family members, it's only at school," Mandy Elliott said in an interview on "Good Morning America."
His school says if Aidan improves his behavior, he is welcome to return.
(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Okay, allow me to take a deep breath because there are so many things wrong with this article; I’m nearly beside myself with brain to keyboard overload.
The media; I will talk about the media in the next section so I will spare you a repeat. The media couldn’t be any more disapproving and condescending in their report about the police action. The title to the news report is, “Unruly 8 year old boy, pepper sprayed by police”. This implies that the Police Officer arbitrarily sprayed an unruly 8 year old. In the second sentence, the media questions “how young is too young to get pepper sprayed”, and defers accountability for the question by associating the question with “people” wanting to know, instead of themselves. The most enraging part of the article for me is the order that the media placed handcuffed and pepper sprayed. Their order implies that the Cops handcuffed this little kid and THEN pepper sprayed him while handcuffed. It definitely paints a different picture when you change the order of things. It makes the pepper spray cruel and unusual when you handcuff somebody first. Further down in this theatrical, borderline tabloid, it says that, “police arrived and decided to pepper spray the boy.” This implies that the police just showed up and said, “Awww screw it. I don’t know what’s going on here but let’s mix this party up with some pepper spray. I have no reason or need to use the pepper spray but now I’m deciding to use it.” The media then adds that Aidan’s mother says, “Police used excessive force on her son…”. Yet again, here is another pawn off of accountability by the media. The media’s stance is, hey, we didn’t say it, but they feel free to print it because it’s controversial, raises debate and sells copies.
Okay, enough media talk for now. Let’s talk about the boy’s mother in the above article. Here is the lack of responsibility, accountability and discipline. The mother first says that the police used excessive force. WOW! I didn’t know that she was an expert in police procedure. Look everybody, she’s an expert! …and we circle back to the previous section when I outline and note the people who believe that they are experts are, in fact, ignorant and apathetic. Next, the mother blames the boy’s school for the boy’s behavior. I find this sickening. Talk about a total loss of accountability. I can’t believe that there is a test to get a driver’s license in the US but anybody can procreate without displaying any sign of competence.
Now, on to the topic of teachers: This isn’t the good ol’ days folks. Teachers are no longer able to administer discipline outside of a semi-stern voice. On top of crappy salaries, teachers are now expected to deal with incorrigible, undisciplined kids that just walk all over the adults. There is no drive to keep a child from acting like a complete intolerable pain except for what the parents teach them at home. In order for the teachers to remain lawsuit free, they call the next people in the chain, the Police.
Now, because of the parent’s total failure at parenting and the schools inability to corporally punish, Police Officers have to be summoned to deal with the problem. Police Officers take up the slack left over by everybody else. Police Officers can’t call anybody; they have to deal with the problem. The aggravating part about that is, they are always critiqued by apathetic people during and after the problem. These are the same people who obviously weren’t able to solve the problem on their own. It’s like asking for help and then complaining about the manner in which you receive the help.
Okay, it’s gut check time people. Who thinks that the Police Officer used excessive force? What were your thoughts when you read the article? Be honest. To answer the question, police were absolutely right to use pepper spray. To put it in perspective, if the 8-year-old boy was older, police would be fully within their right to use deadly force, ie, shoot him. I will explain.
When a person grabs a sharp piece of wood, he has a weapon. When that same person threatens to kill classmates, teachers and the police, he is displaying a propensity for violence (meaning there is a high probability that he will make good on his threat). Police ordered the child multiple times to drop the piece of wood. The child disregarded the lawful order on every occasion. Now the Police Officers are faced with a decision. Close the distance and disarm the child or retain distance and use a benign chemical agent. After weighing the options, the Police Officers employed the pepper spray, which created the desired effect (subject dropping the weapon). It should be noted that pepper spray will not cause any injury or scarring.
For those that say, “Hey, it’s just an 8-year-old with a stick”, consider the alternative. Police Officer attempts to disarm the child and is subsequently stabbed. Now the Police Officer requires medical attention and possibly hospitalization. The child has racked up another serious charge. The Police Officer’s partner is now more prone to use deadly force. An 8-year-old is more than capable of jamming a sharp stick into somebody’s stomach or causing great bodily harm. People, that is a shootable offense. It’s not a Police Officers job to be beat or stabbed by other people’s undisciplined children.
So there you have it. I would be willing to bet that most of the people that read the article felt that the Officer’s actions were heavy handed. In retrospect, the Officer’s actions were indeed the best course of action. The Officer obeyed the force continuum and used the absolute least amount of force to safely disarm a hostile, armed, 8-year-old. Force continuums differ from department to department but a common one is: verbal – physical – pepper spray- taser – baton – bean bag shotgun – K9 dog - carotid restraint – deadly force. That continuum is not on a straight line as some force options can be substituted for others; but for writing purposes the continuum is correct. I forgot to mention before that physical control (the next step after verbal in an ideal situation) most likely would have caused more damage to the child than the pepper spray.
Yet another problem solved by Police and criticized by everybody else.
The Media
Here is a “hot button” with a lot of Police Officers and Police Agencies. Unfortunately, it seems that today’s media has found a new low that rivals tabloid reporting. I’m not going to dissect another “news” article to illustrate my point because I’ve already done that in the previous section. I do, however, want to talk a little bit about the media and people’s perception of the “news”.
First, if you’ve made it this far, I Thank You! Second, as if I haven’t taken enough of your time, I want you to do an experiment. I want you to watch the “news” (your favorite station) tonight and hold a pad of paper in your lap. On one side of the paper, I want you to put Subjective (or Opinion) and on the other side of the paper I want you to put Objective (or Fact). During the broadcast I want you list everything said (in the form of points) on one side of the paper or the other. Disregard any pleasantries or off topic statements. Do note, however, how often the news quotes other people and then spins statements to appear as if they are coming from a credible, knowledgeable source. You will see that a number of marks appear on the Subjective side. A perfect newscast will have a score of 0 on the Subjective side. This isn’t a bash against news networks; I want people to learn to filter and sort out fact from opinion when people are talking.
This part is Subjective. Come to think of it, anytime you see, “I believe”, “I think”, or “In my opinion”, in this article, I am giving you an OPINION, which is SUBJECTIVE. I don’t want to admonish the news networks and then be guilty of the same. I believe that poor reporting, from news networks, comes from a balance of investigation and time. Networks always race to be the first to release a breaking story. This fact alone indicates that there will be flaws, oversights and misinformation. A thorough investigation takes time. Networks pressure their employees to produce details quickly, which sometimes, in my opinion, will lead to a story with bad information. Unfortunately, by the time accurate information becomes available, the story is already “old news” and goes uncorrected. Henceforth, the public retains the initial story as uncorrected fact.
I have been privy to many ongoing police investigations that were reported on by the media. I have seen many inaccuracies made public by the media. My point here is only believe the reports, which have overwhelming physical evidence. Never believe any subjective information that you receive no matter who is saying it and where it’s coming from.
This brings up my next point. It’s funny how the media will find the worlds biggest junky and interviews him when they are doing a piece on police misconduct. I talked about these same people in the “Prejudice” section of this article. It’s the equivalent of interviewing somebody from PETA regarding an Animal Shelter’s mistreatment of animals. Of course the PETA member is going to be abrasive and inflammatory towards any organization that houses animals for pets. The report will be packed with a myriad of opinions and very little fact. I have also observed this phenomenon on crime scenes. A reporter will choose the loudest, most animated, most emotional person on scene and then interview them. This doesn’t make sense for “unbiased” reporting. If I want unbiased information, I will interview an uninvolved, unbiased, witness. I guess theatrics sells better.
Can you remember the last Officer involved shooting that was covered by your local news network? Let me guess. They interviewed the entire family of the person who was shot by the Police Officer. They probably then woke up the town “crack-head” and got his opinion on it too. They probably then said that the police declined to comment underneath their breath. The police are not allowed to comment on ongoing investigations so I will give the media that, however, that part never gets explained. They spin it in a way that makes it sound like the police are attempting to “cover up” the “incident” by refusing to give any information.
The flip side: Another aspect of 1 sided reporting occurs when a Police Officer is injured. I see Cops get hurt on the job all the time when making arrests. Unless the Officer is shot, you will never hear about it and it’s just business as usual. On the other side if a suspect is injured during the course of an arrest, it will most likely be covered on the news. The news of a suspect that was injured when arrested will definitely spark tempers and inquiry into police misconduct.
Unfortunately, the media rarely covers any of the good that Police Officers do. It’s kind of a running joke amongst Officers. After a Police Officer goes above and beyond the call of duty, the event is usually concluded by, “You’re not gonna see that on the 10 o’clock news.” Chuckles are usually had at the statement then it’s back to work. I see Police Officers go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. Generally, Police Officers are kind hearted and take a vested interest in the happiness and safety of the people they serve. The Police Officers I know have never asked for anything in return for their good deeds.
Police Oversight
Here is a topic that saddens me. In some cities there are more entities that oversee police action and conduct than there are entities that oversee Parolees. Somewhere, in somebody’s mind, they think that Cops are going crooked and crazy in numbers that require additional oversight entities. Some cities have a chain of oversight that has absolutely 0 Police Officers investigating the conduct and complaints of citizens. This is outrageous. In the example above, I point out that only Police Officers know what Police Officers are supposed to do. How can you have the judge, jury and executioner outside of the Police Department? It’s like having a janitor act as the CEO of a biopharmaceutical firm.
In the age of technology, most Police Officers that have their heads screwed on will not even attempt any misconduct. Sure, we hear the occasional report on the news about police misconduct but there are 900,000 cops in the US. How many total reports have you heard in your lifetime regarding police misconduct? 10? 20? Think about it folks, cops aren’t going crazy. People grab this propaganda and then smear the police in so many ways that it generates irrational fears by people who have never even had 1 police contact.
Side note: The vast majority of police related voting measures fail in the city that I am familiar with. I think that some of this may be because people actually believe this crazy propaganda. Also, please, keep in mind, when you a cut a Police Department’s numbers, pay, money for patrol cars/equipment remember that it will eventually impact you. The day that your car gets stolen and the Cops show up 4 hours later and can’t recover your LoJak equipped car because they lack the equipment, don’t get upset. Police numbers are dwindling already and are falling by the wayside in favor of social programming and police oversight.
The rules that are set up for Police Officers are set up to contradict in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” manner. Simply by following one rule, a different rule is being broken. There’s enough red tape when you open up a procedure book that it makes the DMV look efficient.
In the city that I am familiar with, there is a police conduct entity that investigates ALL formal complaints that are made against Police Officers. The process goes something like this: Somebody wants to complain about Officer Jones because Officer Jones hurt the subject’s feelings. They walk into the Police Department and then request to make a complaint. A Sergeant is required to assist the subject in explaining and filling out the complaint form. The complaint form is then forwarded to the Oversight Entity and the Police Department does not have any hand in the investigation or punishment of the Police Officer. The Oversight Entity then contacts the subject and has him come in for an interview. During the interview, the Oversight Entity extracts every detail of the “incident.” The Oversight Entity then determines if there were any other rules that were broken by the Police Officer during this contact. Rarely, is an Officer charged with just the initial complaint. The Oversight Entity attempts to determine and charge any other violation that MAY have occurred. On top of hurting the subjects feelings, (conduct unbecoming) Officer Jones may face charges of excessive force, failure to follow procedure etc. etc. Officer Jones then has to respond, on record, to the charges. Officer Jones then goes to the Oversight Entity to be interviewed and recorded. The Oversight Entity then makes a decision if Officer Jones acted within “the guidelines”. If it is determined that Officer Jones was guilty of the allegations the case is then sent to a Punitive Entity which is actually comprised of anti-police personnel who subsequently determine Officer Jones’ punishment.
Again, none of these people have any street experience. They don’t know what it’s like to take on 2 parolees in a dark alley at night and then have the radio battery die. They’ve never had to multi-task 100 things while simultaneously making 200 decisions. They sit back in their chairs wearing their hindsight glasses and picking apart your decisions or the manner in which you executed them. Remember, even a murderer has the opportunity to be tried by his peers but Cops are not afforded this right.
The sad part about this is that a person can continually complain about a specific Officer and the claims will be investigated every single time. I personally know a Police Sergeant that was harassed with continuous complaints by a man who was literally “crazy.” The Oversight Entity investigated every single time even after it was determined that the Sergeant was off-duty multiple times and one time was even out of the country. It’s like a witch-hunt for these entities. In the end, the law-abiding citizen pays because the anti-police scare tactics actually protect the “bad guy” by significantly neutering a sometimes necessary, forceful response.
I do want to quickly touch on a Police Officer’s 1st Amendment Right. Police Officer’s are stripped of their 1st Amendment Right. A Police Officer is not at liberty to speak freely while wearing the uniform. A Police Officer is also not free to speak freely while off-duty. Many statements, opinion or fact, can have a Police Officer fired.
Please understand that the majority of fears out there are completely irrational and lack an ounce of foundation. Try waving a cop next time you pass one. They will probably be shocked but I’m pretty sure they will wave back. Cops are so used to being crapped on all day it may take a moment for them to process the positive action that you just sent them.
Just to recap, there is a lot of money, time and effort that is put into police oversight. Most of the Police Officers I know don’t mind. I just want the public to know that it is an insane waste of money to duplicate multiple oversight agencies. It’s kind of like employing a group of snipe hunters. You may get one eventually but as soon as you open the bag, you’ll realize that it’s a bird of a different feather.
Some Of The Things You Haven’t Heard
There are reasons why Police Officers may seem over cautious, controlling, paranoid, or hyper-vigilant. I want to quickly explain why a Police Officer may have you sit down, or handcuff you, or approach your car with their weapon drawn, or question you over and over.
First, there are a lot of very violent people that hate Cops. In prison, inmates actually train how to fight and kill Police Officers. They are experts in the disarming of weapons, concealing of weapons, unarmed fighting, rendering a Police Officer’s radio useless, ambush and tactics all designed to kill Police Officers. These inmates practice scenarios on each other. For instance a common practice is how to escape while being handcuffed. They know that the best time to fight is right after the first cuff goes on because now they are armed with a free swinging metal object. They also practice reverse moves to escape typical control and arrest moves. They know how to break arm bars, wristlocks and other procedural control holds. They even practice fighting while handcuffed. These are just a small glimpse of what convicts/parolees are capable of. When a parolee attempts these moves and somebody gets footage of a Police Officer fighting with a handcuffed subject, what does that look like? It looks like police brutality. This is just one example among thousands of scenarios that take advantage of police tactics and “look bad” in the uneducated public eye.
Police Officers always train for the worst-case scenario. While on the street, a good Police Officer will treat every incident like the worst-case scenario. They do this because when the worst-case scenario does happen, they will be ready and they will have the upper hand. This means that you may be dealt with in a manner that appears cold, mistrusting and cruel. Please understand that the Cop is just trying to go home to his family that night without a shank or bullet sticking out of his neck.
Everybody that deals with the police expects the Police Officer to know that they aren’t going to do anything. They also expect the Police Officer to know that there are no weapons concealed in their clothing or the fact that they aren’t going to fight or run. The fact is, the Cops don’t know these things and will treat you firmly but with respect. I can write 10 more pages easily on this topic, however, I will attempt to keep this short.
Recently a Cop was caught on video in a physical confrontation with an unknown male. The Cop was subsequently fired over the incident. The incident: A male and his friend set out to bait a Police Officer into fighting one of them so the other could get the footage on tape. The friend with the cell phone camera hid nearby as two Police Officers were crossing the street. The other male then walked right into one of the Police Officers and then baited him into a physical altercation. The hidden friend caught the whole incident on video, which later resulted in the termination of the Police Officer.
Okay, switching gears: On a daily basis, Police Officers are faced with anger, resentment, provocative actions, pressure, accusations, depressing crime scenes, oversight, threats and a million other negative situations. A Police Officer may pull you over after he just witnessed a little girl die in a car accident. Or the Officer may be coming from a frivolous complaint that still jeopardizes his career. Maybe his boss just finished yelling at him because his productivity is down. Maybe his wife just called and wants a divorce. Maybe he just finished a call where he was in the fight for his life. Maybe he just left court and the murderer of a family just got released on a technicality. Maybe somebody just spit on him for no reason whatsoever. The chances that a Police Officer just experienced something negative right before he pulled you over far outweighs the chances that he is coming from something positive. The Cop doesn’t have any support structure that is available and understandable to most other people. The Cops only have other Cops because at the end of the day, those are the only people who have the capability of understanding.
I know its like a homework assignment so I wouldn't be surprised if nobody read it. ONLY READ THIS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR HAVE THE TIME.
Thanks
Police
Do you hate Cops? Are Cops around when you need them? Are Cops racist? Do Cops racially profile? Do Cops always seem to pick on you? Are Cops lazy? These are all questions that I will attempt to answer in this article. Today’s Police Officers are faced with overwhelming opposition from all angles. They are judged by everybody from victims to the prosecuted and everybody in between. The hatred of Police Officers increases by the second and I’m here to show you why.
Right about here is when an irrational person who refuses to educate himself/herself will stop reading. I not only write this article for people who support the Police but I also want to provide anti-police personalities with some understanding and insight. The goal here is not to stop people from hating the Police, but to provide people with an abundant amount of information as to how Police Officers work and what they deal with. This information will help the reader understand and will increase the likelihood of a positive outcome the next time they have dealings with Police.
The subsequent writings will detail what Police Officers do and how the public perceives it. I aim to inform the reader of these truths and hope that the following does not fall on deaf ears.
Training
First, let’s discuss the roles and responsibilities of a Police Officer. A Police Officer is employed to provide police services and protection to the general public, which is a very broad brush to paint this picture with. More specifically the police attempt to provide information, safe neighborhoods, safe roads, safe schools, safe housing, and containment of dangerous persons.
Somebody who is looking to join the law enforcement community undergoes a rigorous pre-hiring process. This process includes a written exam which consists of English and basic math. The applicant then takes a physical examination to determine if they are capable of performing basic, physical police duties.
The next step is completing a Personal History Questionnaire, which dissects and analyzes every aspect of a person’s life. The Police Department learns of a person’s employment history, drug history, financial history, family life history, significant other history, gun ownership history, driving history, legal history, medical history, education history and much more. Keep in mind, if there is any hint of violence, rage, irresponsibility, neglect, laziness, malaise, or any trait undesirable, the applicant will be dropped from the process. If the applicant makes it this far in the process, they are assigned a Background Investigator that will run Federal, State and local checks on the applicant. The Background Investigator will also contact everybody (approximately 20) listed in the Personal History Questionnaire and verify the information listed. Often times a Background Investigator will obtain more contacts from the contacts that are listed and continue the process.
After the background dissection is complete, the applicant is sent to a polygraph test (Lie Detector) and is asked the same questions that were answered on the Personal History Questionnaire.
The applicant then undergoes a psychiatric evaluation, which includes a written portion and an oral portion. During this testing process it is most likely that an applicant has to submit some form of written paper to further evaluate writing skills. The applicant then submits to a drug test.
Pending the successful completion of all testing, the applicant is then scored and placed on a hiring list. The Police Department selects the number of applicants needed for the academy in numerical order. If the Department only needs 20 Officers to replenish it’s ranks, only 20 applicants will be chosen and sent to the Academy. The list eventually expires and many applicants have to start the process all over again to get on the new list.
Upon acceptance to an Academy, a Police Recruit Officer must undergo a strict training standard set by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. A Police Recruit Officer goes to a Police Academy where these standards are already set and approved. A Recruit Officer will spend 6 to 9 months of their lives in the Police Academy.
What does a Recruit Officer learn in the Police Academy? The instruction includes law (both criminal and civil), sensitivity training, first aid, physical training, defensive tactics, driving, shooting and a multitude of simulations. A Recruit Officer must perform to a high academic standard or be fired from the Academy. The background process eliminates the most applicants but the Academy is second for failure rates. A Recruit Officer must maintain a quiz average of 80% or higher and must maintain a test score of no less than 80% on every single test. A Recruit Officer is also required to pass ALL simulations and scenarios. Simulations and scenarios are a live testing process where a Recruit must operate on his/her feet and solve problems while being evaluated.
After successfully completing the Academy, a Recruit Officer goes into FTO, which stands for Field Training Officer. A Recruit is assigned to multiple Field Training Officers, in multiple phases, who observe and evaluate the Recruit for a period of 3 to 6 months. The Recruit is tasked with learning an immense amount of information during this phase of training. The Recruit has to learn Department Policy/Orders, 10 different computer systems, how to operate the patrol car both emergency and non-emergency, how to talk on multiple radios, how to communicate with dispatch and other Officers, how to write reports, how to maintain traffic control, arrest and booking procedure, juvenile procedure, court procedure, evidence procedure, identification procedure, parole and probation procedure, citation procedure, districts and sectors of the city/county, geographical orientation of their patrol district and much, much more.
Just to illustrate, I will provide an example of a simple call and the procedures that a Recruit Officer (and every other Officer) has to think about.
Dispatch comes over the radio and says there is a Priority 459 Prowl (burglar breaking in while somebody is home) in progress at 123 B St, Apartment 412. A recruit has to first of all, hear this call and recognize that somebody’s life may be in danger. Then they have to determine if the call is in their sector because they need to respond to dispatch. Once they determine that the call is, in fact, theirs, they need to respond correctly. The response would be something like “Three Frank Thirty One David, were 10-98.” After response from dispatch the Recruit needs to determine if they should go Code 3 (lights and sirens) or remain Code 1 or Code 2 (non-emergency response). Well, since somebody is breaking into a house that is occupied; Code 3 response is warranted and let’s just say that the Recruit decides to go Code 3. The Recruit then gets on the radio and advises his Sergeant (per policy) that he is responding Code 3. The Recruit has to listen for the Sergeant’s response because his advisory may be denied and downgraded. The Recruit then turns on his lights and siren and begins to drive toward the call. During this time, the Recruit has to listen to the radio for updates from dispatch and also, pull up his call on the computer to check if there are any additional details. All of this is done while negotiating pedestrian and vehicular traffic that does not want to yield to the emergency vehicle. Now comes the fun part. The Recruit has to know where they are going. Add in traffic/road conditions, radio traffic, computer noises telling the Recruit to hit the next page, comprehension of the call, Code 3 driving, mental review of laws and arrest, questions by the FTO…..you have the recipe of a car accident or brain lock, not to mention, where the hell the Recruit is supposed to go. Now for the sake of simplicity, let’s say that the Recruit is now approaching the call location. The Recruit needs to shut down his lights and sirens a few blocks away so the prowler is not clued in that an emergency response is coming his way. The Recruit blacks out his lights and parks a few buildings away from the location to maintain and preserve Officer Safety. The Recruit advises dispatch that they are on scene. The Recruit exits the vehicle and makes a tactical approach toward the building. The Recruit also has to remember the address and apartment number of the call along with the name of the caller. Now the Recruit has to decide if he wants to wait outside for backup and set a perimeter while calling for a K-9 and SWAT. Again, for simplicity the Recruit places himself tactically in front of the door and rings the doorbell. Now the Recruit has elected to draw his service pistol for Officer Safety and point it in the most tactical direction (low and at the door opening). An old lady opens the door and starts to scream at the Recruit who is now on sensory overload. The old lady screams, “I called you guys back and told you that it was my son who was coming through the window.” Just then, the radio cracks and dispatch advises 3F31D, you can cancel your response, there’s no merit. The Recruit responds and confirms the transmition with a Code 4 (no more units necessary). Now the Recruit is faced with a number of problems. Per policy of his city, he has to confirm the identity of the person who entered the apartment but now the owner of the apartment is already pissed off at the Recruit. The Recruit has to calm the lady down and then ID the “intruder.” The Recruit then has to return to the police station and complete a “Code 3” response form and submit it.
I know the call was lengthy but this is just an example of a, no report, simple response, routine call. I just wanted to give a small peek into the thousands of decisions that have to be made instantly and under stress by Police Officers multiple times per day.
Finally, after successfully completing Field Training, a Recruit Officer becomes a Police Officer and is placed on Probation for a period that is usually a year. During probation, a Police Officer is continuously evaluated to correct any trait that may need to be addressed.
A Police Officer’s training is extremely intense with a high failure rate. Departments today cannot afford to choose anything less than the best because the Department is liable for Police Officers and their actions. A Police Officer needs to be honest, self sufficient, resourceful, intelligent, effective under stress, and resilient. The testing process attempts to retain all applicants with these qualities, however, it should be noted that no process is perfect. While not being perfect, I believe that Police Departments in general do a thorough job of providing the public with the best choices possible.
Pressures
A Police Officer feels pressure from all angles. Most occupations do not even come close to what a Police Officer experiences on a daily basis. These pressures originate from so many places that a lot of Officers feel like they can’t go anywhere with out feeling it. Police work, unlike most professions have no boundaries. Let’s take a look at what I mean.
The husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend relationship creates stress that Officers feel both at home and at work. Police Officers work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This means that all time and day shifts have to be filled. Working at night and on weekends will create stress in most relationships. Issues at home need to be maintained and what better time to do that when the Police Officer comes home. Sleep and health subsequently suffer. Also, there’s no guarantee that an Officer won’t get that murder call in the last 15 minutes of their shift. This could possibly put an Officer at work for 10 more hours.
Another aspect of the home relationship strain is when the Officer is working with somebody of the opposite sex. Officers that are partners spend more time together than they do with their families. This can create immense pressure from home up to and including divorce/breakup.
Peer pressure amongst Cops is as common as Starbucks. Officers pressure each other to work harder and work smarter, almost to a fault. Some of the pressure is good as it keeps Cops honest and hard working. The other side of the coin is that so much pressure can be applied to one single Cop that it will significantly affect them in a negative way.
Other sources of internal pressures come from the brass (bosses), DA, and other mutual agencies. The problem with internal pressures is that it doesn’t create an environment where an Officer can relax or lower their guard. An Officer has to be on their toes even in their “safe zone.” Being “on” all the time creates pressure; pressure creates stress; stress creates fatigue; fatigue leads to failure.
Pressure is applied by many outside sources as well, which I will explain later. Outside pressure include the media, citizens, arrestees, watchdog groups, etc.
Prejudice – Critique – Speculation
The group that has the highest amount of prejudice levied against them is not a race or a religion. The group is a profession and they are Police Officers. I have no study to back this claim but all that it takes is simple observation. I have observed, first hand, the amount of pre judging that occurs when the subject is Police Officers. Police Officers are painted with such a broad brush that you would think all 900,000 of them were present during the Rodney King “incident.” If you wear a badge and drive a black and white car, everybody who sees you has already made a judgment about you. Generally that judgment is conveyed via a negative response.
I have observed communities where small children are taught to spit at the mere sight of a Police Officer. Spitting is a sign of disrespect for those that aren’t aware. It’s almost comical when driving a police car through inner city neighborhoods and watching people spit as you drive by. It reminds me of the wave at a ball game. It also makes me wonder how dry their mouths must be in heavily patrolled areas.
Another way to measure prejudice is to observe the actions taken by other people when exiting a police car or dealing with a citizen. The fact that camera phones turn on every time a police officer approaches somebody clearly indicates that the Police Officer has been prejudged. Trust me, nobody puts videos of Cops handing out candy to children or coaching community ball teams on youtube. The minute a civil conversation takes place between a citizen and a Police Officer, the cell phones get turned off.
This one is a little confusing but there is a lot of prejudging prejudice. At some point during a police contact with a citizen, in inner city areas, the race card WILL be pulled and dropped in a manner loud enough to create a gathering. I would say that this happens at an alarming frequency even when there is say, a black subject and a black Police Officer. The race card gets dropped so many times that I’ve heard of White Cops being accused of being prejudice by White subjects. Police Officers are continuously accused of being prejudice without foundation or provocation.
I believe that people are so desensitized about accusing the police of being prejudice that they actually believe it. I have questioned hundreds of people accusing the police of being prejudice or racist. 100% of the time the subject being questioned did not have any personal experience with regard to prejudice or racism and the police. People keep these made up, third party tales going and it spreads like wildfire. People also tell the tales so often that they believe the authenticity and subsequently form their own prejudice from the fictitious tale. On one occasion, I spoke with a Black individual who told me that White Cops were to blame for importing drugs into the inner cities and getting “Black People” hooked so they could be arrested. This individual believed his story with every fabric of his being. I made an attempt at confronting the rationality of his thought but the attempt was futile. I also (in a serious manner) asked for evidence or personal experience in the matter and was just met with a blank stare.
Since we are on the topic of prejudice I want to talk quickly about police profiling since the two are synonymous. Police profiling is a necessary part of effectively PREVENTING or ANTICIPATING crime. The elements needed to profile are: time of day (car driving slowly at 2am), location (car driving in a high narcotics area), vehicle (car with 100% tinted windows, expensive rims, lowered, consistent with the types of vehicles drug dealers and gang members drive), actions by the driver (driver slouched to one side effectively concealing his face from view, driving too slow or too fast, making hand signals to people standing on the side walk, paying more attention to pedestrian traffic than to vehicle traffic), appearance of driver (wearing clothes consistent with gang wear, gang paraphernalia, hat pulled low to conceal the face, immediately averting eye contact or the exact opposite). This, my friends, is police profiling. At no time did I consider his race as a part of the profile. The only time race should be considered is when specific gang paraphernalia indicates a certain race gang (check for consistency).
People have blown police profiling way out of proportion. The media pawns off police profiling as a green light on anybody who doesn’t have white skin. The problem with this is that people are not smart enough to filter what the media gives them. Inevitably, people will have a new fictitious story to go along with what they just saw on the news. If there is something that the media is consistent with, it’s being wrong, over emphatic, opinionated and theatrical. I will talk more about the media later.
Prejudice is sad no matter which direction it travels. Keep in mind Police Officers hear prejudice on car stops, arrests, investigations, even lunch breaks, all day long. Want to be immediately hated? Put on a police uniform and walk around without even taking any sort of police action. The looks and comments will disappoint and sadden you.
Critique – Speculation – Comment
Here’s another fun one. Police Officers are the most critiqued profession in the world. I would say that being a professional athlete is a distant second. The primary difference between a Police Officer and a Pro Athlete is the fact that nobody can run down onto the field while the player is doing his job, jam a camera phone in his face, attempt to recite the rule book, call him racist, attempt to physically get in the way, demand to speak with his boss all while yelling at him.
It’s humorous, to a point, to see all the people that think they know what the law/policy/procedure/rights are and how to enforce them. Hell, most lawyers have no idea how laws are enforced. They know the laws well but the practice of law enforcement itself is just a theory for most lawyers.
Have you had any conversation lately about what is legal and what is not? I love hearing these because it at least provides me with a smile. Ever hear the one about how long a knife blade can legally be to carry? How about if you are a black belt or a green beret; are your fists now lethal weapons? Does a Cop have to tell you he’s a Cop when he’s working undercover? Can a city cop pull you over when you are driving on the freeway or should you make the dash for the boarder? I can do this all day and they all make me laugh. I hear people’s interpretations of the law all the time. The funny part is that people will actually argue with Police Officers over what they heard was the law. People! Cops aren’t making this crap up just come over and make your day worse!
Policy and procedure is another aspect of policing that a lot of people are “experts” on. People have no idea the rules that Officers follow in course of their duties. As usual, the day will bring some person along that completely disagrees. Example: It is policy that ALL cars WILL be towed if a person is caught driving on a suspended license. 80% of the time, (probably 100% of the first timers), the subject will yell at the Officer because the car will be towed…and let the yelling for a supervisor begin.
Quickly, I will talk about rights. Want to annoy a Cop? Yell in his face, “I know my rights!” Really? I don’t think so. Everybody that I have ever heard that saying from knew nothing about their rights. I have observed arrestees demand that they have their rights read to them. Having your rights read to you is not a right. Two things need to happen for a Police Officer to read you your rights. One, you need to be in custody and two; the Police are going to interrogate you. If a Cop doesn’t want to talk to you, it’s simple; you don’t get your rights read to you. Miranda rights are a series of rights that protects you against self-incrimination. We don’t want to trick the criminals into incriminating themselves. I’m pretty sure that the criminals didn’t give their victims the same courtesy but we are bigger than that, right?
Search warrants are another thing that people screw up in their minds. There are a number of reasons why a police officer can enter a house/room/building etc., without a search warrant. Want to make the Cop take a hard look around your place? Yell at him/her that they need a search warrant when they have legal right to be standing inside of your house.
If you take all of the above writing and give it to the news media, they will spin the story any way they can to make it appear that somebody’s rights were violated somehow or there was some Police misconduct. Again, I will talk more about the media later.
In short, nobody knows exactly what a cop is supposed to do except for another cop. Wanna become an expert in police policy? Join the police department. During the course of a Police Officer’s duties, they have to obey the law, follow police procedure/policy/orders all while attempting to come home in one piece. It is a very tight line to walk but it is absolutely wearing when people who have no idea what they are talking about critique every step. The most ignorant and apathetic people about law and procedure are always the ones who comment the most and the loudest.
No other profession has to endure what Police Officers go through on a daily basis. Imagine somebody that knew nothing about mechanics walking into an auto shop and yelling at the mechanic that he’s doing something wrong. Then take the scenario a few steps further and break out that camera phone and demand to speak to the mechanic’s boss. For a more interesting trip, go ahead and spit on the mechanic while you are doing all of this. You would be lucky if you made it out of the shop in one piece. This scenario would not fly in ANY profession, yet it’s tolerated in regards to the police and the police are expected to act professionally in the face of all adversity. I know there are some arguments like, “That’s what you guys get paid to do.” I disagree. Cops are people and not punching bags where you can dump all of your anger, baggage and misunderstanding. Cops are not an excuse for you to act like a 3 year old having a tantrum. People need to grow up and act like adults. Too many people blame everybody but themselves (it’s called, lack of personal accountability). It’s a sad direction that this country is headed in.
The Degradation Of Our Society
This is a topic that is far too broad to encompass all aspect in one article. I will talk about the part that Police Officers play in the unraveling of the US. Values, accountability, responsibility, consideration, discipline, ethic: All of these traits, when deficient or absent at the same time will cause chaos. Who should take care of chaos? The police should, of course.
I will start off small by referencing a recent article in the news that reports of an incident where an 8 year old was pepper sprayed by police. Here it is:
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KABC) -- An 8-year-old boy was pepper sprayed by police officers in Colorado after the boy became unruly at school. Now people are asking, how young is too young to get pepper sprayed?
Police say they felt threatened, but the boy's mother, Mandy Elliott, says they had other options.
At first glance, Aidan Elliott appears to be an energetic kid. But it was his behavior in the classroom that led to him being handcuffed and pepper sprayed.
Police say their actions were necessary due to Aidan's threats.
Steve Davis of the Lakewood Police Department said Aidan told police and teachers he would kill them, and Aidan doesn't deny it.
"I said, 'I'm going to kill you once you get out of that room,'" he said.
School officials say the incident began in Aidan's class - a class for children with behavioral problems. They say the second grader was spitting, throwing chairs and threatening his classmates and teachers with a piece of broken wood.
Police arrived and decided to pepper spray the boy.
Aidan's mother says police used excessive force on her son and blames his school for his behavior.
"It doesn't happen with babysitters, family members, it's only at school," Mandy Elliott said in an interview on "Good Morning America."
His school says if Aidan improves his behavior, he is welcome to return.
(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Okay, allow me to take a deep breath because there are so many things wrong with this article; I’m nearly beside myself with brain to keyboard overload.
The media; I will talk about the media in the next section so I will spare you a repeat. The media couldn’t be any more disapproving and condescending in their report about the police action. The title to the news report is, “Unruly 8 year old boy, pepper sprayed by police”. This implies that the Police Officer arbitrarily sprayed an unruly 8 year old. In the second sentence, the media questions “how young is too young to get pepper sprayed”, and defers accountability for the question by associating the question with “people” wanting to know, instead of themselves. The most enraging part of the article for me is the order that the media placed handcuffed and pepper sprayed. Their order implies that the Cops handcuffed this little kid and THEN pepper sprayed him while handcuffed. It definitely paints a different picture when you change the order of things. It makes the pepper spray cruel and unusual when you handcuff somebody first. Further down in this theatrical, borderline tabloid, it says that, “police arrived and decided to pepper spray the boy.” This implies that the police just showed up and said, “Awww screw it. I don’t know what’s going on here but let’s mix this party up with some pepper spray. I have no reason or need to use the pepper spray but now I’m deciding to use it.” The media then adds that Aidan’s mother says, “Police used excessive force on her son…”. Yet again, here is another pawn off of accountability by the media. The media’s stance is, hey, we didn’t say it, but they feel free to print it because it’s controversial, raises debate and sells copies.
Okay, enough media talk for now. Let’s talk about the boy’s mother in the above article. Here is the lack of responsibility, accountability and discipline. The mother first says that the police used excessive force. WOW! I didn’t know that she was an expert in police procedure. Look everybody, she’s an expert! …and we circle back to the previous section when I outline and note the people who believe that they are experts are, in fact, ignorant and apathetic. Next, the mother blames the boy’s school for the boy’s behavior. I find this sickening. Talk about a total loss of accountability. I can’t believe that there is a test to get a driver’s license in the US but anybody can procreate without displaying any sign of competence.
Now, on to the topic of teachers: This isn’t the good ol’ days folks. Teachers are no longer able to administer discipline outside of a semi-stern voice. On top of crappy salaries, teachers are now expected to deal with incorrigible, undisciplined kids that just walk all over the adults. There is no drive to keep a child from acting like a complete intolerable pain except for what the parents teach them at home. In order for the teachers to remain lawsuit free, they call the next people in the chain, the Police.
Now, because of the parent’s total failure at parenting and the schools inability to corporally punish, Police Officers have to be summoned to deal with the problem. Police Officers take up the slack left over by everybody else. Police Officers can’t call anybody; they have to deal with the problem. The aggravating part about that is, they are always critiqued by apathetic people during and after the problem. These are the same people who obviously weren’t able to solve the problem on their own. It’s like asking for help and then complaining about the manner in which you receive the help.
Okay, it’s gut check time people. Who thinks that the Police Officer used excessive force? What were your thoughts when you read the article? Be honest. To answer the question, police were absolutely right to use pepper spray. To put it in perspective, if the 8-year-old boy was older, police would be fully within their right to use deadly force, ie, shoot him. I will explain.
When a person grabs a sharp piece of wood, he has a weapon. When that same person threatens to kill classmates, teachers and the police, he is displaying a propensity for violence (meaning there is a high probability that he will make good on his threat). Police ordered the child multiple times to drop the piece of wood. The child disregarded the lawful order on every occasion. Now the Police Officers are faced with a decision. Close the distance and disarm the child or retain distance and use a benign chemical agent. After weighing the options, the Police Officers employed the pepper spray, which created the desired effect (subject dropping the weapon). It should be noted that pepper spray will not cause any injury or scarring.
For those that say, “Hey, it’s just an 8-year-old with a stick”, consider the alternative. Police Officer attempts to disarm the child and is subsequently stabbed. Now the Police Officer requires medical attention and possibly hospitalization. The child has racked up another serious charge. The Police Officer’s partner is now more prone to use deadly force. An 8-year-old is more than capable of jamming a sharp stick into somebody’s stomach or causing great bodily harm. People, that is a shootable offense. It’s not a Police Officers job to be beat or stabbed by other people’s undisciplined children.
So there you have it. I would be willing to bet that most of the people that read the article felt that the Officer’s actions were heavy handed. In retrospect, the Officer’s actions were indeed the best course of action. The Officer obeyed the force continuum and used the absolute least amount of force to safely disarm a hostile, armed, 8-year-old. Force continuums differ from department to department but a common one is: verbal – physical – pepper spray- taser – baton – bean bag shotgun – K9 dog - carotid restraint – deadly force. That continuum is not on a straight line as some force options can be substituted for others; but for writing purposes the continuum is correct. I forgot to mention before that physical control (the next step after verbal in an ideal situation) most likely would have caused more damage to the child than the pepper spray.
Yet another problem solved by Police and criticized by everybody else.
The Media
Here is a “hot button” with a lot of Police Officers and Police Agencies. Unfortunately, it seems that today’s media has found a new low that rivals tabloid reporting. I’m not going to dissect another “news” article to illustrate my point because I’ve already done that in the previous section. I do, however, want to talk a little bit about the media and people’s perception of the “news”.
First, if you’ve made it this far, I Thank You! Second, as if I haven’t taken enough of your time, I want you to do an experiment. I want you to watch the “news” (your favorite station) tonight and hold a pad of paper in your lap. On one side of the paper, I want you to put Subjective (or Opinion) and on the other side of the paper I want you to put Objective (or Fact). During the broadcast I want you list everything said (in the form of points) on one side of the paper or the other. Disregard any pleasantries or off topic statements. Do note, however, how often the news quotes other people and then spins statements to appear as if they are coming from a credible, knowledgeable source. You will see that a number of marks appear on the Subjective side. A perfect newscast will have a score of 0 on the Subjective side. This isn’t a bash against news networks; I want people to learn to filter and sort out fact from opinion when people are talking.
This part is Subjective. Come to think of it, anytime you see, “I believe”, “I think”, or “In my opinion”, in this article, I am giving you an OPINION, which is SUBJECTIVE. I don’t want to admonish the news networks and then be guilty of the same. I believe that poor reporting, from news networks, comes from a balance of investigation and time. Networks always race to be the first to release a breaking story. This fact alone indicates that there will be flaws, oversights and misinformation. A thorough investigation takes time. Networks pressure their employees to produce details quickly, which sometimes, in my opinion, will lead to a story with bad information. Unfortunately, by the time accurate information becomes available, the story is already “old news” and goes uncorrected. Henceforth, the public retains the initial story as uncorrected fact.
I have been privy to many ongoing police investigations that were reported on by the media. I have seen many inaccuracies made public by the media. My point here is only believe the reports, which have overwhelming physical evidence. Never believe any subjective information that you receive no matter who is saying it and where it’s coming from.
This brings up my next point. It’s funny how the media will find the worlds biggest junky and interviews him when they are doing a piece on police misconduct. I talked about these same people in the “Prejudice” section of this article. It’s the equivalent of interviewing somebody from PETA regarding an Animal Shelter’s mistreatment of animals. Of course the PETA member is going to be abrasive and inflammatory towards any organization that houses animals for pets. The report will be packed with a myriad of opinions and very little fact. I have also observed this phenomenon on crime scenes. A reporter will choose the loudest, most animated, most emotional person on scene and then interview them. This doesn’t make sense for “unbiased” reporting. If I want unbiased information, I will interview an uninvolved, unbiased, witness. I guess theatrics sells better.
Can you remember the last Officer involved shooting that was covered by your local news network? Let me guess. They interviewed the entire family of the person who was shot by the Police Officer. They probably then woke up the town “crack-head” and got his opinion on it too. They probably then said that the police declined to comment underneath their breath. The police are not allowed to comment on ongoing investigations so I will give the media that, however, that part never gets explained. They spin it in a way that makes it sound like the police are attempting to “cover up” the “incident” by refusing to give any information.
The flip side: Another aspect of 1 sided reporting occurs when a Police Officer is injured. I see Cops get hurt on the job all the time when making arrests. Unless the Officer is shot, you will never hear about it and it’s just business as usual. On the other side if a suspect is injured during the course of an arrest, it will most likely be covered on the news. The news of a suspect that was injured when arrested will definitely spark tempers and inquiry into police misconduct.
Unfortunately, the media rarely covers any of the good that Police Officers do. It’s kind of a running joke amongst Officers. After a Police Officer goes above and beyond the call of duty, the event is usually concluded by, “You’re not gonna see that on the 10 o’clock news.” Chuckles are usually had at the statement then it’s back to work. I see Police Officers go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. Generally, Police Officers are kind hearted and take a vested interest in the happiness and safety of the people they serve. The Police Officers I know have never asked for anything in return for their good deeds.
Police Oversight
Here is a topic that saddens me. In some cities there are more entities that oversee police action and conduct than there are entities that oversee Parolees. Somewhere, in somebody’s mind, they think that Cops are going crooked and crazy in numbers that require additional oversight entities. Some cities have a chain of oversight that has absolutely 0 Police Officers investigating the conduct and complaints of citizens. This is outrageous. In the example above, I point out that only Police Officers know what Police Officers are supposed to do. How can you have the judge, jury and executioner outside of the Police Department? It’s like having a janitor act as the CEO of a biopharmaceutical firm.
In the age of technology, most Police Officers that have their heads screwed on will not even attempt any misconduct. Sure, we hear the occasional report on the news about police misconduct but there are 900,000 cops in the US. How many total reports have you heard in your lifetime regarding police misconduct? 10? 20? Think about it folks, cops aren’t going crazy. People grab this propaganda and then smear the police in so many ways that it generates irrational fears by people who have never even had 1 police contact.
Side note: The vast majority of police related voting measures fail in the city that I am familiar with. I think that some of this may be because people actually believe this crazy propaganda. Also, please, keep in mind, when you a cut a Police Department’s numbers, pay, money for patrol cars/equipment remember that it will eventually impact you. The day that your car gets stolen and the Cops show up 4 hours later and can’t recover your LoJak equipped car because they lack the equipment, don’t get upset. Police numbers are dwindling already and are falling by the wayside in favor of social programming and police oversight.
The rules that are set up for Police Officers are set up to contradict in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” manner. Simply by following one rule, a different rule is being broken. There’s enough red tape when you open up a procedure book that it makes the DMV look efficient.
In the city that I am familiar with, there is a police conduct entity that investigates ALL formal complaints that are made against Police Officers. The process goes something like this: Somebody wants to complain about Officer Jones because Officer Jones hurt the subject’s feelings. They walk into the Police Department and then request to make a complaint. A Sergeant is required to assist the subject in explaining and filling out the complaint form. The complaint form is then forwarded to the Oversight Entity and the Police Department does not have any hand in the investigation or punishment of the Police Officer. The Oversight Entity then contacts the subject and has him come in for an interview. During the interview, the Oversight Entity extracts every detail of the “incident.” The Oversight Entity then determines if there were any other rules that were broken by the Police Officer during this contact. Rarely, is an Officer charged with just the initial complaint. The Oversight Entity attempts to determine and charge any other violation that MAY have occurred. On top of hurting the subjects feelings, (conduct unbecoming) Officer Jones may face charges of excessive force, failure to follow procedure etc. etc. Officer Jones then has to respond, on record, to the charges. Officer Jones then goes to the Oversight Entity to be interviewed and recorded. The Oversight Entity then makes a decision if Officer Jones acted within “the guidelines”. If it is determined that Officer Jones was guilty of the allegations the case is then sent to a Punitive Entity which is actually comprised of anti-police personnel who subsequently determine Officer Jones’ punishment.
Again, none of these people have any street experience. They don’t know what it’s like to take on 2 parolees in a dark alley at night and then have the radio battery die. They’ve never had to multi-task 100 things while simultaneously making 200 decisions. They sit back in their chairs wearing their hindsight glasses and picking apart your decisions or the manner in which you executed them. Remember, even a murderer has the opportunity to be tried by his peers but Cops are not afforded this right.
The sad part about this is that a person can continually complain about a specific Officer and the claims will be investigated every single time. I personally know a Police Sergeant that was harassed with continuous complaints by a man who was literally “crazy.” The Oversight Entity investigated every single time even after it was determined that the Sergeant was off-duty multiple times and one time was even out of the country. It’s like a witch-hunt for these entities. In the end, the law-abiding citizen pays because the anti-police scare tactics actually protect the “bad guy” by significantly neutering a sometimes necessary, forceful response.
I do want to quickly touch on a Police Officer’s 1st Amendment Right. Police Officer’s are stripped of their 1st Amendment Right. A Police Officer is not at liberty to speak freely while wearing the uniform. A Police Officer is also not free to speak freely while off-duty. Many statements, opinion or fact, can have a Police Officer fired.
Please understand that the majority of fears out there are completely irrational and lack an ounce of foundation. Try waving a cop next time you pass one. They will probably be shocked but I’m pretty sure they will wave back. Cops are so used to being crapped on all day it may take a moment for them to process the positive action that you just sent them.
Just to recap, there is a lot of money, time and effort that is put into police oversight. Most of the Police Officers I know don’t mind. I just want the public to know that it is an insane waste of money to duplicate multiple oversight agencies. It’s kind of like employing a group of snipe hunters. You may get one eventually but as soon as you open the bag, you’ll realize that it’s a bird of a different feather.
Some Of The Things You Haven’t Heard
There are reasons why Police Officers may seem over cautious, controlling, paranoid, or hyper-vigilant. I want to quickly explain why a Police Officer may have you sit down, or handcuff you, or approach your car with their weapon drawn, or question you over and over.
First, there are a lot of very violent people that hate Cops. In prison, inmates actually train how to fight and kill Police Officers. They are experts in the disarming of weapons, concealing of weapons, unarmed fighting, rendering a Police Officer’s radio useless, ambush and tactics all designed to kill Police Officers. These inmates practice scenarios on each other. For instance a common practice is how to escape while being handcuffed. They know that the best time to fight is right after the first cuff goes on because now they are armed with a free swinging metal object. They also practice reverse moves to escape typical control and arrest moves. They know how to break arm bars, wristlocks and other procedural control holds. They even practice fighting while handcuffed. These are just a small glimpse of what convicts/parolees are capable of. When a parolee attempts these moves and somebody gets footage of a Police Officer fighting with a handcuffed subject, what does that look like? It looks like police brutality. This is just one example among thousands of scenarios that take advantage of police tactics and “look bad” in the uneducated public eye.
Police Officers always train for the worst-case scenario. While on the street, a good Police Officer will treat every incident like the worst-case scenario. They do this because when the worst-case scenario does happen, they will be ready and they will have the upper hand. This means that you may be dealt with in a manner that appears cold, mistrusting and cruel. Please understand that the Cop is just trying to go home to his family that night without a shank or bullet sticking out of his neck.
Everybody that deals with the police expects the Police Officer to know that they aren’t going to do anything. They also expect the Police Officer to know that there are no weapons concealed in their clothing or the fact that they aren’t going to fight or run. The fact is, the Cops don’t know these things and will treat you firmly but with respect. I can write 10 more pages easily on this topic, however, I will attempt to keep this short.
Recently a Cop was caught on video in a physical confrontation with an unknown male. The Cop was subsequently fired over the incident. The incident: A male and his friend set out to bait a Police Officer into fighting one of them so the other could get the footage on tape. The friend with the cell phone camera hid nearby as two Police Officers were crossing the street. The other male then walked right into one of the Police Officers and then baited him into a physical altercation. The hidden friend caught the whole incident on video, which later resulted in the termination of the Police Officer.
Okay, switching gears: On a daily basis, Police Officers are faced with anger, resentment, provocative actions, pressure, accusations, depressing crime scenes, oversight, threats and a million other negative situations. A Police Officer may pull you over after he just witnessed a little girl die in a car accident. Or the Officer may be coming from a frivolous complaint that still jeopardizes his career. Maybe his boss just finished yelling at him because his productivity is down. Maybe his wife just called and wants a divorce. Maybe he just finished a call where he was in the fight for his life. Maybe he just left court and the murderer of a family just got released on a technicality. Maybe somebody just spit on him for no reason whatsoever. The chances that a Police Officer just experienced something negative right before he pulled you over far outweighs the chances that he is coming from something positive. The Cop doesn’t have any support structure that is available and understandable to most other people. The Cops only have other Cops because at the end of the day, those are the only people who have the capability of understanding.
