Re: NYC zero tolerance on blades ... even 1"
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KYpatriot</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: desertrat1979</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is there something in our job requirements that gives us a choice of not enforcing laws? Please, tell your boss you don't like a company policy and you refuse to abide by it. Let us know how it goes for ya.</div></div>
Is that really a serious question? If I was sloshing out cinnamon dolce nonfat lattes to the next jackass in line then I wouldn't consider the company "policy" that important. As a law enforcement or military officer exercising force then YES I absolutely question "policy". I took an oath- and I meant it. When you get handed BS policy you have a choice to make. You can take the path of least resistance and defend your own wellbeing or you can make a stand right where you are. You ALWAYS have a choice.
When I briefed my wingman before a mission I tried to emphasize one thing above all else: that they, as individuals, were responsible for every weapon on the jet. Never surrender your individual judgment about what is the right thing to do, because later, when you make it back home and are lying in bed the Rules of engagement or "policy" in place at the time won't be much consolation when you know in your heart that you should have, or should not have, dropped that bomb.
That may sound far removed from the impact of the choices available to the individual law enforcement officer. After all, is a questionable stop and frisk really life and death? If so, I suggest that you are underestimating the importance of your profession as a professional law enforcement officer. Law enforcement in our republic, done correctly, is one of the noblest callings there is because it is unique among the nations because of its respect for the citizen over force. There are many nations where crime is low but then so is liberty. The fact that we as a nation value liberty more than safety is not your fault despite the jackasses who complain about crime rates. We rely on your restraint to preserve our liberty but our duty to you in return is to not to blame you when society, as a result of more freedom, is also more risky.
I understand that law enforcement is stuck between a Rock and a hard place. You get blamed when a crime happens and get blamed when you infringe on a person's rights or privacy even if you are trying to prevent crime. As a patriot, I would respectfully ask that you remember what your first duty is: to preserve liberty. In doing so the courts have found and I agree that you are under no obligation to protect me individually because I assume the risk of our free society whether I want to or not. Sometimes upholding the law and our way of life involves nailing a bad guy. More often it involves letting someone go because our law and sense of liberty prevents intervention. My hope is that the latter doesn't keep you up at night. It shouldn't because even if a crime is committed later by that person it is NOT the fault of LE, because risk is a natural part of freedom. Sleep sound in knowledge that freedom was protected first and foremost, because that is and hopefully forever will be our priority. The law enforcement officer does just as much in his restraint to preserve liberty as the soldier does in his vigor. When we can no longer tell the difference, liberty is lost.
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Awesome post. Awesome.
The only thing I would add is that if your job makes you uncomfortable or in another's words "makes you one of the jackbooted thugs" you still have a choice.
Members of my own family made that choice and are no longer law enforcement. It's not a job for everyone but everyone that takes it should be held to a higher standard.
