Is Now the Time to Quit?
By JR Donahue
During my early work years (60’s & early 70’s), I was
employed in a family business. It was a
wholesale-distributor located on the near northwest side of Detroit and it
occupied a building with large overhead doors which allowed vehicles to enter
and park inside.
It was not at all unusual to have one or two Detroit police cars
parked inside. The officers assigned to
those units would stop by for lunch, for coffee or simply to stay out-of-sight.
I was perplexed: the officers would frequently receive a
call for service on their radios, they would acknowledge the call and then go
nowhere. I came to learn that it was
their practice to respond only to serious felonies IN PROGRESS, or after
multiple calls from dispatch.
Call types that were generally ignored: traffic crashes,
shots fired, suspicious people, suspicious vehicles, domestic assaults and most
reports of home invasion or robberies (whether armed or otherwise).
Proactive police work was a little-known commodity in
Detroit at the time.
I did not understand how this could be happening with no consequences
for the officers involved. After the
passage of a few years in the ‘real’ world, it became clear.
The elected officials in the city were only interested in
self-enrichment and self-glorification rather than doing what was best for the
city’s residents. These officials
habitually pandered to a vocal segment of the population who was morally
bankrupt.
The judges in the local courts returned thugs to the street
often in less time that it took the cops to complete paperwork on the arrest. These judges ordained mob rule rather than
applying the laws. Frankly, it was the
politically expedient thing to do.
We are all keenly aware of the outcome. In August, 1967 there were the Detroit “Race”
Riots (as they were then termed). I was
witness to them at close-range.
Good, law-abiding people of all races, colors and genders,
who were able, fled the city for the suburbs in the months and years which
followed. Only those who could not
escape remained in the city.
The human residue which remained was an array of thugs in
both public and private roles. The
situation led to the demise, downfall and collapse of social order in
Detroit. Law-abiding citizens were
afraid to venture into the city. Living
there was out-of-the-question.
Bankruptcy and complete municipal failure became a
certainty. The only question: how long would it take for the failure to
actually be declared?
NEW PERSPECTIVE
Many years later, I was fortunate enough to graduate from the
local police academy after many years working as a process analyst, technical
consultant and trainer in law enforcement.
I gained experience patrolling full-time and part-time (in
two different agencies). In 2007, I
returned to work full-time as an LE trainer with a copyrighted curriculum,
“Technology & Tactics.” I was given
the gift of teaching patrol cops how to use software and hardware products at
academy and in-service levels. The
classes offered real-life insight into the risks introduced by the new gadgets
and demonstrated how cops could mitigate risk to life and limb.
As an patrol officer, I learned that street cops never like
being TOLD how to do their jobs.
However, when presented properly (as ideas, options and possibilities to
consider), the cops reacted very well.
In nearly every session, someone would say, “I never thought of that
…” I was often rewarded with words of
thanks, grateful handshakes and sometimes, even a hug of gratitude.
TODAY’S FRUSTRATION
The news of recent months has left me feeling angry,
frustrated and having great desire to ‘do something to fix this.’ Think of Ferguson, Long Island, Madison, WI,
Cleveland, Baltimore and more. Based on
what the TV cameras display, it seems as though many of our country’s black
population see cops as the principle threat to the lives of young black men.
Some are demanding that cops be removed from “their”
community or to have the cops’ authority and/or tools weakened to the point of
being ineffective.
My gut reaction:
“Fine.” Give them what they
want. I’ve seen this movie before – and
it doesn’t end well.
In those areas where cops are perceived as the enemy, let’s
try these tactics:
·
Perform little (or no) proactive work. End stop-and-frisk. Cease approaching people who are recognized
as habitual trouble-makers to determine what they are currently ‘up to.’
·
If/when we see something that doesn’t seem
‘quite right,’ simply look the other way.
As one former Detroit cop put it, “We only respond to bad stuff when it
falls on the hood of our patrol car.”
·
Take your calls for service from the police
station, the nearby firehouse, the local 7-11 or any other cop-friendly place
you can locate and stay out of sight.
·
Don’t initiate traffic stops.
·
When dispatch relays a request for service from
a citizen, acknowledge dispatch and then ignore the request for service.
·
If you accidentally stumble across one of the
‘poor, disadvantaged folks’ who are being put-upon by law enforcement, let them
go with a warning.
·
Don’t EVER go looking for someone who is the
subject of a court-issued arrest warrant.
Taking these steps should provide many benefits. First, it will keep you out of trouble. You won’t be charged with any crimes, you
won’t be subjected to the scrutiny of your local prosecutor, a grand jury or
the Department of Justice. You won’t
lose your job and/or your career. You
will keep getting the same paycheck as when you were actually accomplishing
something worthwhile.
You will be doing exactly what the demonstrators have been demanding
in the media.
WITH GOOD REASON
The statistics would give evidence that the cops in troubled
Baltimore have instituted this plan of action (above). Who can blame them?
The results: murders
in Baltimore are up 41% over the same period last year; non-fatal shootings are
up 70%; arrest rates have dropped like a rock.
The actions of the politically attuned prosecutor have essentially
caused mob-rule to take over in Baltimore.
It’s obvious: the elected leaders don’t give a damn about
anything but catering to a political mob.
Why should the cops be the only ones who are trying to do the ‘right’
things by enforcing the law and maintaining a reasonable quality of life for
those who live or work in the city?
THE BACK-STORY
I recall responding to a call for service in an area of a
city while I was riding with a patrol officer in advance of training
classes. My partner and I went into a
sizeable community of Section 8 (subsidized) housing.
There were many black women milling about with a gaggle of
very young children running through the streets, parking lots and all without
concern or supervision. Noticeably,
there were no fathers present. No one was
watching the kids.
One woman, who was obviously near the end of a pregnancy, boldly
announced that, “next month after the baby comes, my government check will be
bigger.” My frustration was beyond words.
I was witnessing another generation of human beings who
would likely mature as abject failures.
The young black men will declare open season on other young black men
and begin killing one another at a horrendous rate. The females will likely use their God-given
sexuality with no sense of responsibility and begin the process of creating
another failed generation all over, again.
If these black people want to know the source of their
suffering, I suggest that they go take a long look in the mirror.
WHERE’S THE FIX?
This mess will come to a conclusion ONLY when the
individuals take personal responsibility to end it. The tools are there. Individual desire is the element that is
missing.
The government cannot end it. We – through our government – should stop
rewarding personal misbehavior with cash.
A LESSON LEARNED
Recently, the thugs won in Omaha. The city had a model cop: Kerrie Orozco. She was 29 yrs old, with 7 yrs on the
job. She gave of herself to the
Boys/Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, she coached baseball for young folks and was
active in her Catholic parish. She was
married with two step-children.
In February, she and her husband brought their first child
into the world: a premature baby girl.
Kerrie’s new infant was due to come home from the hospital with her new
mom last Thursday. But, that was not to
be.
Just hours before Kerrie would start her maternity leave and
bring her new baby home, she was gunned-down by a worthless thug. Kerrie and her fugitive team were attempting
to execute a felony arrest warrant for the dirt-bag.
Kerrie is dead. The
hearts of her brothers/sisters in blue are broken in anguish.
Will there be any demonstrations demanding that thugs stop
their unending rampage against cops?
Will the race-baiters (e.g. Al Sharpton) find his way onto even ONE news
show demanding better treatment for cops?
Will the Department of Justice investigate or will the President demand
change?
Don’t hold your breath waiting for any of these events.
Maybe THIS is the time to quit.
