The Truth About Police Use of Force: Part 4

Race:

 I would be irresponsible or naive not to address race. I have never been one to run from difficult conversations; I will not start today. Even though I may not have the same opinions or views some may have, I respect their views. I appreciate anyone who is respectful and speaks intelligently, even when they view things differently than I do. I went pretty hard yesterday about citizens not knowing what it's like to be a cop. So, it's only fair for me to say this: I do not know what it's like to be a black man in America. I will never see the things they have seen or their life experiences. All I can do is respect their views. What I will never respect is anyone of any race profiling and stereotyping anyone. Both of my great-grandfathers were Italian immigrants from the Island of Sicily. I didn't know either, but I was close to my grandfather. He was a proud Italian. He was self-made; he didn't even have a high school education, but he was very successful and the most intelligent man I ever knew. He was hard working and a very honest man. He grew up in the era where you were a thug and in the mafia if your last name ended in a vowel. I'm not trying to compare his or my great-grandfather's struggles to those of African Americans. My point is this: stereotypes of any type are wrong, period.

 In part 2, I mentioned stereotypes earned by law enforcement. Sadly, the racist stereotype of police isn't unearned. There was a time in our nation that there was racial bias among law enforcement. Here is my issue with this: that time isn't now. The generation of men and women who are on the streets all over our nation is the least racist generation in our nation's history. My opinion is formed by me not only leading men and women in this generation but also raising two kids from it. My generation loves to bash this current generation. We think they are entitled, soft, and lack work ethic. I don't know if they are that, but I know what they aren't; they are not racist. As a generation of cops, they are the farthest from that. Therefore, I will not sit by quietly and allow them to be "jacketed" with something a cop did in the 60's. Their job, in this day and age, is hard enough. If we want to recruit and retain good cops, we must look hard at what we are doing. Again, this generation does not deserve it.

 Cops Get Special Treatment After A Shooting:

 This is something that always becomes a topic after a cop shoots a civilian. Someone in the media or someone with influence starts talking about cops being treated differently than civilians. Do I think cops are treated differently after a shooting? I do think so, but not how it is often portrayed. There are many things that the general public doesn't know when it comes to what a cop goes through after a shooting. They go through everything a civilian goes through after a shooting, but they are also treated differently in many ways.

●     They immediately get the weapon they used taken from them: That is for evidentiary purposes, and the same happens to a civilian. I'm sure that makes most feel presumed guilty, but for a cop, it's traumatic. In most cases, they were right; they only did their job, and now the tool of their trade is being stripped from them.

●     They are read their rights: again, that happens to everyone who is involved in a shooting (and should). I'm sure it's traumatic for most people. But, for a cop, it's devastating. They spend their lives protecting the public and reading these rights to criminals daily. To hear them directed at you is hard.

●     On top of the criminal investigation, they undergo an administrative review. This is where every move they make is completely scrutinized over policies and procedures. It is a very rigorous process.

●     They are either placed on leave or assigned to some administrative job during the investigation. I have seen cops on this type of leave or reassignment for up to a year. Yes, I know it's paid leave, but don't even start with the free vacation nonsense. That's not a vacation. Also, they only get their base pay; they aren't eligible for overtime or off-duty jobs. Try raising a family of five on some of these cops' base salaries. The leave is “pending outcome of an investigation”. Can you imagine being ostracized for a year and your life on hold while your fate is being decided? Doesn’t sound like much of a vaction to me.

●     There are often cases where, even after they have been cleared criminally and administratively, they aren't allowed to return to the job they had before the shooting. In some cases, cops have even been asked to resign. They did their job, protected their community, and followed every policy and procedure. They did this only to be told, thanks, but no thanks! They can't be a cop again because their name has been blasted through the media, and they have a target on their back. It's no longer safe for them, other officers, or the public for them to be a cop. That's fair? That is special treatment, not in the "good ole boy" way.

 You are on the right track if you could sense anger when you read that last bullet point. Few things anger me, but releasing a cop's name during an investigation before they are criminally charged enrages me like nothing else. If you are a law enforcement administrator and reading this, I must issue a warning. When you are right, I will use every platform to support you and your men and women. There will be no friend better than James McGee. But, if you (or the mayor, county manager, etc.) release your officer's name, unless he is criminally charged, I'm coming unglued. I will jump up and down every social media platform and condemn it. The public, media, politicians, and family of the deceased have no right to know the name of the officer unless they are criminally charged. That's how the general public is treated, and that's how cops should be treated. As law enforcement, we do not release a person's name unless they are formally charged. Cops should get the same treatment. This puts the cop and their family in grave danger. I have heard some horror stories of cops and their families being targeted in many ways after a shooting. This is the result of succumbing to political and media pressure.

 There are many other ways cops are treated differently. They are scrutinized like no one else when a shooting happens. Few shootings (besides mass killings) get the media attention that cops shooting someone gets. It causes many issues that ordinary citizens do not have to endure. I'm not saying any of my bullet points are unnecessary except for releasing their name. I'm only dispelling the opinion that cops are sent on some tropical vacation and rewarded for taking a life. Most cops are good and tender-hearted despite their hard exteriors. Many times, they do not recover after taking another life and end up leaving on their own, either immediately or eventually. With an already recruiting and retaining issue nationwide, that compounds it.

 The Aftermath, Recruiting, And Retention:

 In 2020, George Floyd died while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. Four officers were convicted and are currently in prison for Floyd's death. Recently, a documentary titled "The Fall Of Minneapolis" was released. And in the past two weeks, information that had never been reported before was made public by several news sources. I am not going into detail at this time. I will wait for more information to form a more educated opinion. I criticize others for forming a premature opinion, I will not do the same. But, if this information is correct and these men are in prison for a crime they didn't commit, it is tragic. No one, including cops, should go to prison for crimes they didn't commit.

 However, I will cover the incident as it pertains to the aftermath and how it has affected our nation. In the wake of Floyd's death, there were demonstrations (peaceful and non-peaceful) in over 2000 US cities and over 60 countries. Peaceful Demonstrations are part of a free and democratic society and should be allowed and encouraged. 140 US cities reported violence and/or riots during these demonstrations. Estimates of damages during these demonstrations are close to two billion dollars. There were several deaths of civilians and countless injured. The major cities chief's associations reported injuries to over 2000 police officers. People may disagree on the incident, but I don't think anyone will disagree that this tragedy can never happen again. It will take years for our nation to recover fully. This incident further divided our country and has had many negative results. One of them is police recruitment and retention.

 In late 2020, departments nationwide started seeing a larger-than-normal resignation and retirement rate. Many retirees retired early, before eligibility for a full retirement. In 2021, law enforcement nationwide started seeing a drastic reduction in applications. They also report a drop in applications and a reduction in the quality of candidates they usually receive. Many people who have left law enforcement have used this incident and lack of public support as their reason. Departments are also reporting that the George Floyd protests have directly hurt recruiting. These numbers aren't small; many departments consider this a "major crisis."

 Another issue that is hard to debate is this will only lead to more problems, and the division will become more significant. Communities needing to be staffed with proper law enforcement coverage presents a public safety issue in many areas. A larger problem may be departments having to lower their standards to reach minimum staffing. Unless something changes and changes quickly, we are headed toward a nation with understaffed, under-trained, and under-qualified law enforcement officers.

 Our leaders (in every area) must come together and find a solution. We cannot make this a war; we must come together. I can promise one thing: there will not be a winner in this war.