Will You Sleep With Me For A Million Dollars?

Over the years I heard many cops say "I will never turn in my partners," or "I will stick by them no matter what." But they don't. Not when their own life is going down the tubes. What are you going to do when it's your family that you are sacrificing? Are you really willing to cover for another cop when the results could be the loss of your job or going to prison and losing your family? Where will your partners be then? Do you think your partners will be there volunteering to do your prison time or pay your mortgage while you are gone? Loyalty bought with the code of silence is quickly traded for a few less years or maybe even a chance to lead a life after police work, if that kind of deal is offered.

As a supervisor or a partner you are obligated to protect other officers, and sometimes that means protecting them from themselves. Not everything should go to IA. I've pulled a partner off a suspect when my partner was getting out of control, and I've been pulled off of suspects when I was losing it. We didn't run to IA, but we talked about it. My best partners, and best supervisors, would stop me when I was doing something stupid so they didn't have to cover for me, or report me to IA.

I mentioned earlier that there is also a price to pay for being ethical, and it can be a high price. The difference is that you get something worthwhile for the price: honor and self respect. My final question to you is, are you willing to tell your partner's wife and kids that you could have stopped him and saved his career, and kept him from going to prison, but you chose not to? Think about it.