On this Thanksgiving, I give thanks to my Brothers & Sisters in Blue you tread the Thin Blue Line each and every day in the length and breadth of this great country. I’m thankful for the county sheriff putting in the miles patrolling rural America; the park ranger riding in a patrol car, or on an ATV or horse; the Border Patrolman standing guard on this country’s borderlines – enforcing our immigration laws and keeping us safe; for the detective and investigator responding to crimes of violence and property thefts and a large range of other offenses who stays in pursuit of wanted suspects until they are captured; I give thanks to those university cops and school resource officers who keep a watchful eye out for our young people, our precious and innocent ones, as they learn and those officers who stand guard over adult students in their pursuit of higher education; to the hospital patrol officer who protects and serves those who are incapable of protecting themselves due to disease and illness; to federal, state and local law enforcement, regardless of agency or assignment I give thanks; and to the city street cop, of whom I am a member, I give my eternal thanks for putting yourself out there each and every day.
In a world which too often nowadays turns and attacks its very protectors as “thugs in uniform” based on ignorance, plain and simple, I/we know better.
The ramifications of these political and cultural attacks have manifested themselves in an increase of officers killed due to gunfire. According to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Fund – NLEOMF.org officer deaths due to gunfire are up 63% from last year with gunfire related deaths now leading traffic deaths for the first time in years.
The Political Attack
With some bosses, ignorant of use of force law, or even worse knowing full well the legal standards, surrendering to political pressure, and perfectly willing to throw an officer under the bus to appease; with traveling roadshows of “community activists” looking at every police shooting or use of force to “gin up” outrage and support as a means to raise money; to so-called “experts” who have sold their souls to make a buck, and don’t make any attempt to know Graham v. Connor or the latest research into police violent encounters; with the media so damn intent on getting ratings that, regardless of the law, facts, science or dynamics of violent encounters they put any halfwit on the air in pursuit of airtime or headlines; with a Justice Department run by an Attorney General who is in contempt of congress for failing to produce documents related to an ill-conceived attempt at gun control in Operation Fast and Furious which purposefully allowed thousands of guns to “walk” to Mexican drug cartels, lied about his knowledge of the operations and attempted to cover up the murder of hundreds of Mexican citizens and at least one American Border Patrol Agent – Brian Terry; this same DOJ which has forced consent decrees on at least 15 police agencies and thrust asinine use of force policies on street cops which – ignorant of the Supreme Court ruling on Graham v. Connor, causing hesitation and trepidation; with political positions and “civilian oversight” such as “police auditors” or “civilian review boards” who have no qualifications to oversee anything; with all this and much more our modern law enforcement officer must and still does his job to protect the public and enforce the law.
The Modern “Victim”
Quite honestly I have grown tired of friends and family of deceased violent criminals portraying the suspect as a “victim.” What utter nonsense. The mere notion that a man or woman armed with gun, knife or other weapon or unarmed but engaging in a deadly attack against a law enforcement officer or in an officer’s presence is somehow a victim distorts, distends and disregards the definition of an innocent victim. They were and are violent criminal suspects who oftentimes, despite repeated warnings and attempts at control by officers, failed to comply with the lawful orders or authority of a police officer. An officer does not have to attempt a lesser level of control in the face of a deadly threat and indeed is not even required to warn. The notion that armed men should be Tasered or officers should “shoot the gun out of their hand” or “shoot to wound” is so asinine in light of the facts, circumstances and science concerning deadly encounters to be laughable.
They are not the victim! They are the criminal suspect who, knew full well what they were doing and chose their violent criminal path! They and they alone, are the creators and cause of the path of their own destruction!
Agencies
I give thanks to those administrators and agencies that have put their officers training and equipment at the forefront of their mission. To those chiefs and high-law who understand that officer survival is based on the investment of money and time in officer’s training and preparation. These are the leaders in our profession who put the welfare of their troops at the forefront. They are willing to risk their position to fight for the money and training for the lowly police officer who patrols at night and during the light of day. These chiefs and administrators can rest easy at night because they have fulfilled their primary mission of taking care of their troops.
To those chiefs and agency heads who justify not properly preparing your troops or standby while politicians justify cutting, reducing or funding basic or in-service training, I say you are failing your men and women. No one, not one person, can say that failing to properly train your men and women improves officer safety or agency function. To those chiefs who stand idly by while funds for hiring or training are slashed, I would submit that you are putting your career and job security above the welfare of the troops! You are paid to lead, get out there in front and make training happen! We don’t just need bodies, we need properly trained professional police officers in these trying times!
I have looked at the faces of far too many officers who, having survived a deadly attack, look me in the eye as they intone, “I did what I was trained to do. I did not have time to think, only to follow my training!” to believe otherwise.
Thanks to You!
A police officer can become pretty jaded. You can think that there is little to no hope or that no one really cares. Recently, while riding in the procession at a Brother Officer’s funeral, I looked out upon children with their Moms and Dads holding American flags and signs of “Thank You!” I was touched beyond measure and I my faith in our citizenry restored.
There are good people who support and care for you! They believe in law and order and understand that the Thin Blue Line stands in front of them ever watching. I am thankful for them!
You don’t hear it often enough so please know that this comes from the depth of an old cop’s heart:
I give thanks for you!
*This one is for Justin! Rest in Peace Brother!
