Posted in
Tim Dees on Law Enforcement on October 30th, 2007
Tim Dees
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
It’s not like I’m starved for blog topics–law enforcement provides a limitless supply of good, bad and weird events to write about. But a few days ago, there was a post in our forum by member Kieth M., a recently retired LAPD sergeant who has moved his family to Colorado. At 51, Kieth is still a young man by many standards, even though he put in the full 30 years and a bit left over in the service of the citizens of Los Angeles. Still, he’s suffering from an intermediately-aggravated case of I-Used-To-Be-A-Cop-itis. I know this malady well, having been afflicted with it for over 13 years. For all the heartache and aggravation police work caused me, I can’t see a patrol car go by without wishing I was driving it. The experiences I had on the street were frequently unpleasant, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Kieth posted the following essay on the forum a few days ago, and has graciously allowed me to republish it here. I thought it was a pretty powerful piece of writing. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in
Tim Dees on Law Enforcement on October 16th, 2007
Tim Dees
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
There are official opening days, opening days, days on which things are declared open, and days when something actually opens. Much semantic stuff prevails. The annual IACP meeting actually began on Saturday, October 13, but I was on airplanes then. I got into New Orleans late Saturday night, and will be in and around the New Orleans Convention Center until very early Wednesday morning. The conference had some sessions on Saturday, so you could say it was open then, but the exhibits didn’t open until Sunday, and the first general assembly was on Monday. You choose which is the real opening day.
The huge (as usual) exhibits area opened with speechifying, handshaking, and lots of grinning and posing before and after the traditional ribbon-cutting. IACP President Joseph Carter, Chief of the MBTA Transit Police in Boston, welcomed everyone and then introduced Superintendent Warren J. Riley of the New Orleans Police Department, the host agency this year. He, in turn invited representatives of Cisco Systems, Motorola, and Bank of America to join him and Carter in cutting the symbolic ribbon with an oversize pair of scissors, opening the exhibit floor to attendees. I call the ribbon “symbolic” because it was lying on the carpet until everyone had gathered at the entrance, and then a man off-camera picked up the loose end.
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Posted in
Tim Dees on Law Enforcement on October 12th, 2007
Tim Dees
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
I had another column planned for this week, inspired by having attended a friend’s retirement party, but the news headlines are just too tempting. I’ll hold this to two of those stories: the homicides in Crandon, WI, and the report from the DOJ concerning people dying while in police custody.
The headlines for the Wisconsin stories all made sure that you knew that the perpetrator was a cop, even before they told you what he did and how many people he did it to. This caters to the public’s rapacious appetite for any news that depicts authority figures or high-profile individuals getting into trouble. This often extends to incidents that are difficult to characterize as “news.” Britney, Paris, or Lindsay is intoxicated and doing something irresponsible? That’s not news, that’s typical and expected behavior. “Dog Poops On Lawn” is about as noteworthy. But, I digress. Folks just love to see important people screw up. When the screwup is a cop, they get to assert how we’re all unstable, prone to violence, and trigger-happy. Why are these people allowed to be in positions of authority, and to have guns?
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Posted in
Tim Dees on Law Enforcement on October 5th, 2007
Tim Dees
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
There is a Latin phrase often used when the oversight of law enforcement officers is discussed: Quis custodiet ipso custodes? (the first word is often cited without the “s”. Not being a Latin scholar, I can’t tell you which is correct.) It’s difficult to translate literally, but it comes out to something like “Who will watch the watchmen?” or “Who will watch the watchers themselves?” The idea is that there is always a question among the watched–in this case, the citizenry–about who will make sure that the police are doing their jobs, and doing them properly. It’s a valid concern.
Left to their own governance, just about anyone will start to goof off or only follow the rules that suit them, sooner or later. This applies to everyone from fast food workers to members of Congress–come to think of it, especially to members of Congress. So, although we hate to admit it, it’s actually good to have someone around who will kick us in the butt when necessary. This assumes, of course, that you are actually interested in getting the job done, or in doing it properly. That’s most of us. There will always be a few whose primary interest is in getting away with as much as they can. If the job is one that doesn’t lend itself to close supervision, or if the supervision is inadequate, then the worker can do exactly that. The worst of all worlds is when the supervisor is also one of the people subscribing to the minimalist work philosophy. If that happens, even well-planned controls are useless.
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