Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
I have previously written blogs about the various value to be found in police recruits that have a college education versus military experience. This morning, in sorting through news stories and checking out forum discussions on Officer.com, I discovered two related topics and felt the need to discuss them a tad. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
A few years back Officer.com ran a poll question on what the readers’ favorite cop television show was. Times change. Since then there are new ones and the older ones are hard (at best) to find. Still, it seemed appropriate to run that poll again (thanks, Tim!). I have to wonder about the results. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
On July 28th, while working as a bank teller, Jim Nicholson found himself being robbed. Of course, the bad guy wasn’t robbing Jim but was robbing the bank Jim worked for. Worked… as in past tense. Why? Because Jim actually foiled the robbery and as a reward for protecting its interests the bank fired him. Yes, that’s right. Jim did something most would consider heroic and the bank fired him for violating policy. When will we (society) learn? Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Every now and then something happens that really sticks in my craw. Last week, several things happened like that. As the news media reported on all of the events Surrounding the arrest of Professor Gates in Cambridge, President Obama got involved, and I found a plethora of blogs online criticizing Sgt. Crowley for being prejudiced or racial, all too often with the added comment of like every other cop. Fate is fickle but sometimes quite timely. As things work out, I received an email just this morning regarding an event that occurred just yesterday (July 26th, 2009) reflecting on an experience he had. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Those who read my writing and/or interact with me in other venues beside Officer.com know that I’m not a fan of our current President, Barack Obama. I have carefully avoided commenting on him, his politics, his actions, his words - because I do firmly believe that, when at all possible, law enforcement should never be politicized. That said, a matter of law enforcement was recently thrust into the national spotlight when President Obama made some ill-informed comments about a police sergeant and how he performed his duties. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Just because I’m weird I sometimes wonder whether or not things in real life are as they are depicted on television. I can hear a few readers laughing hard because the obvious answer is Of course not! Still, that line of thought led me to a few polls Officer.com has hosted recently and the return information is worth a peek. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
As we prepare to celebrate our country’s Independence Day I think it might be important to take a minute and understand the value of the rights recognized in our Constitution. I often wonder if anyone else (besides lawyers) spends as much of their professional life having to take those rights under consideration as they do their job. Ironically, more often than not, most officers (like myself back in the day) spend as much time cussing the controls of the Constitution as they do appreciating the blessings resulting from the protections of the Constitution. What do I mean? Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Ed McMann, Billy Mays… names of celebrities who have died in recent days. Without a doubt Michael Jackson has received the most media coverage with whole sections on news websites dedicated to ‘reporting’ on every aspect of his life and his death. Some argue that Farrah’s long and difficult battle with cancer should receive more attention. Some argue that Ed McMann’s lifelong involvement in the entertainment industry warrants more coverage. Others state that, as Michael Jackson was the undisputed ‘King of Pop’ it only makes sense that he should receive the most ‘air time’. As I’ve recently told several friends of mine in discussion, I think it all boils down to money; to simple dollars. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
So, last week I was driving to pick up my son from summer camp and was pulled over for speeding. Yes, I hate to admit it, but truth be told it has happened three times in the past. In fact, every ten years of my driving record: 1980, 1990, 2000. This year the state trooper who pulled me over just didn’t realize he was six months ahead of schedule. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
In the course of a police career you will receive countless orders to complete some task. The very large majority of those orders will be lawful and you’ll get jammed up if you fail to obey them. BUT, some of them may be unlawful and if you do obey those then you can get jammed up even worse. Read the rest of this entry »