On April 24, Lawrence Strauss, a California lawyer running for the District Attorney’s position in Contra Costa County, made the statement that, if elected, he would not seek the death penalty in cases where the defendant had murdered a police officer. His statement (paraphrased) was that police officers being killed in the line of duty is part of the risk officers assume when they take the job. The remainder of his reported comments all focused on decreasing prison sentences for criminals and decreasing enforcement action against illegal immigrants. When you add in the recent effort in California that would make it illegal for law enforcement officers to use lethal force against toy guns, no matter the circumstances or perception, it gets obvious that some politicians are pandering for votes at the expense of officer safety. Strauss did, on April 26, write a letter further clarifying his position and statements. I appreciate his taking the time to offer clarification—it’s carefully written and actually restates his position that convicted cop killers should not be given the death penalty.
Being brutally honest, politicians who make critical statements about professional law enforcement, who make promises that amount to protecting criminals, who support illegal activity by reducing the punishments for conviction of such illegal activity, are all clamoring for votes. The side effect is that their public expressions against law enforcement are viewed as public support for criminals. I hope they can live with their conscience as they embrace the criminal community and encourage criminals to commit acts of violence against law enforcement. I have to wonder if they realize that supporting crime and empowering illegal activity endangers the lives of law enforcement professionals.
Yes, that is another direct side effect. If a politician is using their public speaking platform to support crime (pander to the criminal community vote) then they have to accept responsibility for all of the impact such an outlook has: for the increase in attacks on law enforcement officers, for the increase in crime rate, for the decrease in proactive law enforcement. They have to accept responsibility for the budget challenges that result as law enforcement agencies attempt to do their job with an ever decreasing and/or limited budget. The snowball effect takes over and the budgets continue to get lopsided as the crime rates climb and law enforcement agencies struggle to even remain relevant in a given neighborhood/community.
Unfortunately we can’t change the hearts of politicians or wannabes. We are in the unfortunate position of simply having to deal with the outcome, some of which puts us at a higher risk. So what do we do? As we have done for centuries, we hold the line. We are on the front lines at home and it’s our job to keep the peace as best we can. Thankfully, we have each other. We have the veterans who have been there, done that, got the scars and even, occasionally, a commendation to prove it. We are professionals doing an ugly job within the confines of Constitutional, state, county and local laws, not to mention agency General Orders and Personnel Rules.
Remember, when it looks ugly, you are not alone. The Thin Blue Line is as strong as it has ever been and growing stronger. Let others draw lines in the sand, create ugly situations and challenge us to maintain our professionalism. Maintain it. Don’t give in to the temptation to bend the law to make your job easier. Stand the line. Support each other. Stay safe!
