Let's face it. Being a beat cop is no easy task. They deal with a wide range of problems involving people of different races, different cultures, different religions, etc. This occurs on a daily basis and the overwhelming majority of these situations are handled properly. Most of us have no idea at the number of confrontations the men and women in blue encounter while we go about our daily lives. And, I might add, we do so without giving a thought about those out there keeping watch and ensuring us this freedom.
But then occasionally you'll have a situation which gets the attention of the press. And then suddenly these warriors who we seem to take for granted get thrust into the spotlight and their alleged flaws become headlines for all of us to read. Many believe the initial reports without bothering to look at all the facts of a case and condemn the accused officer. Like a tidal wave picking up steam the criticism expands beyond that of the accused and sweeps up law enforcement in general. Before you know it we have a large portion of our nation's population identifying a problem that doesn't exist. After this come the solutions from all of the armchair quarterbacks.
The situations which get the attention of the press are usually those involving a white officer and a black suspect. An enforcement encounter which results in the use of force higher than those levels at the bottom of the continuum invoke cries of racism on the part of the officer. Never mind the actions of the suspect which forced the officer to increase the level of force they needed to exercise their duties. It's always the cops that get blamed. This blame can and often does spread to engulf an entire agency without merit.
As a retired officer I can speak on this subject validly. I had dealt with these issues back in the 90's at Danville, Il. As an example I will relate an encounter a very fine white officer had with a black man. What could have and should have been a brief stop escalated to a level where the officer had to use force in effecting an arrest. A lack of cooperation on the part of the detainee escalated the situation. It wasn't the officer's fault, he was doing his job. But the black community went into an uproar over the officer's use of force and the next thing we had was a police force being accused of being racist. The political kneejerk reaction was to mandate all officers to undergo racial diversity training.
So we had a bunch of officers being accused of racial insensitivity without just cause. And the politicians threw money at the problem as a solution. Just to appease so they could retain office. The appointed heads of the department went right along with the game because if they didn't they would get fired. It was a joke to the cops because we knew who we were and what we stood for. Racism was not part of our repertoire.
All of this happened before the case which caused the uproar ever was adjudicated. In the end the black man was found to be responsible but that didn't matter. What mattered was lying to the public and appeasing the black community to gain votes for the miserable politicians.
Please read my blog "Political Correctness Buries Truth", it will explain how and why this happens.
I get tired of hearing about the unbalance in the number of white's vs. the number of black's who get incarcerated. Well folks, whose fault is that? I'm here to tell you that it is certainly not a police problem as many want you to believe. It is a social problem with that segment of our population. Until the black community addresses the problem in a real and truthful way the problem will never get solved. They need to accept accountability then take action to turn the tide. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and point fingers at the cops. It's a little more difficult to take a good hard look at yourselves and admit that just maybe you are part of the problem.
To be completely fair I must lay some accountability for the dysfunction in some communities on law enforcement. It has been my experience that most officers do not try to cultivate relations with their communities. A lack of a partnership leads to mistrust which is certainly understandable. Without trust it is impossible to develop relations, therefore the divide between the community and the police is never bridged. Law enforcement must take the initiative in building this bridge as they should be looked upon as leaders and professionals.
Finally I want to pay respects to some very fine black men and women I had the privilege to work alongside during my 26 year career. They are role models we can all look up to and learn from. I will not name them all but I would like to recognize a man with a great success story. His name is Carl Alexander and he worked the streets of Washington D.C. before returning home to Danville, Il and accepting the Chief of Police position. And an outstanding chief he was. One of the best leaders I've ever worked for. Opportunity is there for all of us but it is up to us to go get it. We cannot sit back and wait for it to come to us.
