Need some feed back folks...

So I was a bit bored and found this awesome post on Facebook. So I went ahead and made a video out of it for all my law enforcement brothers & sisters out there.  Take a look at the rough draft of it, will ya?

What I need is a bit of feedback from you all on it. What works? What doesn't work? Can it be improved? Did I misspell anything? Shoot me a message with your thoughts either here or on Facebook.

And for god's sake, stay safe out there!

To the Protesters...

Here's a question (or two) for anyone protesting against police brutality.

Do you recognize any of the names in the picture below? Where is your righteous indignation at their deaths? Where are the protests of their killings at the hands of others? Does the fact that they were all law enforcement officers somehow make it alright for for someone to have murdered them?

Read through this list, there are 24 names on it. These heroes are the officers who have been murdered at the hands of criminals since August 9, 2014. This list does not include the names of the other 23 heroes killed in accidents since then.

 

These are the names of heroes who, even though I have never met them, I consider my family. These are people who took an oath to protect you, your friends and your family even though they did not know you.

And they died living up to their oaths.

FOR YOU.

And despite these murders, the rest of us in law enforcement will mourn them, pin our shields on and be back out there protecting you and your right to protest, chant, curse and spit at us.

But we don't care do we?

TO ALL MY FELLOW VETERANS...

TO ALL THE VETERANS I SAY SIMPLY, THANK YOU.

Personal Responsibility & The Ass Clown

As a cop, I run into people who refuse to take responsibility for the really freaking stupid mistakes or crimes they commit. It’s always someone else’s fault and always someone else's pants. Take this ass clown that was arrested the other night.

Mr. Ass Clown (who we shall refer to has A.C. for this point on) decides to drink his own body weight (ok, it is a small exaggeration…sue me, I am exercising a little literary license here) in frosty alcoholic beverages one evening and decides to crash a nearby soirée. Unfortunately for A.C., the revelers at the party aren’t feeling neighborly and decide that his brand of drunken aggressiveness needs to get to stepping. A.C. is informed that he is not welcome and to leave, which our misunderstood party crasher takes as a personal insult. The resulting temper tantrum by poor A.C.  predictably leads to a little bout of fist o’ cuffs.

In a tragic twist of fate, A.C. finds himself on the receiving end of a world class beat-down, which is where the long arm of the law finds itself reaching in to settle down the assembled masses. 

And what’s worse than starting a fight? 

How about losing the fight you started AND going to jail for it? Talk about Karma being a beeotch and coming back at your sorry ass right?

What’s that? Am I kidding? Heck no. I am dead serious. Misunderstood (also bruised & bleeding) A.C. gets cuffed & stuffed into a squad and provided room and board at the County Jail. He just couldn’t understand why either. Maybe the fact that it has been alleged that he committed a battery against other people (even though he lost) or maybe it was the alleged screaming & yelling he was doing (after being whipped like a step child) towards the revelers.

Here is the whole personal responsibility (or lack thereof) thing coming into play.

He is sure that he is the victim. His reasoning (albeit through the haze of liquid intoxication) for this is because, even though he started the fight, he was the one that got beat up and therefore he is not responsible and needs to be let go.

Good try. But not working. Time for a ride in the black & white.

Here’s your striped shirt Mr. Clown, breakfast is at 8 AM, followed by a not so intimate date with this nice guy we refer to as Your Honor, who will determine what your bond will be. Have a great night sir.

Oh yeah, this lesson in personal responsibility was brought to you by your local law enforcement. And thanks for using our overnight babysitting service.

Of course I didn’t say the last part…but I wanted to.

Stay safe out there...and wear your vests!

STC

What the heck is this "Stop & Frisk" stuff?

I think people are a tad bit confused on this whole “stop & frisk” thing going on in NYC. So I figured (after getting like bazillion questions about it), that I’d try and explain it a bit.

While this may shock of those liberals and police haters out there, the majority of police officers (note I don’t say all, because I’ll freely admit there are some knuckleheads out there) don’t randomly pick people sitting, walking or driving and say “There’s a [insert race here] guy/girl. I have to stop them.”  Far from it. We look for a reason. Take your pick. Maybe they committed a traffic violation. Maybe they are behaving in a manner that is suspicious. Maybe they are in an area known for criminal activity. Maybe they look like a suspect we are looking for.

So we stop them. We cops are strange like that. We look for people, vehicles and activity that seem out of place. And then we investigate it, which is perfectly legal for us to do. This was set forth in a decision in Terry v. Ohio, which was made by the United States Supreme Court in 1968. That case set forth the principle of the “stop & frisk.” A more appropriate name for such activity is an “investigative stop,” as its purpose is, when performed properly & legally, to investigate possible criminal activity.

Here is the part where I think everyone is getting confused. There are two parts to an investigative stop.

The first part is the “stop.” Under the Terry v. Ohio decision, the police are allowed to stop a person if the police have reasonable suspicion that the person is committing, had committed or is about to commit a crime. Such a stop is allowed so that the police can identify the person and investigate if a crime is, was or about to be committed.

The second part is the “frisk.” If during the stop, the police have reasonable suspicion that the person is armed then the police are allowed to “pat down” the outer clothing of the person for their safety.

The key (if you haven’t picked up on it yet) is reasonable suspicion, which is generally defined as being a standard of proof less that of probable cause but more than a mere hunch which is based on specific, articulatable facts.

What does all this legal gobbledygook this mean you ask?

Well in short, the police, if they reasonable suspect you are engaged in criminal activity, can stop you and investigate that. And if they reasonably suspect you are armed with a weapon, then they can check pat you down to check for weapons. So basically sometimes you can be stopped, sometimes you can be searched. Confused yet?

It boils down to if the police reasonably suspect a person is, was or about to commit a crime and if they reasonably suspect the person is armed as to what part of an investigative stop can be performed.

Can the use of investigative stops be abused? You bet. Has it been abused? Honestly? Probably, because like all other segments of society, even law enforcement has its share of ass clowns who think that they are above the law. But whether you, as a reader, choose to believe it or not, the majority of us in law enforcement seek to remove those people from our ranks for the good of society & our chosen profession while protecting your rights.

So I guess my point is that investigative stops are a tool that can be used to prevent and catch criminals, and like any other tool does have the ability to be used improperly, but that arbitrarily turning into something bad is not the answer.

Of course I am only a patrol officer and not a lawyer, politician or reporter. What could I possibly know?

Stay safe my friends...and wear your vests!

STC

A Traffic Stop Conversation...

A short while back, I had a wonderful conversation with a charming ass clown gentleman who I had stopped for traffic violations. It had been awhile as I hadn’t stopped one of those delightful people who just want to be a jerk because they got stopped. I understand that no one ever wants to get stopped by the police, but trying to treat the guy or gal stopping you like a piece of shit is definitely not the way to go.

It was kind of humorous and too good not to share. Anyhow, the stop went something like this…

SmallTownCopper: Hello sir. I am Officer Copper with the Small Town Police. The reason I stopped you is because…

Stupid Ass Driver: Why are you picking on me!?

STC: Excuse me?

SAD: I want to know why you are picking on me!

STC: Well sir, it’s like this. Look back there (pointing back at the intersection). Do you see that big red metal octagon shaped sign there? That’s called a stop sign. It’s there to let you know that you, the driver, have to stop your vehicle at that point so as not to cause an accident. The sad part for you is that the state happens to have a law that says when people like you don’t stop at those, guys like me can pull you over and give you a ticket for not stopping. It’s kind of a common thing.

SAD: You don’t have to be rude. I just asked a question.

STC: And I answered your question about why I stopped you sir. I need you driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance card. Please.

SAD: For what? Are you giving me a ticket!?

STC: I'm sorry sir, I guess you did not understand me. DRIVER'S LICENSE. VEHICLE REGISTRATION. INSURANCE CARD. Please.

SAD: (looking at me confused)

SAD: This is bullshit. I don’t have my license with me and can’t find my insurance card.

STC: (sarcastically) Do you have a driver’s license sir?

SAD: (gives me the “I am trying to intimidate you” stare)

STC: Is that a yes or no stare?

SAD: You’re an asshole.

STC: Well you are certainly entitled to your opinion. How about you just give me your name and date of birth.

SAD: Stupid Ass Driver. February 27, 1981.*

STC: Thanks. Now stay in your car and I will be back with you in a few minutes.

[SEVERAL MINUTES AND 4 CITATIONS LATER]

STC: Ok, sir. I am citing you for failing to stop for a stop sign, which we have already gone over, as well as not having proof of insurance, not having your driver’s license in your possession and for not wearing your seat belt. Please sign on the line with the X.

SAD: WHAT? I DIDN’T STOP AT THE STOP SIGN! WHY ARE YOU WRITING ME OTHER TICKETS!?

STC: (takes deep breath) Sir, you broke four separate traffic laws. I am writing you citations for each violation. That’s how it works. Now you have to do your part and sign the citations on the line with the X.

SAD: (angrily signs the citations) I’ll see you in court. And I am making a complaint on you. I’ll have your badge after I tell everyone how you talked down to me and called me an asshole. What do you think about that you mother fucker? It will be my word against yours.

STC: I’m sure the court will enjoy listening to you. By the way, you have never watched any of those police video shows have you?

SAD: What does that have to do with this?

STC: Just that my car back there has this great tool in it called a camera. Their all the rage now. It’s great because it records what I see and do. It even records audio. I’ll remember to bring it to court with me, our Judges just love seeing & hearing the videos of upstanding citizens like yourself.

SAD: (suddenly quiet and pale)...

STC: So your court date is two weeks from Monday at 10 AM. The address is printed on the back of the citations sir. Please wear your seat belt and driver carefully sir.

So fast forward two weeks. I check with the court and discover that SAD has decided not to fight the citations I wrote him. He went ahead and paid the $500 in fines instead.

And I am still waiting to hear about his complaint. I guess the moral of the story is that maybe you should follow your mother’s advice and treat people like you want to be treated. Or maybe it’s you catch more flies with honey?

Stay safe my friends…and wear your vests! 

STC

*coincidentally, February 27 is National Asshole Day. True story. Google it.

Be the Parent

 

 POLICE LIMIT

I found the above cartoon a few weeks back and it got me thinking about this post. In fact, I have been stifling today’s post for, well, about my entire career. As a police officer I, like a great many of my brethren, have been dispatched to speak with a “parent” about their children. The overwhelming majority of those calls generally turn out to be the “parent” wanting the police to correct the child’s behavior because the “parent” either can’t or won’t do it themselves.

Here’s a fun fact for those “parents.” It’s not the job of the police to be the parent for your children.

IT’S. YOUR. JOB.

You’re the adult. Put on your big boy or girl pants and BE THE PARENT. You are not supposed to be their best friend. You’re supposed to provide them the things they need physically (clothing, nourishment & shelter) to grow and also to provide them with the guidance & direction to become at least functional adults.

For those of you who are those “parents,” here is a short list of some of the things that the police are not responsible doing regarding YOUR children:

1. Make them behave for you.
2. Make them obey you.
3. Scare your children because they will not behave for or obey you.
4. Making them follow your rules, particularly when you wait until they are teenagers to impose your rules.
5. Make them go to school when they refuse to do it for you.
6. Make them do their homework.
7. Make them clean their bedrooms.
8. Make them eat their breakfast, lunch or dinner.
9. Make them stay in their car seats or seat belts. We will however ticket YOU for not ensuring this. Is it a double standard? It may be. But we’ll do it anyway. Sue us.
10. Make them turn of their video games or televisions.
11. Make them stop watching inappropriate movies or television shows.
12. Make them stop listening to specific types of music.
13. Make them go to other relatives houses.
14. Change their diapers unless we are there because of improper care (i.e. ABUSE) of your child by YOU. Then we will because you’ll be in handcuffs and unable to do it yourself.
15. Allow your children to make decisions best left for adults because YOU refuse to or unable to do it yourself.

I’m sure that the above list hits the major things that the police won’t do for regarding your children. My fellow law enforcers out there can probably list many more, but this should be a pretty good list for those “parents” out there to work with.

Hopefully I have cleared up a few things for those "parents." And if any officers out there have more to add to the list, feel free to leave a comment below. And an appreciative Shout-Out to the cartoonist of Police Limit, Garey McKee, for allowing me to use his work in this post. You can check his work out by clicking the link below the picture at the top of this post.

Good luck to you.