Guess I will chime in. First and foremost, I respect what each of you has said regarding this. To put things in perspective I would offer some facts, which you can choose to believe or not. I would suggest that today, the media coverage given to police incidents is much broader than in the past.
To begin, I am proud to say that I am one of the men in blue that this topic deals with. I like to think that I uphold a certain standard of conduct and professionalism in my day to day work. And this is the key: police work/law enforcement is not just a job, it is my profession. I strive to be professional in everything that I do. Every citizen encounter whether it be a traffic stop, a check of a suspicious person or a security check at a house alarm. I try to instill in my men and women that we are first and foremost, professionals.
In my agency, approximately 90% have bachelor's degrees. Over 65% have master's. Education is a key to professionalism. My agency enjoys a solid reputation within the community, to include the Courts, Corrections, schools and general public. I feel that a well-educated force will serve the public the best. To touch on what another poster mentioned on "Peelian" philosophy, "The police are the public, and the public are the police".
I DO feel that we are at an all time low in terms of public perception. I would agree that most of the people I work with are decent, hard working and professional. There are a few who, although at times are un-professional, are certainly not engaged in criminal behavior or conduct unbecoming of an officer. And there may be a "bad apple" or two who we all resent, wish were not on the force and who could give us all a bad name in a moment of poor decision making.
But I would ask each of you to look at your own profession, office, or co-workers and challenge you to NOT find someone who you do not like, who you think does a poor job, and who may not be representative of your profession as a whole. The police too, come from the same public pool as the rest of the populace. We are only human.
And yet, we must make critical decisions, under duress, within seconds or fractions of seconds. I have had my weapon drawn and pointed at subjects far too many times. By the grace of God I, like most, have not had to shoot anyone. But I have been close to doing just that on numerous occasions. This is the reality of police work.
I shudder to think of what the media coverage would look like if one of my officers was forced to shoot someone. Generally in our area, the headlines are front page, and the "corrections" days later are buried in the last section of the newspaper. We are forced to live to a higher standard.
Most of you probably agree that we hate when the media gets things wrong when it comes to firearms. Examples: "assault weapon", "clips", "fully-automatic", "exploding bullets" etc. I have spoken to multiple people who are under the assumption that we have at our disposal things such as automatic weapons, select fire weapons, riot gear, tanks, assault vehicles, grenades, etc. I have none of these things. Just because the news clip shows an MRAP and swat team rolling out, does not mean that they are so readily available. With luck, I can get a tactical team response in 45 minutes.
Most of my people do not wear camo, drive up armored humvees or carry NFA type weapons. A select few do, only as part of regional teams.
I have NEVER, been issued a warrant based upon a hunch, the word of a junkie, hearsay testimony, or busted down a door with "no good reason". Wrong address? Every warrant I've applied for includes physical address, description of the home, color of the exterior, shape or unique attributes, out buildings and must be supported not by suspicion, but by PROBABLE CAUSE.
No-knock warrant? Let's not let TV cloud our judgement here. I have asked for quite a few over the years. I've been issued TWO. All warrant requests are reviewed by a judge or clerk magistrate. Warrant may only issue upon probable cause. And a no-knock warrant must be supported by justification such as likelyhood of injury or destruction of evidence. Even when issued, the team on scene must re-assess, and if an exigency no longer exists they must knock. We do not just knock down doors for no reason in case you were wondering. Usually this happens after an extended investigation into criminal activity. True we may wear body armor and "gear up", but are we not allowed to have some measure of safety?
I wish we could return to the days of all blue and less equipment. But times have changed. I'll carry my OC spray and baton, and taser. Or should we return to night sticks, leather saps, and brass knuckles? I'd like to think that policing has evolved, our tactics are more sound and we are working smarter. Construction workers back in the day did not wear eye/ear protection, hard hats or reflective vests. Times have changed and lessons have been learned. Nurses no longer wear skirts, hats and starched shirts but now wear scrubs. No one seems to be calling them out for being less professional looking or too tactical. If I wear BDU's because they make it easier to move and carry my gear, how can this possibly be a bad thing? Perception should not dictate how we dress or what equipment we carry. We can still maintain uniformity and professionalism in all that we do.
I am compensated for what I do. Paid well? Certainly some officers are the highest earners in the city. But they put in the hours too. I average 70-80 hours per week, and it is not monday through friday. I work weekends and holidays while you are home for celebrations and family dinner time. Trust me I would much rather earn less, a decent wage, and only work 40 hours a week.
Soon I hope we all have cameras. It would help the police and certainly the public. And in time I think they would show just what tough situations we are in, the strange people we deal with and just what we are up against. They would help to "win back" the public we serve. There are always going to be mistakes made but then again, a lot of people make mistakes. The police are no exception.
Personally I will do my best to earn the trust of the public. I have had seemingly innocuous situations result in civilian complaints, which were later unfounded, and I can only describe as resulting from unreasonable expectations. I was once accused of poisoning a complainants' shrubs with mysterious white powder while on a medical assist call. Yep, sometimes that's the sort of thing that makes you scratch your head. But I've also had arrestees tell me that they respected me for how I handled them. Violent people, with extensive criminal histories, explain how they did not resist, fight or disrespect us because of the mere fact that they were treated with respect and dignity. I will continue to teach my people to be respectful, courteous, and human. We can always take the gloves off if the situation warrants it, but we can start by treating everyone respectfully.
I realize this is a long post, but want people to understand as best they can. I don't know that anyone can truly appreciate the level of pressure and responsibility that comes with this profession unless they have the opportunity to experience what we do. Without being too dramatic, I held a dying teenager's head in my hands some time ago. She had been hit by a car, operated by a drunk driver. It is doubtful that he will be convicted. He did not have to attend the autopsy, did not have to tell the parents, did not have to deal with the media frenzy. And then go home, throw away his uniform pants and wash the blood out of his hair. Some days are harder than others. The very next day I helped to remove a squirrel from a heating duct in an elderly woman's home. Highs and lows, extreme boredom to extreme terror in seconds. That is what we face. I am you. I am human. I will try to remember that, if you will as well. Please don't judge me for wearing a tactical uniform or carrying a long gun to protect myself.
Thanks for setting me straight.
) the response is "qualified immunity".