Policing has always had dangers associated with the profession. Physical, emotional, and psychological threats have always existed. However, when the fear of those who work the streets behind those badges is directed more to their own agencies and the government they work for than it is towards the criminal element they are fighting every day, those who suffer the greatest will be the honest citizens of this country.
Those chosen to speak will be people of prominence and influence and their words will have power if they are spoken from the heart. If they are not, if they are hollow and bereft of passion, then the words themselves though mechanically correct will be devoid of meaning and in fact insulting.
And as incredible as it seems, law enforcement “leaders” cower in silence or worse yet voice their support for the new politically correct mantra of “softer policing,” which is nothing more than a euphemism for surrendering the “warrior mindset” necessary for survival.
No one wanted to be responsible for bringing this terrible betrayal of the public trust to light for fear of being labeled “a snitch.” This has been a pervasive problem in law enforcement all over the country. The culture within many agencies has been one of “loyalty versus integrity,” a perverted view of an “us versus them” philosophy that some call “brothers before others.”
The MPD's current chief has chosen to simply say nothing of substance and into that void of information has come the destructive rumors now festering within the community. That is gross negligence or total incompetence at the very least and an effort to advance a politically motivated agenda at worst.
When these attacks occur, America’s first responders, police, fire, and medical teams will be in the middle of a war. Because our military is constitutionally forbidden to deploy within our borders, our law enforcement officers will be forced to take on the responsibilities of combat.
The old adage of never let the facts get in the way of a good story is fully illustrated by this incident and another sacrificial lamb in the uniform of an American cop has been led to slaughter.
Just as we have in the past, when this nation faced dangers from abroad and from within, we must come together as one people without regard to race or religion or political belief and resist this hatred.
On a recent radio broadcast for KPCC in Los Angeles, frequent POLICE Magazine PoliceMag.com blogger Randy Sutton served as a guest on the show AirTalk to talk about the ratcheting up of tensions between police officers and activists.
With very few exceptions, it is my belief that the men and women who serve in law enforcement made the choice to wear a badge because they believed that they could make a difference in the lives of others.
