Why "Community Policing" needs less community.

The idea of Community Policing, as I was led to understand it, had a great intention.  If the officers that worked in an area actually lived in the same area, and did business in the same area, it would be a benefit for both the community and the officer.  The officer would...  Well, it would be good for him to...  I mean... At least his taxes will help pay his salary.  That benefits him, right?

At least the community would see a benefit.  Who else can you go to on a Saturday morning and ask, "Hey, I got this ticket, what can I do to beat it?"  Where else can you go for neighborhood disputes, knocking on a stranger's door at what amounts to their 4 a.m., demanding that they do something about a kid's Frisbee landing close to 'My brand new car, and he better hope he doesn't scratch it, or there will be hell to pay."  Who else can answer your legal questions at the neighborhood barbecue?

Some people wonder why I want to live as far away from my work area as I can, but still be convenient and not have to spend my whole paycheck on gas.  Some people ask me why I haven't fully embraced the concept of "Community Policing".

I tried.  I really did.  A few years ago, I moved MUCH closer than I was actually comfortable with to my work area.  I started doing business in the general area, and some other business in my actual jurisdiction. 

Now, we all know that no matter how hard you try, you are NEVER going to be able to fully avoid stopping in the shops in your area, nor, really, should you.  You should be a face that the public sees, someone that represents your agency with the pride and professionalism that the public that you serve deserves.  I don't mean that you should spend two hours drinking coffee standing at the corner with your beat buddies, but if you stop for a cup of coffee to go, who cares?  (Remember, though, Joe the Rag Man, even in these 'tough economic times' has to pay for his coffee, so pay for yours, m'kay?)

But, sure enough, sooner or later, those people, the 'community' that I was supposed to become a part of, made me regret my choice to move into the area.  First, it was the, "Hey, we're friends, so if you see me speeding by, remember to just wave" BS that frankly, I try to ignore.  However, they weren't so happy when they did go tooling by at a speed much greater than was posted, and I not only stopped them, but I actually WROTE THEM A TICKET!!!  How DARE I?  Weren't we friends? 

Then, on a Sunday night, I made an arrest.  Not only did the suspect make it home before I did, but the next morning, (okay, afternoon), when I finally woke up and checked my mail, who did I see hanging out at the house RIGHT next to mine? 

The final straw was when I not only led a narcotics investigation on the guy that lived right upstairs from me, but I then did another, on-view, narcotics arrest on the same guy a few months later.  He thought that because he lived so close to me, that I was 'cool' with it.  Um, no, and you, my idiot 'friend', are under arrest.  There are so many more examples, but I'm sure I'm not alone in this, so story time ends here.

So I moved.  Not so far away that I can't respond within a half hour, if needed, but far enough away that I wouldn't be bothered by running into the people that I arrested, ALL THE TIME.  Or so I thought, until the narcotics task force that I'm a part of executed a drug search and arrest warrant on the house, two doors down from mine.  Sigh...  

Welcome to America. Leaders aren't wanted. (Or, "Why I'll never run for political office")

Driving around in a car for seven hours can be boring. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, there just isn't anyone to arrest, or even stop. At times like this, my mind tends to wander. And to wonder. And that results in rants like this:

This country, which is, with all of it's problems, issues, and clusterfucks, still the greatest nation in the world, is suffering from a severe lack of leadership. We have a plethora of politicians, who it seems have the goal of being re-elected solely as their focal point. (Arlen Specter, I'm talking to you.)

I have never, ever, heard a politician say, "You know what, I really screwed the pooch on that. I could have done that so much better." Instead, they flip-flop, or they claim misunderstanding, or that their quotes are taken out of context. Now, I don't expect people to be perfect, but dammit, do better than, "I was for the war before I was against it." I don't speak for anyone but myself, but wouldn't it have made better sense to say something more akin to, "Based upon the information that I had available to me at the time, from sources that I felt were reliable, I supported military action to eliminate a threat to our nation, or it's citizens. However, I have now learned that this information was incorrect, and therefore, I have changed my position. But be that as it may, I still support the troops that have their lives on the line." I'm pretty sure that this may have been taken better than the other bullshit.

Instead, our elected representatives choose to spin the crap that they do to make them or their party look good, at the expense of the other guy. They write campaign slogans that are designed to offend no one and to say nothing of substance. They give mush-mouth interviews that do nothing to answer real questions that they have been asked. The point is, most of them are pretty worthless.

This year, we again get to elect someone to be the "Leader of the Free World." A job that people spend MILLIONS of dollars to acheive, that, even if they serve a full eight years, doesn't pay them back the MILLIONS of dollars that they have invested. And why? To have everything that they say, do, and eat, get criticized, scrutinized, and critiqued. "I can't believe the President had a German beer. Where is his pride in the USA?"

Recently, someone was attempting to sway my vote towards a specific political candidate. I didn't agree with their opinion, and, (I know that those of you that know me will be surprised by this), I let them know it in no uncertain terms. I don't agree with their candidate's opinions on certain things. According to the person I was in this discussion with, "Then you're not a real Republican. You're a RINO." I expressed my opinion about who I'd want to see win, and that was met with "Hell, if you vote for him, you might as well not vote. You'd just be throwing it away."

Hey, buddy, let me explain this to you. I'd rather vote for someone who shares my beliefs, ideals, and opinions, then to vote for the POS that you have posited for me. My vote is what counts to me. Don't like it? Too bad. (Somehow, when I said it to this person, it sounded more like, "Fuck off." But it was supposed to be spelled "t-o-o b-a-d")

But, here is my question: Where are our LEADERS? Where are men like Colin Powell, Allen West, or H. Norman Schwarzkopf? Yes, I am biased towards military leaders. Leaders that have shown that they will place their lives on the line to take care of the people under their care. People that say things like, "If it's about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can." or "If I am speaking the truth, I am not going to stop speaking the truth. The truth is not subjective."

Instead, what you hear now is one person saying, "Blah, blah, blah, A." and then his spokesperson saying, "What he meant was 'blah, blah, blah, b." and the other party saying "I can't believe that he didn't say, 'blah, blah, blah, c.' What was he thinking?"

How about this: How about a real leader stepping up and saying, "This is in the best interest of the country that I have sworn to serve. I am (stepping down, stepping up, willing to lead, willing to let someone else lead, willing to serve, or willing to retire)." How about a real leader saying, "This is what I believe. Period. If you don't like it, then vote for someone else." Hell, I may not agree with you. I may not vote for you. But at least I'd respect you. This is why I'd never run for political office. I'm too blunt. I'm not tactful. But at least you know where I stand. (That, and there ain't enough closets in the White House for my skeletons.)

Where is this generation's Lee Iacocca, someone who is willing to make decisions that others resist? Iacocca took a bail-out from the government way before all of the other auto-makers and banks did. Then, he turned right around, built his company back up, and paid the loans back, SEVEN YEARS before he was expected to. He didn't sit around and bitch about not "being the 99%". He worked, and he worked hard, to keep his promises. Like real leaders do.

Rant over.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job?

Police officer, Cop, whatever you want to call me, I don't care. You see, I love doing this job. I feel like I have tickets to the greatest show on earth. And this thread is for me, in my own self-centered way, to celebrate being a cop. Join me, will you?

Years ago, when I was still wet behind the ears and thought I could make a difference to the country, I actually sat down and figured out how many years I was responsible for sending people to jail for. Since then, it hasn't mattered as much, if at all. Now, I look at the bigger picture, which is, of course, made up of all the smaller pictures.

The stupidity of criminals will never cease to amaze me. Like the guy who called PSP because he got punched in the face at the Duncannon truck stop. We went to back PSP up. The "victim" told us his story, and the suspect admitted that he punched the "victim" right in the kisser. The suspect told us that the only reason he did this was because the "victim" had asked to borrow a lighter to smoke some crack, and then as he walked away, asked the 14 year old sister of the suspect if she wanted to get high and "party." Well, the "victim" failed to mention this to us, and as we went to ask him about it, he ran away, into the woods. As PSP checked the tag on his motorcycle, they discovered that he had cut the corner off of another tag and taped it onto his tag. That was classic. I still laugh about it to this day. That right there is job security.

I have also learned that (and pay attention here) it is very, very important to close your blinds when the lights are on in your house. I cannot begin to count how many people that I have seen, who are just walking around their house, stark ass naked, as I drive past. To the hot chicks, I say "Thank you." To the hairy assed guys, I say, "PUT SOME FREAKING CLOTHES ON ALREADY!!!!" And to the couple in Mt. Holly Springs, I say, "Well done."

I have learned that cops can be sarcastic, ball-busting jokers, and can take it just as well as we give it. Like the time that I put the rainbow sticker on a magnet and stuck it to my chief deputy's truck. By the way, if your chief deputy was the best man at a bomb technician's wedding, this MAY not be the best idea in the world. So I've heard. And alarm clocks with very soft beeps and drop ceilings combined make for great humor when you have a paranoid supervisor.

I have also tasted the salty tears as I listened to the Chief of Police answer his son's final roll call, and still tear up as I think of it.

I have seen people at their worst, delivering death notifications on holidays, knocking on festively decorated doors and being greeted with a smile and a laugh, leaving an hour later, feeling like shit, red-eyed and downcast, because we are, in fact, human.

I have seen people at their best, like the eight year old girl who called 911 because her mommy wasn't waking up. She was scared, and she was brave, and she saved her mother's life. No gift in the world can be as sweet as the courage to overcome the terror that she felt that day.

This job, the people that I've worked with, the things that I've done and seen, they have taught me that the three C's of police work, Common Sense, Courtesy, and Compassion, are also the three C's of life.

I have learned to go to the bathroom when you can, eat when you can, and to never, ever get between a K9 and a suspect. I've learned that a great arrest on the street can look like a goatfuck in court if it's not properly documented, and that a lot of defense attorneys dislike their clients more then we do.

I've laughed, I've cried, and I'd do each and every thing over again in a heartbeat if I had to.

I love this job.

50 Rules

As some of you may know, I enjoy watching the hit TV show, NCIS, on CBS, (Tuesdays at 8, for those that need the plug), and the main character has 50 Rules that he lives by. (51, now.) Inspired by this, I sat down and wrote out 50 rules that I try to follow as I live my life. They are numbered more for convenience than importance, some are paraphrased or downright stolen from other, wiser, sources, and some have no meaning to anyone outside of law enforcement. I present them for your reading pleasure.

1.) Always be the type of person that you want your friends to say that you were at your funeral.
2.) Loyalty should be one of your top priorities. If you expect people to be loyal to you, be loyal to them.
3.) Never be unreachable. Because someone, somewhere, is relying on you. (Paraphrased from NCIS)
4.) Never be unnecessarily mean. Never be cruel if you can help it.
5.) Always be nicer than you really have to be.
6.) Show respect to others, until they prove that they are no longer worthy of it.
7.) If you have to lie, add some truth. It makes it easier to believe. (Paraphrased from NCIS)
8.) You can be scared. Still, do what you have to do to succeed.
9.) Never go anywhere without a knife. And a gun. And spare ammo. And another knife. (Paraphrased from NCIS)
10.) There are no rules in the kitchen or the bedroom. (As long as both of you are adults.)
11.) Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do.
12.) Accept responsibility for your actions, right, wrong, or in between.
13.) Never lie on an official document, or in court. If you screwed up, admit it, and correct it if you can. If you didn't get it right the first time, you will the next time.
14.) Admit when you are wrong, apologize, and move on. (This is the opposite of the rule about never apologizing. The strong can show that they are truly sorry for a mistake. )
15.) But never apologize for doing your job.
16.) It is your job to know your job. So learn it, all aspects of it. Even what isn't covered by it.
17.) Take those few extra minutes to run spell-check, and then re-read your work, because the little things can make a big difference.
18.) It is better to seek forgiveness than to ask permission. (Blatently stolen from NCIS)
19.) Your best may not be good enough, but that's never a reason to give anything less. (Stolen from NCIS: LA)
20.) Never believe your own reputation.
21.) Always have a plan. And a plan B.
22.) There is always someone out there who is better, faster, or stronger. So train more.
23.) Doing just "Good enough" isn't always good enough. But sometimes perfection is more of a pain in the ass than it's worth.
24.) "That's not my job" is a cop-out.
25.) Always expect more of yourself than others do of you.
26.) It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
27.) It's not being redundant, it's being prepared. AKA: Two is one, and one is none.
28.) When things end, be it life, love, or a job, whatever, be mature, wish the best for others, and walk away.
29.) Just because you have had a bad day does not mean that anyone else needs to know that. Leave home at home, leave work at work, and don't misdirect your anger or frustration.
30.) Insanity is best defined as doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Don't be insane.
31.) If you are not happy, do whatever you need to do to make yourself happy. It's not anyone else's job to make you happy. It is your job to make you happy.
32.) It is also your job to make sure that you go home safely at the end of your day.
33.) Violence is sometimes the answer, unfortunately. But never towards the innocent, or anyone that you love.
34.) Make sure that you can trust your friends. If you can't, then get new friends.
35.) Sometimes, shit happens. It's how you react to said shit that determines your character.
36.) All is fair in love and war, except playing with your lover's self-esteem, or playing head games. That's never fair.
37.) Be yourself. And never let anyone convince you that it's not good enough, and don't let someone else dictate your self-esteem or self-worth.
38.) Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
39.) Have one hobby that is not work-related.
40.) Eat when you can and pee when you can. That hostage situation isn't going to wait until you go potty or get a snack.
41.) Never close your mind to learning new things.
42.) But don't forget those things that you have learned up until now.
43.) Sometimes you have to say no to everyone else to take care of yourself, so you can take care of everyone else again later.
44.) It's okay to have a lazy day, even at work, as long as it's the exception to the rule.
45.) It's okay to have regrets. But then, accept what has been and what is, and move on.
46.) Don't look down, don't look back. You don't have to move straight, but you should always move forward.
47.) Work hard, then play just as hard, or harder.
48.) A good plan, executed now, is better than a perfect plan that never gets executed. (Paraphrased from Gen. George S. Patton)
49.) Don't ever, EVER, give up. That final smack of the rock against the mountain lion's head may be the one that is needed to make him let go, and go find an easier meal to screw with.
50.) Just remember, "Cause of Death" is a line that has to be filled in somehow on that form. So live your life to the fullest, each and every day.

Heroes, and never giving up.

Earlier today, I was thinking about what it takes to be a hero. What do you think about when the word "hero" is said to you? Do you think about a fireman, or a policeman, or a soldier? Do you think of a teacher that changed your life, or turned it around?

I have several heroes. My father and my brother are but two of them. But today, I couldn't get an LAPD officer by the name of Stacy Lim out of my mind.

Stacy Lim is an LAPD officer, who was driving home one night from her after-work softball game. She was off-duty and in her own clothing and car. Unbeknownst to her, she was being followed by a group of armed car-jackers, who were intent on stealing her car. When she got home, she was ambushed by the car-jackers. She identified herself as a police officer. One of the suspects, a young male with a long history of violent crimes, shot her. In the heart. With a .357 Magnum.

After this officer was shot, in the heart, with a .357 Magnum, she did not lay down, give up, and die. She decided that since he had shot her, it was only fair that she shot him. And she did. Several times. This woman, shot in the heart (did I mention that she was shot with a freakin' .357 Magnum?) chased her would-be killer across the yard, shooting him repeatedly. He died.

Even after this threat was ended, Stacy didn't give up. She had the presence of mind to strip the magazine from her weapon and throw it away, to prevent her own weapon from being used against her. Finally, she fell over. The medics and doctors wound up bringing her back from the brink of death three times. She survived, and went back on patrol as soon as she was able.

I thought of her because I thought of how easy it would have been for her to just quit. She had done much more than any one person should have had to, and much more than what could have ever been expected of her. She ended the threat against her and against anyone else that the gangbanger could have hurt. She was badly injured, (some would say terminally), and yet, she DID NOT GIVE UP!

As many of you know, last year, I was facing my own challenge. I was told by my doctor that I may be, sooner or later, reduced to a wheelchair. My spine was affected by an unusual issue, and my lower body was not doing any of the things that I came to take for granted. At first I didn't know even if I was going to survive. But my doctors shot me full of steroids, and my spine healed.

But there were times that I sat in my chair, blankly staring at the TV. I was scared, literally, shitless. I went through a few days of severe depression, and wondered what I would do if I couldn't be a cop any more. All of my hobbies, weight-lifing, Aikido, even the books that I read and the TV shows that I watched, all revolved around police work.

Finally, I pulled my head out of my ass, looked around, and observed the world. I realized that even if I could not be a cop, I could still serve the public (my big plan was to become a dispatcher) and regardless of what happened, I WOULD NOT GIVE UP.

The good news is, I didn't have to give up my dream job, and I was able to return to work.

The thought that I am passing along is, regardless of what happens, regardless of the hurdles that are thrown at you, regardless of your challenges, NEVER GIVE UP. ALWAYS FIGHT, ALWAYS KEEP GOING.

I never want someone to say "You should have trained better" about me.

I have been remiss in writing my blog. For that, to my friends, I sincerely am sorry. Sometimes I just don't have anything worth sharing. And I've started another one, and couldn't get my thoughts straight, and never finished it, but it posted.

That being said, when I first started thinking of this post, it was more geared towards my Law Enforcement and military friends. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought of how much it applies to everybody.

I was watching the Military Channel last night, and they had a program about the most dangerous sniper missions. And one of the segments discussed a sniper mission in Iraq, where the sniper and his spotter were engaging targets (don't you love euphamisms?) KILLING BAD GUYS, for four days in one location. And this car full of bad guys approached... Long story just a bit shorter, the sniper shot the driver of the vehicle, and the front seat passenger, who was "laden down with magazines and guns and an RPG" from 500 yards away. The sniper said something that to me, was very telling. "I just remember saying 'I trained better than you did. Next time, train better.'"

Next time, train better. What else can be said? For my Law Enforcement/Military friends, you know that annoying training that makes you say, "If I have to sit through this crap ONE MORE TIME..."? That training may save not only your life, but the lives of the people that you are trying to protect. The most important thing that we have is the brain in our heads. You can have the best equipment, most modern weapons, optics, fast cars, bright lights, etc, etc, etc, but if you can't use it properly and safely, then what good does it do for you or for your partners?

And for those of us that have been doing this, day in and day out, for YEARS, and "I don't really need to learn this crap again", have you ever watched COPS or any of those other 'reality' shows, and thought, "What the heck is that guy thinking? He's going to get himself killed."

I have. I have thought it, and I have done stuff that I have looked at later and said, "Next time I do something SO STUPID, somebody headslap me." You can learn something new every day. If its something that you read in a police magazine, online on any of the police sites, or something that you learn from your partners, you CAN and SHOULD learn something new every day. When is the last time that you read court decisions from SCOTUS or SCOPA? (Or whatever State you may work in?) Besides updates, that is?

The bad guys are learning new stuff every day. They are researching us, our tactics, our rules and regulations, our habits and even specific officers. They are carrying weapons when they are out there, doing the nefarious deeds that we are trying to catch them doing. Cops have been ambushed while off duty, at home, with their families. What are you doing to make sure that you aren't helpless if a bad guy comes through your door on Christmas Eve, like what happened to a national police trainer? Do you carry off duty? Do you vary your patterns? Do you train for what you and your family should do if an 'unforseen event' occurs?

I can't say this enough: TRAIN! Play those mind games, the 'when/then' games that you were taught in the academy. Train every time you can. Take training that is interesting to you. Your department is NOT responsible to make sure that you get home at the end of your shift. You are. Train, train again, then train some more. Someone much more intelligent than I once said "The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in combat."

To my non-LE and non-military friends, this applies to you as well. What new equipment do you use at your job? How proficient are you with it? What new rules have come into effect for you? What can you do to make sure that you do the best job that you can? Training is a continuous, fluid, thing.

To all of my friends, be safe, and remember to have fun.