There’s something about the look in their eyes that is difficult to put into words. They move about with a youthful energy and enthusiasm that is rivaled by few. Purposeful, aptly describes their nature, as they deftly approach their academy experience and transition into their careers in their chosen profession. Civilian to Cop in 30 weeks. There is something special about a police academy recruit, they are good people, they are hopeful, and I like them.
I had the good fortune of instructing at the police academy in Massachusetts for many years. Working hand in hand with the brave young men and women destined to replace me in their tomorrows, was an extremely rewarding experience. I was the most vilified and feared instructor at the academy. The recruits cringed and shuddered when I walked into the room, watching my every movement as though I was likely to turn about in a tempest of swirling fire, emerging from the smoke as Satan himself. After all, I was the report writing instructor!
My style of instruction involved utilizing real life law enforcement scenarios, the facts of which I would present verbally to the recruits while they took notes. I would then allow them to solicit any missing facts by asking questions of me, as though I was a victim or witness to the crime. It was then their task to go home and write a professional police report. One of the scenarios that I commonly used, throughout the years, involved police use of force. When I recall that scenario now, and I weigh it against the pain of modern times, it terrifies me.
I am terrified at the current state of police support in our country and I would like to bring you back in time and place to an era when the following scenario, taught for over a decade to police recruits, would have gained a police officer support, assistance, and quite possibly, a commendation.
Its 2:30AM, in a rural neighborhood, in “Anytown” USA. Traffic is extremely light, the weather is clear, and the sounds of daily life have been muted by the darkness. While families sleep, and the sleepless read, a new police officer dutifully plies his trade, closely watching, looking, protecting in the middle of the night. Vehicles are scarce on rural streets, and this vehicle catches his attention. If not for the fact it is the only one on the road, it also has three occupants, slowly cruising and closely watching too. The officer runs the registration tag on the vehicle because that’s what good cops do. The registered owner of the vehicle is the subject of an active warrant for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and breaking and entering in the nighttime. It’s time for the new officer to earn his pay.
The officer’s pulse quickens as he radios dispatch and notifies them that he will be stopping, MA-123ABC, in the area of Governors Ave. His training begins to kick into gear. Wait for the lighted areas, approach from a position of cover, wait for backup, watch the hands. The officer activates his blue lights, as he watches the passenger’s heads swivel in panic, and their quick and furtive movements as they prepare for the encounter. The officer doesn’t notice, but a “sleepless reader” has also noticed the blue lights as they cascade into his living room and the silent observer quickly makes his way to the curtains to hide and watch, just as all sheep do.
The officer exits his cruiser and approaches the driver’s side of the vehicle. Check the trunk, watch the hands, hand on the grip, command presence, don’t go by the rear seat passenger, Watch the Hands, always Watch the Hands…
“Sir, can I please see your license and registration”, says the officer. “What are you stopping me for?”
He can hear in the tone of the voice that things aren’t good. His senses tell him that something is wrong. Training and muscle memory kick in. Don’t tell them they have a warrant until your backup arrives or they will assault you when you are alone and not capable of command and control. “Sir, can I please get your license and registration, I will explain the reason for the stop in a moment, but I need to know who I’m speaking with”. “You’re speaking with me, mother fucker, what are you stopping me for?” “Sir, calm down please, I need your license and registration”. “For what, mother fucker”.
And so it begins. In this moment and time, in this one microcosm of human interaction, is what separates the sheepdog from the sheep. George Stephanopoulos asked Officer Darren Wilson in his interview after Michael Brown attacked him, “Why not just wait in the car?” It’s not what we do George! It’s not a luxury afforded to police officers.
“Sir, I have a warrant for the arrest of the registered owner of this vehicle, please step out” “I’ll step out, and you’re going to be fucking sorry”. Watch the hands, get on the radio and step up the backup, go home to your family, watch the passengers, use a commanding voice, show no fear, watch the hands…
“Sir, place your hands on the hood of the vehicle, do it now”. The officer looks him directly in the eye and sees the anger and the rage. “If you think I’m going back to jail, you’re dead fucking wrong. You put one fucking hand on me, and I’m going to break you’re fucking jaw” “Sir, calm down, put your hands on the hood, do it now”. “Alpha482 to control, step up my backup please” “Sir, do what I am telling you, do it now”. The officer observes his hands as they are clinched and ready to go. “Go ahead mother fucker, cuff me, I wanna do this, right here, right now”
Training, and muscle memory are brought to conscious action. You bring a gun on every call, always use the force necessary to effect the arrest, always stay a level of force above the bad guys, watch the hands, use commands, stay focused, blade your gun side away, don’t lose your gun, Watch the Hands…
“Sir, I’m not going to tell you again, put your hands on the hood of the car” “Let’s do this mother fucker” The officer immediately draws his baton and begins to deliver convincing, aggressive, strikes to the legs of the subject, exactly as he was trained and just as he is legally justified in doing. “Sir, get on the ground, get on the ground” The blows don’t bring the subject down as his strength, anger, and rage render him impervious to the strikes. “Get on the ground, get on the ground”. The subject quickly moves away from the strikes and immediately eyeballs the officer’s waist to locate the officer’s firearm. The officer immediately notices the two passengers have exited and are now standing behind him screaming. “Fuck you, mother fucker, why you hitting him, leave him alone, you fucking piece of shit” “Get back, get back”. The officer draws his Taser and refocuses on the confrontation. “Get on the ground, get on the ground” “Kill me, mother fucker, kill me, you’re going to have to kill me to take me back to jail”
Two darts fly through the night and immediately find their target, embedding themselves in flesh, and the energy from the weapon drops him on the ground. The officer quickly moves in and handcuffs the subject, rising and facing his other antagonists. “Step back, step back”…
There was a time in our country when the “sleepless reader” would have called 911 and reported an officer in trouble. There was a time, even longer ago, when the “sleepless reader” would have left his home and gone to the officer’s side, making the statement that we stand together. Tragically, those times are gone. We now live in a world in which the brave officer, in the middle of the night, alone, protecting, fighting for his life, can be assured that he will be just that, alone. His actions, while lawful, just, and courageous, will be vilified, second guessed, and displayed for all the world to judge him, falsely.
This is the world we now police, and it terrifies me…
I had the good fortune of instructing at the police academy in Massachusetts for many years. Working hand in hand with the brave young men and women destined to replace me in their tomorrows, was an extremely rewarding experience. I was the most vilified and feared instructor at the academy. The recruits cringed and shuddered when I walked into the room, watching my every movement as though I was likely to turn about in a tempest of swirling fire, emerging from the smoke as Satan himself. After all, I was the report writing instructor!
My style of instruction involved utilizing real life law enforcement scenarios, the facts of which I would present verbally to the recruits while they took notes. I would then allow them to solicit any missing facts by asking questions of me, as though I was a victim or witness to the crime. It was then their task to go home and write a professional police report. One of the scenarios that I commonly used, throughout the years, involved police use of force. When I recall that scenario now, and I weigh it against the pain of modern times, it terrifies me.
I am terrified at the current state of police support in our country and I would like to bring you back in time and place to an era when the following scenario, taught for over a decade to police recruits, would have gained a police officer support, assistance, and quite possibly, a commendation.
Its 2:30AM, in a rural neighborhood, in “Anytown” USA. Traffic is extremely light, the weather is clear, and the sounds of daily life have been muted by the darkness. While families sleep, and the sleepless read, a new police officer dutifully plies his trade, closely watching, looking, protecting in the middle of the night. Vehicles are scarce on rural streets, and this vehicle catches his attention. If not for the fact it is the only one on the road, it also has three occupants, slowly cruising and closely watching too. The officer runs the registration tag on the vehicle because that’s what good cops do. The registered owner of the vehicle is the subject of an active warrant for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and breaking and entering in the nighttime. It’s time for the new officer to earn his pay.
The officer’s pulse quickens as he radios dispatch and notifies them that he will be stopping, MA-123ABC, in the area of Governors Ave. His training begins to kick into gear. Wait for the lighted areas, approach from a position of cover, wait for backup, watch the hands. The officer activates his blue lights, as he watches the passenger’s heads swivel in panic, and their quick and furtive movements as they prepare for the encounter. The officer doesn’t notice, but a “sleepless reader” has also noticed the blue lights as they cascade into his living room and the silent observer quickly makes his way to the curtains to hide and watch, just as all sheep do.
The officer exits his cruiser and approaches the driver’s side of the vehicle. Check the trunk, watch the hands, hand on the grip, command presence, don’t go by the rear seat passenger, Watch the Hands, always Watch the Hands…
“Sir, can I please see your license and registration”, says the officer. “What are you stopping me for?”
He can hear in the tone of the voice that things aren’t good. His senses tell him that something is wrong. Training and muscle memory kick in. Don’t tell them they have a warrant until your backup arrives or they will assault you when you are alone and not capable of command and control. “Sir, can I please get your license and registration, I will explain the reason for the stop in a moment, but I need to know who I’m speaking with”. “You’re speaking with me, mother fucker, what are you stopping me for?” “Sir, calm down please, I need your license and registration”. “For what, mother fucker”.
And so it begins. In this moment and time, in this one microcosm of human interaction, is what separates the sheepdog from the sheep. George Stephanopoulos asked Officer Darren Wilson in his interview after Michael Brown attacked him, “Why not just wait in the car?” It’s not what we do George! It’s not a luxury afforded to police officers.
“Sir, I have a warrant for the arrest of the registered owner of this vehicle, please step out” “I’ll step out, and you’re going to be fucking sorry”. Watch the hands, get on the radio and step up the backup, go home to your family, watch the passengers, use a commanding voice, show no fear, watch the hands…
“Sir, place your hands on the hood of the vehicle, do it now”. The officer looks him directly in the eye and sees the anger and the rage. “If you think I’m going back to jail, you’re dead fucking wrong. You put one fucking hand on me, and I’m going to break you’re fucking jaw” “Sir, calm down, put your hands on the hood, do it now”. “Alpha482 to control, step up my backup please” “Sir, do what I am telling you, do it now”. The officer observes his hands as they are clinched and ready to go. “Go ahead mother fucker, cuff me, I wanna do this, right here, right now”
Training, and muscle memory are brought to conscious action. You bring a gun on every call, always use the force necessary to effect the arrest, always stay a level of force above the bad guys, watch the hands, use commands, stay focused, blade your gun side away, don’t lose your gun, Watch the Hands…
“Sir, I’m not going to tell you again, put your hands on the hood of the car” “Let’s do this mother fucker” The officer immediately draws his baton and begins to deliver convincing, aggressive, strikes to the legs of the subject, exactly as he was trained and just as he is legally justified in doing. “Sir, get on the ground, get on the ground” The blows don’t bring the subject down as his strength, anger, and rage render him impervious to the strikes. “Get on the ground, get on the ground”. The subject quickly moves away from the strikes and immediately eyeballs the officer’s waist to locate the officer’s firearm. The officer immediately notices the two passengers have exited and are now standing behind him screaming. “Fuck you, mother fucker, why you hitting him, leave him alone, you fucking piece of shit” “Get back, get back”. The officer draws his Taser and refocuses on the confrontation. “Get on the ground, get on the ground” “Kill me, mother fucker, kill me, you’re going to have to kill me to take me back to jail”
Two darts fly through the night and immediately find their target, embedding themselves in flesh, and the energy from the weapon drops him on the ground. The officer quickly moves in and handcuffs the subject, rising and facing his other antagonists. “Step back, step back”…
There was a time in our country when the “sleepless reader” would have called 911 and reported an officer in trouble. There was a time, even longer ago, when the “sleepless reader” would have left his home and gone to the officer’s side, making the statement that we stand together. Tragically, those times are gone. We now live in a world in which the brave officer, in the middle of the night, alone, protecting, fighting for his life, can be assured that he will be just that, alone. His actions, while lawful, just, and courageous, will be vilified, second guessed, and displayed for all the world to judge him, falsely.
This is the world we now police, and it terrifies me…