Want to work for Baltimore PD?

I didn’t think so.

Apparently, no one else does either.

From BaltimoreCBSLocal.com:

Baltimore Police Working To Retain Officers Despite High Crime & Overtime Issues

by Mike Hellgren

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — There’s growing concern over a shortage of police officers in Baltimore City. Despite ramping up recruiting efforts, there’s still big turnover in the department.

For only the second time in the last two decades, Baltimore hits 100 homicides before the end of April.

The murder rate is up 30 percent over last year — a grim milestone. The murder that pushed the city over the  100-mark happened on Lombard Street, one of the busiest intersections downtown.

The number of officers is at its lowest point that it’s been in the past decade, which has become cause for concern.

The city is operating with hundreds of fewer officers than at any point over the past decade.

Considering Baltimore PD, the city itself, its contentious relationship with its mayor and attorney general, this is not a shocking situation with which the police department finds itself.

The department is spending almost $1 million dollars a month just on overtime to keep up.

That’s what immediately occurs when you have insufficient personnel to cover various shifts and assignments. It’s a stopgap measure and usually challenges the budget of the applicable city or county. It’s also a measure that generally irritates the specific county supervisors, city mayors or managers involved.

This is very telling information with a rather insightful statement proffered from a citizen.

It’s noticeable to community activist Ericka Alston-Buck, with Penn-North Kids Safe Zone.

“When I walk up to one of the officers, the first thing I ask is what district are you out of, because 9o percent of the time, they’re not a western district officer,  so everyone is working overtime.”

“There needs to be something attractive about being a police officer here in Baltimore City. I don’t see the attraction,” she says.

Apparently neither do a lot of other people.

Because these days that, above, is the attraction. Translated: not so much. How many Millennials and GenZr’s are interested in that kind of confrontation, with no reaction allowed?

The issue just didn’t emerge this week. BPD began having recruitment issues directly following the Freddie Gray incident.

What to do? I know. Relax standards. Hello, anyone remember Rampart?

A bright spot now for recruitment efforts: Maryland regulators just relaxed standards for marijuana use, making more people eligible to become officers.

Outstanding. More officers laboring under the influence of THC. Good for the manufacturer of Doritos, perhaps.

The beginning salary for a city officer is just under $49,000 plus benefits.

That’s what starting custodians make in California schools. Custodians who have no responsibility to wield power, arrest people or utilize deadly force.

This at a time when Baltimore just hit 100 homicides prior to the end of April, up 30% from last year at the same time. But pay close attention; the issue in Baltimore isn’t about pay necessarily. It’s about applicants. There aren’t enough. They can’t fill the positions they already have, much less attempt to expand the department.

Why would that be?

It stems from a number of factors, to include Black Lives Matter and the “hands up don’t shoot” lie.

The Ferguson Effect is another factor as the label of “overpolicing” has been charged to American departments. The uptick in the shootings of officers is also an issue, not necessarily the consequence of a given call but specifically the ambushing and targeting for assassination of police officers while on duty.

Baltimore is now also operating under a federal consent decree as it has been accused of over policing.

Some in Chicago, for example, are even calling for the entire defunding of the Chicago Police Department.

Following the Freddie Gray death, state attorney general Marilyn Mosby charged seven Baltimore Police officers, five of whom are black. Not one officer has been found guilty, and charges were dropped entirely on three of the officers. Over policing? How about Mosby’s over-charging? A federal judge in January allowed a suit against Mosby for malicious prosecution to proceed.

People are now concluding there are too many marks in the negative column as opposed to the positive column regarding a police officer career in the city of Baltimore.

But it isn’t only Baltimore affected. Police recruiting around the country is down and becoming quite difficult. The attrition rate for police officers (14%) is higher than both nursing (12%) and teaching (13%). Pay, “disqualifying behaviors,” and credit problems are also issues,

This all gets down to riots, this gets down to crime, and this gets down to war. What commonality do rioters, criminals and despots have? They are all predators of opportunity and weakness.

With that in common, what happens when people stage a riot and there is no one to respond? What occurs when there is a crime and there is no one to respond? What happens when there is a war and there is no one to defend the nation?

What happens when you run out of Sheepdogs to defend the Sheep against the wolves?

Ask the citizens of Berkeley on Saturday, April 15th, when Americans were left to fight it out on the streets of the United States as law enforcement officers were either forced to or willingly allowed violence to occur directly in front of their eyes.

What happens then?

BZ

 

The Berkeley Police Department: “Okay, and?”

At least Berkeley PD offers its officers two ways to defend themselves in terms of one shotgun and one rifle per car. Shotgun left, long rifle right.

[This post has taken over a week to write because of the serious conflicts I feel when putting fingers to keyboard on what, to me, is a deeply disturbing topic.]

As a recently-retired law enforcement officer from two venues, federal and local, who served 41 years on the job, I am a Sheepdog, I am an Oathkeeper, I am a Silverback, and I am disgusted with the reaction — or the lack of reaction — once again — from the City of Berkeley Police Department (CA) with regard to the Saturday, April 15th riots ostensibly the result of a demand for the revelation of President Trump’s tax records.

This was nothing more than an excuse to riot, and nothing more than another reason for Antifa to corral its paid members once again in order to appear at a specific event. These are not local “protesters,” ladies and gentlemen. These are George Soros-paid, nomadic rioters who do the bidding of Antifa and anarchists across the nation. The faces begin to repeat. The difference, this time, was that pro-Trump members were present as well.

The Berkeley Police Department needs to be — again — named and shamed, as well as Chief Andrew Greenwood, City of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and the UC Berkeley Police Department Chief Margo Bennett. This is the same Chief Margo Bennett who had her gun, badge, laptop, credentials, iPad and other very personal items recently stolen from her official government vehicle. Charges? Discipline made public? Of course not. She willingly carries political water for Leftists.

They were and are in collusion to step away from situations that they know, full well, will likely lead to violence on the UC Berkeley campus and in the city. This is entirely despicable.

First the background, from the UKDailyMail.com:

Anti-Trump protest turns into a massive brawl: Twenty one are arrested after hundreds of Tax Day protesters trade punches with Donald supporters in Berkeley

by Abigail Miller

  • A ‘Patriots Day’ rally was held in support of President Donald Trump in Berkeley, California Saturday

  • It coincided with thousands who marched across the country to pressure  Trump to release his his Tax returns

  • The protest turned violent as counter-protesters showed up and both sides broke through netting

  • Hundreds threw stones, lit fires, tossed explosives and tear gas and attacked with makeshift weapons

  • Police stood by through the violence and at least 15 people have been arrested due to violence in Berkeley

Please note that last bullet point. Police stood by.

At least 21 people have been arrested after violence broke out Saturday between groups of Trump supporters and detractors holding rallies in downtown Berkeley, according to police. 

Hundreds of people with opposing opinions on President Donald Trump threw stones, lit fires, tossed explosives and tear gas and attacked each other with makeshift weapons as police stood by. 

As police stood by.

Berkeley PD’s mission statement reads as follows:

Our Mission is to safeguard our diverse community through proactive law enforcement and problem solving, treating all people with dignity and respect.

The Berkeley Police Department’s Vision is: We will be a team of leaders at every level.  We will foster strong relationships with our community, inspiring trust through our service, building on our historic tradition of progressive policing, and dedicated to the safety of all.  As members of this community, we will provide proactive law enforcement and problem solving, holding these as our core values:

Integrity: We are ethical, fair, and trustworthy in all we do.

Safety: We strive to keep our community and each other safe.

Berkeley PD also has a “Protest 101” link on its site.

Welcome to Protest 101

Protest 101 is a guide to assist anyone interested in organizing or participating in a safe and legal protest, march, demonstration, rally or labor action in the City of Berkeley.

During demonstrations, protest marches, public rallies or labor actions, the Berkeley Police Department is responsible for providing for the safety and security of the general public, while both monitoring and facilitating any peaceful demonstration.

Berkeley PD swears it provides safety and security for the general public during protests.

Here are the — there is no other word for it — riots that occurred April 15th, Saturday.

The situation devolving. No police around. “We will provide proactive law enforcement.”

No police around. “We will provide proactive law enforcement.”

No police around. “We will provide proactive law enforcement.” As CNN even admits, “we have been watching these pictures for some time now.” Translated: where are the police?

An Antifa woman got punched. She’s no “local.” She admits it was a six hour drive for her.

Violence should come as no surprise to her. She was already speaking and writing about advocating violence.

No police around. “We will provide proactive law enforcement.”

As the man in the video stated, to me it makes no difference. A woman can injure or kill you as easily as a man. When you attend an event expecting to create violence, be surprised not when violence is visited upon you. Antifa came mentally prepared for war, dressed for war, identities masked, armed for war, carrying metal poles on which flags were attached, possessing chemical weapons and M-80s, according to Antifa protocols. You can download an Antifa manual here.

Antifa by the way, should you care, is keeping a database of all your registered Disqus comments with your associated personal information. Gosh. Is BZ registered on Disqus? Uh, not just no but hell no.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Berkeley PD officers were busy sitting and standing next to their elderly Ford CVPI riot vehicles, buffing their nails, balancing their checkbooks or playing Angry Birds . How do I know this is a riot vehicle tasked with riot duty? Because otherwise you never put more than two officers in one car and simultaneously equip them with helmets, gear, long batons and filtered masks. Captain Obvious calling. A Leftist journalista named Shane Bauer (no relation to Jack) from Leftist rag Mother Jones walked up to the Berkeley PD officers in said tasked riot vehicle and asked questions. Frankly, they were excellent questions.

The answers and responses were both enlightening and yet vastly depressing.

It is important to note there are two entirely disparate responses from two officers here, and the body language is markedly different for widely divergent reasons. Paul Ekman taught me how to read body language in an interview/interrogation room, as did Carl Stincelli.

The standing officer says nothing. He is a cipher. The officer in the car responds, “that would be a good question for the Chief of Police.” He pulls up his left hand and lets it drop back on the sill. He is not happy to be where he is, on the sidelines. This is a highly conflicted officer, depressed yet resigned.

Officer Shannon, #120, standing, doesn’t like to be questioned and makes a referral to the department PIO. “What’s your next question?” You can see there is another Berkeley PD black-and-white unit in the background to the left. Waiting.

“Mmm-hmm. Okay. And?”

He couldn’t be more dismissive. The day’s events aren’t about the issue, it’s about him. Many, many factors here. Of these few seconds I can draw something of a conclusion.

What I sense is this: he is a veteran officer. After all the years of putting up with ever-changing administrations (Berkeley PD lost its last Chief, Michael Meehan, in September of 2016 amidst allegations of slow and poor decision-making, spending too much time on community actions outside the department, and being a deficient advocate and supporter of the officers overall: low morale.) and watching his department and his profession deteriorate before his very eyes. Is he really dismissive on its face, or is he truly disgusted? Is he tired of having to be another coprophagic Berkeley PD officer? In one sense, I can’t fault his demeanor.

This is Officer Jeff Shannon on a better day. Imagine having to work for Berkeley PD. Dude, you need a leader. Many leaders. You have none.

Here, a Berkeley PD sergeant stands back, knowing full well what’s occurring around him. Note the stripes. He is a supervisor. He was given an order. Clearly by his Lieutenant or his Captain, directly from the Chief of Police in Berkeley via, I suggest, its mayor.

He too is doing nothing. For, I submit, the same reasons as delineated above. However, the Nuremberg Defense does not apply. More on this later.

After watching these two videos, I wanted both to cry and to rip some administrator’s head off their shoulders. You can be certain — and never admitted — that Berkeley PD Chief Greenwood received a phone call from either the mayor or a mayoral subordinate to stand back unless absolutely necessary to intervene. There was also likely a Lieutenant or a Captain on site to determine just what would constitute “absolutely necessary.”

Yet, as the Berkeley PD officers stood by, this was occurring. Here, a Trump supporter got smashed in the head by an Antifa person with a large, heavy Kryptonite bicycle U-lock. Why? Because possession of a bike lock could easily be explained-away to cops by Antifa rioters. I had to be prepared to lock up my bicycle, after all. Right? Really? So what’s it doing in your hands instead of on your bicycle?

The person he struck was completely unarmed.

You can see the results. Only after the injured man was removed from the scene did the Berkeley Police Department even remotely become interested. This crime falls into and should be investigated as 245 PC, Assault With A Deadly Weapon. The bike lock. Felony.

Further, just who was the heavy bike-lock swinging individual? He was allegedly identified by a number of sources on the internet as an individual named Eric Clanton, who is employed as a professor for Diablo Valley College. Please check this site. The story is not over. Here is his photograph by which he may be compared to future violence.

More on the story of Eric Clanton.

Here, Antifa rioters, predominantly dressed in black with masks take, literally, a heavy skateboard — again, easily explained-away to local Berkeley PD cops as a form of transportation — to the head of a pro-Trump advocate.

Let there be no mistake. This wasn’t something of a “sudden and spontaneous” reaction to the “need” for President Trump to expose his tax records though no one — specifically the American Media Maggots — much cared about the issue intrinsically. It was simply an excuse to riot. Funded by anarchist George Soros.

Where were the riots regarding Obama’s failure to release college transcripts and records? Where were the riots regarding the failure to release IRS documents? The release of documents regarding James Foley’s aborted rescue mission? That’s just the tip of the Leftist iceberg. I term that Historical Alzheimers.

Berkeley’s stand-away orders were documented here.

Is this truly how you wish to be remembered, members of the City of Berkeley Police Department? Because, as of this point, this is your collective and individual legacy. Your history is such that you already stood down when Milo Yiannopoulos came to speak. You want to be known as nothing more than an infantile internet photo and meme? How callow and dismissive can you be? Where are your testicles?

As in: you dishonored your oaths, you stood by whilst people were injured, you weren’t simply not proactive; you weren’t even interested in being reactive for a time. There have already been three Antifa riots at Berkeley this year.

As opposed to Berkeley PD, here are cops with actual balls, who insisted on unmasking Antifa protesters at Auburn University in Alabama, recently.

Take a note, Berkeley PD.

Yet even so, Auburn officers were seriously negligent. Did you not hear the clank of a flag pole? The officers allowed a heavy metal pole into the event, saying “get your pole”? The heavy clank of metal is called a clue. That is a significant weapon. Do. Your. Jobs.

We are coming closer to a bottom line. What is one of its aspects?

Americans are left to fight it out on the streets of the United States as law enforcement officers are either forced to or willingly allow violence to occur directly in front of their eyes.

As an aside; an examination of body language at the Berkeley riots by a female member of society.

Interesting take on the situation from an uninvolved third party.

A few unresolved issues remain.

Were official Berkeley PD munitions fired only at Trump supporters?

Was Berkeley PD therefore supporting Antifa violence?

The Chief of Berkeley PD Greenwood has already spewed political bullshite. Of course, to be expected.

What about the Mayor of Berkeley? Breitbart.com indicates he may be a sympathizer of the groups that organized the riots in the first place.

Berkeley Mayor Is Member of Antifa Facebook Group that Organized Riots

by Tom Ciccotta

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin is a member of the anti-fascist Facebook group, By Any Means Necessary, which orchestrated the riots that occurred ahead of a scheduled lecture by Milo Yiannopoulos.

BAMN. Are you simultaneously shocked and non-plussed?

Berkley Mayor Jesse Arreguin was revealed to be a member of the anti-fascist group, By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), on Facebook. BAMN orchestrated the violence that shut down a scheduled lecture at UC Berkeley featuring Milo Yiannopoulos in early 2017. Arreguin is allegedly also friends with BAMN leader, Yvette Felarca, on Facebook.

They were also involved in the violent clashes earlier this month.

You’ll love this additional bit of buttery goodness from, of all least-quoted sources, TheBlaze.com:

Antifa wants combat training and firearms after losing the ‘Battle for Berkeley’

Last week supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with members of the leftist group known as Antifa (short for anti-fascist) in Berkeley California. The meeting of the two groups soon erupted in violence, with Antifa using mace, M80’s, and various other weapons to attack Trump supporters.

According to Rebel Media’s Lauren Southern, Trump supporters were told by police not to bring any weapons, as police would protect them. Upon Anitfa’s arrival, the police retreated, leaving the Trump supporters to utilize whatever weapons they could get their hands on. Regardless, the Trump supporters routed Antifa after one of their members threw a smoke bomb, not realizing the wind was blowing in Antifa’s direction.

This loss prompted Antifa members to begin discussion about how they could better prepare themselves for future skirmishes against Trump supporters.

Perfect. “Better prepare themselves.”

Here is where I draw the line. Perhaps you have been waiting for this. Because it’s all I have left.

Truly, whether or not the mayor issued an order to stand down from his office to Berkeley Police Chief Greenwood is pretty much immaterial. And whether or not Berkeley Police Chief Greenwood issued a sub rosa order to his Captains and Lieutenants to stand down is also mostly immaterial. (I still believe both of those things to be accurate, however.)

Do you know why?

Because the real power, the true power of any law enforcement agency rests in the hands of two people, two archetypes: 1) Its Training Officers, and 2) Its Sergeants or first-line supervisors.

First line supervisors can make or break each and every department for which they work. Why? Because they not only relay but are tasked with enforcing the policies and orders issued by their specific departments, the state in which they reside and the oaths they took to support and defend the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights, with those they supervise.

You and I both know and can instantly recall bosses who were, on one hand, absolute garbage and those whom we respected and honored. We can all name names. We never forget.

Your best bosses were four things:

  • Firm;
  • Fair;
  • Consistent, and
  • They praised in public, reprimanded in private. Then they moved on.

Translated to cop work, a grizzled old Sergeant once told my young ass that I’d have a successful, productive and satisfying career if I did these three things:

  • Do your job;
  • Tell the truth, and
  • Don’t be malicious.

These are the bosses you would waltz straight into Hell standing beside, working for, because they inspired you, inspired confidence, trust and loyalty. They had your six.

I found out early: the more I treated my troops like adults, the more they responded like adults. I watched: the more people were micromanaged — myself included — the less inclined they were to make decisions, stand on their own two feet, take charge or be independent. I wanted the job to get done. I knew with that the morale would be good.

I would consistently tell my troops: give me every reason to support you and I will. Lie to me, undermine me or fail to do your job and it won’t be pretty. For all of those reasons and more I had people who always wanted to work for me. I didn’t play favorites. I expected people to work. When the job got done they could be people. We could have fun. We could laugh. Job first, though. And I would grant you perks.

I would also speechify my new Lieutenants, who were legion in my career. They didn’t speechify me, I speechified them. My job was to look out for them and tell them what they didn’t want to hear, but what they needed to hear no matter the circumstances. My job, I told them, was to provide them with as much information as necessary to answer, to the best of their ability, questions posed to them by Captains. I never wanted them to be caught flat-footed. When they were caught wanting I was caught wanting. Not optimal. Many disbelieved what I told them. They were the ones proven wrong. I didn’t possess decades of experience under my belt for nothing.

That said, a Good Sergeant is one who looks out for his or her troops, values the troops and knows full well that it is they who truly get the job done, not the Chief and not the Sheriff. Chiefs and Sheriffs come and go like soiled toilet paper, flushed down the political Toilet of Life.

That said, I also told my troops this: if it is politically or fiscally expedient, you will be sacrificed. I would watch their six but they had to watch their own six. If they produced. If they worked. If they were honest. I told them genuinely: never adore your department because it will never adore you back. Be realistic. But be true.

That’s what a Good Sergeant does. That’s what a Sheepdog does. That’s what a Silverback does. That’s what an Oathkeeper does.

I once had a deputy who was a great worker but who strayed. He got into trouble. I never once reprimanded in public. I took him aside. All I had to do is tell him that I was disappointed in him. I could see the tears welling. He changed and got back on track.

That’s what a Good Sergeant does, and how effective a Good Sergeant can be.

Where were the Good Sergeants working for Berkeley PD? Because, trust me, in a similar circumstance, knowing people were getting hurt in front of me — no matter what my fucktard managers or executive staff said — I would have intervened.

And my troops would have followed me. Now you know why.

Once one element was committed, my element, the others would have followed suit because someone took a stand and waded into the maelstrom.

Sure, as cops we all know what the Ferguson Effect is. Proactive law enforcement has plummeted for obvious reasons.

But for fuck’s sake, if we can’t even be reactive when violence exists right in front of our faces, then why do we even exist? Why did we go to work that day?

You Sergeants could have made a difference. You know who you are. So do your troops.

Managers manage things. Leaders lead people.

Yes, your career could suffer. You might not promote. I didn’t. I was told that directly to my face, because I had ethics in the face of dishonesty. Those are stories for another day. That’s why I was called Sergeant and not Lieutenant or Captain. That’s what my badge read. The one under which I retired.

But, as I’ve always said, it gets down to: can you sleep at night?

I sleep like a baby.

Berkeley PD Sergeants: how are you sleeping these nights?

BZ

 

American LEOs: do you remember your oaths?

A general oath that most American law enforcement officers take is this:

” I, ___________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of _________ against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of ________; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.

Generally, upon completion of this oath, a law enforcement officer is handed her or his badge which is pinned on by a husband, wife or other important family member or friend.

That is the oath you took in America, fellow law enforcement officers.

I say “fellow law enforcement officers” because I served as a LEO for 41 years before I retired recently. I worked in the federal system and for two California agencies. I am a Sheepdog, a Silverback and an Oathkeeper. Just because I retired, my Sheepdog mindset, status and obligation has not entirely. I know who I am, what I’ve done and what I may have to do in the future.

I took the oath as delineated above and I never forgot it.

I support law enforcement. I love cops. I respect the terrifically-difficult job they must do on an hourly and daily basis. Because I was there. For, generally, twice the amount of time that most police officers put in. I did so because I believed in my role in society.

But, to me, it would appear that some LEOs have forgotten or, worse, purposely dismissed their law enforcement oaths. I love cops when I can and excoriate them when I must.

I see a disturbing trend. I see cops taking orders at face value from their supervisors or managers and then carrying them out. Or equally reprehensible, when confronted with egregious conditions, don’t act. I have taken SFPD, San Jose PD, Berkeley PD and UC Berkeley PD officers to task. OWS vs the TEA Party.

I am sorely and seriously concerned for the future of law enforcement.

In that vein, Judge Jeanine Pirro wanted to know under what conditions current peace officers operated? What laws did they uphold? Are they truly conducting themselves according to their sworn oaths?

I submit: possibly not. And that is perhaps the most disturbing trend of all.

“I hate to say this; every one of you in law enforcement who bought into this liberal nonsense also has blood on your hands,” Pirro said.

I completely concur.

“If this is a tough one for you and you are going to start listening to the ACLU or some liberal mayor who doesn’t give a damn about you, your contract or your oath, directing that you release the wanted criminal alien out the side door, then maybe you should rethink this and go into social work,” she said.

“You are too damn dumb to be in law enforcement.”

There will come a time — quite shortly, I submit — where each and every one of you in US law enforcement will have to pick a side. I say this to our military members as well.

Halfway won’t do. Non-committal won’t do. Prevaricating won’t do. You will have to, soon, decide which orders you will obey and which orders you will not.

This may create confusion in your mind and potentially place your career in jeopardy.

You will have to ask: will I obey my superiors, or will I obey the law? Will I make a stand or will I stand back because it is convenient?

People excoriate the Oathkeepers, of which I am a member. Let us not forget that their oaths are no more complicated than these:

10 Orders Oath Keepers Swear to Disobey

  1. We will not obey any order to disarm the American people.
  2. We will not obey any order to conduct warrantless searches of the American people, their homes, vehicles, papers, or effects—such as warrantless house-to-house searches for weapons or persons.
  3. We will not obey any order to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to trial by military tribunals.
  4. We will not obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state, or to enter with force into a state, without the express consent and invitation of that state’s legislature and governor.
  5. We will not obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty and declares the national government to be in violation of the compact by which that state entered the Union.
  6. We will not obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
  7. We will not obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
  8. We will not obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control” during any emergency, or under any other pretext. We will consider such use of foreign troops against our people to be an invasion and an act of war.
  9. We will not obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies, under any emergency pretext.
  10. We will not obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

Translated: you will hold dear the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights. As you agreed.

You will soon have to ask yourself: who am I? In what do I believe? What does my oath mean? What does my job mean?

And more importantly, do I have the testosterone or the estrogen to carry out the oath I took?

Words having meaning.

Honor your oath.

BZ

 

Metro DC Police: body cams OFF at inauguration

That is by order of a rather ridiculous DC law and the ACLU themselves.

Let’s start with an article from Breitbart.com:

ACLU Warns Police to Turn Body Cams Off During Inauguration Protests but Encourages Activists to Video Cops

by Warner Todd Huston

As the nation prepares for the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, activists and anarchists flooding Washington D.C. are preparing to do all in their power to destroy the historic day. But even as they encourage anarchists to video police, the ACLU has issued warnings to police to be sure to turn body cameras off during the protests.

Was this accurate? The ACLU says no. From the ACLU.org:

Why Are DC Police Keeping Their Body Cameras Off During Inauguration and the Women’s March?

by Jay Stanley

A lot of social media activity has come to our attention questioning why the DC police have been instructed NOT to turn their body cameras on during the president’s inauguration and the following day’s “Million Women March.” Many people seem puzzled by this.

It’s DC. Not too difficult to suss out the various reasons. Please.

It’s not an ACLU “demand,” it’s actually DC law. True, the ACLU of DC supported and encouraged adoption of that law, but the wider District of Columbia community as represented by its city council agreed with us. And that law is not absolute; in its full form it says that:

First, the ACLU’s convenient “out.”

MPD officers may record First Amendment assemblies for the purpose of documenting violations of law and police actions, as an aid to future coordination and deployment of law enforcement units, and for training purposes; provided, that recording First Amendment assemblies shall not be conducted for the purpose of identifying and recording the presence of individual participants who are not engaged in unlawful conduct.

Right. It’s all DC Metro’s problem.

We supported that law for very good reasons. There is a long history of law enforcement compiling dossiers on peaceful activists exercising their First Amendment rights in public marches and protests, and using cameras to send an intimidating message to such protesters: “we are WATCHING YOU and will REMEMBER your presence at this event.” For a vivid picture of how photography can create chilling effects, recall the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama in 1965, when Alabama state troopers viciously attacked and beat peaceful protesters.

That was then. Now, it is demanded by many community groups, agencies, authorities, cities and counties that law enforcement officers wear body cameras.

Note to the ACLU, Leftists, Demorats, liberal law enforcement administrators: you can’t have it both ways. You either have body cameras activated to record the activity of the police or you don’t. You don’t get to summarily pick-and-choose what activities shall be video’d or not, particularly in consideration of the fact that you are clearly biased towards activities where citizens potentially engaging in illegal activities could be hoisted on petards of their own making.

Let’s look at it this way. Historically, the past year, the bulk of the violence involved in the months leading to the presidential election, and beyond to today, has been committed by Leftists. Leftists wish to video what they wish when they wish, and further seek to handcuff law enforcement when it comes to their doing the same thing in public areas.

This is not like a sea of police officers walking into a call of domestic violence or child abuse and taking video of private events in private homes. These are officers, in open public spaces, ostensibly taking video of events occurring in the public. It’s lawful for the protesters to video law enforcement. The reverse should be true as well. And it is.

Therefore it is not unlawful for law enforcement to video their surroundings as, of course, this very act has been demanded of them nationwide. Advocates say it will keep cops honest and document their actions and the actions of those surrounding them.

I agree. Particularly in this instance.

Having been in law enforcement for 41 years, recently retired, I support law enforcement. I am a Sheepdog and always will be. But when cops are not logical or base their conduct upon political correctness I will call them out.

Interim MPDC Chief Peter Newsham, you have been provided a lawful exemption/opening as illustrated above by the ACLU. You are refusing to take advantage of same.

You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself, by placing your very own officers in harm’s way whilst simultaneously robbing them of an important modern law enforcement tool that, truly, groups nationwide insist they possess and could protect them — and your department — on many levels.

You sir, are a quisling.

BZ