I retired a few months ago after having 41 years in law enforcement, working for the FBI, being a sworn US Marshal, and serving two local Fornicalia agencies. If I had a son or daughter considering law enforcement I’d tell them to look elsewhere and to become a nurse, a plumber, an electrical contractor, mechanic, electrical engineer or programmer — a job that cannot readily be replaced by a robot. And I’d stay away from law enforcement because more and more the job involves politics not service, and you have fewer rights than the citizens you serve. That trend is growing, not receding.
Including freedom of speech.
People eschewing law enforcement will occur in any event, because Millennials are not used to or desire to serve, sacrifice or have their freedoms of speech curtailed. The small group of Millennials who do understand about sacrifice and service for a higher goal or greater good are former military personnel — but their ranks are thinning as well.
From OregonLive.com:
Portland police officer removed from street after Twitter message about Black Lives Matter
by Maxine Bernstein
A Portland police officer who wrote a Twitter message complaining that he’d be stuck late at work Friday night “to babysit these fools,” referring to a planned Black Lives Matter-Not Black Friday march at Lloyd Center, has been taken off the street while an internal investigation proceeds.
Portland police Acting Chief Donna Henderson, filling in for Chief Larry O’Dea who is off until next week, announced the investigation Tuesday afternoon in a news release.
“I am highly offended, and I think other people should be,” said Teressa Raiford, a community activist involved in Don’t Shoot Portland. “I think it’s very unprofessional, especially someone in his position.”
Officer John Hurlman, a 24-year bureau veteran, removed the post from his Twitter feed, but a screen shot was caught by others.
His message read, “Black Lives Matter is planning to protest at Lloyd Center on black Friday. Oh joy, stuck late again at work to babysit these fools.”
Damn that officer for daring to state the obvious. BLM activists are fools because black lives don’t matter. You may care to read this link, as well as this and this and this for my reasoning.
Further, the story doesn’t immediately reveal this salient fact: the officer produced that message on his own time, off duty, with his own account and not utilizing government resources.
But because of the community it serves, the ball-less Portland Police Bureau circled its own little Leftist wagons and, realizing that if a sympathetic take wasn’t promptly expressed, the BLM activists would soon be torching the sycophantic little purple-skied territory of Portland itself. Precisely because BLM “activists” couldn’t give a fuck. It ain’t their property they’d burn and loot and destroy. BLM “activists” enjoy embracing lies for the “common good” of themselves only.
It is interesting, however, to read some of the comments below the article I linked, which include some of the following:
Why aren’t black lives matter going door to door where black people live spreading their message not to kill black people?
So does this mean if a neo-nazi group were to march, only those police officers who agree with the neo nazi’s could work the neo-nazi march that day?
Nothing like stomping on the man’s First Amendment Rights… What’s next from the “Thought Police”? Lie detector tests for anybody accused of having an alternative viewpoint or perspective contrary to the Left’s? Give me a break…
You are assuming that somebody being called a fool should lose their job? Does that mean I should lose my job by calling you an idiot? Just trying to understand your perspective of justice and equality…
Office Hurlman was correct in his personal opinion description of BLM as fools, and I would submit that the even bigger fool is acting like a moron chief Donna Henderson. Calling someone a fool is speech protected by the 1st ammendment. The officer did not threaten or encourage any one to threaten or harm anyone. The Portland PD admin is wrong on this one and should publicly admit such.
So I guess you feel that the officer has to take responsibility for expressing a personal opinion on a personal twitter account? A personal opinion that did not threaten anyone? Is that what you are trying to say? If so, you are one misguided soul.
These comments mostly reflect a rational response to ridiculous political correctness being exercised by the Portland police chief. The sane ones among us look at the BLM fools and state the obvious. The BLM fools falsely perpetuate the myth that Michael Ferguson had his “hands up” when he was killed, when the forensic evidence shows he did not. Even the Obama administration’s Justice Department investigation concluded he was justifiably killed by a police officer defending his life. But the BLM fools refuse to believe it and agitate for the sake of agitating. They, and you by extension, can’t be reasoned with. You’re too blinded by your grievance ideology.
There are more than 1,000 additional comments.
I spoke over the air earlier this week on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show to retired Congressman John Campbell (R, CA, 45th & 48th Dist) who was admirably filling in for Mr Hewitt. The topic concerned the rise of homicide rates and overall crime in major cities and elsewhere.
I indicated there were any number of factors for this rise, but one of the major factors now is the lack of what law enforcement calls “self-initiated activity,” which translates to getting in there, digging, knowing your beat, district, precinct, area, community, and seriously working it. Looking for crime, turning over the rocks and getting actively involved. In other words, proactive vs reactive law enforcement.
Certainly, cops won’t shirk their calls for service. Whenever the laptop or terminal beeps, or the radio beckons, cops will attend to their assignments. But once there, it exists in their minds that they too could be another Darren Wilson. Being “right” isn’t enough. Being “lawful” isn’t enough. And what law enforcement, the public and courts will soon realize: having a video body-cam isn’t enough. Video is another tool — it is not the end-all panacea just as having the melanin-count match the neighborhood isn’t an end-all panacea. Just ask Baltimore or New York or Chicago or LA, some of the most mixed race departments across the nation if not the planet.
Cops talk about officer survival. The mindset that, “no matter what happens to me, I will prevail during a given critical incident. I will survive to see another call, to help my partner, to see my family and fight another day.”
A few years ago in 2009 and 2010, besides officer survival my deputies faced budgetary survival. My department eliminated over two-hundred deputy positions.
Cops are having to additionally consider political and career survival.
They are having to ask: just how deep into this call do I want to go? Just how far do I want to dig into my beat or district or precinct? Particularly in terms of political survival or career, officers are now asking: what is my career worth? Where is the line where I’ll even remotely consider jeopardizing my family’s future? The security of my wife or husband, my children, my retirement?
Even more important to officers is this: does my department have my back if I acted in good faith and within the “reasonable officer” mantra?
Darren Wilson was proven correct, he was completely acquitted on any number of levels by any number of investigative resources and separate agencies including — literally — one hundred FBI agents swarming over Ferguson and the case itself.
Yet Darren Wilson had to physically leave his department, had to take his family and physically leave the town where he was employed and, truly, will forever be unemployable by any law enforcement agency in the US. He and his family received very serious death threats and his department had little interest in supporting or providing security for him.
You ask why crimes, homicides and the like are starting to increase? The so-called “Ferguson Effect” is most definitely a factor no matter what any police administrator or spokesperson says. I know this because my own deputies tell me so. Quietly. They are constantly having to weigh these thoughts on their calls. They are doing the “balance test.” How do I do my job while not jeopardizing myself, family or future?
And that is the truth.
Portland, Oregon is certainly the locus of Leftist thought in Oregon, right there with Seattle, and the Portland PB isn’t radically different from the Leftards it protects.
Ladies and gentlemen, Leftists, Demorats and Progressives alike, if you don’t like cops — they’re too judgmental — but instead wish to be involved in a Robocop future, monitored and arrested by mechanicals, you are well on your way. You won’t care for it one bit when the human element is eliminated. You can’t argue or reason with a robot.
Perhaps you’d just care to do away with your civilian police protection altogether. Make sure, however, that if this is your choice you likewise surrender all your firearms, defensive or offensive materials such as slingshots, baseball bats, rocks and any sort of edged weapon. Hell, any weapon whatsoever. Live by your code. Be honest and live your honesty. Mark or placard your car, your house, your apartment, your tent as a WEAPONS FREE ZONE. Be proud of your philosophies and take a real stand. Show some courage.
There is a problem however: when you have fewer and fewer persons who desire to be Sheepdogs, your society is in greater and greater jeopardy from within and without. Because the wolves, you ignorant and complacent sheep, are not reducing their numbers.
Your job is already being targeted for elimination by robots, Mr and Ms Millennial. Your life, property and sense of security is already being target by criminals whose philosophy is generally “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine unless you have the strength to stop me.” Gosh. Just like Islamists or China or Russia. Or any bully.
You think that won’t or can’t happen? Just you watch.
BZ
P.S.
Officer John Hurlman, an extremely interesting article about freedom of speech and police officers can be found here, at the FraternalOrderof Police.net.
You may find it handy and applicable. You also might wish to click here and here.
The Michael Bay film, “13 Hours,” based on the book “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi” by Mitchell Zuckoff, opened last month on January 15th and, unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to see the movie because I am not yet sufficiently mobile from my surgery.
When I wrote this post initially a few weeks ago, three of the actual operators who responded to the Benghazi call for assistance, Kristian “Tanto” Paronto, John “Tig” Tiegen, and Mark “Oz” Geist were interviewed on the Megyn Kelly show. They unequivocally stated that they were told to stand down by CIA representatives.
All three operators interviewed on The Kelly File specifically remembered the CIA station chief pointedly telling them, to their faces, to “stand down.” A deputy chief, chief of base and a team leader saying “stand down.”
ALL of the operators believe everyone would be alive today had they been allowed to respond when they were asked. Unequivocally. They all said it in front of Megyn Kelly.
Diane Reynolds, by the way, is an alias for daughter Chelsea.
Oh yes, such a peaceful community group that chants:”What do we want, dead cops, when do we want ’em. NOW!” and “Pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon!”