Editor's Point of view

As editor of Blue Magazine, I am very impressed by how our publication steadily grows nationally. In this issue, we have writers from states as far west as California and as far south as Florida. We are continually covering law enforcement issues on the national scene. What impresses me most is how all these law enforcement writers from different areas of our country have the same common purpose: to courageously speak out against injustices to the law enforcement community and to represent our profession with integrity and honor. Friends, we have a voice, and we must use it. Blue Magazine is your voice. Together we are making significant progress.

If you are reading this, you are probably wondering why we have chosen to put a cop turned felon on the cover. This was a decision made after many hours of editorial discussion and remembering our commitment to bravely cover critical issues affecting our law enforcement community. We get it, cops committing crimes is something nobody wants to discuss. Thankfully the bad apples in our profession only represent a small number of officers when compared to the overall majority who are decent, honest people protecting and serving with honor and integrity. However, we cannot deny that we have a few bad apples in our profession. Do a simple Internet search on this topic and see how many officers nationally have fallen into this trap—whether from greed, anger, rage or any other weaknesses that contributed to the destroying of the officer’s professional and personal life and by extension the reputation of our profession.

We are not here to sugarcoat Michael Dowd’s criminality as a cop. His conduct was reprehensible and disgraced the badge he wore on his chest, and the oath he took to uphold the law. His life and reputation are defined by the crimes he committed as a cop. However, there are lessons to be learned. Dowd spent 12 years and five months in federal prison for his crimes. His life was utterly destroyed. After many years post-prison working in the construction industry, Dowd began a speaking tour at colleges and universities to share his story with aspiring officers with one goal: that future cops will wear their badge proudly and honor their oath of office. Dowd hopes future and current officers will learn from his experience that betraying the public’s trust is a serious matter that will destroy an officer’s life and family. Dowd’s story is an essential lesson for everyone to hear. Make sure you check out this interview.

Of all the great articles in this issue, make sure you check out Chief Rich Rosell’s article “The Resurgence of the Marxist Threat in America.” Whether you agree or disagree with Chief Rosell’s position is not what’s most important. Instead, hearing how he lays out his argument and seeing how dangerous this is for law enforcement officers nationally is what’s critical that we all understand. Another excellent article is Managing Editor Joe Uliano’s “Columbine: Twenty Years Later and the Losing Battle.” Here, Uliano offers a solid argument that we must harden our schools to make them safe from potential active shooters. These are just a few of the many excellent articles in this issue. Every article is worthy of mentioning here. Therefore, dig and enjoy this magazine. There is so much information to share with you.

The summer of 2019 is quickly approaching. Are you making plans to spend quality time with your family and friends? Now is the time to start planning for a wonderful summer. In just a few short months the summer will be gone, but the memories made will last forever. Time is our most precious commodity. Enjoy!