Chief David Dorn's Life Mattered. The Bloody Cross: Tribute to Chief Dorn.

By: Kirk Lawless

On 23 June 2019 I watched the live-streamed death of Police Officer Michael Langsdorf, murdered in the line of duty because he was a cop doing his job. It broke my heart as I watched his blood pool beneath him and saw him take his last breath on the floor of a convenience store in North Saint Louis County.   I prayed I would never see such a thing again.

Exactly 345 days later, on June 2, 2020 at 2:30 a.m., I saw the exact same thing again, this time played out on the hard concrete of a Saint Louis City sidewalk, when retired St. Louis Metropolitan Police Captain and former Moline Acres Police Chief David Dorn was murdered while checking a friend’s pawnshop, as he often did when the burglar alarm went off.

Someone started recording right after Dave got shot.  A friend texted and the text read, “They just shot Dave!” I have many police friends and several are named Dave, so I made a phone call and learned that it was Dave Dorn, and there was a video of either the actual shooting or the aftermath of it. 

I found it.  I shouldn’t have watched it, but the “once a cop, always a cop” in me made me hit the play arrow and it started.  I did not expect the video to start with a brother cop’s face, a man I knew and considered a friend, as the first thing I saw. I stopped it and took a deep breath and started it again.

My heart has been broken on the job many times, and here it was about to be broken again. Oh yeah, there was audio as well.  Dave was lying on his back. His eyes wide open, arms out at his sides, like Jesus on the cross. His cellphone was in his left hand, the screen still lit.  Clutched in his right hand, in the shadows, up against the pawnshop building was his pistol.  My blood was boiling and I found myself once again, in a dark, dark place (where I spend quality time) and I was awash in rage.  Dave was not dead yet, although he was obviously dying.  Like Michael Langsdorf’s death scene, I could see Dave’s blood pooling beneath him.  He was fighting to stay alive and I could see him trying to catch his breath, the only movement was the short rising and falling of his chest, and the shifting of his eyes.  I wept.  I knew that by the time I was watching the video, our Heavenly father had already taken Dave home.  I was reminded of that because of one simple thing that stood out when I first hit play, his blood.

The scene was chaotic and still in motion, there was broken glass everywhere, on the street, on the sidewalk, on the stoop of the pawnshop, but there was the blood. There was plenty of blood.  This may sound odd, but hear me out. Even though I saw Dave’s blood flowing from beneath his body, I felt an immediate sense of calm and comfort that I have never felt before when I saw blood.  I’ve seen buckets of the stuff during a long career, blood of victims, blood of enemies, blood of friends, blood of other cops, some I knew, some I didn’t know, and I’ve even seen my own blood.  This time it was different. Dave’s blood, as it flowed from an unseen wound, began to fill the expansion joints in the sidewalk and as it crept further into the cracks and into the first “T’ and continued on its journey, it formed a cross.

That bloody cross soothed my mind for a minute and reminded me of why I became a cop.  It was probably why Dave became a cop and probably why most of us became cops.  We become cops because we are helpers and we were brought up to do the right thing and “being the cops” is a calling.

I was still pissed off that Dave had been murdered and that he had been murdered over televisions and whatever ill-gotten gains could be pilfered from a closed pawnshop! I though black lives mattered? Dave happened to be black, so explain that to me?

There were thieves coming in and out of the pawnshop, crunching across the shattered glass that was everywhere, the bandits screaming and yelling at each other. It was a like a Mad Hatter’s tea party, except with guns, looting and murder!

The person filming the death scene, whether he intended to do it or not, provided those with trained eyes plenty of intelligence that was ultimately seen by the homicide detectives of the SLMPD tasked with solving Dave’s murder.

I watched and re-watched the video, probably 50 times.  I listened to the commentary.  Whether it was real or bullshit, prayers, “Hang in there, OG!”

“Did somebody call an ambulance?” 

“Hang in there, OG. Help is on the way,” the faceless voice said to Dave, as he was still taking his last breaths. A little later he said,

“He gone. Rest in peace OG.”

The person filming scanned the crowd and started yelling, “Don’t go back in that store, cuz. Y’all  (expletive deleted) killed some old man over some TVs?  You just killed somebody’s granddaddy!”

He told some other folks who were with him, “Don’t let nobody back in that store”

I saw the faces in the crowd.  I haven’t heard the official word on who the suspected shooter was in relation to the faces I saw as the camera panned the crowd, but I’m pretty sure I picked the right guy. He got a little aggressive with the cameraman.  I couldn’t hear what he said but the cameraman’s response was, “What, you gonna pop me too, Cuz?”   The dreadlock wearing young man was wearing a black T-shirt with a Jamaican style and color graphic on the front.  He had a bandage on his left hand and I’d bet he had a handgun in his waistband beneath that shirt, as he was protective of it and it appeared to have some heft to it, given the position of his clothing. He was passively aggressive, but he looked as though he really wanted to get into that pawnshop, but was unsure if he should try, given the warning given to him by the cameraman and his friends.  My money is on him being the murderer.

Later in the video, someone placed a blue blanket over Dave, covering his face.  Appropriate that it was blue, but had it been placed there out of respect while the camera was not pointed in that direction, or was there another reason?  Thinking my mind might have been playing tricks on me, I watched the video again and again.  My mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. One minute Dave had his “Thumper” in his right hand, and the next as if by feat of prestidigitation, “Poof!” Dave’s pistol was gone!  So, not only did someone murder the man in cold blood, they stole his gun from him while he lay dying, or after he had died.  It takes a special kind of criminal to steal something from a dead or dying man’s hand.

So was the blanket just part of an act? What else did they steal from him, his watch, jewelry, badge and wallet?  There were way too many folks milling around gawking at Dave and the pawnshop and the entire scene, but there was plenty of video evidence.  We’ll hear the rest of the story further on down the road.  But, still I can’t stop seeing the cross of blood.  That’s OK. It serves as a reminder for all of us who are cops.  We are always cops and we are everywhere! On June 7th the SLMPD arrested Dave’s killer and several men captured on surveillance video from inside the pawnshop.

I noticed that Dave was wearing a police T-shirt while lay dying, emblazoned with the silhouette of blue policemen and the words, “Whose streets? Our streets!”

No doubt these were your streets, Captain Dave Dorn! You died protecting them. “That’s a good man, right there! Rest easy, brother.”

Must Reads for SWAT and Counter Terror Operators. Knowledge Will Save Your Life.

By: Ron Camacho

In 1905, famed philosopher, author, literary and cultural critic, George Santayana, warned us that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense. Scribner's, 1905: 284).

In short, Santayana’s message is simply to “Never Forget.” Indeed, these words have resounded through history to remind us of many human tragedies. They serve as a last bastion of preparedness and prevention; a bugle call to never let them happen again. Jews in the diaspora of Israel, and elsewhere, use the term to remember the unconscionable events of the Holocaust. Americans say them as reminders of the horrific 9/11 terror attacks. Drive around any neighborhood in the United States and you will still see this “call to arms” on flags, T-shirts, and car stickers, serving as a constant reminder to honor those who have died in attacks that are a blight on humanity. Unfortunately, we do forget. Maybe we haven’t yet forgotten the Holocaust or 9/11, but certainly many other attacks on schools, hospitals, and other civilian targets have faded into the recesses of our minds. Though we may have forgotten, the education, training, and knowledge of bellwether events are still there for law enforcement and security personnel to use. These exist in the writings and teachings of one man. These sources serve as reminders of all that have come before, and to help us be prepared for these incidents when they return. That person is author, terrorism expert and university professor Dr. John Giduck.

For those of us in law enforcement agencies and school and hospital security departments who are every day called upon to be ready to race into the worst hell imaginable to save our most innocent from all manner of threats, we must study the events history has given us. We cannot be condemned to repeat the mistakes of those who came before us; for if we do, our students, medical professionals and staff today are condemned to be added to the losses of the innocent victims of years past. But just what are those losses? In the Modern Era of Terrorism, which began in July 1968, schools, universities and hospitals the world over have been consistently targeted. And they have been targeted by more than just committed terrorists. In the US and other countries, we see more and more socially produced predators selecting them as targets, seeking to kill those found inside in the greatest possible numbers.

In his first book, Terror at Beslan, Dr. Giduck begins by offering us an in-depth understanding of terrorism and tactics. He skillfully uses an investigative “boots on the ground” method combined with an academic approach to document this horrific terror attack on a school in Russia, where Islamist terrorism uses targets as dress rehearsals for other nations. Yet, Beslan was not the first documented terror attack on a school. On May 15, 1974, in Ma’alot, Israel, Palestinian terrorists attacked a school, where they killed 26 hostages, 23 of whom were children. Those numbers paled in comparison with Beslan, which saw 314 teachers, parents, and children killed; 186 under the age of 18. In addition to being able to go onsite to the Ma’alot school with Israeli special forces, Giduck was able to gain access to the Beslan school in the immediate aftermath of the military rescue operation. He took eyewitness accounts of the siege, and was even able to interview Russian commandos who assaulted the school as well as review Russian government reports on the incident. Due to his ability to speak and read Russian, Giduck was able to do an in-depth examination of the attack and reconstruct what the terrorist plans were during the school takeover. This was not the first time terrorists in Russia used a hostage-siege as a tactic. In June 1995, Chechen terrorists stormed the city of Budyonovsk and ultimately took over a hospital for days, then repeated that attack at another hospital in the city of Kizlyar in January 1996. These were not just Chechen attacks, but Al-Qaeda planned and funded terror operations. Ask any American hospital administrator or director of security if he has ever heard of Budyonovsk or Kizlyar, or understands the significance these two cities have on the safety and security of our own facilities, and the answer will most likely be “no.” The death tolls at Budyonovsk and Kizlyar did not reach the levels at Beslan, however, as Giduck writes that “Beslan is where the terrorists perfected mass-hostage siege tactics.”

Terror at Beslan gets inside the minds of the terrorists, hostages, and rescue forces. It is a primer for all law enforcement and security personnel on what to expect during a terrorist-initiated school takeover. Not only did Giduck fervently write this informative book, he also conducted presentations and debriefings, that ranged 4 to 8 hours, for police officers, college and school staffs, safety officials and the military. In these debriefings, Giduck broke down the main points of what occurred at Beslan, often leaving his audience stunned while describing the horrifying actions that occurred before, during, and after the rescue attempt. In his many briefings, Giduck would tell audiences to imagine what would occur in the United States if an elementary school were seized and over 300 people, of whom 200 were children, were killed. Giduck said, “Life as we know it would never be the same. Parents would refuse to send their kids to school.”

Dave Acosta, a national authority on school shootings and author of the book Victims No More! wrote this about Terror at Beslan: “It chronicled the events of the world’s worst school shooting. John pleaded for us to be vigilant, to acknowledge that something like this can happen here in the US. It inspired me to work hard to find a solution that would save lives.”

This is not the last time Giduck would share his extensive knowledge on the subject of school shootings or terrorist tactics.

After the November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, India, Giduck and retired Chester, PA Police Chief Joe Bail traveled there to dissect this tragic, yet important event. The terrorists had evolved their methods and the results showed that a small group of well-armed militants was able to paralyze a city and hold it hostage for four days, killing 174 and wounding more than 300. Giduck and Bail were able to walk the grounds of the multiple bloody attack sites, take pictures and examine them with a critical eye. They were looking at the sites from the terrorists’ point of view with the goal of intimately accessing the attackers’ mindset. For many in the West, this would be their introduction to the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Army of the Righteous, but for the Indian Security Forces this was a well-known, active, and deadly enemy, one that had also partnered with Al Qaeda. As with the Chechens and Beslan, this attack was their announcement to the world that they had joined the global jihad. Once again, due to his reputation and contacts, Dr. Giduck was able to secure interviews with Indian special forces commanders who executed rescue operations. The information gleaned by his onsite examinations, along with the various interviews that were conducted, were then organized and put into an excellent, detailed, presentation. This training was used to educate the same audiences (law enforcement, security, and military) along with additional hospital, hotel and railway personnel, since these attacks exposed vulnerabilities in all aforementioned fields.

The extensive research Giduck and his teams conducted at Beslan, Mumbai, and other terror events across the world led to him developing a clear picture of terrorist methodology, particularly regarding the tactic of mass-hostage sieges. All of that work was provided to us in detail in his book When Terror Returns.

When Terror Returns is like having the NFL playbook of the opposing team. The book gives the reader a complete understanding of what actually goes on in the mind of a terrorist, particularly when engaged in mass-hostage siege attacks. When Terror Returns clearly demonstrates terrorist methodology, tactics, and strategy for taking over schools, universities, hospitals, hotels, malls or any combination of the listed locations. Giduck recognized and reported on the Six-Phase Mass Hostage Siege Model to describe, step by step, what the terrorists’ actions are and how the first responders and rescue forces can identify these activities. If first responders can recognize that a mass-hostage siege is taking place, they can quickly take steps to mitigate it, albeit a difficult task. Speed and forceful actions are a necessity due to the terrorist tactic of asking to negotiate while they continually fortify their positions. The terrorists’ secrets are in the book to be discovered, and every American responsible for the safety of others should read it and apply the collected and codified lessons within it.

Famed speaker, trainer and bestselling author of On Killing and On Combat, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, has regularly called Dr. John Giduck a “national treasure.” In commenting on When Terror Returns, he wrote:

“When Terror Returns is the masterpiece of one of the great warrior scholars of our time. John Giduck has established himself as ‘the’ irrefutable world expert on the brutal and horrific Beslan school siege in Russia. Now he has applied his skills to inform and forewarn us, with a tour de force of the evolution of terrorist mass-hostage siege tactics in the Modern Era of Terrorism.”

Validating Dr. Giduck’s information and predictive modeling is the most recent in-depth research on the efficacy of the presence of police and armed security in those facilities that are prolific targets. In 2019, one of Dr. Giduck’s master’s students, Molly Jeffress, conducted an exhaustive analysis of all 297 mass shootings or attempts on US schools between 1996 and 2018. Titled, “Examining the Deterrent Effect of Armed Police and Security in Schools: An Analysis of the Circumstances Surrounding the Decisions by Students and Adults to Commit Mass Attacks on Schools in the US from 1996 to 2018,” this unprecedented research effort by Ms. Jeffress concluded that schools without SROs or armed security were 465 times more likely to be targeted for mass shootings than those with such a security presence. This reality can be applied to hospitals as well, yet another common target for terrorists and social predators. Such data add to the aggregate information that we must all be aware of, that we must commit to our knowledge, that must inform our training and, most of all, that we must “Never Forget”!

Colonel Grossman has also consistently offered a message that resonates with Santayana: “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior”. By accessing Giduck’s study and analysis of decades of terror attacks, and studying the evolution of their tactics, targets and victims, we can be prepared for what is yet to come.

Molly Jeffress’ original research paper, or a summary of it, can be obtained by contacting her at: joyntm@hotmail.com.

E-copies of Dr. Giduck’s books, which include Terror at Beslan, When Terror Returns, and Shooter Down: The Dramatic, Untold Story of the Police Response to the Virginia Tech Massacre, can be found on Amazon.com. Hard copies can be obtained by writing to info2@circon.org.

Chief Ron Camacho is an accomplished law enforcement executive who spent time as an advisor in Afghanistan and Mexico. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, has a master’s in criminal justice from Liberty University, and is the chief of the Chambersburg Pennsylvania Police Department. He is the owner of Camacho Consulting LLC, a leadership and management training company.

Breonna Taylor Was Not The Target Of Racial Injustice. Confronting the Fallout.

By: Deon Joseph

This may anger many, but I’m a man of integrity. The truth is not popular in today’s times. It’s not welcome. It’s considered insensitive, rude and condescending. It’s sexist, misogynistic, judgmental and even racist as stated by some I’ve talked with. 

When a society gets to that point where facts don’t matter, when emotions outweigh reason, when the truth is considered a thing of evil, when waiting for all facts is considered being neutral in a moment of importance, that usually signifies the beginning of the end of civility, accountability and sanity. It is the harbinger for a world where ambulance-chasing attorneys, political figures and twisted people with ulterior motives become the puppet masters of us all. 

Yes I’m an honest man, but I also have a heart. I have compassion. So before I go further, I want to say Rest in Peace to Breonna Taylor. I pray for comfort for her family. No, she did not deserve to die. I mean that from the bottom of my soul. My prayers are with her family. 

With that, I still must say what needs to be said. 

Everything we were told about this incident was a lie. There is no need to go over the facts again. We have to confront the fallout now. 

We all have been played by overzealous and irresponsible reporting by some members of the media, social justice warriors, politicians, social media trolls, professional athletes, celebrities and influencers. 

Taylor was not a target of racial injustice.  She was an unfortunate and tragic casualty of crossfire as two police officers defended themselves against an immediate threat of serious injury or death after one of them was shot. That’s literally the crux of the story. 

How it went from that to what we have been led to believe speaks volumes to how badly we all, Black, white, gay, straight, cop, community, liberals, conservatives are being grossly manipulated and exploited. Someone, some group wants us to tear each other apart. 

We are all being pitted against each other for ratings, and a movement disguised as a movement of love and peace, that has driven us farther apart than I’ve seen in my lifetime. We have been used and spun up so badly, that lies and the animosity that comes with them is more acceptable and desired that what’s real. We have become addicted to gossip and outrage. 

As a cop, I do not mind scrutiny. I do not mind being held to a higher standard. I understand what I do affects people’s lives and freedoms which warrant those standards. 

Yet, when we see the damage from faulty and sensational reporting of these incidents and when we see our nation imploding from a rush for more eyeballs and ears, shouldn’t we be holding American media more accountable as well? When our journalists become activists, and embrace “the ends justify the means” strategy in their own personal efforts for social justice, justice, peace, civility and all the things they claim to desire from their actions erode away. Even they won’t be able to live safely in the world they are trying to create. 

We all have to do better. We all must be better. I and thousands of officers have accepted the challenge of being better public servants. We are better than we were 10, 20, 30 years ago. But as long as human beings wear a badge, someone is going to disappoint us all. Unfortunately our aforementioned detractors literally cannot wait for one of us to have a human moment to push their varied agendas and stereotypes of any group they deem the enemy of their personal crusades. But just like us, some in our media must be better, and report the facts as they come, and not try to guide people to a thought against anyone or group, no matter their skin color or profession. Because not doing so is literally killing and maiming people. 

Our communities must do better by waiting for facts to come out and thinking more critically, as many are extremely intelligent, but in the age of instant gratification, have become intellectually lazy. I can’t judge you for that. Even I have been guilty of that. I try to fight it with every fiber of my being. 

Our activists and community leaders have to be better, and stop exploiting marginalized groups for notoriety or for your personal vision of justice that breeds more injustice. Sit down with what you fear. You may just learn they want the same thing when you stop dehumanizing them. 

If this doesn’t change soon, we will lose each other. We will lose our humanity. We will lose our decency and any chance at brother and sisterhood in this nation. 

I pray you will not be angry with me. I’m at peace with speaking my heart, and am not afraid of losing friends for speaking the truth. True friends don’t lie to friends, even if it hurts. 

I consider myself a friend.

God bless.

REDCON1: The Murph Challenge. Honoring Fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy.

By Bernard B. Kerik

The coronavirus may have shut down events and activities throughout the country, but it didn’t stop our veterans and first responders from participating in The Murph Challenge – an annual event that honors fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy who died during a mission in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

The Murph Challenge is more than an intense workout, which consists of a 1-mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and another mile run to finish out the workout – it’s meant to push participants to their physical limits to honor the memory of Lt. Murphy.

In 2005, Lt. Murphy was in charge of a 4-man SEAL Team in support of Operation Red Wings, a mission tasked with finding a key anti-coalition commander in Afghanistan. After being spotted by goat herders, a fierce gun battle ensued with Taliban fighters. Despite suffering very serious gunshot wounds, Lt. Murphy risked his life to save the lives of his teammates and fellow SEAL Team members.

Knowing that backup was needed, Lt. Murphy risked his life by going back into enemy fire in order to get better reception in his call for assistance. In pain and suffering from grave wounds, Lt. Murphy calmly provided his unit’s location and the number of enemy fighters. Returning to a safer position, he continued fighting, even saving the life of a teammate before he was killed.

For his brave and selfless actions, Lt. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007.

Since The Murph Challenge began in 2012, they have raised more than $1 million for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation and Murph Navy Seal Museum in New York.

This year, The Murph Challenge teamed up with Florida-based REDCON1, the nation’s fastest-growing supplement company in history. And despite 90-degree heat and high humidity, participants packed the parking lot of the REDCON1 Gym – home to this year’s event.

Founded by industry expert and entrepreneur Aaron Singerman, REDCON1 literally means the highest state of readiness. Whether a soccer mom, active duty military, a veteran, first responder or a body builder, REDCON1 reaches and serves a diverse clientele.

And 38 percent of their customers nationwide are military, veterans, police and paramedics – heroes who keep us safe and protect us from danger.

Today, REDCON1 is sold in over 80 countries, online direct and at major retailers such as Vitamin Shoppe, Dick’s Sporting Goods, GNC and at military exchanges and commissaries. The products have won the Vitamin Shoppe brand of the year, Stacked 3D Brand of the year two years in a row and bodybuilding.com’s fan-favorite brand.

But REDCON1 is more than just a supplement company. They are on a mission to serve those who serve us. It’s why during the pandemic, they kept their gym open for local police and first responders – and free of charge. In June, Singerman donated 20,000 protein bars to South Florida hospitals and local law enforcement.

And on the REDCON1 website, they offer a special discount to military, first responders and active or retired law enforcement for all REDCON1 apparel and products.

Last month, the REDCON1 Foundation paid the mortgage of Marine veteran Courtney Brown, who lost his job and tested positive for COVID-19 after buying his first house with his wife. Fox News host Shannon Bream honored the foundation for their work in assisting the Brown family in her regular Midnight Hero segment.

But that’s not all, every day, and out of the news headlines, Aaron Singerman and his REDCON1 team quietly serve the local first responder and law enforcement community – not for headlines – but because it’s the right thing to do.

During these challenging and unprecedented times, the first responder and law enforcement community should know this – the REDCON1 family is grateful for the work that you do and the sacrifices that you make to keep us safe.

Trump: The President We Need. He Fights For Us, Let's Fight for Him.

BREAKING NEWS;

Countless Police Unions across the country are endorsing Donald Trump for re-election. Love him or hate him, Donald J. Trump is certainly a phenomenon. Have you ever seen a United States president who draws crowds like a rock star? His detractors call his followers a “cult’ in an attempt to diminish his role, and what he means to the American people. Hated by the left, simply because there’s an R after his name, and hated by politicians on both sides of the aisle in 2016 because he wasn’t one of them. Trump is truly a man of the people who speaks in the vernacular, and doesn’t rely on focus groups to answer a question.

Here’s an NYC businessman that came out of nowhere as he came down the escalator with his beautiful, “urbane” wife, Melania. Trump’s been called a fool, a dummy, and more recently, a clown by Joe Biden in the first presidential debate. Sounds like juvenile name calling when someone gets beat at their own game and can’t make a solid argument to counter his successes. In 2016, Trump totally rolled over a dozen Republican candidates in the presidential primaries. This in itself infuriated the powerful GOP who couldn’t understand how someone who never even ran for dog catcher, outmaneuvered them. Donald Trump then beat the polls and beat the DNC anointed one, rattling political circles around the world. The crushing defeat made Hillary an extremely angry and vindictive foe; hence, the phony “Steele dossier” to frame our great president, while it was she who was actually colluding with the Russians. The powerful Democratic Party was in shambles it seemed, as millions of progressives across the country crumbled in self-destructive agony. Countless politicians, Hollywood celebrities and late-night talk show hosts that guaranteed his defeat at the hands of Hillary were now “eating crow.” What an amazing American success story!

So how did this man do it? He had a simple message; Make America Great Again! Republicans, along with other conservatives, and so many in the military and law enforcement from both parties, viewed the Obama administration as weak, and Trump new it. Obama, once elected, went on his “apology tour” and even bowed to the Saudi king. “Fast and Furious” was a disaster and got many people killed, including a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. Obama drew the famous “Red Line” in Syria, that the Syrians laughed at. Iran captured one of our Navy vessels in the Gulf of Oman, and Obama had his then-Secretary of State John Kerry apologize to the Iranians. Obama was feckless against ISIS while calling them a “JV” team, and made our military look weak. However, the weakest time in Obama’s presidency was his, and Hillary’s, inaction in Benghazi on 9/11/12. Joe Biden? He was even weaker than Obama while in the situation room, he advised his boss against the Osama bin Laden raid executed by our Navy SEALS. Making matters worse, Biden later “outed” SEAL Team 6 on national TV, putting an al Qaida target on their backs. Every past president I can think of would’ve given the green light to take out the architect of 9/11, except for Joe.

Barack Obama had absolutely no love for law enforcement and seemed to throw us under the bus at every turn. Under Obama’s watch, five police officers in Dallas were gunned down during riots there; does anybody really think that Biden will support us any better? Democrat politicians constantly told police officers in our cities to stand down and give the rioters some room, thereby tying the hands of our police and destroying morale across the country. Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Florida by a neighborhood watchman and somehow Democrats made villains of police officers as a result. Congressional Democrats stood up with their hands raised pushing the phony “Hands up, don’t shoot” narrative in Ferguson. Juxtapose Obama-Biden shortcomings with the successes of the Trump Administration and the choice is clear this election cycle.

Trump rebuilt the military, defeated ISIS, and took out their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Only small remnants of the Caliphate are left, mostly in Africa).

Trump ordered the strike that took out the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was described by many as a global terrorist.

Trump stands up for our Second Amendment, where Biden and “The Squad” want to take away our guns. In the wake of the BLM/Antifa riots, by the way, law-abiding citizens are purchasing guns in record numbers.

Trump stands with law enforcement, and over the next 4 years will help us restore our honor. Biden will only be a puppet of the left, and allow Democrats pulling the strings to continue their demonization of our great American institutions.

And judges? Liberal judges are killing us all across America! Trump needs four more years to appoint more conservative judges that follow the constitution and not “legislate” from the bench! He’s appointed over 170 so far.

We, LEOs across the country, are a big voting block and also have the ability to influence many voters around us. Whether family, friends, or anyone else who will listen, drive home the need to VOTE REPUBLICAN across the board as we all need to fight against the liberal agenda and sanctuary cities. We need stricter gun laws and harsher sentences for people who use guns during the commission of a crime. We need to take back the House and retire many anti-cop Democrats who continue to spread hate and fallacies about what we do and who we are.

Did you know that President Trump wants the death penalty for cop killers? I’m definitely on board with that! Do you know that he brought back the program giving us surplus military equipment that Obama quashed, in order to keep us safer? He released over $600 million in equipment since bringing back the program, and is spending $29 million on training for us to use it efficiently.

The Democrat/socialist anti-police rhetoric is over the top! Bernie Sanders told a black audience to “respect police officers during a motor vehicle stop, so you don’t get shot in the back of the head.” WTF? And Joe Biden told a black girl recently, that, “Cops don’t pull over white girls” so they have nothing to fear. Did this guy miss his medication or something? We’ve been pulling over “lead footed” white girls for years!

I truly believe that after November 3rd, Donald J. Trump will continue to help us even more, with no concern any longer of re-election. Trump, like us, doesn’t see black and white, only right and wrong. And please give him the Senate and House, to help him, help America. Stay safe!

Pat Ciser is a retired lieutenant from the Clifton Police Department, and a 7th Degree Black Belt. He was a member of 5 U.S. Karate Teams, winning gold medals in South America and Europe. He is the Author of BUDO and the BADGE; Exploits of a Jersey Cop (BN.com/Amazon), and is a guest writer for Official Karate Magazine.

GONE TO SOON: REMEMBRANCE OF HENDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RYAN HENDRIX.

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Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Hendrix
Article & Artwork by Jonny Castro

On September 10th, Henderson County (North Carolina) Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Hendrix responded to a 911 call for a vehicle break in. The owner of car stated that he exchanged gunfire with the suspect when he caught him inside of his vehicle. As deputies arrived on location and confronted the gunman (who had retreated across the street and had broken into a truck), he opened fire striking Deputy Hendrix in his face. The other deputies returned fire killing the suspect. Deputy Hendrix was rushed to nearby Mission Hospital but was unable to be saved. The wounded deputy was kept alive so his organs could be harvested for donation. From a friend: “It was only the second time in Mission Hospital’s history that every organ from an individual was able to be donated; some will be going to children. If God has a plan, it might make the slightest bit of sense that his life saved numerous children. Ryan would’ve loved that.”

Helping Our Youth Understand Law Enforcement. An Argument For Community Policing.

By: Michael D. Boll

After retirement, I really had no interest in continuing a career in law enforcement.  For the first time in my life, I took some time off and began focusing the majority of my time on building up the New Jersey Veterans Network and its racing team, The Operation Rebound Racing Team.  Unfortunately, I needed to pay off bills and began to look for a new career.  I sent out my resume and started going on some really boring job interviews. At first, there really weren’t too many opportunities that I wanted to pursue as a second career.  Since I always wanted to work in a school and loved coaching sports, I decided to accept a job as a school resource officer at Mendham High School.

Almost immediately I was able to work with both the Mendham Borough Police Department and the school administration with implementing a school-based community policing program.  Our community policing programs, along with a series of town-wide events, immediately became successful because of the collaboration between the police department and the school administration.

Since starting this partnership, the NJVN has been able to work with administration, staff, and students in various classes and events.  We started by teaching classes on New Jersey Criminal Law, including the topics “How to act properly during a motor vehicle stop,” DWI/DUI, and “What it’s like to be a police officer/veteran.”  Things didn’t stop there.  We hosted a “Feed the Hero” veterans’ ceremony and dinner, participated in the Relay for Life, established a “Veterans’ Day of Beauty” for disabled female veterans, and recently hosted a “9-11 Ceremony and Ruck March.”  The ruck march was a huge success, involving over 500 student participants.  At this event, we honored and paid tribute to our fallen first responders and those civilians we lost on that tragic day.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 and all the recent social change protests have really made things difficult for our community policing programs, but we are determined to develop safe and appropriate programs despite the challenges put before us.  During the summer we met with stakeholders and began troubleshooting ideas.  Looking ahead, we decided to work alongside students to pool resources and gain better perspectives from all sides of these issues.

Even during these harsh and difficult times, it’s amazing seeing our youth come together and want to make real positive changes.  Mendham High School has always supported our efforts and has shown nothing but great respect for our first responders and military.  This year we are planning on having “real talk” discussions with speakers from all different walks of life. These speaking events are extremely important in helping to educate young people about issues of diversity and inclusion and crucial for building a strong bridge between law enforcement and the student body.

Even though the student body of Mendham High School is not very diverse, they make huge efforts to learn things from different cultures and religions.  Exposing students to different beliefs and the implementation of programs that reflect a diverse curriculum will have a huge impact on their future.  In today’s climate, these efforts are necessary for people to develop a greater sense of empathy and build a better understanding of one another.

I am fortunate to be able to play a role in the school’s community policing program and I am glad to see the positive results that have come from this partnership.  As a police officer, I see both the negative and positive changes that are upon us as a community and as a nation.  Some things we have no control over, but one thing that I do know is, helping our youth understand law enforcement in a positive light will certainly carry over and affect positive outcomes for their future.  Community policing is one of the most powerful tools for law enforcement, and using it to teach our youth will be extremely effective in building a bridge between law enforcement and our younger generation.

Help us save Vets!

Michael D. Boll
NJVN President

BLUE MAGAZINE NATIONAL PASTOR CHRIS AMOS SPEAKS OUT. WHEN RIGHT IS WRONG AND WRONG IS RIGHT.

By: Chris Amos

As we approach a national election and the end the most tumultuous year I have ever witnessed, I’d like to provide, as a retired police officer and current pastor/police chaplain, a perspective that you may not have heard before. I pray that having done so you might find a little encouragement and hope. But first I want to remind you that what you are doing each and every day matters more than you could possibly know. You are appreciated and supported by what I believe to be the vast majority of people. And most importantly, you are not alone in this fight, but I digress.

You are seeing a spiritual blindness and the chaotic, destructive, and absolutely idiotic fruit of that blindness on an epic level. I lack words to properly describe the organized opposition to and war against law enforcement, and by extension our civil society in general. This opposition has come not simply from the criminals on the street who have always opposed law and order, but now they are joined by our political and civic leaders and academia elites, among many others. Behaviors that were widely criticized and discouraged a year ago are now being encouraged by many of our “leaders.” In fact, funds are being raised to bond out those responsible for riots, looting, arson, vandalism and assaults against LEOs. Famous athletes, actors, politicians, professors and even pastors are championing the causes of not only peaceful protesters, but with equal zeal, the criminals of whom I spoke. While at the same time these people are attacking law enforcement officers on every front. The irony is these are the same people who are the loudest to decry the unfairness of lumping them together with the few “bad apples” in their respective professions. Yet they have no hesitation or regret while doing this very thing to law enforcement officers. Hypocrites on the grandest of scales! The Bible tells us in Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

King David faced opposition much of his life. As he looked back over the span of his life, he penned the words to the 37th Psalm. David wrote this as an old man, reflecting on what he had seen and experienced. Speaking of those who had unjustly attacked him, David wrote in verses 12-13, “The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.” We’ve seen a lot of plotting and the gnashing of teeth lately against LEOs. Just think of those deputies ambushed in CA. and the idiots who stood outside the emergency room chanting for their deaths. But then David continues in verse 13, “The Lord LAUGHS at him, For He sees that his day is coming.”  Friends, let that sink in for a second, “The Lord LAUGHS at him, For He sees that his day is coming.”

It may seem that chaos rules the day. Police officers are being unjustly charged, criminals hailed as heroes, departments defunded, even in some cases eliminated (we’ll see how well that works for them), and on I can go. And yet as this happens “The LORD laughs.” Not at the innocent men and women, young and old being impacted by the chaos but at those perpetuating the chaos, those stoking the fires, those fanning the flames, those seeking to “blow up the whole system.” God laughs because He knows their days are numbered.

David continues in his Psalm in verses 14-15, “The wicked have drawn the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.” Their wicked words inevitably turned to wicked actions, you see that every day. And yet David tells us God turned the very weapons the wicked had used to attack David on themselves. David stood across a field of battle from the giant Goliath. David would in short order kill Goliath and cut off Goliath’s head WITH Goliath’s sword [1 Samuel 17:51]. Later, David was attacked by King Saul, David’s only crime was that of loyally supporting the King. King Saul’s life ended as he fell on HIS OWN sword in battle [1 Samuel 31:4]. Haman made a gallows on which he would kill his hated enemy, the Jew Mordecai. Haman ended up being killed on the gallows HE HAD BUILT [Esther 7:10]. Mordecai was promoted to Haman’s now-vacant position.

Friends, things are not well. In fact I suspect they will grow even worse. But we can rest assured God is still on the Throne, He is in control. And when the moment is right He will act. Those who stand against Him will face destruction and death on a scale unlike anything mankind has ever seen. Our challenge, our call, our duty today is to put our very lives and trust in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ and then carry out our lives in a way that is just, righteous, and noble. Difficult days lie ahead, but as one cancer survivor once said, “It’s just today, not forever.” Friends, in Jesus we can and will overcome the evil one of this world. Of this we can be sure. I’ve staked my very life on it, and Jesus as never failed me, nor will He you.  See you at the finish line!

Five Keys to Beating the Quarantine-15! Kick The Extra 15 Pounds Now.

By Sgt. Kal “The Fitness Coach” Chipepo

“Netflix and Chill!”

The popular solution was all too common in March as a means of dealing with the shutdown due to COVID-19.

Fast forward seven months later and we’re seeing the results of all that chilling out in the form of weight gain. The average person has managed to put on about 15lbs, which has led to the tagging of the term, “Quarantine-15.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life as we know it, the extra pounds do not have to be here to stay. Weight loss has always been an elusive goal. A goal some people are tired of attempting. Some don’t know what it entails; some have no motivation, while others have simply thrown in the towel. Below, I share a framework of five steps you must follow in order to realize success at beating the Quarantine-15! The pandemic is projected to be with us well into next year, so now is a great time to get started.

1)     Decide to Change – Stop Procrastinating. Making a decision to change is one of the hardest things you can do because it entails disrupting routines, and we all know how we hate for our comfort zones to be disturbed. But, at some point you have get so fed up with your current situation that it triggers the want into a need. Once this threshold is met you are primed and ready to act.

2)     Get Active – Lace up your sneakers and go for a 20-minute walk, a hike or a quick bike ride. The goal is to demolish the dreaded first day of exercise. A lot of fitness businesses and professionals have pivoted their business models to offer online training and classes in the wake of the pandemic. So do the same, rethink your living space into your workout area. Plan your week with calorie-burning activities that you actually like. If the Barre Fitness Workout doesn’t do it for you, then find something that does. Whether it’s hitting the gym, doing yard work, or cleaning the house, calories are being burned in the process so give yourself credit. Aim to do at least 40-60 minutes total of exercise daily. 

3)     Adjust Your Eating – You will never be able to win at losing weight without modifying the food you eat. In order to prevent feeling overwhelmed by trying to make too many changes, focus on changing one thing at a time. If it’s reducing fast food this week, then that’s good. If you want focus on eliminating sweets next week, then write it on the calendar. Small changes lead to lasting changes. One of the best ways to start is by preparing your meals in advance. This added structure to your routine will eliminate unintentional eating, and allow you to monitor how many calories you’re consuming on a daily basis.

4)     Invest in Support – You don’t have to go it alone – and you shouldn’t. Make an appointment to sit down with a nutritionist, hire a Certified Personal Trainer and/or join group fitness classes. Not to mention, how about that yearly physical, prostate check, and stress level? According to the CDC, a whopping 94% of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying conditions. So the more you can build out your “Wellness Team” the more the journey toward reaching your fitness goals will become more manageable. As first responders we have great benefits - put them to work!

5)     Be Patient – This cannot be stressed enough. In a world where everything seems to get faster, more powerful, and efficient, etc. Effective weight loss takes time. If it took you seven months to add the Quarantine-15, then give yourself seven months to work on removing it. When done correctly a person should see 1-2 lbs come off per week.

At the end of the day, it is a fight for territory and the extra pounds are not going to go willingly. Each week, ask yourself, “What small change am I willing to make?” With each positive choice there will be a positive outcome. 

It is within this framework that the Quarantine-15 demise will be realized. Scheduling time to break a sweat, setting time aside to prepare your meals, seeking guidance along the way, and patience all amounts to an effective strategy to be successful. Keep in mind that there are a lot of fad diets out there. Although some can get you great short-term results, long-term results involve healthy habits practiced on a daily basis.

If you should have any questions feel free to contact me at coachkal@motivate1fitness.com

By Sgt. Kal “The Fitness Coach” Chipepo, MBA, ACE-CPT, ACSM-CPT, CI-LFP
Montclair State University Police Department

Road Sign: Judgers Ahead: How to Stay A Step Ahead Mentally.

By Anthony Mikatarian

Mark Twain once said: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

Lao Tzu once said: “He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”

These are some of the positive quotes that resonate the fact that who you surround yourself with will both influence who you are and will reflect to others who you are as an individual. It's a constant life struggle finding pure and beneficial relationships that will be your foundation for a fruitful life and a sound wellbeing.  Conversely, surrounding yourself consciously or subconsciously with people who are disruptive and harmful can and probably will destroy your mind, spirit and even your physical health. This may also create a negative ripple effect extending into other areas of your personal and professional lives. Navigating this interpersonal road both professionally and personally is not easy and you will at times get burned. However, as you mature and experience life, you get better at it.

With this said, I want to focus in on those relationships and environments you find yourself engaged in that make you feel constantly uneasy and chronically judged, which is either said to your face or the very common behind your back.

Generally, these feelings are connected to the unfortunate societal backdrop of being excessively exposed to deceitful and purposely harmful judgers, which will happen in our lives. A chronic exposure to these masters of facades, who will come to you both personally and professionally, can be quite detrimental to your mind, soul and physical health in the long run. Unfortunately, you will experience these unsavory judgers throughout your life. Their mission is to have you feeling unclear and unsure about yourself. They want your head spinning with doubt, fear of failure, insecurity, non-worthiness and other negative tones. They want to crack your proud foundation. They present themselves with a lot of gray in order to muddy your perception on how you can correctly act in order to feel admired, appreciated and accepted by them. This constant judging behavior I’ve found can be fueled by their own insecurities, hatred, jealousy, dirty tactics against peers, ignorance, narcissism, sick gratification and/or other misguided motivators.

These frauds set up illusions for you to believe that you are on the right path, while all along purposely sabotaging you along the way by feeding you lies about goals for yourself, which they know are really meant to be unachievable or when you are close to achieving that goal, they alter that goal for you to start all over again to keep you in perpetual limbo. They might even calculate sending you mixed signals to keep you frustrated and guessing. They also may perhaps utilize the beloved dangling carrot tactic of promised reward to string you along.

It is quite easy to first buy into these masters of selling unrealistic promises, goals and rewards, but it is important to recognize them, so you can defend against putting yourself in a vulnerable and exploited state.

There are many lurking judgers out there looking for the vulnerable targets to sell them the counterfeit promises of reward to harm them, control them and to use them for their solely selfish benefit. There are some narcissists and egomaniacs, who do this because they love the feeling of power and delusional self importance. Then there are those attention seekers who constantly judge the good and bad in you in a weird attempt to win over your attention. Don't forget about the insecure and threatened ones, who utilize this in order to break you down.

It is my belief that chronic judging behavior is generally motivated from extreme self-centeredness. Everyone is at some degree self-centered, which is natural. You as a reasonable person must conclusively gauge within your own consciousness the acceptable level of self-centeredness. This is a common sense approach based on our life experiences. When you decipher who the chronic unreasonable judger is, you don't ask "What am I doing wrong?" you really ask "What is wrong with the judger?" When that is answered, then gravitate toward those who share the same level of treatment and concern for others as you do. If you are forced to be around the judgers who negatively infringe on your wellbeing, develop a selective ear and limit your exposure to them as best you can. This can be tricky in a work environment filled with peers, subordinates, supervisors and administrative authorities, who can be notorious chronic judgers. You can't regulate all the judging noise, but you can control the amount of reasonable noise you let in that you feel will benefit your time, improve you and nurture your well being. Especially, in our profession practically all become judgers of each other. Just remember who it is coming from, why it's coming, what their true intentions are and if it has any valued substance to it.

Always stay a step ahead mentally.

Stay strong and God Bless...

Exclusive interview with America's Mayor: Rudy Giuliani - An uncensored and hard hitting commentary of the times

Regardless of your politics, you must admit Mayor Rudy Giuliani was accountable for his actions. He turned New York City into the safest large city in the world. His leadership in the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11 was unmatched because he understood the leadership rule of accountability.

Meanwhile, in our current American cities, crime is skyrocketing, including New York City, where De Blasio's leadership has been a cataclysmic failure to the point Manhattan is becoming unrecognizable. Mayor Giuliani restored safety and security to New York City, Mayor Bloomberg continued it, and Mayor De Blasio destroyed it. But New York City is not an anomaly.

De Blasio and other failed leaders like Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, to name a few, are seemingly not accountable for anything and are quick to place blame on others. These failed so-called leaders turn a blind eye on all the violence, including the increased assaults on cops, while claiming to act in pursuit of justice. Imagine if these leaders were like Mayor Giuliani and were accountable for their successes and failures under their watch.

Accountability will save America.

The Blue Magazine: So let's talk a little bit about our current climate for law enforcement. Police stations are being overrun by violent criminals with the police actually retreating. In many cities, we see a lot of de-policing because the politicians don't have the police officers’ backs and they know that they're one second away from being fired or even thrown in jail. So, in the long view, what does this sort of tolerance of crime mean for law enforcement's ability to police in the future for our communities?

Giuliani: What’s going on now is disastrous for law enforcement. It’s the worst I've ever seen. Nothing compares to what's happening right now and I don't think that many of the people who either aren’t upset about it or support it realize the damage they're doing — not just to police and law enforcement but also to society. This is sending a message of lawlessness. And since we are now in the internet, television internet age, I’ll give you an example, when the little boy who is the mayor of Minneapolis, I forget his name, he looks like he's about 12 years old and acts like he's about six, and when he let the rioters take over the precinct and ordered the police officers to run out, I think that blew the whole thing. I think the people that are inclined to take a protest and turn it into a riot (and are professionals at it trained to do that by Marxists), when they saw that they said, OK, this is the opportunity we've been waiting for, we've been training for this for three or four years, we tried to turn a couple of these others into massive riots, if every other police organization acts like Minneapolis, then we can just run right over them, boom.

Within days, they were in every city, within days they were doing coordinated riots… They came right up Madison Avenue, ripped out maybe, one or two stores a block and then a little further downtown, they took as much as two million dollars in Rolexes. So, this is not your rioter of the ‘60s, the ‘70s. The basic rioter now is a middle-class, upper middle-class, black or white. In some cases, more whites than blacks. In New York, everyone that I've seen firsthand were either equal white and black or if anything, more white than black. These are people that are making a political point. They hate America. They want to destroy America. They want to replace it with a socialist oligarchy dictatorship.

Black Lives Matter is not some kind of civil rights group and it's being treated that way. They are, to the American big businessman, they look like a civil rights group and the typical Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton shakedown operation, give me two million and you'll be safe. Look at all the money they got from all the big companies. Look at the commissioner of football bending his knee. The only thing I could say to my good friends in the law enforcement who I love… always follow who… they're not just after you, they're after us. They're after us, meaning they’re after our families. They don't want us to have nuclear families. They think it's much better if the wife is out working and the kid is in home care. What right is it theirs to decide that? That’s what socialist government does. They believe they have to get reparations. Every black is going to get money for the rest of his life, for no reason, other than being black, doesn't even have to have a slave background just gets money, and everybody that's not black has to pay, even though you had nothing to do with slavery. So, they’re going to get supported for the rest of their lives. Nobody else is. Now you've already kind of bastardized socialism into what always happens. Some people are more socialist than others, meaning socialism raises more rich people than capitalism except they never quite raise middle class people because they suck the blood out of the poor. Then, they want to do away with our private schools. No more Catholic schools. No more Jewish schools. No more… no more private schools for the poor or the rich. They want to have government ownership of property so they can pass it around to whoever they want to have it. They want to do away with police, so everybody thinks they just heard disbanding the police. It was new, spontaneous. They’ve been writing about this for five years, how they're going to disband the police. They even have alternatives. They’re going to appoint their own people, like the kinds who run around the autonomous zone with AK-47s and appoint goons. It’ll be like the mafia, control some place, and that’s just a little bit of it. We’re in for a big fight.

So, what do you do if you’re mayor now with these unruly mobs and all this violence? de Blasio's not doing anything.

I feel bad that I wasn’t mayor because I thought if in New York and I didn't give up the precinct and I drove them back decisively, it might have given courage to other mayors, not the worst Democrats but a lot of other mayors and police commissioners would have realized, hey, if we’re supported in New York, you know, we could always be supported elsewhere, and we'd be giving the president some backing and somebody he can point to say, hey you know, a mayor can do it.

I reduced crime in New York between 60 and 65 percent and homicides 60% and I did it when nobody thought I could. I took New York City from the most dangerous large city in America to the safest large city in four years, and we got results right away, even though we didn’t get crime down right away. We got results to build morale and I think we sparked other cities doing it. We challenged them to do it and we got a nice period of time of less crime.

Seems to me that these Democrats and Socialists because they want some votes so badly, I mean they want to sell us out, any number of crimes is OK, and then they don't care. Black Lives Matter is the phoniest organization. You can imagine right, right in its title. Look at all these black children that have been killed this weekend, a three-year-old, a nine-year-old, they don’t say anything about it. They don't care about about Brandon Hendricks life. Brandon Hendricks was a star basketball player. He got killed in the Bronx in crossfire. He was going on to St. John’s to play basketball.

Black Lives Matter doesn't give a damn about him. They don't care because… there are seven, eight thousand deaths like that every year of black people killing other black people and they won’t do a darn thing about it. They have 7,500 shootings of blacks by other blacks that lead to death and all they concentrate on are the police officers. Suppose you solve that problem, but you don’t solve the other one.

I think the easiest way to describe Black Lives Matter and I say this to all my friends anywhere, don’t get fooled. This is an organization that uses violence, that doesn't mind killing, that doesn't care about black people, just the black people they can exploit otherwise, they would do something about blacks being shot by other blacks, and that is not racist. I feel very bad about that. Beyond these feelings of feeling bad about it, when I was mayor, I did something about it and I saved more black lives than any mayor in history. So, I have a right to say that.

What do you think about the progress that Black Lives Matter has made because of the chaos? For them it’s a big accomplishment.

It’s exactly the same way Communists made progress in Russia, the chaos in Russia right at the turn of the century. Exactly the way the Nazis made progress, they bankrupted the economy, ruined the economy, tore down statues, by the way. One of the leaders of Black Lives Matter is a woman named Patrice Cullors. Patrice Cullors is quoted as, don't know if she wants this out now but about five years ago, very proudly saying that she is a very, very well trained, that she’s been taught Marxist tactics, Marxist philosophy, and they’re going to follow it. They’re following it. The theory of Marxism in taking over a society and destroying it by developing hatred for that country and getting the people of the country to hate the country.

How effective do you think this strategy of lawlessness, violence, and uproar, will be in terms of the president winning or losing the election?

Well, I think, people say, what can we do about it. Got a mayor like de Blasio, he’s in office, virtually, he invites crime. Look, he creates crime. I‘ve never heard of a mayor creating crime, he does it. He let 8,000 people out of jail. Drug dealers are violent criminals. They carry guns and they shoot. That’s part of the business. He released rapists. He released a guy and four days later, another rape. So, he has created some of the crime, plus the bail laws create crime. Then, he did away with our best undercover unit. That was the single, biggest contributor to reducing gun violence. Since the day they've left, gun violence has gone up 38 percent. We've had two days since they left and we had a shooting every 24 hours and each weekend we get closer to Chicago. It's like he wants to overtake Chicago in shootings. This weekend, we had 68, they had 80. We used to have like eight on a weekend. Broke 68 shootings on a weekend. And Chicago has come down from 100 to 80. I expect in the next two weeks, we’re going to match Chicago and de Blasio will probably have a party. It almost seems like he's doing it deliberately.

Why do you think people don't see what you see?

Because they are brainwashed by the left-wing media. The New York Times began a curriculum two years ago, rewriting our history. It’s written all from the point of view of how bad we are because we were slaveholders… I mean Columbus, just look. You want to get a key into that, look at the statues they took down and the symbolism of them, not just the vandalism; the symbolism is worse. They took down the discoverer of this country, at least the acknowledged discoverer of this country, Columbus, bad man, very bad man. They took down the man who won the war for independence, of our first president and had to self-sacrifice not to take a third term to become a dictator or a king. ..., but he was a bad guy… bad guy, ripped down the statue. Jefferson is the author of our freedom. He wrote the most brilliant document on human rights ever written that has probably helped to free people all over the world, bad man, tear his statue down. Now Jackson, tear his statue down. Jefferson got us Louisiana. Jackson won a war. And of all things, Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator and the guy who fought and died for preserving our union. They’re basically saying, you don't have any heroes, America…You were founded by an evil man. You had a first president who was an evil man. The guy who wrote your founding document was an evil man. Even the man who emancipated us, we don’t owe him anything. He was an evil man. And, then they go on to criticize everything in our society. They say our president is a Nazi, a racist, a, I don’t what else he is, he’s an evil man. And all of us are… we’re evil white people; they even refer to us as evil white people. So, this is a movement that’s based on hatred. It's not just emotional hatred, it’s hatred in the United States so that our young people will get separated from the idea of the United States and then they’d be willing to accept a much better alternative, socialism. So, you degrade our flag, you degrade our national anthem. I mean, these are the things that hold the country together. It's all bull, this whole thing. You’re a great land.

Does this help or hurt Biden?

It helps him with the left-wing people. It helps him with the real weak ones who are willing to bend their knee and they all know I'm right, but they pretend because they're afraid. But I think it hurts him in that big vast majority of people that don't talk. There are many Americans in their home right now saying what the hell is going on, what, they’re taking over police precincts, they’re spitting at police, they’re looting stores and the cops are told to stand down, they’re going to do away with the police department and replace them with health care workers. They want to come and take my money and give it to a black person for slavery and the black person has no history of slavery, he came from Jamaica, and my family came from Slovenia 30 years ago, but I had nothing to do with slavery. What am I paying for? A lot of bad things happened to me too, nobody's paying me. I think that's what the average, intelligent common-sense view of this is. Our media is so bad. It's so left. It's almost like Pravda was to the Soviet Union. They print whatever the left-wing says and then they come up with justifications for it.

Have you ever seen politics this evil? They weaponize everything, including the seriousness of sex assault allegations against adversaries.

What I’ve seen in the last two years is pure evil, from the day I started representing President Trump as his lawyer to this day, it’s almost a revelation today, something I couldn't believe has happened. I couldn't believe it would happen in America. And I never believed I’d see a day in America in which a major city would disband the police department. I just didn’t think our people would be crazy enough or insane enough or like the whole city was on drugs. I've never seen it this evil.

I've never seen politicians like these Democrats want to accomplish something so bad. They want to accomplish two things and the second even more than the first. They want power. Trump stands in the way of power. Also, Trump is the first Republican to stand up to this big, phony, like the speech he gave at Mount Rushmore. I thought that was a beautiful defense of America, beautiful defense of let us preserve the American way of life. Every single thing he said is true about the violent tendencies of BLM, Antifa, about the aims they have. The New York Times knows that. They can read what I read, and then they say it was the worst speech he ever gave. It was racist. Now, a lot of people don't read the speech. They read the Times and they'll say, oh, Trump's a racist. People we get are the people that go beyond the Times. If we can get you beyond the Times, we’re probably going to get you to vote for Trump because almost every story in the Times now is tinged with this terrible bias condition, so desperate, they print things that are actually untrue now. They used to be more careful. So, I think it's gonna be a difficult campaign. I think the only chance we have is to elect Trump ‘cause he'll do what he says as he did the first time and he really does need a Republican House and Senate to straighten all this out. Even more important, the Democrats need a defeat. The Democrats need to be shown that there are all these American people that we think and believe are sitting in their homes, and find the killing of police officers despicable, that find taking over a police station awful.

What do you say to people today who feel our president is responsible for this because he is the man in charge? Does he have to take any accountability on his watch?
You mean all the riots that are going on?

It’s under his watch.
The riots have nothing to do with the president. The riots have to do with 20 years of this created anger in which they make police brutality the only problem they have and then utilize it. They did it three times under Obama. Nobody thought it was Obama's fault. The difference with Trump is everything is attributed to his fault. I think the only man whose act consistently was the same way under common sense is President Trump, ‘cause no one has the guts enough to actually say what he said at Mount Rushmore. Look at Biden, Biden hasn’t said anything.

The problems are all happening in Democrat-controlled cities. They're not happening in Republican places where he has great influence. You got a couple of cities where the Democratic… 100 years, 70 years, in Baltimore 50 years and in New York City you know how many times we had an increase in crime and rioting is when we had our last Democrat mayor. I mean it’s as if this guy’s out of office for 20 years, we go down to the safest, large city in America, no riots, we get a Democrat and we got two, three riots. This is a function of Democrat left-wing policies that have oppressed black people and have not allowed black people to grow the way they should be allowed to grow, by inflicting on them dependency, inflicting on them all these programs that deteriorate the work ethic. I turned New York around and I just didn’t turn it around through the point of view of crime, I removed 600,000 people from the welfare rolls and put them to work and most of them were minorities. And the reason we kept crime so low is not just policing, it was we had a much better situation like Trump did. Our unemployment went down from 10.5 ... whites benefit from that tremendously, blacks even more. Crime went down, murder went down 65%, 75% of the murderers were black, 75% of the victims were black so figure out who benefited from that, and the black people were made up mostly of good people who were victimized by these thugs and con men.

There are people who believe that President Trump shut the economy down for too long which created a lot of financial ruin in our country. We live in New Jersey. It's a major problem. Do you think he shut it down too long? Do you think he shut it down just enough or should he have never shut it down? And do you think that he's going to shut it down again?

There’s a lot of possibilities. First of all, I think he will never shut it down again because everyone now understands the disease well enough, so it's not necessary to shut down. But, I have to contrast that it is all politics and choices in elections. It's the art of the realistic. If it weren’t for the president, it’d still be shut down because every Democrat wants to keep it going.

The governor of New York, the governor of New Jersey, the governor of California… The governor of Michigan is way out of her mind. She’s got it shut down until September. And every time you listen to Fauci, we’re shut down even longer. First, he embraces baseball, and then we can’t play baseball. Then, he says, first you shouldn't wear masks, now we have to wear masks. Then he tells us two years ago that Hydroxychloroquine is a great, safe drug, been used for 60 years, no problems and all its problems they can control and then when it's recommended as a way to cut off coronavirus, he comes out against it, and now he's in favor of a drug that just, oh by coincidence cost $3,000 more, not that had anything to do with Dr. Fauci’s decision, even though I think he's very embarrassed now that there are now a dozen tests in a row that show that hydroxychloroquine is the most effective treatment for coronavirus if you take it in the first five days. In fact, there are now shortages of supplies because many doctors have bought it up so they can give it to their patients because they were afraid that in some states, they would cut it down. And the only reason they came out against hydroxychloroquine is because the president recommended it. The president recommended it just to say, take a look at it, and the fact is it's the number one treatment ... It’s the number one treatment in France. It’s the number one treatment in China, even. And here in America, in many places, the Democratic governors, in New York for example, Governor Cuomo said you can only get it at a hospital, and actually, that’s the worst place to get it. You’re supposed to take so you don't go to the hospital. So, the way they've politicked with it is terrible. When the president made the decision to shut down, I believe it was the right decision given the facts that we had, and at that time they were predicting a much bigger than terrible, right? They were talking in America even in the millions, what America is going to be 150, 200 thousand, terrible, terrible numbers, but not two million.

The fatality rate now is approaching a tough, but normal disease, down around 1%, and the thing that makes it unnecessary to have to close the economy again is you don't have to close it for young people. Young people are virtually unaffected by it, so if you had left open the schools and just put in careful practices about the young people communicating with their grandparents — not even their parents — their grandparents for some period of time. The fact that you put some emphasis on their grandparents, which they didn't do, your numbers would have been far less. I mean, look at New York, whether it was on purpose or by mistake, they wiped out the old people. It’s like the disease only affects old people, that's true. It only affects old people if they have another disease. So now you have a fairly narrow group of people that need all the resources. Now, you take all the resources and you spread out over everybody that means they are giving less attention to the people who need it and I think that's one of the terrible mistakes we’ve made, but I don't fault anybody for that because I don't think we understood it. I do fault the people who took old people and put them back in nursing homes, and it was like putting a time bomb in the middle of the nursing home.

But they're going to say that at that time, that’s the information they had.

They had the information. We had the information coming out of China that the only people died of this were old people. If they were the ones ... they changed the ages a bit, over 60, over 70, over 75. The truth is anybody over 60 is at risk, but there is a big difference between 60 and 80. So those are the people where all the concentration should be given, and the other people should be allowed to conduct our normal economy  and be careful about contact, and we immediately go to a good medicine right away, if in fact, they have the disease. Even with that, 99% of the people survive, including the old people.

General Flynn is now vindicated and many layers of corruption were uncovered at the FBI, how damaging is this to the FBI, and if the president asked you to lead the FBI, would you do it?

Well I don’t know if I would. I’d have to have the discussion with him. I believe we have to separate the damage to the FBI. The field agents I have not seen anyone of them do anything wrong. They do their job and they do it wonderfully. The way they’ve always done it; very professional and very well. But this is the Washington Field Office and a lot of those guys turned into politicians instead of law enforcement officers and not just politicians, but politicians who got carried away with themselves. When you listen to Peter Struck, who is an FBI agent, on the phone how he and his mistress hate Trump, you say to yourself this guy is no longer an FBI agent, he’s a political nut. I’d remove people like him from investigating cases. We take him off the case because first of all it’s not right and second you know it’s going to lead to corruption because he has so much hatred … Comey knew that and he wanted a guy like that investigating Trump and he wanted a guy like that investigating Hillary.

The Democratic Party has become very corrupt. There is only one answer for it; they have to be voted out of office. If they get voted out of office badly, they become practical, they reform themselves, and then people come in and say hey we have to save this place, we have to get rid of these people and we have to act differently.

Are you considering any future runs for political office?

I am not considering running for office again because I have so many good people that I support. I see these great opportunities for them. My sole focus right now is to get Donald Trump re-elected… He’s done a great job in a very short time.

Were you called a racist when you were mayor?

Yes, enough times but not nearly as often as nowadays. I was called a racist when I required people on welfare to work. I decided I had 1.1 million people on welfare and I had to work on that for their good. What’s the use of having kids grow up in families where they have three generations who don’t work? Where do they get their work ethic? Where did you get it? Where did I get it? You get it from growing up in families and neighborhoods, that’s why we are programmed to get up in the morning and go to work and if we don’t have work, we go out and find it. Now suppose you never saw anybody work. Suppose you saw everyone around you getting paid by the government and sometimes double and triple billing them. So I said to myself I have to save the next generation and build a work ethic into the welfare recipients … New York Times went crazy, said I was running a plantation. I went out into the neighborhoods and I told them I love you more and I love you the way I love my son. I wouldn’t just give my son money for the rest of his life and not to work. I moved 500,000 people off welfare to work.

Are you racist?

I wouldn’t even answer that. Actually, I will. I am the opposite of racist. The Black Lives Matter people are racists because they analyze everything through race. Joe Biden saying I am inclined to pick a woman of color is racist, as opposed to saying I am going to pick the best candidate. If you define racism by the way Martin Luther King did, they’re racists…

Every time we mention you as great mayor, some officers from 20 years ago say—

How come I gave them no increases in three years?

Yes they hold that against you.

Oh man they hold that against me… triple zeroes for heroes.

Now is the perfect time to put this to bed. Let’s all close this one. Was it triple zeroes?

Yeah. Three years of nothing but then two years of big raises that made up for it. I had to borrow money from the people who were working for me — they weren’t the only ones. It was the whole city, the whole city except where I was contractually obligated to give a raise. We also laid off 20,000 people and I didn’t lay off any cops. They can’t appreciate the fact that although I love them and they weren’t the number one department with the fire department in my view, that I didn’t have the money. They’re a big part of the budget and if I cut everything else and not them, I wouldn’t have achieved being able to correct the city's imbalance and we all gambled on each other, and I asked the unions to take a chance on me. I said in essence, I’m asking you to loan me the raise you would have gotten for the last three years. I'm gonna turn this city around. By the time I give you that raise, I think they got like 11% in the last two years together, like five and six or something like that and some bonuses. I'm gonna try to turn the city around. I'm gonna have a surplus. If you want to gamble on me, give me the three zeroes, and we'll try, if you make me pay it to you, ‘cause there are some rules I would probably have had to give them some raise like one or two percent. The most the board is going to require me to do is one or two percent. It doesn’t mean very much, but it is gonna mean I’m going to have to pay up, get you one or two every year, I’m not gonna to be able to give you the rest of it. Give me a chance to turn this city around. Give me a chance to bring business in, give me a chance to get the tax to go up and I'll give you a much bigger raise. And you gotta trust me. If you squeeze me just to get 1% and then I’m gonna have to lay off. I’m gonna have to lay off cops, which I don’t want to do. I got tremendous amount of crime. On the other hand, I'm not going to let the state take over the city because we’re bankrupt. So, we had long negotiations and then we agreed. And, when the cops got real angry and the union leadership was in trouble, they want to put the blame all on me because you know; they’re getting elected and reelected. It’s all me. It was my idea. It was an agreed deal.

Do you want to tell them anything now? They still hold it against you.

I can't help it, I mean, but they have to see it that I was fair and impartial mayor. I didn't treat anybody extra special when I had to save the city. I love cops. I think they’re the most important people in our city. I went to every funeral. You know, I didn’t just go to every funeral; I also went every time they were in the hospital. I went to the hospitals because I knew if the mayor went to the hospital you got the better doctor not the worst doctor. I also brought the police surgeon with me to tell me that I got the best doctor not the worst doctor. I tried to do everything else for them, and as soon as we had a surplus, we gave them a big raise.

We know your strength is leadership, but what’s your weakness?

Impatience. I do things too fast sometimes. Sometimes, if I’ve made mistakes, I usually can attribute it to I like to get things over with, I do them too fast, and so I try to have advisors and people around me to slow me down.

Blue suicide is a major issue affecting law enforcement. Could you give a direct message to an officer today who may be suicidal?

Sure. I would say to any officer that’s even contemplating it, just step back and take a little time … You probably have people who love you, people who care about you, also think about how much you harm them and if you have children, the burden for them if you take your life, and that’s going to hurt them for the rest of their lives. The best thing to do is to step back... The fact is you're just gonna make it all that much more worse for your family, for your colleagues, for the other police officers if you take away what God gave you. And believe me, I can tell you that without even knowing you, it is not as bad as you think. It really isn’t. If you just hold up and you wait, you’re gonna get up the next morning and say to yourself, gee, I had that too exaggerated. Just go talk to the person that loves you the most. Get their perspective on it, and I bet you, you've made it worse than it is. But, for the good of other people, just don't do this.

Thank you for that message.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do it.

When leadership really counted

It was election night, November 1993.

New York City was a cesspool of filth and violent crime and had become the murder capital of the United States. Rudy Giuliani had just been elected mayor and I was clearing the stage as he was about to make his entrance onto the stage at the New York Hilton for his victory speech.

I had known him for close to two years at that point and was confident that he would be good for New York City, but I had no idea how good. In fact, I could not have predicted what the next eight years would look like, but knew in my heart that things were about to change.

From the second he took his oath of office; he was focused on one primary thing and that was crime. He knew that no one wanted to live in the city, or come to visit, or work, and come to go to school if they didn’t feel safe, and with 2,200 murders, young mothers were putting their babies to bed in bathtubs, afraid of random gunfire.

Giuliani appointed Bill Bratton out of Boston as his first police commissioner with a mandate: Reduce violent crime and murder and do so from the top down – meaning violent crime, and from the bottom up – begin enforcing quality of life crimes that had not been enforced in years.

He put more cops on the streets, more money into the courts and correction department, and told the police department to do the job it was supposed to do.

Over the next eight years during Rudy Giuliani’s term in office, violent crime dropped close to 65% and murder dropped by 70%. In the most violent communities which were predominantly black, the murder rate dropped by close to 80%.

For every percentage point we achieved reductions in violent crime, there were increases in economic development, real estate values and tourism, and New York City had gone from the “Rotten Apple,” to the “Capital of the World,” in an historic renaissance never achieved before in any city in America.

Then came 9/11 – we were under attack.

From the moment the mayor met me at the base of Tower II of the World Trade Center just minutes after the second plane slammed through the north side of the south tower, he took control and command of what was a war zone.

Standing at Ground Zero, at what would come to be known as the first real battle ground in our 20-year global war on terror, Rudy Giuliani was a pillar of strength for the nation, a battlefield commander, and a compassionate leader who brought the city and country together in a way that I have yet to see in any other man-made or natural crisis in our country.

As I watch from the cheap seats today of our country in chaos, with mayors and governors who have allowed their cities and states to be overrun by Marxist anarchists, who have injured more than 1,000 police officers, killed dozens of innocent people and engaged in violent crime, arson and looting that has resulted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and devastation, I have yet to see one of those governors or mayors with the leadership skills and courage as I have the honor to witness in Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy Giuliani stands as a one-of-a-kind leader, who was fair but firm, who led by example, and who achieved historic results when others said it couldn’t be done. Hopefully, there are other mayors and governors out there in the shadows who will step up to the plate, but until then, cities like New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Minneapolis and so many others will continue to decline.

Only time will tell. Strength and Honor, Bernard B. Kerik

As New York City’s 40th Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik was in command of the NYPD on September 11, 2001, and responsible for the city’s response, rescue, recovery, and the investigative efforts of the most substantial terror attack in world history. His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan, two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and an appointment as Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Effective leadership is not for the faint of heart

Everything rises or falls on leadership. To be clear there are only two types of leadership; effective and ineffective. In our current political state all across America we have an abundance of ineffective leadership whereas unfortunately effective leadership is lacking.

Let’s look at some examples with how cities and states are dealing with the riots and violent disturbances that engulf a growing number of major cities.

In Seattle a group of insurrectionists carved out and took over a section of the city, walling it off as a no go zone to the Seattle Police Department. This included a police precinct that was abandoned and turned over to the rioters. The clueless mayor empowered these domestic terrorists and called it the summer of love oblivious to the rage exhibited by these marauders.

In Portland Oregon, the city as of this writing was experiencing 60 straight days of violent disturbances. The mayor there again has no sense of urgency in getting things under control while being in complete denial about the violence.

In other cities like New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta and Milwaukee you have mayors and a local political class that has crawled into bed with the devil, the cop-haters, while turning their backs on their law-abiding citizens and the men and women in law enforcement who are doing what they can to maintain law and order. This is not just shameful— it’s disgusting. The escalating anti-cop rhetoric is causing death and injury to police officers and citizens and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in property damaged, which is taking a huge toll on communities all across America.

Police commanders are another example of ineffective leadership as they cede business areas over to looters and arsonists by giving their officers stand-down orders. Chiefs and other commanders are kneeling and marching with the cop-haters of Black Lives Matter. It is a disgrace. Frontline officers are being pelted with rocks bottles and other projectiles. Officers being injured and killed has become a daily occurrence as if it is a part of the job description. They are under immense stress, under-resourced and have no political backing. Even minor uses of reasonable force are being looked at for possible criminal prosecution by overzealous politically-active prosecutors as Chiefs stand cowardly remain silent with their tails between their legs.

Calls for police reform are nothing more than a knee jerk reaction to what can be best described as an anomaly that occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It serves as an excuse to ignore the real problem in all these urban cities and that problem is the street violence that occurs on a daily basis. Focusing on a“one-off” police officer’s action in Minneapolis allows spineless politicians to whistle past the graveyard of shootings and murders that are more prevalent than police use of force.

Let me add some perspective here. If you want to know what effective leadership looks like just go back to how Mayor Rudy Giuliani with ball-busting Commissioners William Bratton and Bernard Kerik made New York City livable again. Under there’re leadership they added more officers and resources. They enacted a crime reduction plan that led New York to being named the safest big city in America saving countless lives. They didn’t work with race hustlers like Al Sharpton. They shouted him down. They defended cops who acted appropriately. That doesn’t exist in these large cities today.

The elephant in the room is not policing, it the cultural rot and dysfunction that occurs in the urban ghettos across America. It’s things like ineffective parenting and in some cases, no parenting at all. It’s things like absent fathers, women having multiple children from different men leading to child abuse and neglect. It’s things like school failure and questionable lifestyle choices like joining gangs along with criminal behavior and drug use. But that’s the hard stuff for politicians. Leadership can start by holding up a mirror to the black underclass and demand that they adopt better lifestyle choices. Then we won’t need so much policing. Easier to go after the cops. After all they are the low hanging fruit.

Effective leadership would be starting a national discussion in America about the ugly reality of why so many black males choose criminality instead of leading a more mainstream lifestyle. Politicians need to ask why 53% of all known homicide suspects are black males and why 60% of all known robbery suspects are black males when blacks make up only 13% of the population. Yes, let’s have THAT conversation.

Policing doesn’t need to be reformed. The ghetto needs to be reformed. Changes in behavior and lifestyle of the underclass are what need to be reformed. But that is the hard stuff for politicians whose failed policies cause most of the conditions that require more policing. Policies like releasing career violent criminals from jails and prisons… another STUPID policy. All of this is then thrown into the lap of a police officer and you expect miracles and when things go awry through no fault of the police, the cop-haters demand change. The biggest threat to law-abiding people is not a police officer, it’s a stray bullet from a criminal indiscriminately shooting up the neighborhood.

Why won’t more politicians and police commanders state the obvious about ineffective leadership? Effective leadership is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard stuff. That is why it is in such short supply.

Sheriff David Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of AmericasSheriff LLC, Board of Directors for the Crime Prevention Research Center, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com

The 'movement' to end policing? A nation without police is one that nobody wants to live in

Nothing in this country has been the same since that insidious day in May when America witnessed the nearly nine-minute recording of a Minneapolis police officer’s maneuver of pinning his knee to the side of the neck of a man named George Floyd, effectively perceived as contributing to an end of his life over a $20 counterfeit bill he had used at a neighborhood corner market.

That’s the day part of the souls of law enforcement officers, the “blue community,” and law-abiding Americans died alongside George Floyd. None of us has been able to breathe since that day in May, either.

It’s also the day America’s war with its own citizens began; a “movement” of radical groups of people we’ve come to know as Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Both have made their presence well-known in previous uprisings in individual communities during protests over killings of black men by white police officers, a national narrative ignited not by statistics, but by both the media and leaders across America who participated in heightening that perception.

While the statistics do not support their claims, their “force” has grown in greater numbers, including people across all racial lines and socioeconomic classes. Politicians pandering to these groups demonstrated their willingness to go the distance with them. Mayors walked the streets with protesters, while police officers and chiefs of police in some cities thought that taking a knee with those revolting against their existence might show an expression of solidarity. Meanwhile, the media’s degree of sensationalism only served to fan the flames and ignite an even larger false narrative about the American police officer.

The fact of the matter remains that we didn’t accept Colin Kaepernick’s stand against police on September 1, 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem. Never mind the blue socks with pigs on them. Did our police buy into his narrative then?

Americans have been subjected to the continuous, malicious mistruths about “peaceful protests” all over the country; stories of fiction. The chaos and destruction of our country unfolded right before our eyes. And yet, those of us who represent the majority sat quietly watching communities and businesses burn to the ground as rioters also burned and stomped on our American flag. Innocent people have lost their lives. Police officers have been wounded and killed. Our city and state leaders no longer control our streets.

Police officers across this nation have been ordered by their city leaders to use de-escalation methods while being stripped of their use of tear gas and, in some cities, even their pepper spray. What line of defense have the police been given? With calls to defund police departments around our nation, where are the leaders of this country? New York City has reduced the budget for its police force by a billion dollars, in spite of a significant spike in crime.

Are we heading toward an America without police?

A recent “deadly force” study by Washington State University researcher Lois James found that police officers were less likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed white or Hispanic ones in simulated threat scenarios. Harvard economics professor Roland Fryer analyzed more than 1,000 officer-involved shootings across the country. He concluded that there is zero evidence of racial bias in police shootings. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, black citizens were about 12 percent of the population in the United States. In the 75 largest U.S. counties, members of the black community were charged with 62 percent of all robberies, 61 percent of weapons offenses and 57 percent of murders. This disproportionate disparity is also reflected in the racial makeup of those victimized by this pattern of activity. It has been reported in New York City that black citizen’s account for just over 24 percent of the city’s population, yet the DOJ has reported 57 percent of all murder victims and 58 percent of those arrested for murder are black. These disparities in New York are repeated in virtually every racially diverse city in America. The real problem facing black communities today is not the police but criminals. The BLM and Antifa narratives are a lie folks. Black-on-black crime, however, is unfortunately true.

There is no government agency more dedicated to the proposition that “Black Lives Matter” than the police. The proactive policing revolution that began long ago has dramatically brought down the inner-city murder rate and likely has saved thousands of black lives. Unfortunately, that crime decline is now in jeopardy. This is tragic because when the police refrain from proactive policing, black lives are lost because of a myth. Sadly, police officers are historically 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.

Stay safe… ‘Blue Lives Matter,’ too.

Lori Cooper is the daughter of a late police officer shot in the line of duty whose perpetrator eluded authorities for 44 years until her own search resulted in his apprehension. Her story has been featured by hundreds of news organizations. She now writes for law enforcement media groups and is a police advocate and guest on national radio and television. She is writing a book about her story, tentatively titled "The Sound of Silence". She can be reached at www.WriterLoriCooper.com

Seeking Support during COVID-19: Help Yourself So You Can Help Others

While many people tout our healthcare workers as the heroes of the pandemic — and rightfully so — law enforcement also plays a critical role in our nation’s safety during the crisis. COVID-19 is pulling our officers in several different directions, taking an invisible toll on their mental state — one that they often may not register until they wrap up yet another grueling shift.

Even for officers who “have seen it all,” the traumatic loss of life on such a major scale is undoubtedly having an impact. Dealing with the virus and its associated challenges can cause heightened anxiety, depression, substance abuse and grief, especially in areas that have been hardest hit by the pandemic like New Jersey and New York. Our officers are dealing with conflicting information surrounding use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and prior to that they were faced with shortages. Social distancing guidelines and regulations brought on by COVID-19 have also complicated procedures for responding to crises in the community at every turn. Even as things seem to be slowing down, there is speculation around a “second wave” and officers continue to worry about contracting the virus themselves and bringing it home to their families.

It’s not always easy to reach out for help, especially when you have been trained to prioritize helping others. But mental health symptoms that go unchecked can lead to chronic challenges including PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicidal ideation. I’ve personally trained enough officers (over 500 in northern New Jersey) to know firsthand how hard it can be to seek help. But asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

In 2018, the Fraternal Order of Police and NBC New York anonymously surveyed nearly 8,000 active and retired police officers across the U.S., and 90% of respondents said there is stigma in law enforcement around seeking help for behavioral health concerns. I know there are many officers who may think they need some support but are hesitant to reach out for help because they would rather handle it on their own or are worried others might see them as weak. But that is simply not the case — in fact, it is quite the opposite.

In New Jersey, the tragic loss of life in our state has well eclipsed that of Sept. 11. While collectively our state is feeling the emotional impacts due to the unfathomably high death toll associated with the virus, officers dealing with it firsthand day in and day out are disproportionately impacted. Officers on the front lines of the virus are dealing with unprecedented concerns and high-stress situations, making it more important than ever to make sure they are taking care of themselves. You can only help others if you take the time to help yourself first.

My organization CarePlusNJ recognized an enormous need to support our local officers during these uncertain times. As a leading provider of integrated behavioral health services in the community, we established The HERO Warmline (1-551-800-HERO), a free, confidential mental health warmline for Bergen County, New Jersey’s law enforcement officers and first responders. The specialized service was implemented to help local officers’ process emotions, cope with trauma and connect them to rapid access support and services so they can prioritize their own health and wellness and continue to help others in the community.

When our local officers call the line, a clinician, with specialized trauma and first responder training, picks up the call. We know privacy is paramount, which is why our licensed professionals are ethically and legally bound to keep all conversations confidential. First responders, law enforcement and healthcare professionals in Bergen County, New Jersey are encouraged to contact The HERO Warmline at 1-551-800-HERO (4376) Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for free, confidential support and services. This is an invaluable resource that we hope our local officers continue to take advantage of if they need support during this crisis.

Many communities have similar resources in place to help support law enforcement as they navigate COVID-19 and all the obstacles that accompany it. I encourage any officer who may even be considering talking to someone for support to research the community resources available near them.The only way to come out of the pandemic stronger is to make sure we take care of ourselves and those we care about as much as possible.

Amie Del Sordo is Senior Vice President of Hospital and Community Services at CarePlus NJ, a leading provider of integrated behavioral health care in Paramus, New Jersey. Amie spearheads the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program in Bergen County, a police-based training on safely, compassionately de-escalating and assisting a person in a mental health crisis. She has trained more than 500 local officers.

Taking Responsibility: BLM and their counterparts ANTIFA are Anti-American garbage

Recently I watched a PSA shot in black and white (for a more dramatic effect, I suppose) a smarmy attempt at genuine concern by addressing a serious problem in our country. The PSA was a montage of Hollywood types, actors I'm assuming (although I only recognized one from a few movies) taking tums, some misty-eyed for the lens and arms crossed over their hearts. "I take responsibility," they each took a turn. I thought to myself, "responsibility for what?" 

So, I watched on, and eventually the mystery topic was revealed, "It's time to step out and end police brutality," one said. Another said, "Black people are being slaughtered in the street," and "I stand against hate," and "Shopping in a store should not be a death sentence," and then the punch line, "Killer cops must be stopped, they are murderers and must be prosecuted!"

That did it for me! I have news for you folks who think because you have portrayed a character in a film you have the right to start even more bullshit when our bullshit tank is filled to capacity. Even if one of the characters you have portrayed in a movie was a police officer, you are not a police officer!

You want to side with the Marxist terrorist groups BLM and ANTIFA and chime in on how the police are randomly targeting people of color and murdering them? Your judgment lacking as much foundation as are your skills as actors.

And don't you dare invoke the name of the criminal who started this traveling shit-show in Ferguson, the catalyst for the "Hands up, don't shoot!" false narrative fueled by then sitting President Obama and Attorney General Holder. That entire storm helped morph the Black Panthers into the New Black Panthers, who had a baby and named it "Black Lives Matter" and that cute little bastard grew into the hellish, criminal, communist monster it is today. They married their first cousin. "ANTIFA" and God only knows what the offspring of that coupling will be named. 

Keep it under your hats, but the police aren't the ones shooting folk off their porches for shits and giggles to show off their prowess with firearms. Many cities, thanks to you and folks like you that perpetuate the hate against the police, are seeing increases of over 100% in the past month in shootings and homicides and again, it's not the cops. You have enabled these folks and now it's "Anarchy rules." 

For those of you who want to defund the police, the politicians like Mayor DeBlasio (who spent quality time playing with the Sandinista Liberation Front in Nicaragua before returning to the U.S. and changing his name) who learned how to apply his Marxist Leninist tactics on the citizens of New York, I say this and I'll say it to your face, when I get the chance. Go fuck yourself You have the blood of police officers on your hands, and you might as well have tossed every bottle, brick and Molotov cocktail, personally. Painting "Black Lives Matter" on 5th Avenue with Al Sharpton the race-baiting FBI informant is a kick in the nuts to every member of the NYPD. You're a fucking hack and you should just go away.

I agree 100% that Mr. Floyd should not have died for his arrestable offense, but he did play a very small role in his own death by committing a felony. Had he not done that, he might still be alive.

Mike Brown chose the wrong path and it cost him his life. That's fact. It was proven that the entire case was built on a lie and a false narrative and it didn't spawn "civil unrest" (that's a soft, bullshit term). It spawned anarchy, looting, burning and rioting, and it got folks hurt. It elevated the shit show to new heights and the cops not only got free tickets: they got front row seats. Cops took bullets and continued to do so. Cops suffered traumatic brain injuries from getting hit with bricks and frozen water bottles. We are dying every day, because of you bastards! We are being murdered "Anybody in Hollywood hear that? I saw your responsibility video. Step right up!"

There's a lot to take responsibility for. You can go into any inner city and protest the hundreds of aborted fetuses ripped from their mother's wombs and dismembered while still alive.

You say black people are being slaughtered in the street? That is fact! But, the cops aren't the butchers. The data is available from numerous sources, news, crime stats and universities. Just search and you'll find the numbers, but chances are you won't be happy. "Is there a problem? Yes! Are the police the problem? Absolutely not!"

Kirk Lawless is a 28 year, decorated, veteran police officer from the St Louis area. He's a former SWAT operator, narcotics agent, homicide investigator, detective and Medal of Valor recipient. Off the job due to an up-close and personal gunfight, he now concentrates on writing. He's a patriotic warrior, artist, poet, actor, musician, and man of peace.

Exclusive interview with Five Finger Death Punch's Drummer Jeremy Spencer - Alcohol abuse, Rock an Roll and unwavering support for law enforcement

Five Finger Death Punch founding drummer Jeremy Spencer talks to Blue about the perils of being a rock ‘n’ roll star with an addiction to drugs and alcohol

There are many things law enforcement officers are good at: solving crimes, responding to domestic violence calls, driving like a stunt man. But one of my favorites we’re good at is partying. Although closing bars are a thing of the past for me (thank you wife and children), I manage to get my fun time in with a few cold beers on my regular days off.

But there’s a limit. How much is too much? At what point does it go from casual and social drinking to problematic and disturbing?  Anyone who wears a badge knows what goes on in the world. From dealing with the decay of society to working odd hours, there are more than enough reasons to grab a beer after a tour of duty. Sometimes that does go too far. If the only way you cope with a stressful day is to drink alcohol and if it’s affecting the people you love most, you may need help.

I boasted to a couple of officers in our department about how I landed an interview with a rock star, founding drummer of Five Finger Death Punch Jeremy Spencer. I told them that the focus of the interview was his rehab stints due to his drug and alcohol addiction. They each responded with, “Oh yeah, I went to rehab, too.” It was a sobering moment and a stark reminder of the seriousness of this issue.

JEremy Spencer From FIve finger death punch

Jeremy Spencer chronicled his life in a book entitled Death Punch’ D. He talks about having his first drink at the tender age of 6, his daily blackout drinking, smoking and snorting anything worthwhile and his two near-death experiences. It’s a classic tale of struggle, success, fame, struggle, and rehab … twice. Now he’s clean and sober and took the time to tell Blue Magazine about his journey.

The Blue Magazine: Officers experience a lot of stress from the job, which is often mitigated by alcohol abuse -- some go to rehab because of it. What is your advice to get through rehab and more importantly stay clean afterward?

Jeremy Spencer:  Personally, I wanted to go to rehab and get better.  That’s kind of what it boils down to. Do you want to get better or not?  It’s all a choice.  Humans are resilient, it’s just a matter of sticking it out and opening yourself up to be helped and staying with it no matter how hard it gets. 

Who, if anyone, do you blame for your drug and alcohol abuse? Family? Friends? Touring?

I’ve been addicted to everything my whole life. I blame no one. It’s easy to look for an excuse to blame our using on, but I take full responsibility. Those people are a blessing because they helped mirror what I needed to fix about myself, and without those situations I wouldn’t have grown and learned.

Many addicts have childhood trauma connected to their adult behavior. In your book, you seem to have a healthy home environment growing up.  What happened? 

I think I’m just one of those people who can’t have chemicals in their body.  It doesn’t mix with my brain chemistry for whatever reason. I also had some self-esteem issues, not unlike most people.  I didn’t consciously use to feel better about my low self-esteem, I just used because I thought I liked to party and have “fun.”

What were some of the warning signs of drug/ alcohol abuse that you recognized but chose to ignore?  What’s the most important warning sign you want to tell law enforcement officers to look out for? 

Every time I drank or used, I wanted to keep going and have more. I never wanted to be done.  I loved drinking. I would drink until I couldn’t anymore. During the day I couldn’t wait to be able to drink at night when I was done with my responsibilities. Some might say that’s a functioning alcoholic, but I was still abusing myself.

We all know someone with an addictive personality. They tend to replace one addiction with another, good or bad. Since you gave up drugs and alcohol, has anything taken its place?

I was addicted to chaos for a while, pretty much any way I could get the juice.  Be it through relationships or anger or whatever.  I finally have a handle on that and am living the most peaceful life I’ve ever lived.

How important is family during the rehabilitation process? 

It’s very helpful. You need as much support as you can get.  It’s a fragile time when you’re trying to get sober and the more support you can get, the better.

Since you've been given a second chance at life, do you give back at all?

I talk to people when they seek me out.  It usually just happens. A lot of people have said my book Death Punch’ D helped them with their situation.

Was there ever a time you wished you had a regular life -- a simple job, happily married, an addiction-free personality, etc. Would you go back and trade everything for that?

I’ve experienced what many consider a normal life.  I wasn’t born into playing sold-out arenas. I worked day jobs I didn’t like, I was married, I felt trapped with no hope of having my dreams realized, etc. I wouldn’t trade any of it. I’m where I’m at because of it and I’m happy with that person.

A lot of people dream of fame, fortune and a wild rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Is it overrated? 

It’s an amazing life. It’s everything I hoped it would be and nothing like I thought it would be. There’s so many perks and so many pitfalls.  But it basically enhances what your problems are, so if you’re a troubled person, it’s magnified tenfold. Life is in a fish bowl, so if you’re messed up, the world gets to watch and that’s not easy.

Several of your music videos feature scenes showing support of first responders and the military. Where did this support come from? 

We were always supporters of the military and first responders. Some of us came from families of service men and women. It was always a cause we wanted to support because we know how important you men and women are.

Have you had any interactions with law enforcement as a result of your behavior?

I was a young, dumb kid who got drunk and tried to steal stuff from a convenience store when I was around 15 years old and got arrested.  It was humbling and embarrassing.  I just remember my mom crying when she came to pick me up from the police station. That affected me the most. I got sober a few months later when I checked myself into rehab.

You understand the addictive behavior. What do you want to tell any officers who fit this profile?

You’re not alone. There’s always help available. You have to want it and accept it. I know it’s a tough life and addiction is a tough period, but it’s something that can be worked through. It’s all a choice, no matter how difficult it seems.

Suicide is also a growing concern within the law enforcement community. Your book hints at it a bit. What do you want to tell someone who’s thinking about taking his or her own life?

Things may seem so bad that there’s no way out except to take your life and that’s so not true.  There’s help available at every turn. The people that kill themselves permanently solve a problem that could have been so temporary and everyone else in their circle who was close to them still living has to deal with the suicide the rest of their lives. It’s an awful situation, but talk to someone, it all starts there. Help is available and no matter how it seems today, it can all change tomorrow. Suicide doesn’t have to be the answer.

Is there anything else you want the law enforcement community to know?

Thank you for everything you sacrifice and do for the world. It’s people like you that make the world a better place and a lot of people don’t even know how much you do so they can live their daily lives. I truly thank you for your service.

Jeremy’s incredible life was brilliantly captured in his book Death Punch’ D. It’s a perfect blend of what it’s like to be a rock star coupled with a serious drug and alcohol addiction - all leading up to a happy ending. Jeremy has since retired from drumming due to medical reasons. He took up singing and started a new band called Psychosexual. It’s that same great hard rock sound complemented with music videos …with a bit of naughtiness. Subscribe to his YouTube page Psychosexual and follow him on Instagram @officialjeremyspencer

Eddie covers everything law enforcement. He recently partnered with a law enforcement podcast- End of Watch with Bootsy and Sal. The podcast has already interviewed several high- profile law enforcement figures. Check out and subscribe to their YouTube channel by searching End of Watch with Bootsy and Sal or by scanning the QR code with your phone.

President Trump and Police Reform: Trump has our backs

“There is no more noble and important profession than law enforcement. A free and safe society requires a trusted and capable police force to safeguard our rights to life and liberty… Together, we will examine, discuss, and debate how justice is administered in the United States and uncover opportunities for progress, improvement, and innovation.” – William P. Barr, Attorney General of the United States of America

On Jan. 22, 2020, the attorney general announced the establishment of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. President Trump had previously signed Executive Order No. 13896, authorizing and designating the attorney general to create the Commission that would explore modern issues affecting law enforcement that most impact the ability of American policing to reduce crime.

This timely Commission and its mandated resulting recommendations will require a team effort. In forming the Commission, the Department of Justice has brought together the expertise and experiences of all sectors of the law enforcement community—urban police departments, county sheriffs, state attorneys general and prosecutors, elected officials, United States attorneys and federal law enforcement agencies.  Additionally, while this Commission is for law enforcement and for the purpose of bettering the profession, it is acknowledged that it is important to hear from voices and consult perspectives outside law enforcement.  Civil rights organizations, civic leaders, defense bar associations, victims’ rights organizations government social service partners, and community organizations will be given opportunities to provide advice, counsel and input to the Commission in its study of the relevant issues and solutions. 

The Executive Order instructs the Commission to conduct its study by focusing on the law enforcement officers who are tasked with reducing crime on a daily basis. It also directs the Commission to research “important current issues facing law enforcement and the criminal justice system,” and recommends a variety of subjects for study such as(but not limited to:

• The challenges to law enforcement associated with mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse and other social factors that influence crime and strain criminal justice resources

• The recruitment, hiring, training and retention of law enforcement officers, including in rural and tribal communities

• Refusals by state and local prosecutors to enforce laws or prosecute categories of crimes

• The need to promote public confidence and respect for the law and law enforcement officers

• The effects of technological innovations on law enforcement and the criminal justice system, including the challenges and opportunities presented by such innovations

Now more than ever, this commission must more clearly define the role of law enforcement in our society. Law enforcement can no longer be all things to all people. Societal ills that we cannot arrest our way out of such as mental illness, homelessness and substance abuse, for example, can no longer be subjects that government and its people look to law enforcement to solve. Other professionals in appropriately trained disciplines must now become engaged in seeking solutions to the problems we face. It is not about “defunding” but rather about allocating resources in the most effective manner and allowing law enforcement to further remove ourselves from a societal expectation that we should be largely untrained social workers rather than professional law enforcers. Isn’t that what we’ve been saying in law enforcement all along?

Recognizing this, President Trump has in the interim signed an Executive Order which will immediately focus on policy and funding for independent credentialing for use-of-force training, improving officer retention and recruitment practices and will prioritize “co-respondent services” intended to more deeply involve social workers in responding to certain nonviolent calls — such as those involving mental health, drug addiction and homelessness issues — rather than cops alone..

The level of understanding from those implementing reforms MUST go even further. It is essential that we be able to protect ourselves and others when faced with physical attacks. We must move away from the Police Executive Research Forum recommendation of such things as encouraging departments to“adopt policies that hold themselves to a higher standard than the legal requirements of Graham v. Connor.” Without the Graham v. Connor Supreme Court ruling, which established a clear objective reasonableness standard for when an officer can legally use force on a suspect and speaks to what level of force can be used, where does it leave the officers on the front lines of enforcement and our society as a whole?

Reasonable expectations and guidance that are rooted in our Constitution, court precedent and common sense with officer and community safety in the forefront must now be given and appropriate actions must follow.

Joel E. Gordon is a former Field Training Officer with the Baltimore City Police Department and is a past Chief of Police for the city of Kingwood, West Virginia. He has also served as vice-chair of a multi-jurisdictional regional narcotics task force. An award winning journalist, he is author of the book Still Seeking Justice: One Officer's Story and founded the Facebook group Police Authors Seeking Justice. Look him up at stillseekingjustice.com

Police Reform: Training is What Reform Should Be if Society Wants Better

Aaron Howard goes through rigorous BUD/S training, the beginning of a long military training culture.

Police reform. It's coming and there's nothing that is going to stop it. With all the government leaders cowering to unrealistic public opinion and letting mainstream media control their actions, we must all begin to prepare for police policy reform.

But how it will things change? 

There's plenty of talk that change is needed but very little talk of how things will and should change aside from defunding police (which by the way is irresponsible). 

Below are some ideas of what training should be incorporated to a police officer’s routine to better equip them with the changes of today's troubling times. Mind you, however, these are not groundbreaking ideas and some departments already incorporate these concepts into their training. But these training suggestions should be included into regularly scheduled training sessions, not just the academy or the bi-annual training periods.

In the military, a recruit goes to basic training, graduates and reports to their unit where they continue training. In law enforcement, recruits go to the academy, graduate and go live. They’ll go back to the range next year, and if they’re lucky, a day or two of classroom instruction -- that’s it!

“It’s not like riding a bike. Police need repetition. There’s no excuse for police officers to not have training available to them year-round.” Navy Seal Team 6 Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Howard tells Blue Magazine. “Police are the ones risking their lives day in and day out so we can be safe.”

If police departments need reform, it should come in the form of additional and constant training in these following areas:

• Leadership for everyone in management. From sergeants to the chief, every supervisor should get continuous and thorough training in leadership. Effective leaders know how to communicate and connect with people. When you can connect with people, everything you do and say will resonate far better with your audience. Subordinates challenge and resist ineffective leaders’ directives, which is not conducive to policy change.

• The psychology of mob mentality. What is it about the mob mentality that turns a normally law-abiding citizen into a raging lunatic? This type of person loses their personal identity and takes on the identity of a group. This subject gets much deeper from a social psychology perspective. Training on this subject would give the law enforcement officer, both seasoned veterans and recruits, a better understanding of how mob mentality can shape the landscape of a developing incident. It could also prove useful in determining appropriate social and tactical decisions to prevent a growing peaceful crowd from becoming destructive rioters.

• Maintaining personal control over civilians antagonizing police. Countless videos are emerging showing civilians taunting police, yelling profanities and invading personal space in an effort to antagonize police. Police officers are expected to remain calm and be professional at all times despite that. That’s easier said than done. It is normal human behavior to challenge anyone who’s in your face. Although police academies teach professionalism and poise, regular training on how to use effective techniques on controlling your emotions is a great start.

• Understanding how social media affects civilian decision-making. Everyone wants to post the next viral video. The first action most people take when something is about to go down is to pull out the phone and record what’s happening. This new-age reality should be incorporated into training scenarios as part of the decision-making process when responding to incidents.

• Effective communication techniques. Words are a small part of the communication process. In fact, body language tells the whole story far better than the words people use. This communication also works both ways; the person in distress and the officer who is trying to control the situation. What the officer says and the body language they display is a significant factor in how someone in distress responds.

• Understanding criminal mentality. Most criminals are irrational, impulsive and will act aggressively when they believe they’ve been ‘wronged’ in some way. The most common mistake I see in new recruits is they assume criminals act and think rationally and logically. Recruits make this assumption because they’ve been around rational people their entire lives. Having a better understanding of the common criminal mindset would help an officer better understand and predict a situation as it’s developing.

• Understanding mental health issues. Many people with mental health issues don’t have intent to break the law, they just have a skewed sense of right and wrong. Having a better understanding of how mental health problems manifest themselves in everyday public interaction would better equip officers with communication response techniques.

• Use of force de-escalation. One of the most difficult elements of law enforcement is to de-escalate a situation when you are directly involved. When an officer is struggling with a dangerous person, adrenaline pumps through veins as a survival technique. To just simply come down from that and de-escalate is not simple or even realistic. Responding officers need to understand this dynamic to help the officer de-escalate.

These areas should be the focal point of training scenarios because the police academy is just not enough training. Coupling that with spineless politicians who want to sacrifice a well-intended officer to appease extremist groups and to stay in office is not the solution.

This country was founded on law and order and remains stable because of it. If the public wants police reform, it needs to come in the form of continuous training. That’s the key to better police and policing

Eddie Molina was deployed to Iraq as a Platoon Leader- one of the most challenging roles in modern warfare. His experience and education made him a leadership professional and he blogs about it on his website. In his spare time, he submits articles for the law enforcement, first responder and military community to keep them informed on important issues facing America today. His book, A Beginner's Guide to Leadership, is expected to be published in September 2020. For more information, go to his website at www.eddiemolina.com

The Real Bruce Lee: Tribute to fallen officer Bruce Lee, gone but not forgotten

Bruce kevin lee (photo credit: Bonnie Fortney- Wichita)

May 13, 2003 was a regular work day for me. I woke up early, went into the kitchen to make tea and have a bowl of cereal before I left for work.

I turned on the television to listen to what passes for news in Los Angeles. The news readers were doing the usual, talking about events that had occurred in southern California in the last few hours. I was sort of listening to the news reader when I heard, "Deputy killed in Indio." It had been 22 years since I had worked in Indio. I didn't think there was much of a chance that I would know the officer the news reader was talking about. I sat in my chair and waited for the commercial to end. The news came back on and I looked at a picture of a deputy who I had trained when he was a rookie and I was a field training officer.

Bruce Lee was a good trainee and had visited me in Los Angeles in 1981, after I had screwed up by leaving the sheriff's office. I had introduced him to my new captain, who thought that I was kidding when I said, "Skipper, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Bruce Lee." The captain thought that he was going along with the joke. He replied, "Bruce Lee, I've heard of you before."

The news reader went on to say that Bruce had answered a disturbing the peace call in La Quinta, near Indio. A suspect named Kevin Diablo (real name) confronted Bruce at the scene and took Bruce's baton away from him, inflicting several blows to Bruce's head and neck, causing the severe trauma that killed him. The 23-year-old suspect was known to have mental problems, but the news did not say if anyone told the sheriff's dispatcher that fact when they called the station. A back-up deputy arrived to find Bruce's motionless body on the ground and was confronted by Mr. Diablo, who was wielding Bruce's baton. The deputy fired his service weapon and killed the deranged man.

It was a sad day for me as I drove to work, listening to the radio. Trying to find any information about Bruce Lee's murder I would later find out that Lee had recently transferred back to Indio to work in patrol after spending time as a traffic accident investigator in a contract city not far from Indio.

Sadly, I was unable to attend Bruce's funeral. He was buried on his 46th birthday.

Leroy B. Vaughn is a former U.S. Marine Corps Military Policeman, Security Agent, State Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff and served as a military contractor in the Middle East.