High Caliber Career Transitions

High Caliber Career Transitions
By: Steven W. Siegel

You’ve just completed a successful 25-year career in law enforcement, and now whether you get your next job may come down to six seconds. That’s the amount of time, on average, a recruiter spends looking at your resume before deciding to continue reading it or throw it in the garbage. Coincidentally, it’s the same amount of time an interviewer takes to draw an initial perception of a candidate. Fortunately, if the perception is bad, and you have good interview skills, you can change it. That’s not going to be the case with your resume.

With today’s unfortunate mass exodus from our chosen profession, it is more important than ever that you properly plan your transition to your next career. For many of us, that is likely to be a position in the private sector. Understand that you will be going from a “mission-oriented” agency to a “metrics-oriented entity.” There are challenges and obstacles, none being insurmountable, with the proper knowledge.

Speaking to people in law enforcement, I invariably hear that they do not believe they have skills that are transferrable into the private sector. That’s simply not true. You have many of them. It’s just a matter of identifying and translating them into the language of business. Take salesmanship as an example. Consider the times when you responded to the scene of a crime and got a reluctant victim or witness to tell you what happened? Or when you convinced an armed subject to surrender and go to jail. And of course, those times when you obtained a confession from a suspect. All are examples of very powerful salesmanship, exhibited under conditions of high stress far greater than in any customer-salesman interaction.

How do you intend to sell yourself to a prospective employer if you don’t believe you have good sales skills? You are a product to be sold, no different than a can of Coke, a flatscreen TV or a car. You must develop your personal brand and what we call your “Value Proposition”. Those traits and characteristics deemed desirable by hiring managers. You need a marketing strategy in writing, through your resume and cover letter, over the internet, through your social media presence, and verbally, through the interview process.

There are many myths surrounding the job hiring process. One is that the only resume an employer will consider is the one you send them. However, the other “resume” they may review is your internet presence. How many of you know people who in every other photo, they a have drink, beer or shot glass in their hand or they are espousing hateful messages? That doesn’t bode very well for your personal brand.

Another myth is that you can’t apply for a job unless there is a posted job opening. Not true! There are many non-conventional methods you can use, including use of your network to be considered by hiring managers without a posted job opening. This is a great situation to be in where the company may look for a suitable position for you and best of all, you may not have any competition.

Another myth is that it is all about what you have done. You need to convey that in your resume, cover letter and throughout the interview process. Again, not true! Like people who sell financial products say, past performance is not indicative of future results. Employers don’t necessarily care about what you did in the past, but they certainly care about what you can do for them in the future, if they hire you. Now, we don’t ignore the past, but we must take what you have done and translate it to what you can do for them in the future.

The last myth I’ll mention is the myth that the most efficient and effective way to get hired is through responding to posted job openings. That is completely false. Actually, it is the least effective way to spend your valuable time. Only about 20% of all jobs are filled through that manner. The majority are filled through the “Hidden Job Market.” This includes networking, cold-calling, referrals and recommendations. Using these non-conventional methods, you can avoid having to constantly push yourself toward jobs and instead have jobs pulled to you.

I’ll conclude with the story of a man who retired after a successful 25-year career conducting and supervising criminal investigations with a prosecutor’s office in New Jersey. He retired during a fairly good job market applying for about 60-70 posted jobs well within his wheelhouse, over several months without landing a single interview. That person was me! It wasn’t until I started using the “Hidden Job Market” that I began to have success.

Enter the process with as much knowledge as possible. Be a “Problem Solver” not a “Job Seeker” and you, too, will enjoy success!

Steven Siegel founded High Caliber Career Transitions in 2020 to help law enforcement and military veterans successfully transition into their next career. He enjoyed a 25-year career conducting criminal investigations for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey retiring as a Detective Captain. He has over 18 years’ experience in the corporate world as a fraud investigator.

Remembrance: Detective Cesar Echaverry

Remembrance: Detective Cesar Echaverry
Article & Artwork  by Jonny Castro

On August 15, detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Department spotted a vehicle which was involved in an armed robbery that occurred earlier in the day. The driver refused to exit the vehicle for the detectives and eventually took off, striking their patrol car and another civilian vehicle as it fled the scene. The suspect bailed out from the car after crashing into a light pole and engaged the officers in a running gun battle. During the exchange of over two dozen gunshots, Detective Cesar Echaverry was struck in the head and the gunman was killed. The Detective was rushed to the hospital where, after two days of fighting, he was removed from life support. Detective Cesar Echaverry was a 5-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department and was assigned to the Robbery Bureau, where he worked in the elite Robbery Intervention Detail, often responsible for tracking down fugitives or those wanted for major crimes in some of the county’s most crime-ridden neighborhoods. He had a lifelong love for baseball and the Florida Marlins. Detective Echaverry  Played the game with a high level of skill and even came back to his high school to help condition and offer guidance to the young athletes. He leaves behind a fiancé who he was currently planning a wedding with, both parents and a sister. Detective Echaverry was 29-years old.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

YOU ARE NOT ALONE
By: Nicholas Ricciotti

For three years, I pushed the limits and boundaries of what I could and couldn’t get away with. My actions were fueled by alcohol, which occasionally involved the use of painkillers. Having a valid prescription washed away the worry of ever being subjected to a random urine test from my department. And if I didn’t have anything from my prescription, I was able to get them from someone close to me. For short periods of time, I would binge drink, party, stay out late, go home, sleep, go to work and do it all again. Then I would stop. My girlfriend would get sick of the antics and ask me to stop. Or I’d have an off-duty incident involving alcohol, but I was always able to avoid any charge or arrest.

We all know drinking and driving is number one illegal, and two incredibly irresponsible. Anyone who is a first responder has heard the awful story of a drunk driver crashing into another car. While they walk away unscathed, the damage that they caused to other innocent people is sometimes deadly. I knew this could possibly be my fate, but I pushed those thoughts aside. Instead, I got my rush from doing something wrong, knowing there was a good chance I could get away with it. The best way to describe my relationship with alcohol and pills is like a bad ex-girlfriend. You know she’s toxic and bad for you, so you cut her off, but every time she comes around you let her in. Then the cycle of insanity continues.

The pill use was hidden from almost everyone, except the people I was doing them with. But the excessive drinking was no secret. It became a joke to the people I worked with. So, what did I do? I played into the joke and downplayed the drinking. Every off-duty incident I got myself into was never kept secret, even from those in administrative positions. Instead of asking if I needed help, I was belittled and scolded. At the time I didn’t think anything of it. I have thick skin, so it didn’t really bother me. Looking back, I’m amazed they didn’t mandate I get help.

For the longest time I didn’t think my drinking and pill use was an issue. I never became dependent on any substance. I wasn’t addicted to the substance, but I was addicted to the adrenaline rush of doing something wrong.

At the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 I realized I needed help to break the cycle, but I didn’t know where to turn. The only help I knew was available to me through my department was to go to Florida and check myself into an inpatient rehab. At that time, I was ready for help, but not ready to tell all my loved ones I had a problem. I also didn’t want to be the topic of gossip in my department, so I let the cycle continue.

In July of 2020 my worst nightmare had come true. Through an investigation done by the Prosecutor’s Office I was caught via text messages negotiating a purchase for pills. My career was soon to be gone, and my life was turned upside down. While I was left in limbo, waiting to see what would happen with my career I took the initiative and got help on my own. I found a therapist who specializes in addiction and trauma in first responders. Finally, I had found exactly what I needed. As I started seeing her, she was able to direct me to different resources for first responders. Bottles and Badges, and Reps for Responders to name a couple. My eyes were open that I wasn’t alone in my struggles, and there were more resources out there than just Florida.

I had stopped the pill use shortly after I was caught, and had my last drink on October 9, 2020. This was two days after I pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess CDS and agreed to never work in public employment again.

Asking for help is not easy, especially as a police officer. I used to think that asking for help made you soft and weak. I quickly realized how wrong I was. What I learned through all of this is before you help others, you need to help yourself. You are not alone in your struggles. There’s way more people out there, first responders, who are going through similar struggles. Know it’s OK to ask for help, and it’s OK to struggle. In order to be the best cop, firefighter, EMT, husband, wife, son, daughter, you need to be the best you.

Nicholas Ricciotti is a former Law Enforcement Officer in the state of NJ. Through professional and personal experiences, he is a strong advocate for physical and mental health. Nick is part of the Reps for Responders team, who help first responders live a healthy life through physical fitness and mental health awareness. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and is a former Division 2 athlete. Nick is most recently enjoying fatherhood as he and his wife welcomed their first child in February 2021.

7 Smart Ways to Deal with Sexuality and Autism

7 Smart Ways to Deal with Sexuality and Autism
by Joseph Pangaro, BA, CPM, CSO

When dealing with other people, we have to be aware of the other person’s feelings – their perceptions and interpretations of what we do and say – and we have to accurately interpret what they do and say. This is hard enough for all of us as we grow up, but it can be even more difficult if we misinterpret those same feelings and actions. To help our kids with autism, we spend countless hours teaching them to understand the nuances of conversation and body language.

Life is filled with challenges for all of us, and for kids on the spectrum, the challenges can be even more difficult. As anyone who has experience with the spectrum knows, we often concern ourselves with education and social interaction as main goals for helping our kids. After all, life is made up of one social interaction after another, and learning to navigate these contacts properly can have a role in your quality of life.

Research tell us that in reality, body language is about 80% of conversational interaction, which makes it crucial for everyone to get it right so we can react correctly to others and enjoy a positive conversation. This type of teaching never stops. The consequences of a less-than-positive interaction with others can be isolation – the inability to make friends and maintain relationships with people. That’s why there’s a push to help our kids learn and use the right techniques to get along with their peers.

What I want to discuss is another type of human interaction that we all experience: the sexual relationship. For people who are not on the spectrum, the world of sexuality can be fraught with problems, hardship, disappointment and confusion. For people who are on the spectrum, growing sexual feelings and physical changes can create situations that are not only confusing, but can lead them to engage in inappropriate, unwarranted behaviors that could cause legal issues. To be clear: I am not equating autism and all of its various presentations with sexual deviance or criminal behavior. I am saying that in the modern age, this life experience can bring our kids to places they are not prepared for, and in their genuine attempt to deal with these feelings, they can interact with others in ways that are contrary to the law.

These issues can be first seen when puberty begins. As human beings, our senses are heightened when our sexual hormones begin to increase, and we take notice of people of the same or opposite sex that we find attractive. We can also be influenced by curiosity about our own bodies and the bodies of those we come into contact with. These are all normal, natural and healthy aspects of growing up. For most of us, we learn to control these feelings and curiosities and seek out acceptable opportunities to explore our feelings.

Having served as a career law enforcement officer, I have seen this period of time pass by without incident for the large majority of young people. For others, however, there were more difficult incidents, ranging from inappropriate comments meant to elicit sexual conversation or flirting, to touching incidents that can be viewed as sexual crimes, even if the person wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. The reality is that touching someone in a sexual way is wrong if it is not consensual.

For kids on the spectrum, this period of time can be very difficult, especially if they don’t understand personal boundaries or have a good sense of what is appropriate. Even if the kids are purposefully experimenting with each other, they can run into trouble if the age differences are too great. I have investigated incidents where a 16-year-old boy with the mental capacity of an 11-year-old was engaging in “show me yours, I’ll show you mine” type behaviors with a 10-year-old boy. There was no indication that the interaction was indicative of sexual orientation; rather, it was sexual arousal and curiosity mixed with opportunity and another person with the same curiosities. Even still, they were separated by six years, which in the eyes of the law can be the deciding factor in pursuing criminal charges regardless of the older boy’s mental capacity.

Even though we might all have insight into the mindset of the kids involved, there are not many, if any, state statutes that make exceptions for kids on the spectrum with low IQ or capabilities. The result is often arrest and court action, and most parents and guardians are not prepared for these realities. I have seen other incidents involving kids sharing photographs of their nude bodies, accompanied by comments of a sexual nature. In some of the incidents, the ages of the kids involved have been more than six or seven years apart; this is potentially criminal and can be devastating for the kids and the families.

For people who are on the spectrum, growing sexual feelings and physical changes can create situations that are not only confusing, but can lead them to engage in inappropriate, unwarranted behaviors that could cause legal issues; prepare yourself for these changes in your child. They are stressful enough for children and parents in all families.

Sharing nude photos of themselves and the bodies of other kids can be viewed legally as creating and distributing child pornography. When I interviewed the families involved, the majority of them expressed shock and surprise that their child was having these feelings, let alone acting on them. Access to the internet is one of the things to consider. Playing online video games or having access to smartphones might be considered the norm today, but we have to evaluate each child based on his/her level of responsibility and maturity.

For kids who attend specialized schools with other kids with special needs, the parents and the school must be prepared for these types of interactions before they begin. As an investigator, I learned to understand some of the realities of life for the kids and families on the spectrum. I saw the effort it took to stay on top of the issues and anticipate the future, while at the same time dealing with the everyday needs of their children and life. The onset of sexuality brings with it its own set of challenges, and for our kids with special needs, we must be aware of changes as they begin to appear and react accordingly.

For many parents and guardians, this aspect of their child’s life catches them by surprise emotionally and intellectually, which can place them in jeopardy as it pertains to the law. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Have a talk with your child’s doctor well before puberty begins and learn what signs to look for when the changes start.

2. Talk to a counselor with specific training with kids on the spectrum and sexuality issues so the topic can be handled with as little stress as possible and you are prepared before anything happens.

3. Talk to your school officials and find out how they handle student interaction when it comes to sexual matters and how they monitor these issues.

4. Learn the law of your state as it relates to sexual interactions between children under age 18 and over age 18, so you will know what to expect if something happens.

5. Pay attention to internet access and smartphone access. If a phone is deemed necessary, make sure you activate the parental controls to limit access to web sites and contacts, or consider an old-fashioned flip phone that allows phone calls but not internet access.

6. Consider “Key Stroke” software so you can check where your child is going on the internet and what they are looking at, as well as who they are contacting. Many pedophiles seek out kids with disabilities, hoping they are easier to manipulate.

7. These realities are stressful enough for children and parents in all families; get yourself information to help with the needs, thoughts and feelings of your special needs child.

Human nature is what it is, children run the gamut of intellectual abilities, and sexuality is a built-in drive for all of us. Because it is a drive, it is something that must be recognized, understood and controlled. Helping our special needs kids through this time in their lives can be challenging, but preparing before it begins can make the transition from childhood to adulthood easier for you and your child in order to help avoid any unanticipated problems this part of life can bring.

Joseph Pangaro is a 27-year veteran of law enforcement. He retired in 2013 at the rank of Lieutenant and currently serves as the Director of School Safety and Security for a large school district in NJ. He is also the owner of Pangaro Training and Management, a company that provides training to the public and private sector on a host of topics. Email: JPangaro@Yahoo.com

FRAMED… I Never Stood a Chance! Drugs, Conspiracy and a Corrupt Justice System

FRAMED… I Never Stood a Chance!
Drugs, Conspiracy and a Corrupt Justice System
Book by: Joseph Occhipinti

Joe Occhipinti, is a retired federal immigration agent. Finally, after 30 years in the making, Joseph Occhipinti has finished his long-awaited memoir on drugs, conspiracy and a corrupt justice system entitled, “FRAMED”

The book profiles his life as a highly decorated agent who investigated a murder of an NYPD police officer in 1988 which led to an investigation of a politically powerful drug cartel in New York City. In retribution, the cartel framed him on fabricated federal civil rights charges where there were no acts of police brutality, racial bias or corruption.

This was a landmark prosecution in American history that outraged the American public, as well as two American presidents. In January of 1993, after serving eight months of a 37-month prison sentence, President George H.W. Bush commuted the remaining prison sentence given for the former federal immigration agent for allegedly conducting illegal searches and filing false reports against Hispanic store owners. On December 23, 2020, President Donald J. Trump granted him a “Full and Unconditional Pardon” with a personal apology for enduring injustice.

This is the genesis for establishing the National Police Defense Foundation in 1995 to protect and support the efforts of law enforcement officials nationwide. The National Police Defense Foundation (NPDF) is a nationally renowned and congressionally recognized IRS approved 501 (c) (3) that provides free medical and legal support services to the law enforcement community, as well as funds a variety of public safety and law enforcement initiatives.

The basic mission statement of the National Police Defense Foundation is to “Protect & Support” the efforts of law enforcement. This is being accomplished through the important medical and legal support services provided the national law enforcement community, as well as several NPDF law enforcement programs involving public safety and child safety programs.

Too often, dedicated law enforcement officials are victimized by criminal elements that fabricate allegations of misconduct. When the NPDF suspects that an officer is being unjustly prosecuted or has been falsely convicted, it will support the efforts of the officer for complete vindication. The NPDF will also consider establishing a legal defense fund wherein 100% of the tax-deductible donations can go to the officer’s defense. The NPDF has been credited for exposing many of these injustices on national news programs, such as “60 Minutes,” “NBC Dateline,” Fox News and CNN, among others.

The National Police Defense Foundation, to better address the individual needs of a specific law enforcement group, established independent NPDF coalitions. At present, there are the Police Chiefs Coalition, Firefighters and EMS Coalition, NPDF Italian Coalition and Federal Officers Coalition. These coalitions fund individual NPDF program service initiatives and have an appointed administrator.

It was Joe’s foresight that he established the congressionally recognized “Safe Cop” program. Entered into the “Congressional Record” in 1995, the NPDF trademarked “Safe Cop” program is nationally renowned for posting up to a $10,000 reward for public information that results in the arrest and conviction of anyone who shoots a member of law enforcement, anywhere in the United States. The posting of the Safe Cop reward has been instrumental in bringing to justice several cop killers nationwide.

The “Safe Cop” program was also expanded to provide critical medical care and counseling to disabled law enforcement personnel worldwide. The NPDF will periodically establish a medical fund for the disabled officer or an immediate family member when they are financially unable to pay for medical treatment or have outstanding medical debt.

It should be noted that “Safe Cop” was credited for providing free grief counseling, emergency financial assistance, meals, lodging and supplies for many of the police and first responder victims of the September 11th terrorist attack. In the memory of the police officers killed on September 11th, the NPDF commissioned a world-renowned sculptor to create the September 11th Police Memorial which is in Orange County, New York.

Joe also established the internationally renowned “Operation Kids” program which has;

· distributed over 250,000 free fingerprint/DNA kits to parents

· posted rewards for missing children

· established “Project Pedophile”

· funded many youth athletic events and other related charitable endeavors for children

· granted over 50 scholarships to college-bound students

· arranged life-saving operations and medical treatment to critically and severely handicapped children.

The published memoir FRAMED, I Never Stood a Chance is available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.

Joseph Occhipinti is a native New Yorker who resides in New Jersey with his wife of 41 years, Angela, and three daughters. He founded and volunteers as the Executive Director for the National Police Defense Foundation whose membership exceeds over 210,000 members and supporters worldwide. More information can be found at: www.npdf.org

Those who point the finger are often most guilty

Those who point the finger are often most guilty
By: Peter Marina

All human beings engage in projection to varying degrees of frequency and hostility. How we deal with our own projection and othering, as well as how we deal with people who project and other us, determines if we become bullies or protectors of human rights.

The concept of projection and othering occurred to me when a police officer in my Human Rights Policing Certificate of Completion Program, which I developed with my father Lieutenant Pedro Marina (retired), inquired about how to feel and respond to people who direct their anger and frustration onto cops.

Carl Jung’s concept of projection explains how we cast our insecurities and the most repugnant aspect of ourselves onto others. Put differently, we cast our ugly shadows onto the faces of other people and then blame them for our own flaws. When people, especially privileged members of the public, call all police racists, they are often projecting their own repressed racism onto them. When privileged people say all cops engage in white supremacy, they are merely expressing their own insecure white guilt onto their faces and then hating police for reflecting their own personal insecurities and flaws. Humans are biologically and culturally determined to project.

People who “fat shame” others are often projecting their own unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits onto people they perceive as bigger. When people use slurs against members of the LGBTQ + community, they are often projecting their own sexual and gendered insecurities on their fellow brothers and sisters with different preferences. Labeling easily scapegoated people as lazy often reveals the shame people feel about their own indolence. When privileged academics call certain people racists, they are often projecting their own repressed racism onto other people. Parroting the phrase “diversity is our strength,” liberals, for example, often project their intolerance onto others who refuse to virtue signal empty words. Projection relates to othering. In the early 20th century, as a friend reminded me, the great sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about how black people experienced a sense of otherness and exclusion in the United States. It’s a problem that perhaps all people experience in a highly divided, hierarchal society. Du Bois said:

It is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of the other, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder…

While Du Bois was describing the feelings of being both an American and a black person, many people experience these feelings of two-ness. People often make other people feel like outsiders, inferiors, and the “other,” because of their social class, immigration status, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic identity, or some other category. Many immigrants experience this sense of two-ness today with feelings of being both a member of their original culture and an American. My family has experienced this being Cuban-Americans.

In today’s political climate, perhaps police officers also sense this feeling of two-ness, for example, being a stereotyped cop and a community member or being a police officer and a woman or black/brown person.

We all project and “other” people; police officers too. So do professors. I’ve seen many privileged professors engage in projection and othering towards their colleagues making them feel like outsiders, inferior, and the “other.”

Those who point the finger the most are often most guilty. Most important, we must also ask ourselves the following:

How often do you tell stories that turn others into your inferior? How often do you make people feel like outsiders?

How often do you “other” other people based on some category?

Asking such questions, I realized how I’ve “othered” rural people while living for the first time in a small-town rural setting. I work hard to avoid repeating this process.

If police officers realize how they are constantly subject to projection and othering, it becomes easier to recognize how they also do it. I believe police officers can become better than the vast majority of people who constantly project their shadows and “other” people. Police officers can rise above the proverbial muck and mire to become great examples of people who protect human rights, even during highly difficult times when the public has intensified their projection and othering.

To police officers: you are members of the working-and-middle classes who also police fellow members of the working-and-middle classes. People will constantly project their shadow onto you and make you feel like outsiders and “others.” While we all have a tendency to defend ourselves from such projection and othering, especially when attacked, I believe the better approach is to understand why people cast their ugly shadows onto to you and develop a sense of empathy. Simply put, the reason people project is because it’s difficult for people to accept their own flaws and insecurities, so they instinctually misplace them onto other people, onto you. Reach out to the people who project their ugly shadow onto you, for they are really only hating themselves. Reach out to those who make you outsiders, for they too are outsiders. If you understand this process, you can develop a sense of pity, and hopefully, a sense of empathy too.

Allow them to enjoy their human rights even when they project their insecurities and flaws onto you. This is an essential task of human rights policing. It is achievable and can improve the professional and personal lives of those who practice it.

Dr. Peter Marina is a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Along with his father, (retired) Lieutenant Pedro Marina, he teaches human rights policing to law enforcement professionals throughout the United States. He is author of the upcoming book Human Rights Policing: Reimagining Law Enforcement in the 21st Century with Routledge Press.

Malkin: Why Some of Us Can't Dine in Peace

Malkin: Why Some of Us Can't Dine in Peace
By: Michelle Malkin

Fifteen years ago, when I still lived in the D.C. swamp, I took my elementary school-daughter and toddler son out for one of our regular weekend breakfasts at IHOP. But we couldn't be left alone to enjoy our meal. As my kids dug into their funny-face pancakes, a fuming-faced liberal marched to our booth and started ranting about my anti-open-borders commentaries on Fox News. The incident occurred not long after Geraldo Rivera told a Boston Globe reporter that I was the "most vile, hateful commentator I've ever met in my life" and that, "It's good she's in D.C. and I'm in New York" because "I'd spit on her if I saw her."

Fifteen years later, I'm blacklisted by the "fair and balanced" network, while fork-tongued cable news reptile Geraldo Rivera remains a heavily promoted Fox News contributor who regularly attacks everyone else (including his former friend Donald Trump) for inciting violence. File under "chutzpah."

Fifteen years later, organized mobs in the nation's capital are targeting Supreme Court justices in their homes.

Fifteen years later, the goons of ShutDownDC, leading instigators of "direct action" (translation: domestic terrorism) against the far left's political enemies, have now offered bounties of up to $200 on Twitter to stalk and harass Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts. In a Twitter post that brazenly violates the social media giant's own rules against targeted harassment and incitements to violence, ShutDownDC called on D.C.-area service industry workers to expose the whereabouts of the conservative justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. The call to arms came after Kavanaugh was hounded out of Morton's steakhouse in D.C.

In a rare display of business defiance of the mob, Morton's responded in a statement that Kavanaugh and other patrons "were unduly harassed by unruly protestors" and that politics "should not trample… the right to congregate and eat dinner."

Or to eat an IHOP breakfast with children!

One outlet characterized the latest intimidation campaign against the SCOTUS judges as a "troubling escalation." But I know from both professional and up-close-and-personal experience that all this ugliness is a continuation of years and years of abuse of, and violence against, conservative public figures in both public and private spaces. See, for example, my 2006 encyclopedia of left-wing loons, "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild."

Naturally, militant abortion zealots cheered the Morton's ambush and mocked the justices who are under siege — even as Kavanaugh's would-be assassin faces attempted murder charges after flying from California to the judge's home in the D.C. area to kill him. On cue, the Biden administration defended and encouraged more such protest for abortion on demand. But ShutDownDC's summer of staged rage isn't about any sincerely held despair over the right to murder unborn babies, just as the attacks on Trump officials at their homes and in restaurants in 2018 weren't really, in the end, merely about Trump or America First populism or borders. Remember: ShutDownDC is a full-time, deep-pocketed front group for wealthy woke heiresses like Aileen Getty and Rory Kennedy who hop from "progressive" cause celebre to cause celebre. As I've reported previously, their compadres in the invasive Sunrise Movement are a parallel disruption outfit backed by the Sierra Club that agitated for the Green New Deal, Black Lives Matter and the Defund the Police movement before mobilizing to attack the private homes of Senate Republicans who confirmed Trump's judges. Even more alarming: the presence of ShutDownDC subversives embedded in federal government agencies including Takoma Park Mobilization, Alt U.S. National Park Service, Alt Ed, Alt FDA, Alt NOAA, Alt U.S. Forest Service, Alt EPA, and BadHombreLands National Park Service.

Reminder: The Sierra Club (annual budget: $100 million; top donors: Michael Bloomberg, George Soros) provided five-figure initial seed grants to Sunrise's educational arm, as well as Beltway office space. Other original funders of Sunrise: The Rockefeller Foundation and Wallace Global Fund (which also contributed to the George Soros-subsidized Tides Center, Color of Change cancel culture guerilla warriors, and far-left legal policy groups Alliance for Justice and the Brennan Center for Justice). The Sunrise Movement's co-founder, Evan Weber, is a former Occupy Wall Street organizer. Two others, Sara Blazevic and Varshini Prakash, are Green New Deal zealots and Sen. Bernie Sanders activists. Prakash serves as an advisory board member of Climate Power 2020 along with Soros-funded Center for American Progress head John Podesta, former Obama administration environmental czar Carol Browner, former Obama administration science czar John Holdren, former Obama administration Secretary of State John Kerry, former Obama administration EPA head Gina McCarthy, and former Obama administration U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. Some of us can't dine in peace because our simple existence is a threat to the "liberal world order." If you can't be controlled, you must be de-personed. "Tolerance" is only for the intolerant. The rules of civility don't apply to the self-righteous monsters sporting "empathy" bumper stickers on their cars and "love is love" banners in the windows of their homes and businesses that will always be safe from pot-bangers, Molotov cocktail-hurlers and billionaire-funded dissent-crushers.

Bon appetit, end-stage America.

Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, author, and businesswoman. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She was a Fox News contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs. Malkin has written several books. She founded the conservative websites Twitchy and Hot Air. E-mail: Michelle MalkinInvestigates@protonmail.com

MANAGING EDITOR’S POINT OF VIEW

It has been said that leaders think and talk about the solution; while followers think and talk about the problem. When all is said and done, it is results that matter and our writers here at the independent voice of law enforcement are all about leadership with actionable solutions to problems.

We persevere in our attempts to avert one crisis after another, remembering that kindness in humanity still does exist. We are the living proof of that. While some politicians may exploit the emotional impacts of events of violence we present fact-based and proven methods.

You have the right to be informed. Why can't we, as a society, implement solutions when so many know the truth?

At the end of 2018, we ran a cover story Active Killer Coming Soon exploring active shooter behaviors which often precede attacks and outlining the importance of the police and community working together to stop the killing. In the summer of 2019, I outlined the nationally acclaimed program enacted by then-Huntington West Virginia Fire Chief Jan Rader THE DRUG CRISIS Making a Difference: One Life at a Time. And in March 2022 we published a solutions-oriented article by Chief Ron Camacho on Training, Culture, and Discipline: The Keys to Navigating the Current Turbulent Waters of Policing.

Check out our past issues online for these and other articles worthy of another look, including a call for training in the prophetic Are you prepared to order your officers into a deadly encounter? by Joseph Pangaro.

In this issue, you will find Dave Willoughby asking if you will be Assisting the Predator? as it pertains to policies, procedures and officer actions when gender issues become questioned. Leonard Sipes explores that Foreign Criminals are Coming to America and what message this is sending to criminals everywhere. Ken Dye cites references of recent cases involving police which may be an answer to Is the Tide Turning for Cops?

As the pendulum swings from “woke” to solutions based upon reality, the truth behind the badge is that the burdens law enforcement continues to carry, the price we pay, is in keeping with our mutual desire to keep all safe, free and the continued promotion of fact-based justice for all. Thank you to our new and established contributors alike. Reach out to us. We are here … we’re truly all in this together!

Joel E. Gordon

Managing Editor

The last trial of my career

The last trial of my career
By: Dale Gabriel

Score one for the good guys. My faith is restored!!! Well friends, I just completed a very diffi-cult four-day jury trial for a DUI! Not a murder, but a DUI… yes, believe it or not, FOUR DAYS. The defense attorney was beating me up terribly, slinging mud, accusing my partner and me of all kinds of heinous things… lying about the case so we could get promoted, making things up to support the charge… out and out calling us liars during his closing argument. liars! It was extremely hard keeping my composure being on the stand for a full day and a half, with the personal attacks. But I did my best to stay calm, smile at the jury, and tell the truth! It was tough watching him slam the breath test reliability, even though it was the defendant who screwed it up (although we were not allowed to say that).

It was tough watching as he questioned the blood draw, the submission of evidence, the trans-portation of evidence to the lab, the testing of the sample, the criminal complaint, the traffic stop, the field sobriety, the actions of me and my partner, the report, making everything look improper! everything!

I had to sit through three witnesses (two of whom were RN's who know these things) testify that in no way, shape or form was the defendant under the influence of any alcohol, despite a blood test more than twice the legal limit. It must be a mistake, or fabricated by me and my partner! I had to listen to the defendant's mother testify with lie after lie after lie, even telling the jury that she does not care if her daughter was found guilty or not, because she always taught her children that there was consequences for their action, but that she was not guilty.

I had to listen to the defendant tell straight out lies about things that occurred during the time in custody, total lies, crying to the jury how she was mistreated!!!! To be honest, for the first time in my career, I was really worried that I might lose a trial.

For the first time in my career, I really just felt totally defeated. Totally unappreciated! It was a long and tough four days and I was wiped out!!!

Then, the ADA had a phenomenal closing argument and the jury saw through all the crap. They saw through all the grandstanding, the dog and pony show, the lies, and the false accusations. They came back with a guilty verdict of not one, but both DUI sections. I am ecstatic… actually giddy.

I have never really showed much emotion on my cases throughout my career. But because of the way I was treated during this trial, I wanted this one badly. When the verdict was read, I smiled at the jury, acknowledging their hard work… their common sense, their verdict! I felt like a retir-ing member of the Super Bowl winner going out of my career on top! Maybe I should go to Dis-ney. One small step for man, one giant leap for Truth, Justice, and the American Way!

Dale Gabriel is a retired patrol and community services officer with the Pennsylvania State Po-lice. After 25+ years of service, in retirement, he has been working on a book of his many PSP memories. He also coaches a baseball team in a Miracle League for those with special needs. He holds a communication degree with English minor from Saint Vincent College in Western Penn-sylvania.

UNCLAIMED VETERANS ASHES RECEIVE FULL MILITARY HONORS

MONMOUTH COUNTY SHERIFF SHAUN GOLDEN, THROUGH HIS VETERANS SERVICE COUNCIL, ENSURED UNCLAIMED VETERANS ASHES RECEIVE FULL MILITARY HONORS FOR THEIR SERVICE
By Michael Ferraro, Coordinator, Veterans Service Council, Cynthia Scott, Public Information Officer and Ted Freeman, Executive Undersheriff Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office

On June 23, 2021, with leadership and coordination by Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Veteran’s Service Council Coordinator Michael Ferraro, the Sheriff’s Office Veterans Ser-vice Council, and in partnership with the Vietnam Veterans NJ Shore Area Chapter 12 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, the cremains of 23 United States military veterans and two spouses began a long-overdue journey to their final resting place at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in New Hanover, New Jersey. The cremains of these American military veterans had been sitting on shelves in funeral parlors, forgotten for years or decades, in tin cans or cardboard boxes, unclaimed by family members. These veterans served in the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Army Air Corps, and the United States Merchant Marine. Nine served in World War I, eleven in World War II, one in Korea, and one in Vietnam.

At a quarterly meeting of the Monmouth County Veterans Service Council, Golden and Ferraro first learned of the plight of these long-forgotten veterans when representatives of the VVA Chapter 12 explained the Veterans Cremains Program and how across the nation veterans’ remains are stored unclaimed and without the honor of a proper funeral. Following the presentation by VVA Chapter 12, and the video that showcased the Cremains Program in detail, Golden committed the entire Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office to spearheading the Veterans Cremains Program. Golden immediately commenced weekly meetings with Monmouth County law enforcement agencies, first responders and local support resources to ensure a proper public response to honor these veterans. At a meeting in May 2021, the burial date of June 23, 2021, was designated for the motorcade and burial of these cremains, at which point the motorcade to the cemetery and proper route were fully developed.

Organizations taking a lead role in putting this concept together included: Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Vietnam Veterans NJ Shore Area Chapter 12, the Monmouth County Sher-iff’s Veteran’s Service Council including American Legion Posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars Chapters, Jewish War Veterans of Deal, the Freehold and Manasquan Elks Lodges, CentraState Healthcare System and the amazing support of law enforcement agencies and first responders throughout Monmouth County and beyond.

The Manalapan Township Police Department served as the storage locations of the cremains and served as the starting point for the motorcade to the cemetery. A dignified service was held at Manalapan Township Police Headquarters at which first responders, in pairs, one holding the cremains, the other a folded American flag, carried each veteran and flag to the transport vehi-cle. Manalapan Mayor Jack McNaboe offered remarks followed by Police Chaplain Julius Cooper, of St. James AME Church in Manalapan Township. During the service at Manalapan Township Police Headquarters, Dave Drummond, an active member of Chapter 12 of the Vi-etnam Veterans of America, and a POW during the Vietnam War with the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, read the name of each veteran as each of the veterans’ cremains were individually es-corted to the Sheriff’s Office transport van. Bagpipers from Manalapan Township Police De-partment and the Friendly Sons of Shillelagh - Belmar, participated at the Manalapan Police De-partment and cemetery locations.

Once the cremains were properly secured in the vehicle, the mile-long motorcade left Ma-nalapan Township Police Headquarters enroute to the cemetery with a brief stop at the Mon-mouth County Hall of Records in Freehold Borough. The motorcade had approximately sixty law enforcement vehicles, twelve EMS vehicles, six sheriff’s vehicles, approximately one hundred motorcycles and a flyover by the New Jersey State Police helicopter plus a 21-gun salute. Over 40 law enforcement agencies from three counties were involved in the motorcade including the sheriff’s offices of Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties.

Arriving at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery, the motorcade was es-corted to the committal service shelter on the cemetery grounds with approximately 250 law en-forcement, first responders, and various veterans’ organizations in attendance.

During the service at the cemetery, Richard Gough, Chairman of the Cremains Project of VVA Chapter 12, read the names of the veterans as they were moved from the host vehicle to the committed service shelter where they were placed on a covered table, each with an American flag. Once set, a rose was placed next to the cremains of each veteran and a hand salute ren-dered to each deceased veteran. Just prior to the conclusion of the funeral service, the mournful sounds of Echo Taps permeated the air.

Ernie DiOrio, Vice President, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 12 said, “When I heard about veterans being abandoned on shelves at funeral homes, I couldn’t believe it and I knew I had to do something, so it became my mission.”

“It is truly an honor and privilege to be part of the Veteran Cremains Program for me.” said Fer-raro. “As a retired Air Force Veteran, I feel the public needs to know there are hundreds of veter-ans who have been cremated and are resting in basements of funeral homes unclaimed after serving our country.”

“The debt that we owe our military veterans is one that can never be repaid, nor can we truly ap-preciate the sacrifices that each of them endured,” said Golden. “That is why it is our solemn du-ty that the remains of these veterans are provided with the dignity and honor of a proper burial. The entire Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is proud to be a part of this event.”

Golden thanks Chapter 12 of the Vietnam Veterans of America for their commitment and tireless work to ensure that these forgotten veterans receive full military honors, as well as the outpour-ing of support from our law enforcement and first responder partners, in making these Veteran Cremains Projects observances memorable events.

On October 27, 2021, seven additional cremains of military veterans were transported to the committal service center at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office accompanied by VVA Chapter 12 and about 25 motorcy-clists. Continuing the mission started by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 12, assisted by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, a brief but moving ceremony was held at the commit-tal service center as these brave souls completed their long-awaited arrival at their final resting place, now resting in peace with their brethren.

For information about the Veteran’s Service Council of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, or the Veterans Cremains Project, please contact Veteran’s Service Council Coordinator Mi-chael Ferraro at 732-431-6400 extension 1806.

Michael Ferraro, Command Chief Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Coordinator of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Veterans Service Council, Cynthia Scott, former Emmy Award Winning Journalist, Public Information Officer, Ted Freeman, Executive Undersheriff.

Are you training for the fight of your life?

Training for your RED LINE
Are you training for the fight of your life?
By: Monica Eaton

If not, what do you expect to happen when that day comes? It’s not if, it’s when. At some point in your life, a youth sports coach pushed you to the point of dry heaving, maybe even throwing up. I remember those days as a competitive gymnast growing up. I dreaded cardio, because I sucked at it. But it made me better. Enduring long cardio sessions in the gym successfully prepared me for competition. When I saluted the judge and began my routine, I was confident in my abilities to perform as I had practiced.

Practicing for competitive sports seems like a no-brainer. Everyone knows it is hard to be successful in athletics without putting in the hard work.

As adults, we somehow lose the mentality of, “practice makes perfect,” and we begin to do the bare minimum. We groan at the thought of the next in-service training day and grudge through death by PowerPoint with caffeine in hand.

How sad is it that most cops hate training days? We neglect to train for a job that can kill us on any given day. It becomes harder to train for life, rather than a competitive sport. The two don’t seem to compare when put into that perspective.

Just like competitive sports, you have to push your limits in training, to know what they are. You need to know what your shooting accuracy is in a perfect setting to know that under stress, accuracy will diminish. You need to know how long you can last in a ground fight in training, before you can successfully win a fight on the street.

This is training for your “red line.” Your red line is your ultimate limit of your physical and mental capacity.

When going for a run, you get to the point where your brain says, “Stop, I need a break.” That is your red line. Being able to find that place and continue to keep going is how you train to win the fight. It is just as much mental as it is physical. When the time comes to fight for your life, you will recognize what the red line feels like, and you will be able to assess whether you can keep going or need to reach for lethal force.

If you grew up training 20 hours a week for competitive sports, you can devote an hour a day toward training for the profession that could kill you. Get in a daily workout, go roll or spar in a martial arts gym, hit the gun range once a month, prioritize sleep and a healthy diet.

Taking one hour each day to better yourself isn’t much. Small habits add up over time. You deserve to invest in yourself. To ensure you go home at the end of each shift. Don’t wait. Start now.

Monica Eaton is the owner/CEO of Five-0 Fierce and Fit which creates online nutrition and fitness programs designed to help female first responders lose fat, gain strength and take back their confidence in 90 days because “your family depends on you to be fit for duty.” Using her six-year Oklahoma law enforcement experience along with her 15-year background in fitness and nutrition she helps female first responders reach their full potential in life and career. Look her up on Instagram @five0.fierce.and.fit.

Post ‘Woke’ Era - Is The Tide Turning For Cops?

Post ‘Woke’ Era
Is The Tide Turning For Cops?
By: Ken Dye

Writing in my blog, “copsperspective.com,” I had the pleasure to write three consecutive stories about police officers who have been accused of excessive use of force. Fortunately, these officers were subsequently found to have been within the department’s guidelines and the law. The officers were fired, suspended or sued by a resisting/deceased suspect or their families.

Officers fired/suspended for doing their jobs by spineless city leaders had to endure months, even years before the issue was resolved.

Let’s take a look at the three cases I referred to:

1. Wauwatosa, WI: Officer was involved in three fatal shootings. The last one in 2016. After being investigated by local, state and federal authorities no charges were filed. A state judge reinstated the case and it was investigated by former prosecutors. In June of this year, he was finally given a clean bill. He is currently serving honorably, as a deputy sheriff in Waukesha County, Wis.

2. Six Atlanta officers were fired by the mayor and police chief after they took two curfew violators into custody during the George Floyd unrest. Their bargaining unit’s attorneys got them reinstated. Once again, this June all the officers were not charged after a final investigation. The officers’ actions were within department guidelines and laws. The actions by city leaders, however, leave them open to costly and time-consuming civil suits.

3. In Topeka, Kansas, an officer was sued by a resisting suspect. After hearing the evidence in federal court, the wrongly accused officer was found not guilty and the plaintiff was ordered to pay the officer’s cost of counsel.

Earlier this year, Oklahoma officers had their case dismissed by a judge who questioned why the case was filed in the first place. Once again it involved an overzealous prosecutor.

There seems to be a movement afoot in the country to once again look at these, and other cases involving cops a bit more seriously. We have all seen the newsreaders look at the camera and bemoan police brutality. Oh please!

Our nation’s cops deserve the right to be heard and judged appropriately. No one will stand for abuse of power by cops… or by chiefs and mayors.

Ken Dye is the author of five books about crime, cops and bad guys in the St. Louis area. He blogs under “Cops Perspective” and has over 20,000 followers. Ken served with the St. Louis County Police Department for 13 years and finished his LE career with the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority as the administrator for the statewide MEG’s and Narcotics Task Forces.

THE REALITY OF MANHOOD AND STRESS: Put Down your pride

THE REALITY OF MANHOOD AND STRESS: Put Down your pride
By: Deon Joseph

I’m an old-school man, one who once believed that people who claimed to be stressed were somehow weak. I saw a guy at the gym who looked like he had a lot on his mind. I asked him to spot me on the bench press. He did. When I was done I asked him “Are you good?” He put his hands on his hips and said “Not really.”

We started talking a bit and he told me some issues he was having with his son and wife.

His stressors were affecting him at work and he felt horrible that he was asked to take some time off to get himself together. He was clearly embarrassed and ashamed.

With no real solutions for him, because he did not go into detail about his problems, I drew from personal experience to reach him.

I told him the story of when my mother-in-law passed away. How I had just bought a house at the time. How broken my wife was and how I was now taking care of two families on a single income as my wife stopped going to work.

I was one of the most competent officers on the police force prior to that. I ended up at a new division called Newton. It was a run and gun division. I reveled in the challenge, until tragedy struck.

Between worries about my wife taking her own life and making ends meet, I began breaking down from the weight of it all, but my pride would not allow me to acknowledge it.

In the streets I did some downright stupid and sometimes dangerous things that I would never have done prior to the tragedy.

I could not broadcast or remember where I was on during investigative stops. I would get lost responding to calls for service. I even got lost one night going home. I’d misplace documents. Write the same reports twice, forgetting my partner had already written it.

Yet my pride would not allow me to quit. It was foolish. It got so bad that one day my supervisor brought me in to the station and told me “Joseph. I have to take you out of the field. Clearly you have to get your personal life in order. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

I was offended, but as I tried to plead my case the thoughts of my wife crumpled on the floor in tears, the memories of overdue car payments and barely making the mortgage. The coming home one day to a man trying to turn off my electricity. Worries about my wife’s family as well all came bubbling up, and in the middle of my rant, tears began falling from my face uncontrollably because I was supposed to be “the rock.” I paused, hung my head and admitted he was right.

I was assigned a desk job for a couple of months. This once-capable officer was now pushing papers. It was during that time I was able to slowly get my house in order, and once again became the cop I knew I was.

But I had to take the time.

To all men, please hear me and ladies as well. At some point, when your stressors are getting the best of you, you must put down your pride and listen to those who see it.

Then if you can, take that time to get yourself right. Yes I’m an alpha male, but I am one who is strong enough to tell you that being stressed is real and nothing to be ashamed of.

The shame comes when you are so prideful that it destroys you and your loved ones. Remember, pride always comes before the fall. To those who see someone struggling at work, or in your personal life, don’t judge them. Reach out.

God bless.

Deon Joseph is a 26 year veteran of law enforcement in Southern California - 23 of those years working in the homeless community to create an environment conducive to change for those in recovery, as a Lead Officer. He’s been recognized for his work locally and nationally, and news stories and documentaries surrounding his work in crime fighting and community relations, featured him. www.deonjoseph.org

Uvalde Tragedy: An Honest Assessment

Uvalde Tragedy: An Honest Assessment
By: Sheriff David Clarke (Ret.)

One of the most difficult things to analyze in law enforcement is an after-action assessment of what went right, what went wrong and how we can learn from it after a critical incident. The first step is to be honest about what happened. Life is not perfect in anyone’s world, but that is no more evident than in the imperfect world of policing. If we could script it ahead of time like on TV, then we would be perfect every episode. But we don’t get to script what happens in our world. Often we are dealt a bag of crap and we are expected to make it taste good.

Police operate in a realm of uncertainty. Officers in exigent circumstances have to cobble together incomplete bits and pieces of information to decide an appropriate course of action, and do it fast. Then it gets reviewed in slow motion by people who were not there. They get time to examine every moment frame by frame in the safe space of a conference room. Let’s be honest. Their conclusions are arrived at in a second-guessing environment with all of the information handed to them, not just bits and pieces.

I am prefacing the observations I have following the horrific mass murder of 19 children and 3 teachers at a Uvalde, Texas school for a reason. It’s because no matter how many times an incident like this occurs, the reaction following it turns into the same ritual. We do the same thing. We go from shock and horror at what just happened, memorials and GoFundMe pages get set up and that is understandably appropriate. The next phase involves politicians using it for face time, fundraising for their campaign, to virtue signal and maybe score some cheap political points off the backs of the dead and their survivors. The third phase of the ritual is that people start looking for someone to blame for the incident. Attempts are made usually by the media and other agenda-driven people. Somebody has to be to blame for this other than the perpetrators themselves. And what better entity to hyper-analyze than the law enforcement response.

I am very familiar with what occurs in the early moments of critical events like this: mass confusion and pandemonium. There is little information available, and in many cases partial information. The media monitors police call scanners, so sometimes they beat police there and want something said. They’ll settle for anything. New information continues to roll in as the incident unfolds. I get it. But unlike many people including current and retired law enforcement officials who blurt out comments without knowing all the facts and information that undermine law enforcement, I won’t do that. I’ll take a different approach.

Life is not perfect. Neither are law enforcement officers. That scene at that Uvalde school was an old-fashioned cluster-you know what. Hint, it rhymes with suck. Nothing that was happening was in law enforcement’s favor to aid their decision-making. It is reported that a door at the school that was supposed to be locked was propped open. A high-ranking officer at the scene is reported to have made a command decision that it was no longer an active shooter but a barricaded subject as the shooting was still going on. Those two situations, active shooter and barricaded subject, would involve a very different response. Sometimes all you have to work with ends up as a best guess. But decisions still have to be made in exigency nonetheless.

In these events, information rapidly evolves. I know from experience that often the first so-called facts coming through are those most subject to change. The military refers to it as the fog of war. That phrase is defined as the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. You simply don’t know. Look, I still don’t know what to believe with all the reported events in the media, two weeks after the Uvalde shooting happened. Some reports said officers delayed entry for an hour while waiting for equipment. Other reports had officers going in immediately. I don’t know, but at this point that is irrelevant. What is relevant is what does law enforcement do going forward. In more specific terms, the question this profession has to ask themselves is what can it do better in the future to influence a different outcome, a better outcome that instills confidence in the public that we can do this and that we can be counted on. Let’s face it, this was not our finest hour as a profession. We need to publicly admit it. The public doesn’t expect perfection from us. They do and should demand a level of excellence from us if we want to be considered a profession. That is what professionals do. They expect more of themselves. It’s a behavior issue.

From a technical issue, there is this. As sheriff of one of the 50 largest sheriff’s offices in the country and a state of Wisconsin certified law enforcement training center, I always had this complaint about our training. Too much of it occurs in controlled, static and sterile environments. I don’t know how to create real life chaos and pandemonium, but those two elements change things. Tabletop exercises are done in a controlled environment. Additionally, we too often fall into the trap of preparing for the last event. School buildings have not changed much. One of the most notables that set the stage for active shooter incidents in the last half-century occurred at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1997. Police were criticized for a slow response to that active shooter. They were staging and waiting for equipment as the shooting was going on. That was nearly 25 years ago, and here we are again. The questionable police response issue reared its ugly head again during the Parkland, Florida High School shooting a few years ago and here we are dealing with the same criticism about the school shooting in Uvalde. We are better than this, and it’s time we show it at these incidents.

In critical incidents, time is not always on your side. If the shooting is still underway, it’s go time. You don’t always have time for the static response of setting up a command post, implementing the incident command system (ICS) and waiting for more resources to arrive. A rapid response is required. Look at how first responders of the NYPD and NYFD performed during the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001. They rushed into a burning building. They instinctively put themselves in harm’s way to evacuate people out of those towers. They didn’t have time to neatly set everything up first or think about their own safety. Then the buildings collapsed, trapping them inside and killing hundreds of first responders. They epitomized selflessness.

In these active school shooter incidents, we are expected to immediately rush in, locate and confront the shooter whether we have all the equipment and personnel we need or not. The objective is to have the shooter turn from shooting teachers and children and turn his sights on shooting at law enforcement officers instead. They are at least armed and have a better chance at surviving than unarmed kids and teachers. Is that gut-wrenching? Hell yes, it is. One’s fear cannot override their duty to perform. I am not suggesting it’s easy, but it is what we signed up for. How often is that conversation had at training sessions?

Yes, this is hard stuff, but this conversation must be had internally. We have to do some soul-searching here. Otherwise, we will be dealing with another black eye on this profession like the one the Uvalde tragedy gave us.

Abortion; is it a necessary evil?

Abortion; is it a necessary evil?
By: Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.)

From America’s inception, abortion was illegal in all states, as a result of British common law. In 1821 Connecticut, the first U.S. law was written “officially” banning the practice. Each state would follow, confirming until 1973 that abortion was outlawed across the land. As time moved forward through women’s “suffrage,” (1848-1920) and later women’s “lib” (liberation) throughout the ‘60s and beyond, opinions changed. What was looked at for centuries that a baby was an individual with all of the rights of any human being, became today, part of a woman’s body; as “my body, my choice” became the mantra. In 1967, some sanity was injected into the abortion argument when the American Medical Association voted to change the body’s long-standing opposition to abortion, giving both sides some middle ground. With a new resolution, the AMA now condoned abortion for the life or health of the mother, for a baby’s ‘incapacitating’ physical deformity or mental deficiency, or for cases of rape or incest. Sounds prudent to me.

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By 1970, New York, California, Washington State, and Hawaii, passed laws making abortion “ON-DEMAND” legal, at any stage! And it was that my friends that catapulted the “Pro-Choice” “Pro-Life” wars. In 1972, the Pro-Lifers were gaining steam, until Roe v. Wade in 1973 changed everything! The liberal-leaning U.S. Supreme Court wrongfully, in my opinion, decided abortion was a federal matter while misinterpreting the 14th Amendment and thereby forced conservative Pro-Life states to accept abortion regardless of that particular state’s views or religious beliefs. The problem is, and always was, however, that the U.S. Constitution does not address abortion specifically, leaving the decision up to the states. You see, the current court did not make abortion illegal, they simply sent it back to the states where it always belonged. Look up “Federalism” for more about states’ rights.

Note; Jane Roe was an alias in court documents for complainant, Norma McCorvey, and Henry Wade was Texas attorney general at the time.

So, enough with the history lesson and on to this humble writer’s opinion. I believe that the biggest problem related to abortion are the two groups’ extremes. In a poll, 70% of the American people today think that abortion should be legal with certain restrictions, including banning late-term abortions. BAM! There you have it! So, can’t we simply meet somewhere in the middle? “Some” Pro-Choice folks believe that a woman should be able to get an abortion right up until her due date, while “some” Pro-Lifers believe that there should be no provision in cases of rape or incest! Why would anyone with an ounce of compassion, consider either one of these extreme positions? Before I go on, I am conceding that a baby is either dead or alive, leaving no room for middle ground; but let’s get real. It is estimated that since Roe v. Wade was adopted in 1973, that approximately 63,459,781 abortions have been performed in America. According to the CDC, the percentage performed with chemical abortifacients, like mifepristone, rose from 9.6% in 2004, to 43.7% in 2019, and continue to rise.

Now, while over 63 million dead babies are shocking to many, let us be a little pragmatic for a moment. To many, the birth of a child is a blessing, but to others, it could be a curse. So, should the states allow abortion in the first trimester? I say yes! Ideally, I’d like to see the termination of the embryo, before it becomes a fetus; usually at 11 weeks. The 13-week “first trimester” idea might be better practicality-wise as some women don’t even know that they are pregnant until they’re into their fourth month when the baby first moves. From my point of view, if you miss two periods, and are sexually active, you might want to take a pregnancy test. However, I’m still looking for common ground and compromise. So, what would have happened to over 63 million babies that were aborted, where in most cases, no one would want them? Would they grow up feeling loved? Would they be left outside a hospital or police station? Would our orphanages explode across the country? Would they be “dragged up” by alcoholic, or drug-addicted parents? How many would be on government assistance, or turn to a life of crime? Considering their offspring, would the population of the United States be over 500 million today, rather than 330? If your young teenage daughter accidentally got pregnant, how would an untimely birth affect her, and the rest of the family? Should your daughter be tied to some asshole loser/drug addict or other, for the rest of her life? Absolutely NOT! Can the family even afford a baby with the projected costs?

“It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s representatives.”

~Justice Samuel Alito, 2022

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.

UVALDE TRAGEDY: WHEN COPS MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

UVALDE TRAGEDY: WHEN COPS MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK
By: Chris Amos

By now I suspect everyone has seen the disturbing video of police officers in Uvalde, Texas. A dozen or more are shown standing in a hallway, doing nothing. Meanwhile, on the other side of what would later be discovered to be an unlocked door, teachers and students had been indiscriminately shot and killed by a psychotic and/or demonically possessed killer. To make matters worse, it has been reported an officer had the gunman in his crosshairs, but rather than taking the shot he chose to ask a supervisor for permission first. Allegedly, the supervisor never responded. Another disturbing detail that came to light was that of a second officer who had a shot, but for fear of hitting a child, did not take it.

I, like many of my law enforcement peers across the country were quick to condemn the actions or lack thereof of these officers. We piled on these men and women, one of whose wife, a teacher, died in that classroom. We did the very thing we are so quick to condemn others of doing, playing the role of Monday morning quarterback. You know what I mean - a combination of what they should have done, with what we would have done… Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

As time passed, I began to look at things a little differently. In the political realm there is an often-used phrase, “Elections have consequences.” Could it be that demonizing, defunding, with the goal of dismantling law enforcement for two+ years has consequences?

About 160 miles from Uvalde, Texas is the states’ capital, Austin. In this law and order state, resides a district attorney by the name of Jose Garza, a George Soros-supported district attorney. Garza made a name for himself, among the progressive crowd. How? By indicting 21 Austin police officers for their actions during riots in 2020. The “crime” committed was the use of expired bean bags in department issued bean bag guns assigned to officers working the riots. I doubt anyone took the time to see if the rocks and bottles they were being pelted with were expired. Like planes waiting to take off at JFK airport, these officers have retained both criminal and civil attorneys as several are suing their employer, among others.

The message sent to law enforcement is loud and clear. “Beware, even while doing your job to the best of your ability, if you make an honest mistake, either by commission or omission, you may very well face possible prosecution.” This is a message not just being heard in Austin, but in law enforcement agencies across the country. We’ve seen video of officers using kid gloves and kind words to try to subdue uncooperative violent criminals. The most recent video involved NYPD officers with a violent teenage suspect. Incredulously, after his arrest, this suspect was seeking to file charges against the very officers he chose to fight rather than comply with their commands.

Law enforcement officers for decades were given the benefit of the doubt. Were there bad cops then? Certainly, but that was the exception, not the norm. Now, in many cities, that benefit of the doubt has been replaced by a warning – do not make a mistake. The effort to hold LEOs to such a high level of accountability is to invite if not encourage inaction. Or at the very least, the seeking of permission up the chain of command before taking action. This creates in the minds of officers, who are already at a disadvantage, as most must react to suspects’ actions, just enough hesitation to get him or her let alone members of the general public, seriously injured of killed.

When facing a very real and present risk of arrest, prosecution and incarceration for just doing the best you could with the information you have, can we really blame an officer for hesitating or choosing to take an abundance of caution. LEOs are not robots. They are men and women, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They have mortgages to pay, families to feed and care for. They have many people for whom they are responsible. They have lives beyond the badges they wear. Lives that can be taken from them in the blink of an eye, simply for reacting to the threatening actions of another, only to realize it was a phone not a gun, or a flashlight not a knife.

Do the officers in that hallway bear blame for their inaction? Yes, and I suspect they will be haunted by their role that day for the rest of their lives, but so too does their leadership bear the blame. And perhaps even more so the progressive activists and their Soros-backed district and commonwealth attorneys who place an untenable burden on LEOs to perfection, to be 100% right, 100% of the time, a burden only Jesus could meet.

This is a Chaplain’s Corner, so let me leave you with these words from the Apostle Paul in Romans 13:1-4:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. He is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Friends, you are called of God to do what you do. Do not ever forget that. He knew before you were even conceived that you would be putting on your uniform, gun and badge. He knew what family you would be born into, who you would marry, where you would live and what agency you would work for. God knows everything about you and He loves you just the same. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins, the breaking of God’s laws not man’s. Friends, we are all guilty as charged and the sentence of guilt carries with it eternity in a literal hell. Accept what Jesus has done for you. Repent or turn from your sin and invite Him to be your Savior and Lord and you will also retain the greatest advocate and dare I say, defense attorney, that has ever, or will ever live. May God bless each and every one of you as you answer his call on your life.

Chris Amos is a retired officer and former spokesperson for the Norfolk Virginia Police Department. He is currently the pastor at Chr1st Fellowship Church in Norfolk. He is married for over 30 years and is the proud father of three children, two of whom are police officers. He serves as the volunteer Chaplain for Norfolk Police Dept. and Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

In memory of New Jersey State Trooper Rick Vanderclock

DSFC. Rick Vanderclock #2761

New Jersey State Police

October 23, 1948 - April 13, 2020

_____________________________________________________________

Many great qualities were handed down to me by my father. Two of the most cherished being integrity and respect. My dad was a New Jersey State Trooper for 29 years retiring in 2000 at the rank of Detective Sergeant First Class.

I knew I wanted to be a police officer from a young age so it wasn’t a surprise when I followed in his footsteps. I watched my father dress for work and leave our home in his police car each day and I was mesmerized by the stories he would tell me when his shifts were over. He was a real-life hero.

I will retire this year from the Wayne Police Department after a 25 year career. My father held high standards for himself and was always a man of his word. His lesson of integrity and respect remained with me throughout m career.

My father, my hero, succumbed to COVID-19 and died on April 13, 2020.

CPL. Rick Vanderclock

Florida Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd

Florida Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd
By The Blue Magazine Team
Catherine Angel, Shai Carr, Raytheon Martin

Blue Magazine recently traveled to Polk County, Florida to sit down with Sheriff Judd--a no-nonsense law enforcement leader whose directness and honesty is breath of fresh air during these troubling times. In this exclusive and uncensored interview, Sheriff Judd calls it as he sees it, and holds no punches as we discuss many of the controversial current topics affecting law enforcement. Blue Magazine thanks Sheriff Judd and the outstanding officers of the Polk County Sheriff's Department.

The BLUE Magazine: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

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photo credit: polk county sheriff

Sheriff Grady Judd: Well, I can start out by saying I was born a long time ago. What you see is what you get. I'm the same on television as I am in the office, as I am at home. You see, I found out if you just tell the truth all the time, you don't have to remember lies. And I've also found out that the community loves transparency, and they love people that will stand up and just tell the truth. They may not always agree with me. Heck, I make policy and procedures that I don't even agree with. But after all, this is not about me. It's about the best interests of the community and how we can keep them safe and how we can help them. So, it's an honor to be the sheriff. It's a lifelong dream since I was a little bitty dude. All I ever wanted to do was work for the sheriff's office. I was the first deputy under the age of 21 and the youngest person to ever be sworn in as a deputy.

I married my wife when I was 18 and we raised two wonderful kids and I went to college nights and taught weekend--23 at both the University of South Florida and Florida Southern. And then my boss, Sheriff Crowe, retired and I ran for sheriff, and the people of this community were gracious enough to let me serve them.

In this current anti-police environment that we have now, have you seen any change with your recruitment with your officers?

Sure. I think it's important to point out why we've had an anti-police environment. I call it the hate on the police or the defund the police that you've seen all around the nation. None of that ever came to our community. And for those of you who aren't from here, our county's 2,000 square miles. And we have about 750,000 residents. And while we saw this being perpetrated upon us and upon all the people of this country--that wasn't this community--that wasn't most communities across this nation. So, at the end of the day, why we saw people that weren't peaceful, protesting, throwing rocks and bottles and burning and looting, the opposite occurred here.

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If you were in a position up north, how would you handle the situation?

Well, here's the problem with the police chiefs. They're great men and women who have dedicated their lives to this career, but they're surrounded by a political environment. They are either appointed by a mayor who got elected, or they may be appointed by a city manager who works for an elected body. So, they are government employees hired to enforce the law or the rules, OK? They're hired. Follow what I say. So their government's answer to law enforcement in Florida, I'm elected by the people. I am the people's representative to enforce the law. I don't work for a county commission. I don't work for a mayor. I don't work for city commissioners.

But as a chief in that appointed position in those environments, I can stand up and talk until the mayor fires me. But I can't make any meaningful changes.

In some states, we are seeing a lot of officers lose their jobs due to the COVID-19 mandates, not complying. What are your thoughts? Would you fire an officer in your department if they don't comply?

I want to underscore COVID is real and it's dangerous and it's deadly. But a lot of this world's gone nuts over that. And here's what we did here at the sheriff's office and by and large, throughout Florida, while the world was all hunkered down behind masks and then double masks, and then staying home and drawing your kids out of school and all this craziness that occurred. We took a common-sense approach. I said, look, when the vaccine becomes available because I talked to my doctor and he said, take it, I've got a lot of friends that are physicians, and I ask every one of them, “What do you think?” Every one of them said unequivocally to take the vaccine. And I did and I took the next vaccine, and I took the booster. I recommend you take the COVID shot. But let me make one thing abundantly clear. That's your personal health decision, not mine. From day one, long before there was a COVID shot, I will never impose a requirement on you to take this shot. Never. We're not mandating. I encourage it. I educate. It's their decision. It's their life.

What is your message to law enforcement leaders today who are firing officers because of these mandates?

I would resign from office as the chief before I mandated people do things that were against my ethics, my morals and my values.

In the past, we have seen law enforcement leaders kneel to appease these special interest groups. Would you be one to kneel? 

No, I'm not kneeling. I kneel in front of the altar for my Jesus and my God. And that's the only person I kneel for. I am going to work for and with the communities and ensure that there's fairness and there's equality and there's opportunity and I'm going to do what's right. But you write this down in your little book. You won't see me kneeling for a social group.

photo credit: polk county sheriff

What is your biggest barrier or obstacle on fighting crime?

Well, I don't have a big barrier or obstacle for fighting crime. You know, I'll wake up every day. Well, I guess I do have one. There's only 24hours in a day, and that's the only thing that limits us. We certainly fight crime. Our crime rate here is at a 50-year low.

At the end of the day, if you have the right systems and processes in place and you're appropriately funded with the equipment, you can respond and should respond. And I'll go back to my board of county commissioners. They have never, never underscore, never refused us equipment or technology training. Resources. To find what we needed to protect this community.

So, what would you say to the defund the police people?

Well, I would first tell them, let's do some scientific study about defund the police. Then I would look at the defund the police people and say, you're nuts.

Some say your aggressiveness or proactive methods on crime may be unfair to minorities. Others say your direct no-nonsense approach is best suited to protect the citizens. What's your message to both arguments?

Yeah, I can tell you clearly and unequivocally that my African American community looks at me and says, we want more resources, sheriff. We don't want less. I can tell you I don't put up with anything other than treating people equitably and fairly. You know, we're all God's children and to allow children to kill children night after night in these big cities is shameful. But if the cops don't have the infrastructure in place to support them, what can they do?

We as active law enforcement look to our leaders for guidance and support many times throughout our career. In your words, how are you there for your officers?

I'm a street cop at heart. When you go into my office and you look behind my desk, you see a star in a shadow box. It's called First Badge. It says Deputy Sheriff Polk County. I'm a street cop. I recruit the best, I hire the best, and I trained the best. I hold them to the highest standards, and I got their back. Now if they run out here off the edge of the mountain, that's on them. But if they're following the rules and they're following the laws, it doesn't make any difference what other people think. I always have their back. I always support them. Now, if you go out here and get stupid, you know, I'm going to arrest you and put you in jail.

And I've done that. But the reality of it is if you don't support the men and women who do this job, you shouldn't be a police leader--you should get out, get out right now and let somebody if they'll appoint somebody that can defend the police officers, why they're doing their job the appropriate way. What fuels me every day is not sitting behind a desk, looking at spreadsheets. It's being out there with the people and the deputies. I love them. My mom and my dad passed. I got a sister that I loved to the ends of the earth. I got a wife who why she stays with me, I don't know. But there's nobody better in the world. I got two boys. I got 13 grandkids. And after that, after that handful, I love these deputies, like they're my own children. And I can say that at my age, I used to be the youngest guy here. I'm the oldest guy here, but I look at them through the lenses of when I was their age doing this dangerous job. How did I want to be treated? How did I want to be supported? And I wasn't all the time because some people were more concerned at different times of their politics instead of doing what's right. But it's easy for me because I love these people. They're my family. And when I go to a scene, I don't run to the supervisors. I can talk to them anytime I want to go see my deputies.

Your marriage has been pretty much parallel to your career, so how do you keep it going so long?

She gets all the credit. This, you know, I asked my oldest son, who I thought had a great personality and disposition to be in law enforcement, why he never wanted to be in law enforcement. Neither my children are in law enforcement. My son said he didn’t like that when he woke up in the morning, I was gone. And when he went to bed at night, I was gone a lot of days. And he never wanted a job like that. So, my wife is really the fiber of our family. She is a strong Christian woman. She is just wicked smart. I'm married way up and she is supportive of me. Why in the world she picked me or stayed with me? I don't know. But she's the best.

There's a serious issue with law enforcement today where some officers use prescription medication to manage pain. Because of this, many develop addiction to these drugs. How will your department handle this if one of your officers falls victim to addiction?

That depends. I'll give you two episodes. If we have a law enforcement officer that has an emotional issue or a health issue and that falls under health issue, we have infrastructure in place, everything from EAP to medicine to our medical systems, and we certainly look through all of that and work with that and help them. And it's all confidential. It doesn't even come to my attention. Let me give you another example,  about eight or 10 years ago, one of our deputies became hooked on OxyContin and we got a call here the admin office one day and a gentleman said, you know, I really don't mind your deputy coming by. And he comes back, you know, every two or three weeks to count my OxyContin, my pain management, he said. But could you ask him not to come by at 11 o'clock at night? What the heck? Well, it turns out he was stealing the guy's medicine. Well, we fired him and put him in jail, which is what we should have done. So, if someone needs help, we make sure that they get it and the infrastructure is in place if it becomes a work issue, if it becomes a criminal issue as opposed to a medical issue, then they're held accountable, and they can't work here any longer.

We lose more officers to suicide than line of duty deaths. There's an officer right now contemplating suicide. If you're talking to that officer, what would you say?

What I would say is there's always help and there's always tomorrow. And you're not in this by yourself. And we got your back and we're going to help you. And we're not going to let you commit suicide. Give us the opportunity because we know that you've been the leader in the community. We know those stressors have built up on you. We know you have personal stressors in addition to that, but there's ways for us to peel this onion back. To save your life, to save your family and save your career. But we can't help you if you don't let us. And if we hear about it, we'll do everything in our power. There are no resources we won't use to help you. Because you know what, you're worth it, you're doing God's work out here and why would you think you're alone. I'll promise you, you never are.

You've been through five elections. Do you have any intention of slowing down?

Oh no. When I die, you know, you'll know when I don't want to run for re-election anymore because the media will be gathered out watching them bring me out feet first in a pine box. And I tell folks, in all seriousness, as long as I have my health, my wife has her health, we can move the agency forward. I can look out for the men and women, and the people will re-elect me, that's a real important part.

When it's all said and done.

What do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered that I was a cop. I was just a good cop, and I hope to obtain that status. And I love my family and I love my troops.

How has God helped you in your life?

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photo credit: polk county sheriff

Well, we wouldn't have a life without God. I look around at nature and I wonder how can you look at the beautiful trees and the birds and the wild animals? How can you look at the grass that grows in the yards and not know there's a God? This stuff just didn't happen. And God is in the center of my life, and I can tell you this from a lifetime of experience, when you get your priorities right, when God's first in your life, your family second and your job’s third, everything will go fine. There's always going to be conflict in your personal life. There could be a lot of stress. I have people say, oh, what about the stress? To me, it's not stress, it’s opportunity. It's opportunity to help and to change and to modify and do good things. You read your Bible. We're all here because God put us in these positions. It makes it real easy for me.

Editor's Point of View

Welcome to another excellent issue of Blue Magazine. As we continue to grow on the national stage, we will continue to speak out against injustices in our profession. We will continue to advocate and promote awareness of law enforcement's great work in our troubling society.

We are experiencing perilous times in America. Our cities are rife with violence, the bloodshed is endless and the innocent lives are stacking up like cordwood, while many self-serving politicians and the greed-driven corporate media exploit these tragedies for gain. Schools, houses of worship, supermarkets and shopping centers are targeted daily for homicide. What's being done to solve this? We endlessly watch politicians and their coconspirators in the media drive purposed narratives for political expediency on the 24-hour news programs. We watch these self-proclaimed experts pontificate ceaselessly, point fingers and blame political opponents/parties; yet, no real progress is made toward solving the problem. We must demand they do something! Stop seeing every tragedy through political lenses, and work together for a solution — yeah, a real solution.

I know the solution, but many don't want to hear it. In a world where God is first, honesty and truth matter, and respect for one another, our country and law enforcement is paramount, we could work toward solving these problems. Yet, in our world, God is last, and those who love and follow Him are shamed. Disrespect for our country and our flag is fashionable to many. Trashing and disparaging law enforcement is not only celebrated but also embraced by many supposedly ethical political leaders. Therefore, we, unfortunately, live in a world similar to that of Stephen King's fictional Castle Rock, where the main character Leland Gaunt's shop, "Needful Things" gives customers the objects of their life's desires, while Gaunt uses them to commit violence against one another. Sound similar?

In my life, I have resigned myself to trust my God — Jesus Christ — to lead my family and me through these treacherous times. If that upsets you, my point is made.

Our upcoming annual valor awards dinner is being held in Davie, Florida, on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Signature Grand. It's sure to sell out, so reserve your seat today. We hope to see you there! This will be a night like no other in our profession!

As always, stay safe and demand truth, justice and intellectual honesty in everything. Blue Magazine exists for this reason. We are glad you are on this journey with us.

George Beck, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief

Innovative resiliency: NYPD for Health and Wellness

The NYPD Health and Wellness Section was created in 2019 with the intention of providing both clinical and holistic resources to our members, uniformed and civilian, that may not only improve mental and physical well-being, but provide tools to cultivate a more resilient mindset.

Mark Wachter is a deputy inspector in the NYPD and has been on the job for 25 years. He oversees the Health and Wellness Section.

Aaron Lohman is a sergeant in the NYPD Health and Wellness Section. He is a 15-year NYPD veteran and is currently the peer support coordinator, coordinating the peer support program and running the Health and Wellness Social Media page on Instagram. He also provides fitness and nutrition guidance and counseling and personal training for all 55,000 members of the department, both uniform and civilian.

Frank Voce has been a police officer since 2015 and in 2018 went through an extremely hard time in his personal life. He is the founder of the nonprofit organization Reps for Responders. Earlier this year he became a member of the staff in the Health and Wellness Section of the NYPD.

To watch the full interview scan here to go to our YouTube channel

The BLUE Magazine: How do you go about looking out for your officers’ wellbeing?

Mark Wachter: We've got to watch out for their mental well-being, their emotional, their spiritual well-being, and even really after they retire from the job. And again, this job is extremely stressful. You know, what our officers see every day, the traumatic incidents that they respond to sometimes just really not a lot of time to process it. And then they go home and how do you explain an incident that was horrific and now you've got to go home and explain that to your loved ones, your children. So what we try to do here is reduce stigma. It's OK not to be OK.

Can you tell us a little bit about why the NYPD chose to come up with this unit? What changed?

Mark: Really what changed is 2019 was just a horrific year for the police department. We experienced 10 members who died by suicide that year, which was just a tragedy for everybody, for the department, their families, for the city. I mean these offices patrolled the streets and built a lot of bridges with the community. So in 2019, you know, we really looked at the practices of what we were doing and we really changed our focus. And it was about the employee.

There are a lot of people who want to work on mental health, but at the same time, don't know enough about it. What is your opinion on this?

Mark: Yeah. No, it's true. And I think a lot of it is teaming up. And what we do in the Health and Wellness section, it's not just about coming to us for help. What we do is we advocate and we advertise every other resource that does similar work because at the end of the day my concern is that you get help. And if you come to us and I say, maybe it would be a different avenue for you to get help, we will guide and navigate you to that.

Should an NYPD officer be scared to come forward to look for help? The reason why I ask this is because at the end of the day, we're all scared to lose our job.

Mark: It's a valid concern. Again, you know, should you be concerned? Yes, it's a fear. It's real. But what I try to do in the health and wellness section is to build that trust. And it takes time. It takes time to build that trust. But by bringing testimonials of people who have gone through the same experience are, yes, you can trust me, you can trust the health and wellness section here.

Aaron, tell us a little bit more about your background.

Sgt. Aaron Lohman I spent a majority of my career as a police officer in high-crime active units, where I made one of the biggest mistakes that I think police officers make is they make the entire job their complete identity. So I was always chasing the bad guy, not looking after myself. I got to a point where in 2010 they took my gun and shield from me because of an incident that happened at work. And it was like my whole entire world collapsed. You know, my identity was taken from me. It was at that point that I looked back. I was over 425 pounds. I was completely stressed out and I wanted to end my life. So I was left with this decision either fix myself, seek help, change my life or end it. So I chose to give in, to surrender myself and change everything about my life. So from that point on, I decided I was going to make my life the best life I could possibly make it. So I started by controlling what I could. Everything in this career just seems so out of control.

I was the type of person who would just constantly fight with everybody on social media about things you couldn't control, whether it was the news or the media or things like that. So I would begin focusing on some of those things that I could control like what went into my brain, what went into my body, and how I used my body. And through doing that, slowly but surely, I improved my mental health by improving my physical health. I've lost over 178 pounds, and nothing stresses me out anymore and nothing bothers me. I've learned to manage my stress. I've learned about resilience.

That's how I changed my life. But what I try to preach to people is find something that you love doing. If you like finger painting, go do that. Find therapy through that. Find therapy through seeking treatment through mental health, whatever it is that you find something you love outside of this job. Because this job takes so much from us and we dedicate so much to it that you have to find outlets outside this job. For me, it’s exercise and working out and I try to impart that on other people because that's what worked for me. And you know, there's a statistic that says, you know, 30 minutes a day decreases severe mental health issues by 25%. You know, and to me, looking at those numbers and look at what I went through, I'm living proof that that is true.

How many hours a week do you workout? What's your routine?

Aaron: About an hour and a half a day. But what I want to impart on people is like when I say that I workout a half hour, an hour and a half a day, that's something I do because I enjoy doing it. Nobody has to start out that way. And literally all I want others to do is start out by doing something three times a week, walking 20 minutes three times a week at a reasonable time. Because as much as fitness and nutrition is about calories and calories out of all this stuff, what it really comes down to is behavior modification and behavior modification and changing your mindset. Your attitude toward exercise and physical fitness is where we all fail. This is why it's so hard. So when you fit it in, in a realistic time frame and you start making it a habit after a certain time period, it becomes second nature. And that's when you build on that.

Aaron, so before you said that when you were not in such a good place, you gave a lot of your time to being a police officer. And now that you're not giving so much time and you're in a better place mentally and physically, does that change? Does it not make you the best cop?

Aaron: I can't speak for anybody else's scenario, but for me personally, when I was giving so much time to being a cop, you think at the time that you're being a good cop because you're putting in those hours and because you're putting in that time. But if you're not taking those breaks and pausing and self reflecting, you're pouring from an empty cup and you cannot be the best police officer or best person or best family man you can be.

Frank, so tell us a little bit about yourself.

Frank Voce: Before I even say anything, I just want to shake Aaron's hand and say thank you for sharing your story and being honest, because that right there is what this whole department and unit is about. I actually left the NYPD and went to a different department. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder in 2018.

I came back to this job, New York City, because I love being a New York City police officer. I enjoy working in a busy command. But there's also a lot of life experience and things that weren't, I would say, addressed, you know, and police officers have to know also that there's a lot of things that happen in our life. So I said, what could I do to make sure no one ever has to go through what I went through? So I ended up starting a nonprofit. And my goal is to increase the emotional and physical survivability skills of first responders so they can make more responsible choices while they're working or at home.

What would you say to an officer right now who's contemplating suicide?

Mark: What I would say, you know what? A lot of people have been where you are. Come forward, call the health and wellness section. We will guide you where you need to go. And again, it could be our services, it could be other department services, it could be outside resources. But we are here to help you. Don't let the current moment turn into a tragedy. We can make it better. We will walk that journey with you.

Aaron and Frank, what are your hopes for the future for this wellness unit?

Aaron: My hope is just to get the word out, to encourage people, to let people know that what I went through and my story and let them know that they're not alone and they don't have to be alone, that a lot of people are going through what they're going through. And I hope that we just continue to break down those walls of stigma and get more people help through whatever means necessary.

Frank: My hope for the future in the health and wellness section is that more officers see and hear the different stories. And I hope more officers actually come forward and share their own personal story like I did and Aaron did. It goes back to saying, wow, you know, similar experience like me. Now you've got cops coming to you saying they might not even say anything to you about needing help but thank you. You know, we hear you. We understand you. And that is how one helps me stay sober. It helps me stay clean. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. There's no greater feeling than helping another cop help themselves.

Mark, what are you most proud of in this division?

Mark: In this division, you know what? I'm blessed. I work with some of the most talented people. All the people who work for me are dedicated. They pick up the phone 24/7 and they walk the journey. And that's the great part of being the CEO of this unit. Yes, I can come here and talk about it all day, but the real work is not done by me. It's done by the people who come to work every day. And you see it. They care for people.

Catherine Angel is an active law enforcement officer in the state of New Jersey and journalist for The Blue Magazine.