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(ThyBlackMan.com) I carried a badge for over 15 years and I was trained by some of the top Marshals and Police Detectives in the field. I attended multiple academies and held various certifications and licenses. I have been an impact team leader in high-risk environments, a task force commander, a crime prevention specialist, a detective and a classroom instructor. I have trained dozens of men and women and hired police officers. I have arrested people, intervened on and de-escalated situations. I do not say any of this to brag, but rather to let you know that I have been around and seen many things. That being said, I must first acknowledge that the majority of police officers I encountered actually do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Some are former military while others are everyday citizens who needed a job with benefits. And yet others are young gung ho officers who want to chase people or egotistically fight everything moving. Then there are the bullies who were bullied when they were younger – so now they are out to even the score and turn the tables. Finally, there are the racists and reverse-racists. There are the well-trained, the poorly trained and those who should never have passed the psychological exam. Yes there is a definite wide variety of categories and motives in law enforcement.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERY AFRICAN-AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND COURT OFFICIAL YOU KNOW.
Over a ten year period I have seen and known many good officers who risk their lives every day for the citizens they protect and serve. I have seen officers arrested and commended, so the spectrum is a two-sided coin. But I have also seen crooked, egotistical, poorly trained, mentally or emotionally unstable officers as well. All that being said, ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITIES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IS HOW AFRICAN-AMERICAN OFFICERS POLICE OUR OWN PEOPLE. And I would venture to say that the next biggest problem is what African-American officers do when they see their fellow officers breaking the law, no matter what the rank or color. As for all of you private citizens who say, teach or believe nobody should “snitch”, how would you feel if the officer sticks to that same BS way of thinking? To private citizens and police officers alike, I ask you this question. How would you feel if a police officer wrongfully harassed, assaulted or tasered your child while other police officers stood by and did nothing then refused to testify? Think about it and the next time you see a police officer abuse a citizen or break the law, open your mouth to the right authorities and report it.
POLICE OFFICERS CALM DOWN WITH THOSE TASERS ONLY USE A TASER WHEN YOU HAVE TO – NOT JUST WHEN IT’S CONVENIENT TO.
Officer be careful whose guard dog you become. This is a message to every African-American police officer, deputy, corrections officer, marshal parole officer, probation officer, state trooper, commander and detective. Why do I say be careful? To begin with, because when you mistreat your own, the powers that be actually do not have much respect for you. Trying to impress them by being more harsh on your own only shows that you will turn on your own – and most people don’t trust a traitor. And you need to know they likely have no special regard for you outside of you wearing the uniform. Secondly I say this because you, as an officer, must always think about your safety – and you should not do anything that could put yourself or your family in jeopardy unnecessarily.
Remember you don’t always wear a uniform, carry a firearm, wear a bullet proof vest, drive a patrol car and have immediate back up at the touch of a button on a Motorola radio – and your family never does. Therefore think smart, do your job yes, but never make it personal and don’t make enemies unnecessarily. Today especially there are many young people who can’t see the future and they are not afraid to shoot, not afraid to die and not afraid to take you with them.
Remember your oath. You are a servant of the people so never forget you are to protect and serve. You are neither an overseer, a judge, a soldier implementing martial law, a jury nor a prosecutor. AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN POLICE OFFICER SHOULD NEVER ALLOW HIMSELF/HERSELF TO BE THE BIG MAN’S BRAINWASHED PIT BULL. And don’t let overzealous supervisors, departmental pressures or the badge, blue lights and sidearm cause you to forget that. If you cannot control your testosterone, your ego or your adrenaline, being a police officer probably isn’t for you. A great many police officers are likely underpaid and over worked. You can also find yourself out-manned and out-gunned by people who are mentally unstable or others who just don’t care about their future. Therefore a police officer should use discretion, accurate threat assessment and wisdom to de-escalate as many situations as possible and go home to your family after your shift. Do what you have to do but don’t do what you don’t have to do.
Karma, reaping and sowing are other good reasons the African-American police officer must remember his or her duty and stay within the guidelines of the law. But what if the law is wrong, unjust, unfair or immoral? Remember slavery was the law of the land. As a police officer, what would you have done? Would you have been stuck between a rock and a hard place? IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO SAY YOU WERE JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS. That is the excuse many of Hitler’s soldiers used, right up until they were charge with war crimes and brought to justice. And though we are not at war in our communities, a great many police departments see things as if we are at war with crime, drugs, gangs and anyone else who breaks the law. A kind of “them verses us” mentality has arisen and quietly pervaded police departments all across this country. Remember, treat people the way you would want yourself, your spouse and your children to be treated. Put your ego in check.
OUR PEOPLE NEED A CRASH COURSE IN “DO UNTO OTHERS…”
If you are part of the law enforcement chain, when you put on a badge DO NOT FORGET YOU WERE NOT BORN BLUE. You are an African-American and what you do in “the field” could change lives and have lasting ripple effects. I know the profiles of the alleged perps you run into and I encourage you to do your job. But do NOT forget in our society the presumption of innocence and the civil rights of all private citizens must be maintained. And these two elements are often much more important than the arrest itself. I also remind you of this if you are a prosecutor or district attorney, a solicitor or a judge. Last year I spoke with the senior Asst. District Attorney in one of the largest counties in my state.
She bragged about their office having a 95% prosecution rate. But I reminded her that prosecutions do not mean convictions. Nor do prosecutions mean all of these people were guilty. I further reminded her the objective must be to make the country safer and act in the public’s best interest, not just stacking up numbers to appear tough on crime. Last year in a different county I reminded the DHS attorney about the exact same thing. PEOPLE STOP LETTING YOUR EMPLOYER MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR OATTH AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PEOPLE. We definitely need a crash course in “Do unto others”.
DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET “BLUEWASHED”. AFRICAN-AMERICAN law enforcement officers should never practice what I call “reverse racism”. Seeking to gain “brownie points” while practicing self-hatred of your own people is never the way to be, act, react or think. If you allow this to happen, you have been what I call BLUEWASHED, in essence brainwashed by the rhetoric and propaganda on the job to the point that you have forgotten who you are and where you came from. A strong sense of duty is excellent, but going overboard is often based on a lack of maturity or an abundance of the wrong motive. Do NOT be overzealous. I know what is said in many police departments to “pump you up”, but you have to combine wisdom, discretion and morality with training, equipment and the conditions you work under.
Though the recent racial fires were set by people of a different color, the sad thing is that a lot of it was likely poor training, lack of wisdom, big egos or a loss of focus on the job that was a great part of the problem. But the bigger tragedy is how many AFRICAN-AMERICAN police officers abuse and/or kill our own people. And the even bigger tragedy is in how many of us as private citizens abuse, otherwise mistreat or kill each other. It’s time for African-American private citizens and police alike to shake off some very bad self-hatred and slave training. And officers, if you would try a tactic on a “white” guy in a Mercedes in the upscale part of town, don’t try it on a poor and working “black” man walking home down the street. DO NOT LET YOUR JOB TAKE YOUR SOUL!
Finish story here; Black Community: A Message To All Black Police Officers.
