An Open Letter to Police Across the US

Before I begin, I want to say, being a cop must be incredibly difficult.

You are dealing with folks at the worst of times. 

You are often maligned for no reason other than your choice of occupation and the uniform you wear.

Most of you are good people.

And I am sharing pictures of some of those good officers throughout this post.

Now, let’s talk about the others….

The ones that ruin everything for the rest.

The ones that target people based solely on the skin tone of the bodies their sweet spirits reside in.

Does this sound familiar? Refer back to the third line of this post.

Bad cops are doing the same thing to people of color that is being done to you. Targeting folks for who they are, for how they appear.

Something you have in common.

The “one bad apple” adage had been around for ages. That is because it is true.

These “bad apples” poison everyone around them. They make good recruits doubt why they even entered law enforcement in the first place. They drum into the heads of other officers the need to racially profile. They probably use the excuse of expediency. Your life or theirs. Make a decision… quick… they are out to get you….

Wrong, wrong, wrong….

I have been reading articles the past dew days that address ways to rectify this cancer.

THE FIRST STEP: I have always thought that the idea that brothers and sisters in blue have to back each other, “no matter what” is toxic.

The problem with this is not so much on backing each other, it’s in how you do this.

If you ignore the actions of a racist cop, that helps no one. Not the community, not the officer, not yourself.

If they are racist, you have to call them out. You MUST call them out.

Silence is complicity.

It may be that they are on overload, and not behaving in a rational manner, a one-time occurrence. They are lashing out in a way that will get them attention, and racism will get a lot of attention.

If that’s the case, you need to call it out. This behavior is not acceptable. Never.

But more than likely, they are truly racist. Down to the sinew in their bones.

They MUST be called out. Immediately. Scream it to every one of your superiors, until someone finally hears you, and appropriate action is taken.

If not, the damage they create… it’s on you.

You are not helping them when you ignore their behavior. You are condoning it.

Here here just a few of the reason why you should never ignore this behavior:

• People that are anti-cop now have more fuel to allow their hatred to burn.
• Society doubts your professionalism… your soul… everything about you.
• Trust is lost… and hard to be regained.
• This puts YOU in greater danger
• And now your family and loved ones are now at greater risk of losing you.

Please explain to me, why you would want to defend someone like this?

Are you afraid you won’t be backed up properly when needed? Do those higher up the chain of command ignore these “bad apples”?

If so, you need to leave that local law enforcement agency as soon as possible. Find another. Relocate if you have to. Just get out of there! It’s not worth it. Your loved ones will be grateful.

STEP TWO: Vote.

YOUR VOTE MEANS EVERYTHING.

Once an officer has been reported, it is our elected officials that decide what the punishment should be. 

Sheriff’s are often elected officials. Sometimes they are appointed by mayors or county officials. Either way, you have the power to decide who makes these decisions.

District Attorneys… state attorneys… you can control who fills these seats. 

You MUST vote.

If not, you can’t complain. You lose your right to do this.

STEP THREE: Raise the prestige of being a police officer. 

Everyone in law enforcement should be thought of as a professional. An important step in raising the prestige level is to require more education for law enforcement candidates, prior to interacting with their community. And over a longer period of time.

Currently, becoming a cop involves 3-6 month of training.

This job is SO much more important than that.

You are being asked to learn how to diffuse volatile situations. Manage your anger. Learning compassion. Dealing with people when they are irrational, from drugs, alcohol or mental illness.

Three to six month to learn the entirety of the human condition.

Really??

Let’s compare the amount of time it takes to be trained for other professions:

• Hair Stylist – 1,500 to 2,000 (1-3 years)
• Auto Mechanic – 6 month to 2 years
• Electrician – 500 to 1,000 training hours PLUS 8,000 and 10,000 hours of apprentice training

I might add, none of these folks are issued guns as part of their employment, and if a domestic dispute broke out at their place of employment, guess who they would call….

If we require more education, there will be more time to weed out the unqualified applicants. They will either tire of the process, or show their true colors (which are not blue), and get the boot.

With more education, there would be a higher level of pay. They will have earned it.

I think we would all rather live in a world where our law enforcement professional were better trained, and more confident when they first hit the streets. And less likely to be corrupted by their racist peers.

Can I get an amen?

And don’t say no, this can’t be done.

It can.

It must.

Lives depend on it.

Police and the community have another common enemy. The fringe elements of society that believe that any type of unrest can be twisted around to be used to their advantage.

There are elements on both sides of the spectrum. The alt-left (Antifa, which is short for Anti-Fascist) is getting the most coverage at the moment. 

But the truth is that there are far more alt-right groups out there, with longer histories and, because of that, better organization. Groups which have been identified as alt-right espouse white supremacism, white separatism, severe immigration restrictions, racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and islamophobia. If you would like to see a partial list, here you go.

So what better time to stir the racist pot than during protest for civil rights?

Members of these fringe groups have been out there at night, in the cover of darkness, wearing black baseball caps and mask, breaking windows, tagging businesses, lighting fires.

The Umbrella Man in Minneapolis was one that came out during the day, and was filmed. 

As were these 2 white women in LA, tagging a Starbucks with “BLM” slogans. They are dressed head to toe in black. And don’t seem to give a damn about the black woman telling them to stop. Do you really think they believe Black Lives Matter???

Keep an eye out for these white folks in black clothing in any videos you watch. You’ll be surprised how often they appear.

They are doing everything they can to point the blame at protesters and create more tension.

It’s what they live for.

Yes, there is blame to be shared by a small segment of the protesters. But the vast majority are peaceful, and their hearts are in the right place.

Today, I have seen so many pictures and videos of police that are standing united with the protesters. 

I have watched the full interview by Christiane Amanpour with Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, a man that seems to truly love his community, and abhors bad cops. Here is a video of him talking to protesters. The love is apparent.

Sheriff Chris Swanson in Flint Michigan, laying down arms to parch with the protesters.

Portland police taking a knee with the protesters

Atlanta PD Chief Erika Shields enters crowd, speaks with protesters

Minneapolis Protesters Bond With Arresting Officers

The good cops and the protesters need to keep uniting against the evil. Clear out the bad cops. They need to go. Now. Get them in counseling. Get them help. Get them away from a position of authority that allows them to do horrific deeds.

We all need to stand up against the fringe groups. They need to know they are not welcome here. Or anywhere.

Remember…

Silence is complicity.

Don’t stay quiet. Stand your ground with words. Calm words. It you are in the right, there is no need for anger. Take strength in your truth.

We need more community events sponsored by the local precincts. In every neighborhood. Several times a year.

MORE COMMUNICATION between police and the community. If any officer disagrees, they need to go. They are not worth your life. They are not worth anyone’s life.

More transparency.

More love.

More hope.

Amen.