Time For a Funny Story

A few weeks ago, I was giving a tour of the police station to a group of Cub Scouts.  There were 8 or 10 kids and some parents.  The tour starts at the front of the building, where the dispatch area is.   Most kids like the dispatch room because there are computer screens, radios, and tv screens all over. One of the jobs of the dispatcher is to monitor any prisoners that are locked up via closed circuit tv. As the group was filing into dispatch, an officer was lodging a prisoner in the cell block. I pointed out the tv screen that showed the prisoner and explained to the kids that the dispatcher had to watch the prisoner to make sure that the prisoner didn't damage anything or hurt himself. Just as the kids' attention turned to the screen, the prisoner unzipped his pants and began to urinate in the commode! Of course, the one loud kid in the group announced it to everybody and all of the kids were looking. The dispatcher turned bright red and did her best to cover the large screen with her hands.  The parents thought it was pretty funny too.

Let's Stop "Stop Snitching"

The "Stop Snitching" culture has gotten out of control.  Music videos, movies, television shows, and music have, over the last several years, fostered the myth that to tell truth is to be a snitch, and to be a snitch is the worst thing to be.  I  can quickly think of a dozen movies that strongly promote an "anti-snitch" ideal.  Today people who cooperate with police are snitches.  They used to be called rats, stool pigeons, or narcs.  All of these labels are meant to dishonor those who cooperate with police.  In fact, I can't think of much that is more honorable than cooperating with the law.  Its what we're supposed to do. 

But where does "stop snitching" leave law enforcement?  The bottom line is that when the police investigate crimes, we need witnesses.  That's how the system works.  When witnesses refuse to cooperate, bad guys get away with their bad doings.  When witnesses don't cooperate, whether due to a threat, perceived threat, or simply fear of cooperating, the cycle continues.  To me, those who intimidate witnesses and those who promote the "stop snitching" myth are cowards, plain and simple.   

Upper Darby Police Officer Shot

Story here at The Daily Local News:  Local Police Officer Shot

My best wishes go to Officer Raymond Blohm of the Upper Darby Police Department and his family.  According to the news reports and the press release from UDPD, Ray Blohm was shot by a coward after Officer Blohm stopped him for smoking pot and drinking in public.  Rather than face the consequences, this guy chooses to pull out a gun and shoot the police officer 4 times.  The heroics of the officer can't be over-emphasized.  After being shot multiple times and after his police radio was destroyed by an errant bullet, he shot the bad guy back, chased him down, and called for assistance via his own cell phone.  My thanks and admiration go to Raymond Blohm.

My utter disgust goes out to the as of now nameless waste of space and air that chose to assault the officer.  Unfortunately, instances like these are a reminder to me, my family, and the law enforcement family at large of this simple fact: There are evil people in this world.  These people play by different rules, and they put good people in danger. The pessimist in me wonders how many thousands of dollars the government will waste paying for medical treatment, rehabilitation, etc. for this ne'er-do-well, who will undoubtedly spend months in treatment at a first rate hospital followed by years at a prison that is far too comfortable, and far less punitive.

Oh, and before we have to hear the stories of how bad this person's childhood was, and what emotional syndrome, disease, condition or whatever that he suffers from, I ask this of my readers:  Does any of it matter?  If the facts reported in the paper are accurate, there is nothing that you can say to me that will minimize the shooter's culpability or responsibility.   He shot a police officer who was confronting him about smoking weed and drinking in public.  End of story.

The citizens of Upper Darby should be proud of Officer Raymond Blohm.  I know I am.

What Being A Police Officer Has Taught Me

I've been desperately searching the headlines for a topic for my next post, but I've been striking out.  I mean, who wants to hear my opinion on oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico or what I think Arlen Specter's odds or re-election are.  So, with that in mind, I've decided to give my readers (both of them!) insight into the mind of this police officer.  I've been a police officer for slightly over a decade.  (sounds better than ten years, right?)  In that time, here are some of my opinions that have changed.

• I am no longer an opponent of The Death Penalty.  Through college and for my first several years in law enforcement I could cite any one of a number of reasons why I thought capital punishment should be abolished.  Now, I need look no further than the City of Philadelphia to find four or five good reasons to support the death penalty.  It's become a no brainer to me - murder a police officer -- death penalty.

• I don't think it society's job to "rehabilitate" criminals.  If someone chooses to commit a crime, why should taxpayers be burdened with 1) picking up the bill for their incarceration, 2) picking up the bill for a prisoner's GED or other training, and 3) suffer the victimization again when the prisoner gets released, because yes, most prisoners, regardless of what "training" they received in prison, go on to commit more crimes.

• Police officers are just people.  We are not perfect.  We are capable of making mistakes.  When Bob the builder makes an honest mistake, your new roof leaks.  You get it repaired, Bob the builder stands up for his work and fixes the repair, and you move on.  When the dry cleaner makes a mistake, he loses your shirt, he apologizes,  you get a 10 free dry cleanings, and you move on.  But when the police officer makes a mistake, he's a liar, a cheat, and corrupt.  

But, not all that I've learned is negative and pessimistic.  I've learned that most people are genuinely good.  While there are truly evil people in the world, they are the minority.  I've also learned what melatonin supplements are for.  I've learned how to function on 2 hours of sleep.  I've learned how to eat an entire meal in three minutes.  I've learned how to really appreciate good coffee.  I've learned the importance of seatbelts.  I could go on but I won't.

That's all I got for now...

Thank you PO John Pawlowski, Sgt Timothy Simpson, Sgt Patrick McDonald, PO Isabel Nazario, Sgt Steven Liczbinski, PO Chuck Cassidy, PO Walter Barclay Jr, PO Gary Skerski, and all the other men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty. 

National Bike to Work Week

This week is National Bike to Work Week.  Friday is Bike to Work Day.  As a police cyclist (professional way of saying "bike cop") I  encourage everyone to participate.  If you see a "Bike Cop" on the mean streets of West Chester this week, it might be me.  You should wave, and ask me if I want a coffee!

Who pays for dubfest ?

Joe Norley, West Chester Community Activist, posted an article recently regarding the costs of last weeks "Dubfest"  link to that article here : http://www.knowjoe.tumblr.com/
Joe Norley brings up a good point. Who will pay for the extra police expenses from Dubfest last weekend? In the end, we all know that like anything else, John Q Taxpayer picks up the bill. But is that fair?
Since he's a resident, I assume Joe's answer is no.

All across the state and the nation, local, state and federal agencies are tightening budgets. One need look no further than the cities of Philadelphia and Coatesville to see municipalities struggling to operate within budget constraints while maintaining certain levels of service.  To my knowledge, the largest single piece of most municipalities' budgets is the police department. For a municipality to have to shell out extra money to
cover an event that is not supported by most taxpayers would certainly leave a bad taste in my mouth as a tax payer too. Joe, in this respect, I feel your pain.

Some will blame the police department for over-reacting. These same people would blame the police department if something bad did happen and the police were had not prepared for it.

Maybe Dubfest is not the best example. How do we hold specific people responsible for an "event" is not clearly "organized" by any one person or group of persons.In a perfect world, it would be the users that a are charged user fees for services. In other words, if you plan an event that requires police service, you are responsible to pay for that service. If you committ a crime that requires police response, you pay for that service. It would be just like paying a water bill, or paying for trash pick-up. Unfortunately, we already know that this is not a perfect world, and the system is not a perfect system. Joe, I fear that you (and your fellow tax paying residents) will be stuck holding the bill.  I'm sure not many people will say this, so let me be the first...Thank You.

I have a dream too

I have a dream. A police officer's dream. More than 200 years ago, our forefathers carved out a country of our own. With it, they penned a constitution, a document envied by the rest of the world ever since. Eventually, every state adopted its own constitution and criminal statutes. Every state's laws are very similar. Every state has laws against Murder, Theft, Robbery, Burglary, Assault, etc. Every state has certain punishments for crimes designed to be commensurate with the severity of the crime. Every state has jails and prisons to hold criminals. The system seems to be designed quite well. The police catch the bad guys. Juries decide whether they are guilty or not. Judges decide how long they are imprisoned, and at the end of their sentences, they are released.

But our system doesn't ever seem to work this seamlessly.

I have a dream that there is no such thing as "loopholes", that a persons guilt or innocence does not depend on his wealth or quality or his lawyer.

I have a dream that there is no such thing as a "technicality", that if the police, courts, defense attorney, or prosecutors make an honest mistake, it if just a mistake and does not entitle the bad guy to a free pass

I have a dream that there are no "pleas bargains", that if you "do the crime, you do the time."

I have a dream that prisons don't ever have to "make room" for new prisoners by releasing other prisoners before the end of their sentences.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that prisons weren't country clubs and bad guys were actually inconvenienced by going to prison.

I have a dream that no matter what craziness the day brings, each and every police officer goes home safely at the end of every shift. A dream that no wife, husband, father or mother has to find out that their loved one has become a "line of duty death."


Ah, but moreover, I have a dream that there was no such thing as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Shift Work Sleep Disorder.

I have a dream that there is no difference between the life expectancy of a police officer and that of a librarian.

I have a dream that anybody is actually reading this blog!

Anyway, enough dreaming. Stop back later in the week for some comic relief...