Legal News - Know Your Rights: Accidental Disability

Know Your Rights: Accidental Disability
By Timothy Smith, Esq.

A New Jersey police officer who retires on an accidental disability retirement pension is entitled to higher pension benefits. Accordingly, it is important to understand the eligibility requirements for securing such a pension. To be eligible, a claimant must establish:

(1) that he or she is permanently and totally disabled;

(2) as a direct result of a traumatic event that is

a. identifiable as to time and place,

b. undesigned and unexpected, and

c. caused by a circumstance external to the member (not the result of pre-existing disease that is aggravated or accelerated by the work).

(3) that the traumatic event occurred during and as a result of the member's regular or assigned duties;

(4) that the disability was not the result of the member's willful negligence; and

(5) that the member is mentally or physically incapacitated from performing his usual or any other duty.

One would need to write a book to explain the ins and outs of all these requirements. This article focuses on just one: that the injury be “undesigned and unexpected.” The meaning of the phrase is not at all self-evident. The best way to understand it is to look at cases that have interpreted it.

In one New Jersey Supreme Court case, Richardson v. Board of Trustees, PFRS, the court gave the following examples of the kinds of accidents that would qualify for accidental disability retirement benefits: “A policeman can be shot while pursuing a suspect; a librarian can be hit by a falling bookshelf while re-shelving books; a social worker can catch her hand in the car door while transporting a child to court.”

The Richardson Court said that a police officer who has a heart attack while chasing a suspect would not qualify because, “Work effort alone or in combination with pre-existing disease, was the cause of the injury.” However, the court explained that “The same police officer who was permanently and totally disabled during the chase because of a fall, has suffered a traumatic event.” Likewise, the court stated, a gym teacher who develops arthritis from repetitive effects of his work over the years would not qualify as suffering a traumatic event. But if the same gym teacher trips over a riser and is injured, that injury would satisfy the standard.

There are Appellate Division cases that have applied the “undesigned and unexpected” legal standard to different fact patterns. For example, in one case, the Appellate Division ruled that a fireman who suffered a disabling injury while kicking down the door of a burning building — because the tools normally used by firefighters to break down doors had not yet arrived — had suffered an “undesigned and unexpected” event. In a school-employee case, the Appellate Division approved of accidental disability retirement benefits for a school custodian who injured his shoulder moving a 300-pound weight bench into the school. The court reasoned that the custodian's accident was clearly “undesigned and unexpected” because he had been confronted with an unusual situation of students attempting to carry the heavy bench into the school, took charge of the activity, and the students suddenly dropped their side of the bench, placing its entire weight on the custodian.

In another case, a female corrections officer disabled her wrist while operating a gate that separated access to the prison’s tiers. Although the officer had operated the gate many times without incident, on one occasion, the gate suddenly stopped in its tracks. The officer then heard a pop in her wrist. That injury turned out to be a permanent and totally disabling injury. But the Pension Board ruled that the injury was not “undesigned and unexpected.” The Appellate Division disagreed. It reasoned that absent evidence of known prior malfunctions, employees should be able to expect that equipment supplied to them will not injure them. The court further stated that such an expectation was especially true in a prison where safety and security concerns are elevated. Hence, the court concluded that under the particular circumstances of that case, the officer’s injury resulted from an “undesigned and unexpected” event.

Reviewing these examples, the one thing that becomes clear is that there is nothing clear about determining if any given situation fits the test of being an injury that is “undesigned and unexpected.” If an officer’s injury is absolutely identical to one of the examples given above, then that officer’s accidental-disability application should be approved of without difficulty. Otherwise, a trip to the Appellate Division may be necessary to decide the matter.

Something to think about

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

THERE COMES A TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOUR WORKPLACE CHANGES DRASTICALLY, AND LATELY, LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN THE MAIN TARGET. BUT WE CANNOT BLAME ANYBODY BUT OURSELVES. BEING RETIRED FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS, IT STILL BAFFLES ME WHEN I READ THE NEWSPAPER AND SEE THE STUPID THINGS COPS ARE DOING

AND GETTING CAUGHT, IT MAKES ME CRINGE. HERE IS MY ADVICE: AS A COP YOU HAVE CHOICES. YOU CAN BE A GOOD COP, A BAD COP, A CORRUPT COP, A MOANER, OR A PAYCHECK COP, BUT DEEP DOWN INSIDE YOU KNOW YOU

ARE BLUE. SO LET'S CAST ASIDE THE PETTINESS, THE ENVY, AND ALL THE STUPID DRAMA THAT SOME COPS THRIVE ON.

LET'S CONCENTRATE ON BRINGING BACK THE HONOR, THE RESPECT WE HAD FOR EACH OTHER AND OF COURSE FOR THE BADGE. IF ONE OF US BLEEDS, WE ALL BLEED. I CAN REMEMBER BEING SOMEWHERE AND MEETI

THAT'S THE FEELING WE NEED TO BRING BACK. LET'S CONCENTRATE ON HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR OUR BENEFIT, HELP OUR STRUGGLING BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND MOST OF ALL THINK BEFORE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING STUPID. REMEMBER THAT AT ANY TIME OF THE DAV MANY CELL PHONES WITH RECORDING CAPABILITIES SURROUND YOU.

ONE OF MY MANY MENTORS ONCE SAID, "YOU CAN BE A COP, OR YOU CAN BE A THUG, BUT YOU CAN'T BE BOTH." ... SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

STEVEN OLIMPIO IS A MEMBER OF THE NEW JERSEY POLICE HONOR LEGION AND THE RECIPIENT OF NUMEROUS AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS FROM VARIOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS FROM AROUND NEW JERSEY AND THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING CONGRESSIONAL AND UNITED STATES SENATE AWARDS FOR HIS EXPERIENCE AND LEADERSHIP.

Out Front - Where have all the leaders in law enforcement gone? By Christoper Scilingo

Far too often it seems that titles, stripes or shiny bars bring forth de facto leadership within our law enforcement organizations. However, this idea couldn’t be farther from the truth. A supervisor is just that; a person who supervises or manages people and their activities. Law enforcement organizations have plenty of supervisors. They may be your corporals, your sergeants, your lieutenants, your captains and so forth. But does your law enforcement organization—your department—have any leaders? If your department has effective leaders, great, I am sure you are aware of the positivity and success that they bring to your organization. If your department does not have effective leaders—or no leaders at all for that matter—be cautious and watch closely, because that can be dangerous for an organization. Leaderless police departments are often found plagued with crippling low morale, troubled officers and numerous complaints from the public.

Law enforcement supervisors are necessary in operating a department and its functions. Effective law enforcement leaders are absolutely vital in whether or not that same department operates effectively. Let’s not forget, we’re in a service industry. We don’t manufacture any goods, we don’t necessarily make our employers money and we’re not profit-based. We do, however, provide value to the communities we serve. Whatever definition of service you come up with doesn’t necessarily matter; the fact is that we all serve. What level of service can we as law enforcement officers provide if we are only managed and supervised by those who solely place emphasis on controlling procedure or scheduling a work force to limit overtime?

In comes the leader—he or she may be your supervisor or your peer. Here’s a scary thought: The sole leader may be your chief of police. It doesn’t matter who the leader is. What matters is if they can positively influence a workforce to go out and do great things and to serve successfully. I’m not here to debate the abundance of leadership styles, especially in the law enforcement business. I believe we all understand that police work and police organizations are a paramilitary business. We take our orders from those senior in rank or time, and we carry out those orders to the best of our ability often without question. Every situation is different and every situation should dictate which leadership style be used most effectively. We hope, at least, an effective leader can do exactly that in assessing a situation and responding with an effective leadership style. You don’t need rank and you don’t need titles to be an effective leader. What you need is the will to positively influence others and set the example for others to follow.

My advice to that fresh-caught rookie from the academy is to educate yourself on effective leadership and gravitate toward those who possess great leadership traits that you will be working with. It is in this way that you will only become more successful. My advice to the supervisor with stripes or bars on your collar is to take a moment to truly realize the influence you have on subordinates and know that you can make a positive impact in their life and career. This will only help the greater mission in providing effective law enforcement services. Lastly, my advice to you, the big dog, the head honcho, the officer in charge-chief of police, sheriff, director, colonel, the person that the buck stops at is you are at the top and you have absolute influence over all that you command. It begins with you and ends with you. You must take responsibility when times are good and when times are bad. Understand that taking no action or providing no leadership is the single most destructive behavior that you can display — your command and those under you will suffer from it. Leaders don’t know it all, but an effective leader certainly will know what they do not know, and that inspires the truest respect. If you’re not up to the leadership task, be responsible enough to admit it and walk away. Let a real leader step in, before someone you supposedly “lead” gets hurt or killed. In our line of work, the stakes are too high for ineffective or absent leadership.

Chris Scilingo is a police officer in NJ since 2011. He’s a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is near completing his bachelor’s degree at Fairleigh Dickson University; where he also plans to pursue a master’s degree. Chris aspires to teach higher education after transitioning from law enforcement.

One The Beat - Can Banks Sometimes Seem Like a Thief’s Partner in Crime? By Ryan Weber

Banks try to make it as easy as possible for a person to obtain a bank account. They don’t have many security requirements that one must go through to open a checking or savings account. Anyone can walk into a branch with a single form of identification, deposit money and walk out with an active account, a debit card and some starter checks.

But in comparison, when a police investigator contacts the bank to obtain all available information, they put the brakes on the easy accessibility. Often the investigator must jump through hoops to solve a case where 99% of the time the banks are the victims.

The following is a typical scenario in connection to stolen check cases. There are many ways a check can be stolen. Currently, in the Tri-State area, we are experiencing a high volume of thefts of checks from United States mailboxes, a practice commonly referred to as fishing. Fishing is the term used to describe when a sticky substance is applied to a bottle or some other item, and then a string is tied to the bottle or item, which is then used to lower the bottle/item into the mailbox to extract the mail. Many people still mail checks to pay bills, and they use the blue mailboxes scattered throughout the suburban neighborhoods to send their checks.

When an account holder discovers that a check, which they wrote to pay a bill, did not make it to its destination, they immediately contact their bank. The banks have the account holder write out an affidavit, which they sign indicating that they did not have anything to do with the theft and fraud. The banks then advise the account holders to file a police report.

Usually, by the time the victim files the police report, weeks or months have passed since the crime has been committed. Seldom do banks notify the account holder immediately, and the police are notified sooner rather than later. So, investigators contact the victim’s bank and depending on the bank, they usually spend about a half an hour on hold before they can speak to a customer service representative who ultimately gives a phone number to a fraud investigator. Once the fraud investigator is contacted, after more time wasted on hold, the case details are finally provided to them. The first question that needs to be answered, and one that most banks will not provide without a subpoena, is where was the bank of first deposit?

Some banks will not provide that information, nor will they give any additional information without first receiving a subpoena. Investigators typically ask the bank employee why they still need to provide a subpoena when they are ultimately going to be the victim.

So the investigator applies for a subpoena, and it takes a day or two to get it back from the prosecutor’s office. Then, the investigator must figure out how the bank wants to be served with the subpoena. Some banks want it to be served in person, some via email, some by fax, some regular mail and some want service to be via certified mail. So, depending on the service, and a lack of a standardized process, more time is lost.

A good tip is to request that the bank provide a photograph of the person who deposited the check and a photograph of the person who first withdrew money from the account after the fraudulent transaction occurred. If the check was deposited via a mobile device, then requesting an IP address and date and time of the transaction is needed.

Sometimes, depending on the amount that has passed since the crime, the surveillance video is no longer available and important evidential information is lost.

Lastly, investigators must ask why banks make it easy for thieves to deposit stolen checks into their customer’s accounts. They allow the customers to remove money from their accounts before the clearing of the checks. In the current environment, it is easier for a thief to commit the crime than it is for the investigator to investigate the crime, therefore begging the question: Have banks become complicit in their own victimization? You decide.

Reform is needed. All bank customers should be required to provide a photograph and fingerprint when opening an account. All existing account holders should also be required to provide that information. All transactions should be verified with that information prior to being executed. Finally, banks should be more cooperative with law enforcement and should expedite the flow of information. Catching the thieves should be everyone’s number one priority. It shouldn’t take a battle through red tape to uncover criminals.

Ryan Weber is a 13-year veteran law enforcement sergeant, currently assigned to the detective bureau in a northern New Jersey police department. He will be completing his bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in April of 2019.

Cover Story - Phishing Season - Don’t Get Hooked By Deniz Majagah

You and your agency are targets. Everyone is fair game, and no one is immune.

Cybercriminals have become quite effective at targeting end-users. People just like you and me. They’ve learned that the easiest way around your organization’s technical defenses and controls isn’t by hacking through them. It’s by tricking you into letting them in.

Verizon publishes an annual report known as the Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) which provides information and data on real-world cybersecurity incidents and data breaches. The report gathers, aggregates and analyzes data from public and private organizations, including law enforcement agencies, from around the world. According to this report, upwards of 90% of breaches have a social engineering component.

Social engineering is a form of hacking, but it differs from what most people commonly understand to be hacking. Instead of seeking out and exploiting technical vulnerabilities in computer systems, social engineering targets the human mind. Cybercriminals use psychological methods to get people to unwittingly further their schemes. After all, it’s easier to talk your way past the front desk by having the security officer believe that you belong in the building than it is to try to bypass door locks, alarms, cameras and other security controls.

Hackers use social engineering techniques to manipulate and dupe people. Phishing and its variants, spear phishing and whaling, are by far some of the biggest concerns because they are the simplest as well as the most dangerous and effective tools at their disposal.

Phishing starts off as an email that appears and purports to be from a legitimate source. The email tries to fool the recipient into taking an action. That action might be to send a password or to click a link or open an attachment from within the email that inadvertently installs some sort of malicious software such as ransomware. The other phishing variants, spear phishing and whaling, are targeted messages against particular people. In the case of spear phishing, an email is crafted and sent to a person or group of people serving a certain role such as human resources or perhaps a patrolman or patrol squad. Whaling emails target the “whales” or high-value people of an organization such as a chief or mayor.

Phishing attacks are increasing in frequency as well as sophistication. Knowing what to look for will help to protect you as well as your agency from being a victim of cybercrime.

Required Action

Phishing messages often express a sense of urgency that invokes fear or reward. These messages use psychological triggers either in the subject or body of the email to get people to take an action quickly. Some emails attempt to scare the recipient while others do the exact opposite by offering some sort of reward. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You did not win a brand-new car or a free TV from BestBuy. These types of emails require you to click on a malicious link or respond with personal information as soon as possible.

Inaccuracies and Generic Feel

Phishing emails often include grammatical errors, typos, inaccuracies, or generic greetings and signatures. Emails from legitimate sources generally make sure to use good grammar and check for spelling mistakes. With the exception of spear phishing or whaling, email messages are often sent to hundreds or thousands of recipients. The greetings and signatures are general and lack a personal feel to them. Though cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated and are crafting better emails with less errors, the messages still tend to be generic.

Deceptive Addresses, Links and Attachments

Links and addresses in an email can be obscured by using a hyperlink, spoofing the sender address, or by using Punycode – use of foreign language characters that look like letters of the English alphabet. Hovering your mouse over a link within an email should show the real address. If there is a mismatch with a link or if the link or sender address looks suspicious in any other way, the email is probably a phishing attempt. Spear phishing and whaling messages will often contain links or attachments with names geared towards the recipient’s roles and responsibilities. Phishing messages with attachments play on the mind’s natural curiosity and the result is an impulse to open them.

We regularly see talk about huge data breaches hitting the mainstream news outlets. Every year the number of breaches and data compromises increases. 2018 was no different. Some of the more recognized names that were hacked are Under Armour, Facebook, Panera and Marriott.

You will rarely hear about Smallville, USA being hacked but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. A Bergen County town was recently hacked and duped out of nearly $500,000. A state agency’s entire email system was supposedly compromised in late 2018, as well. Within the last six months, there have been at least four North Jersey municipalities and police departments hit with ransomware. In all likelihood, all of these attacks were the result of someone clicking something in a phishing email.

Phishing is a real problem that all agencies face. Our adversaries aren’t just on the streets or locked up in jails and prisons, they are sitting behind computer screens.

We are the weakest link in any organization’s cyber strategy but knowing what to look for will help reduce liability, risk and exposure and help defend against cybercriminals. Don’t get caught in a cybercriminal’s phishing net. Always be wary of and use your best judgment with unsolicited emails. Be mindful with and use caution before clicking any links or downloading or opening any attachments. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Always think before you click!

Deniz Majagah is a corrections sergeant and heads his agency’s Office of Information Technology where he has served nearly 19 of his 23 years with his agency. He has a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Rutgers University and is currently enrolled at Fairleigh Dickinson University where he is pursuing a master’s degree with a focus on Computer Security and Forensics Administration. He has multiple certifications focusing on cybersecurity and information assurance including CISSP, GCIH, GCCC and GSTRT.

Should you need any advice or assistance, he can be reached at dmajagah@gmail.com

Success in Retirement - Retirement - who me? By James F. Ford, Jr., Ph.D.

Corporate Security, Police Chief in another community, Campus Police Director, Radio DJ, Ballroom Dancing Instructor, Nursing, Coaching, PGA Teacher, Adjunct Professor, Construction, Range Officer, Process Server, Paramedic, Real Estate Agent, Executive Protection, Insurance Investigator, Substitute School Teacher, Town Manager, Forensic Hypnotist, Campus Security, Driving Instructor, and Mobile Pole Dancing Cleaner. Believe it or not, these are a few of the many employment opportunities awaiting you when you retire, or you could just sit home and do nothing.

The positions listed above were obtained from a two-day survey conducted on retired law enforcement officers. Are you ready for retirement? Have you thought about what you might want to do? How have you prepared yourself? I am not referring to the New Jersey Civil Service or the New Jersey State Pension Board holding seminars to prepare you. I’m talking about a year or so before you retire from the job. Are you going to be one of those people who cannot leave the job and go visit the station/headquarters every day for coffee with the guys? Don’t forget you couldn’t wait to get out of there, remember? I worked with an officer who from my first day on the job said to me, don’t stand in my way when my times comes to retire. Guess what? He stayed longer than 25 years. Statistics in the past have shown that police officers were usually given a life expectancy of five years past their retirement. Don’t become another statistic.

Today, officers are retiring at a young age and some aspire for another career. Maybe your department sent you to the Certified Public Managers Courses or the FBI Academy. Why not use those skills and education that you have acquired over the years? Think about some of the in-depth specialized courses you have attended. Perhaps you took Crash I, II. Reconstruction Expert, DRE School, or maybe forensic accounting courses? You are valuable to the private sector. Over your 25 or more years, you have acquired more knowledge and experience than the average citizen has.

I’m sure we all can agree that law enforcement is (especially patrol) for younger officers. Do you really want to work shift work in your 50s or beyond? We have many officers who are in great physical condition regardless of their age because they work at it. What is often difficult to measure is the toll “the job” takes on us psychologically. How many sexual assault or child abuse cases do you have to investigate before it really affects you and your home life? Many of you are running from call to call with hardly any downtime. You’ve been working at this pace for years and years and then all of a sudden that comes to an end. How many Jerry Springer shows or other talk shows can you possibly watch? For the officers who aren’t running from call to call, you still are anticipating calls coming in and how to handle them in the most efficient productive manner - it doesn’t end.

Please realize that you too can have another career after your stellar work in law enforcement. In your last few years on the job, think about what you want to do when you do retire. If you want to pump gas or work part-time at some convenience store, there is nothing wrong with it. Just do something. Don’t sit home and do nothing.

As police officers, we are called upon to make life-changing decisions for so many but often neglect ourselves. Healthwise, one of the worst decisions to make is to retire and do absolutely NOTHING! Before I retired, I became an adjunct at the College of Saint Elizabeth teaching Criminal Justice. My first class was the best and I knew this was for me. This was my opportunity to share my own experience and education with adult students who had no clue about the criminal justice system except what they saw on “Law & Order.” They really did think that most cases were solved in 45 minutes and that court lasted about 15 minutes!

I soon discovered that in order to teach full-time at a four-year college/university I would need a doctorate degree. Four and half years later, I earned my Ph.D. and I enjoy every day. I feel blessed to have another career. You can too! Do something you love and stop stressing!

Contact Professor Dr. Jim Ford at the College of Saint Elizabeth for more information. Dr. Ford can be reached at jford@cse.edu or (973) 290-4324. It should be noted that CSE’s Graduate Program in Criminal Justice is ranked 14th in the country by U.S. News and World Ranking.

Square-Shooting - Those White Cops By Officer Deon Joseph

With all of the controversy of the day surrounding cops, each day I get questions and statements from some community members regarding my white counterparts. Questions like:

How can you work with those white cops?

Or

I bet with all the good you do for the community, those white cops must really hate you.

Or.

If you would have been there, Joseph, those white cops wouldn’t have shot that dude.

Well… I have been on my department for 23 years. I have worked with human beings from all walks of life, and I can say that most of the people I work with match the human race. They are mostly decent people doing a tough job.

But if that general statement is not convincing for you, allow me to break your tunnel vision a bit. I have received many accolades, awards and news coverage for the work I have done. Of course a bulk of the credit goes to my parents.

Yet there is one man who also played a huge role in shaping how I policed for the rest of my career. His name was Bill Snowden. Here is my best recollection of him. He was an LAPD legend. He was a tall, white man, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He had the big mustache and all. Physically, he was every black person’s (who thought of cops in the stereotypical sense) worst nightmare.

But he was the most professional police officer who ever trained me. Snowden was known for making 2,300 arrest for narcotics sales and violent crime in the Oakwood area, an area mostly populated by African Americans at that time.

As a new probationer on the brink of getting fired thanks to my previous training officer who berated and humiliated me at every chance he got, I was now assigned to the hardest-working cop on the department and I just knew that because I was so behind the curve for not being trained properly that working with this legend called Snowden would seal my fate.

Everyone in the station said to me, “Joseph, you better get your shit together. This guy is the real deal.”

When I met him, I was carrying two bags, a shotgun, a Taser, a bean bag, and wearing my long sleeves in the summertime.

I was nervous as hell and he knew it as he towered over me. He smirked and said, “I’ll take some of those off your hands. I’m not going to treat you like a boot (a probationer). You are my partner. By the way, it’s hot outside. Go change into your short sleeves and let’s go have fun.”

I calmed down and was finally excited about learning my job. A job which I struggled with at first as it pitted me against my perceived “Blackness” at the time.

As we patrolled the Oakwood area of Venice Beach, there were black gangsters and citizens yelling his name, and waving hello to him. “SNOW!” or “WAS UP SNOW!!” I smiled and asked him who all the people were that were waving at him. After all, I was told that black people were supposed to hate cops, especially after the Rodney King beating. Hell, even I did before I put on the badge. He smirked at me and said, “I probably arrested half of them.”

I was perplexed. Then I became concerned. Was this some dirty cop who had the people of the community so terrified of him that they were compelled to say hello?

He looked at me and said “Joseph, we have a job to do. Oakwood is a dangerous drug-infested place and we are here to keep people safe from many of the people I arrested. But you don’t have to be an asshole to be a cop. We do not judge or mistreat the people we have to arrest. We treat them all with dignity and respect, because in the end, they know we have a job to do. All they want is for us to respect them when we do it. Do you understand, partner?”

I still had my reservations until one day we saw a 6 foot 7 inch parolee who was over 350 pounds standing in the street threatening to fuck up the first person he saw. He was stoned or completely out of his mind. Snowden looked at me and said. “Put out a back-up. We gotta deal with this before someone gets hurt.”

Now this man was twice the size of Snowden and I put together, but Bill did not hesitate. If he was afraid, he did not show it. As I sat sizing up this Goliath of a man, he barked at me “Joseph. Let’s go!” I got out of the car and we approached the man. I just knew we were going to end up shooting this man. Not because he was black. Not because he was poor, but if he got his hands on either one of us based on his size and strength and demeanor, he would have killed us with his bare hands.

I could hear the sirens of the other units coming as the giant taunted us and challenged anyone in uniform or not to stop him. Snowden said to me, “Let’s get him detained before the other units get here, I think he forgot to take his meds.”

Snowden approached him using a calm voice, and said, “I heard about your mom. I’m really sorry man. I know it hurts, but she wouldn’t want this for you at all.” The man looked at Snowden and said, “It’s fucked up Snow. I feel like killing someone right now!”

Snowden responded, “Well we don’t want to hurt you, and we won’t. It’s me, man. Have I ever done you wrong?” He looked at the ground and said, “No. You always been cool with me Snow.” “Then let me help you man. I gotta handcuff you. But I promise you won’t go to jail.” He looked at Snowden and said, “You for real?”

Snowden said, “I always keep my word, don’t I?” He bowed his head and said, “Only for you Snowden.” To my relief, he turned around and placed his hands behind his back. Snowden looked at me and said, “OK, Joseph. Cuff him so we can get him to the hospital.”

Trying to handcuff this man was a challenge. His wrists were the size of my 21-inch arms. Other officers were approaching to help. I did my best not to make him uncomfortable, but as I cuffed him, the cuff pinched his wrist. He screamed and started to turn on me. The other officers sprang into action. One pulled out his baton as I tried to keep this man’s large arms behind his back. He was so strong, but I held on for dear life. The officer tried to use the baton to pry the subject’s arms loose so I could detain him. Though the officer would have been justified to do so, Snowden looked at him and yelled “Put that thing away!! Right now!” The officer backed down out of respect for Snowden.

Snowden focused on the man again and said, “You gotta calm down. He didn’t mean to hurt you. Let the officer do his job.” He looked at Snowden with tears in his eyes, and said, “OK, Snow. I know he didn’t mean it. It just hurt.” I was finally able to cuff the man. Talk about a workout.

When we got to the station, Snowden said “I know the officer meant well. But that would have pissed that guy off and we would have had to shoot the man. We are here to try our best to preserve life, not create the circumstance where we have to take it.”

As we continued to work together, I saw people thanking him for trying help clean up their community. For his work, he received the “officer of the year” award many times. When I got off probation, I was driven to be just like him. He worked hard, he was honest, he knew his community and respected them no matter what they did.

Ladies and gentlemen, being a good cop or bad cop has zero to do with one’s skin color. It has everything to do with your heart, your maturity and how seriously you take your oath to protect and serve. You don’t have to be from the area to care. Your race does not have to match the community you patrol.

There are wonderful officers on my department and beyond from all walks of life who, if they got the same attention as those few who create a negative impression of our profession, you would be honored to know them and maybe be inspired by them.

As I walk the streets of skid row today and hear my name being yelled out, when I receive hugs and handshakes and respect from the community I serve, even those I had to arrest, I remember who trained me: a damned good cop, who just happened to be white, named Bill Snowden.

Like with all people, we must stop judging cops or their actions by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. One’s complexion does not make them inherently good or evil. Their heart does.

Deon Joseph is a 23 year veteran of law enforcement in Southern California - 21 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

Featured Interview - World Champion Boxer Danny McDermott By George Beck, Ph.D.

Danny McDermott, aka “Little Mac” is a world champion boxer, who in 2014 won the WBU Light Welterweight world championship in the Philippines. He defeated Ronnell Esparras to become the first North Bergen, New Jersey, native to win a title since James J. Braddock in 1935. McDermott’s victory made him the first American to win a world title in the Philippines.

Before becoming world champion, McDermott won in New York and New Jersey Golden Glove competitions. He also won the bronze medal for the USA Boxing Team in 2004 representing New Jersey in international competition at the Aponte Games in Caguas, Puerto Rico before turning pro. 

His boxing career took him all over the world, facing such fighters as Italian lightweight champion Floriano Pagliara, who he knocked out in two rounds. McDermott served as chief sparring partner to Arturo Gatti when Gatti got ready for Leonard Dorin, Jesse James Leija, Floyd Mayweather and Carlos Baldomier. Gatti was McDemott’s mentor. McDermott was chief sparring partner for Junior Jones when he won his world title fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. McDermott sparred world champions Bones Adams, Gerry Penolosa, Paul Malignaggi, Yuri Foreman, Ivan Robinson, Vivian Harris and Macho Camacho to name a few.

McDermott is a humble man who knows the value of hard work and faith. In this exclusive interview, I sat down with him to get a current sense of the sport of boxing, his experience teaching fighters and how learning boxing can help officers become more effective and safer. 

McDermott teaches aspiring boxers, enthusiasts and officers. He runs the “Little Mac Boxing” to help people get their bodies into fighting shape to take on anything they want to achieve in life. He still competes in the professional boxing circuit and is preparing for a fight in Atlantic City at the Claridge Hotel. Blue Magazine is rooting for his success! 

Why is boxing an important sport for law enforcement officers?

Danny McDermott: I believe boxing or any form of martial art really, is important for law enforcement officers to know. There are many times officers will be presented with a physical altercation on the job where they need to subdue a perp physically. If a guy is resisting and he becomes physically violent but has no weapon in hand, the easy thing to do is take out your gun and shoot him or these days you use a Taser. The way things are in this country nowadays the laws are in place to help the criminal, not the officers. You shoot your gun, you’re in trouble. You get hit with a suspension, years of ongoing litigation, and you become a poster boy for police brutality. You are publicly embarrassed and shamed through mainstream media. We’ve seen it more and more over the last fifteen years. But, if you know how to handle yourself in some form of self-defense, boxing, I think you don’t have to resort to pulling out your firearm when a suspect comes at you with no weapon in hand. You’ll have the ability to handle the situation better.

Boxing is an amazing form of exercise. This is a great sport for officers to stay in shape and stay healthy. You don’t really know how long a minute is until you spar in a boxing ring. Besides being in great physical shape, you are learning self-defense. I think every officer should study some form of self-defense. I see it all the time in the boxing gym. Officers come in to train and become more effective on the job. 

Boxing will give you a great sense of confidence. There’s no better feeling than knowing you can take care of yourself and the ones you care about if a physical situation arises. It’s a known fact that when you are in top physical condition, all your senses are much sharper. Your awareness is at its peak and that’s vital for an officer of the law.

Many people may believe boxing is an offensive sport, would they be correct? If no, why?

There is a reason it is called the sweet science. To the average person that sees boxing on television, it’s a sport of savages. Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots, but it’s a lot deeper than that. It’s a chess game. For every action there is a reaction, every defensive move there is an opportunity for an offensive move to be executed. Hit and not get hit. So I disagree when people want to say it’s an offensive sport. Being defensive is just as important, if not more important. Who wants to take unnecessary punishment when they don’t have to?

Is strength more important than technique?

I believe stamina is more important than both. I have seen physically weak guys with halfway decent technique win fights just because they were in shape and outlasted the stronger, more advanced boxers. It was their will that made these guys win. The only way you can out-will your opponent is to be in tremendous shape. That’s when confidence comes into play. 

Perfect example is Mike Tyson versus Buster Douglas.

Tyson’s strength and skill were on a different level than Buster Douglas’. But, Douglas had just lost his mother earlier that year and she was his motivation to get in great physical condition for his fight with Tyson. He trained endlessly while Tyson didn’t train as hard as he usually did. He expected to have an early night because he depended on both strength and technique. Who was in better shape that night? Who out-willed who? Stamina is extremely essential in boxing. It can make all the difference to out-will your opponent and win the fight.

What is the best aspect of teaching boxing?

It’s self-rewarding to know that you’re giving someone the ability to learn and love a sport that can positively impact his or her life. For those who will compete, it’s awesome to see how they shape and develop on that level. It’s equally self-rewarding to give people the tools to defend themselves if a situation should arise where otherwise they’d have become a victim. Nobody should have to become a victim by some evil person out there who thinks it’s OK to harm other people just because he feels like it. 

I love teaching boxing. I think the most important thing to teach in the beginning is proper technique. Make sure they bring their hands back in place after every move. You can’t build a masterpiece without building a strong foundation. There are different ways to teach a new person to box because everyone is different. You might have to start teaching someone differently than how you usually teach, because they may pick it up different because they are built differently.

 What has teaching boxing taught you?

Teaching boxing has taught me to become a better boxer. I see the mistakes that I made as a fighter. It’s also made me a better person, a more patient person. Some of the personalities I’ve dealt with over the last twenty years, not all of them have been the greatest kind of people to deal with. I’ve learned to adapt to the different personalities and different classes of people. Learning to adapt in different environments is vital in one’s life. It’s amazing how teaching boxing has actually taught me so much about myself and life.

 For officers looking to add boxing to their defensive tactic skills, how should they go about this? 

Find a local boxing gym. I was fortunate, my neighborhood had a PAL (Police Athletic League). There are very few Police Athletic Leagues these days but there are commercialized boxing gyms in almost every town or city. UFC, Club KO, TITLE BOXING. These are the McDonalds of boxing. Most of these gyms have a few decent trainers on staff. The days of “Micky” the trainer and the old “Rocky” gyms are few and far between. The most important thing is that they make the first move and seek out a place to train. The officers may find the place they selected is not the right fit for them, and move on to a different boxing gym. But at that point you’re already training and that’s the most important aspect of learning any sport.

 Where do you see the sport of boxing heading in the next decade? 

I see boxing remaining strong. Every generation has called it a dying sport since the 1900s. During every decade over the past century we saw great fighters come up and shock the world.

 During the 1920s you had Dempsey, the ‘30s & ‘40s there was Robinson, Louis, Armstrong, Pep,--the ‘50s had Marciano, LaMatta, ‘60s & ‘70s had Ali, Holmes, Griffeth, Frazier, and Foreman. The ‘80s had Tyson, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler Camacho Duran, and the ‘90s was the time Holyfield, Lewis, DeLaHoya, Jones, Jr., Toney Trinadad, Hamed. The last two decades we had Mayweather, Pacquiao, Klitchko, Hopkins, GGG, Gatti, Lomonchenko, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

As you can see there are plenty of fans worldwide who love boxing. The highest paid athlete every year is a boxer. The sport of boxing will never die. I don’t see it happening. 

 McDermott is among the best boxers the sport had ever seen, and officers can benefit greatly from learning the sport directly from this world champion. If you seek to sharpen your defensive tactics and techniques through learning the sport of boxing, reach out to Danny McDermott at danny.mcdermott@hotmail.com

George Beck is a police detective, award-winning journalist, and editor-in-chief of Blue Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in History & Culture from Drew University. He is the author of The Killer Among Us and several other books. His nonfiction and short stories have been featured in magazines and anthologies nationally and internationally.

Social Media Radicalization is Putting Our Military At Risk - By Dr. Demetrick Pennie & Eric Feinberg

Beginning in 2015, we started to monitor and report on how Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were being used as the catalyst to incite global violence. Essentially, the platforms allowed extremist ideologies of the virtual world to bleed over into the real world. This process was facilitated by a pervasive cycle of negligence that ensued for years because the social media companies refused to remove online content that posed a significant threat to United States, international and homeland security interests. Our research and knowledge on this subject have been reported by nearly every news organization around the world; yet the social media companies have remained unresponsive to the mounting complaints and media criticism.

Despite acknowledged failures to manage the corrupt and nefarious misuses on their online platforms, social media companies such as Facebook continue to dominate political, social, economic and cultural messaging across the globe with impunity. Although Facebook’s executives have publicly alleged that their platforms were created to provide a visceral environment where harmonious ideas could merge, in recent years we have learned that the platforms have been widely used by terrorists to recruit, radicalize and disseminate extremist content encouraging attacks on United States democracy, its infrastructure and its military personnel.

Ongoing discussions about social media’s contribution to online radicalism have remained somewhat dense because of lack of knowledge pertaining to threatening content and government’s unwillingness to challenge “Big Tech,” considering the financial influences that social media has over geo-political affairs. Unfortunately, failures to challenge the status quo have emboldened international terrorist groups like ISIS to ramp up their radicalized propaganda on social media to encourage more attacks on U.S. interests; thereby limiting our nation’s ability to mitigate the outcomes of attacks inspired by threats proliferated through those platforms.

Based on emergent social media trends on Facebook and Instagram, members of our military and intelligence community overseas should be extremely concerned. After President Trump’s announcement in December 2018 of America’s intended withdrawal of troops from Syria, we identified a discernible spike in radicalized content on Facebook encouraging attacks on U.S. interests in Syria. The content is often so specific that anyone would deduce the correlation of recent attacks on American troops to the radicalized messages.

For example, on January 16, 2019, two U.S. soldiers and two American civilians were killed by a suicide bomber in the city of Manbij in Syria. In the aftermath of the attack, a video surfaced online depicting graphic scenes of the suicide bomber detonating his vest among a crowd of people in front the restaurant that Americans were meeting. Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack and has since used the video in its propaganda campaign on social media to inspire others to carry out similar attacks against our military officials and soldiers. On January 21, 2019, three Americans were injured in a second targeted attack. In this incident, an ISIS suicide bomber targeted an allied Kurdish force and a U.S.-led convoy traveling in northern Syria. Videos and photo images of both attacks were posted on ISIS Facebook accounts to inspire more attacks.

Over the last decade, corresponding with the advent of social media, America has lagged in its ability to appropriately engage terrorists because of our inability to intercept threatening communication strains on social media. This shortcoming has remained consistent over the years because there is no legal mandate or regulatory requirement for the social media companies to inform government authorities of impending threats. Additionally, our vulnerabilities to such threats is exacerbated by Congress’ inability to pass comprehensive legislation addressing the immunity clause in Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act; which offers broad immunity protection to the social media companies for facilitating the nefarious third-party content. The social companies have frequently claimed this “immunity protection” to circumvent blame and have often leveraged its protections for other “carte blanche” activities including claims of providing material support to terrorism.

It is important for our leaders to understand that if this issue remains unchecked, then the lives our soldiers abroad will continue to be endangered and our nation’s critical assets will continue to be subjected to the real world consequences of online radicalization. We believe that to proactively protect our troops overseas, multi-party collaborations must exist including: (1) Congress must hold social media companies accountable for facilitating overt threats to our international and homeland security interests; (2) social media companies must provide the U.S. intelligence community access to the “clandestine communications network” that terrorists have formed on their platforms, so that they can better respond to threats; and (3) third-party experts must be integrated into the review process to properly audit any threat-mitigation procedures adapted by the social media companies. Unfortunately, the social media companies’ history of poor unaccountable behavior has shown us that they cannot be trusted to protect the interests of our nation’s greatest assets - the men and women who honorable serve in the U.S. military!

Demetrick Pennie, Ed.D., is a 20-year veteran Dallas police sergeant. He is nationally recognized as a law enforcement advocate and currently serves as the president of the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation and the executive director of the Texas Fallen Officer Foundation. He is also a Doctor of Education and has facilitated college courses ranging from: Terrorism, Ethics, Criminal Law and Justice, to Cultural diversity.

Eric Feinberg, is the CEO of the cyber-intelligence company GIPEC. He is an expert in cyber-intelligence attribution and has been featured in many major publications as an expert in the field.

References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syria-bomb-attack-sdf-checkpoint-us-troops-shaddadi-after-manbij-americans/

Vantage Point - SCOOP & RUN By Joel E. Gordon

I am still reminded on any given day of dampness the time that I fell through the floor of a vacant partially gutted home in West Baltimore. I was on a call looking for heroin addicts trespassing and shooting up. Realizing that my knee wasn’t right upon landing in the dwelling’s basement I immediately got on the radio to report that no trespassers were found and to also report my injury. My mentor (and often my guardian angel in my rookie policing days) Officer Dwight Thomas, radioed that I should stay immobilized. He was quickly on-scene cancelling any EMS and taking me to the closest hospital in his patrol car after securing the vehicle I had been operating.

In 1980s Baltimore, we really had no formal policy on whether or when police should transport an injured person directly to a hospital or wait for EMS personnel for ambulance transport. In critiquing our performance in the line of duty shooting resulting in the homicide of another mentor of mine, Officer Ronald Tracey, it was noted that supervisors made the correct call when instructing officers on-scene to transport the wounded officer by police vehicle and to not wait for EMS. Regrettably, in this case it was to no avail due to the severity of the injury.

The practice of police medical transport in places such as Philadelphia is known as “scoop and run” or “scoop and go.” In a recent 12-month period, Philadelphia police drove 408 gunshot victims to trauma centers, according to the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, the state’s accrediting agency for trauma centers. In cases of profuse blood loss, there have been documented cases where this practice has proven to be a life saver.

Several other police departments have policies permitting their officers to conduct transports including Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit, but none reported transporting victims on a regular basis. Police departments have cited other reasons for not regularly practicing scoop and run, arguing that EMS units are better trained to handle severely injured patients. The New Orleans Police Department says its first priority is to secure the scene; hard to do if they’re speeding to the hospital. Instead of being tended to by trained EMS and paramedics with a range of medical supplies and equipment, patients are quickly loaded into the back of a police car, where they may not even receive direct pressure to their wounds, not to mention a buckled seat belt. Then, despite Good Samaritan laws, there is the risk of accusations of wrongdoing which could result in civil lawsuits or even criminal culpability in this day and age of police vilification.

Studies on the issue, though, have led some clinicians to interpret findings to mean police transport is safe for patients, and in some cases advantageous. One study included a subset of people severely injured by gunshots. Compared to those transported by EMS, patients transported by police had higher rates of surviving their wounds. According to some trauma doctors, the lack of medical intervention that victims receive during the typical scoop and run is part of what makes the practice beneficial. Advanced procedures like breathing tubes and IV fluids, while helpful for certain kinds of patients, may actually do more harm than good for shooting and stabbing victims in urban areas.

“I’d love to debunk the myth that you need a person on the scene who has all this advanced medical training and that is going to make the difference for this specific kind of injury,” Elliott Haut, a Johns Hopkins trauma surgeon, has been quoted as saying. For a presentation he gives at conferences, he shows an image that asks, “What’s the best fluid to give victims of penetrating trauma?” Then he clicks to the next image, which reads “…fuel.” “Yes, you’re going to get less medical care on the street and in the back of the car, but I’m OK with that because the shorter time is going to make a difference.”

Perhaps a Cleveland Police directive which gives officers the option to transport a victim after assessing “the totality of the circumstances” to include nature of injury, location of incident in proximity to a hospital and proximity of EMS is the right approach to the scoop and run question.

If the goal is to save a life based upon the best information that an officer has available at any given time, it would seem that officer discretion would be the most logical universal answer to victim care.

While not always ending in the desired result of saving life, as long as we act in good faith while doing our best to provide optimal service to our communities, can we really go wrong?

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

Military News - Four Tips for Scheduling Success in the VA System By Scott Frezzo

How many veterans or caregivers feel as though they are receiving sub-standard health care from their local Veterans Administration (VA) hospital? The good news is you could be receiving better service and quicker scheduling if you are willing to put in a little effort following these three simple tips.

I am rated 100% Total and Permanent (T&P) from the VA. I have had five surgeries and have been treated at four different East Coast VA hospitals. For many years, I had between three to five VA appointments a month and currently have one to three a month. I did not always receive the high level of care I receive now, so here’s how to greatly improve the level of service you or your loved one is currently experiencing.

First and foremost, you are responsible for your own health care and well-being. This means being proactive rather than reactive. This is essential to receiving the care you deserve. Make your own appointments. When a referral is placed for you to see a specialist in the VA system, do not wait for them to call you to schedule your appointment -- you call them – persistently, if necessary, to schedule the appointment at your convenience. The earlier you call in the day, the better. Always ask to be notified of any cancellation ahead of your appointment so you may have an earlier appointment if it becomes available. If your next appointment is further away than you would like, call the department’s scheduler at least once a week, preferably on a Monday to inquire about the upcoming week’s cancellations. Doing this will help in two ways. It will give a chance to grab a recently canceled appointment, and secondly, it helps to build a good rapport with the schedulers, while simultaneously keeping your name on the department’s staffs’ minds. I have found this helps me see the physician sooner. I am also in the practice of scheduling as many of my appointments on the same day as possible to limit the number of trips.

Second, schedule your appointments in person when you are at the VA. This may require going to the multiple departments to schedule, but the departments can communicate with each other while you are standing in front of them to organize an appointment schedule (pardon the pun) you can live with. It’s a lot harder for someone to tell you no when you are standing in front of him or her and are politely persistent.

Third, utilize the patient advocate. Every VA hospital facility has at least one patient advocate, who is there to handle any issues you may have regarding the hospital or its staff. The patient advocate is available by telephone or electronic communication. However, I recommend stopping into the advocate’s office to discuss your particular issue(s). Be sure to confirm the patient advocate’s office hours before showing up. Issues discussed with the advocate will be investigated, and you are entitled to a response and/or a decision of how the matter is to be handled. I have found great success utilizing my patient advocate, making my interactions with the VA less stressful and more pleasant.

Lastly, the fourth tip is for dire situations only. If you are unable to get an appointment with your doctor or specialist, go to your VA’s emergency department (ED). They are open 24/7 and will treat, or schedule you for the appointment you require with a sense of urgency. Do not forget, the main hospital is closed after 4 or 5 p.m. during the week, on the weekends, and on all federal holidays. So, plan your trip to the ED accordingly. I learned that lesson the hard way, showing up in the ED on the Sunday before Columbus Day.

The VA has a website dedicated to assisting veterans to receive and monitor their health care. Myhealthevet.va.gov allows veterans to access their medical records, view test results, refill prescriptions, monitor appointments (past and future) and most importantly, communicate privately and directly with a physician or department to discuss any medical or scheduling concerns. In my experience, the waiting time for a response has never been more than 24 hours during the workweek. Communication of this type is statistically analyzed by the VA upper leadership, and physicians or departments who consistently have longer than average response times are reprimanded.

I use the VA because it is the only insurance I have, and for me, it is entirely free. However, even if I had private health insurance, I would still utilize the VA because I feel as though I am receiving all the care I require, while being treated with respect for serving my country. Because the VA is nonprofit, I am not asked to have unnecessary procedures or tests done to hike up my bill to the insurance companies. The Veterans Administration Health Care System is the world’s largest teaching institution, and the future doctors who are trained at the VA are instilled with respect for veterans and knowledge that will allow them to be the highly skilled and compassionate physicians I know they will be.

So, all veterans out there give these tips a try. They could save you a lot of time and frustration.

Scott Frezzo is a disabled Iraq War veteran. His ultimate goal is to continue his educational pursuits to one day legally represent veterans as an attorney. He is passionate about advocating for more PTSD awareness programs, and for disabled veterans to receive the quality health care they deserve. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University and is currently working toward his master’s degree. He lives in Northern New Jersey.

A Helping Hand By Chris Amos

As a law enforcement officer, you often find yourself in the unique position of meeting people in their greatest hour of need. Perhaps as a victim of a crime or participant in a serious car accident. What does this mean? It means you may very well be the most important person in that person’s life at that very moment. How? By providing something as simple as a word of encouragement, a different perspective or possibly even a quick prayer or word of reassurance that everything will be OK. Let me give you an example that happened to my daughter-in-law Stacey just last week. Stacey was married to my oldest son Seth. Seth was a nine-year veteran of the Norfolk Police Department. Seth died just four months ago from a catastrophic infection that attacked his lungs. Seth turned 30 years old 20 days before he went home to be with his Savior and Lord, Jesus. Seth left behind his wife Stacey, of almost 10 years, and two sons, Carson (6) and Bodie (1 1/2).

Stacey had a doctor’s appointment. The only thing worse than going to a doctor’s appointment is to go to one when you feel cut off, alone, in a place of unbearable darkness and sorrow. Stacey was in such a place as she awaited her doctor. There was a knock at the door, her doctor stepped inside. The doctor asked Stacey if she would allow a medical student to join them. She was in no mood to endure the battery of questions she knew the student would ask, a requirement of his “training.” Despite how she was feeling she granted permission. As expected, the medical student began to ask her medical history. Stacey began to answer the questions when, without warning, she burst into tears. As a steady stream of tears trickled down her cheeks, Stacey shared the story of Seth’s passing, at times crying so hard she could not breathe. The medical student finished his questions and put the clipboard he was holding down. “Stacey,” he asked, “Can I pray for you?” Stacey looked up as if looking into the eyes of Jesus Christ Himself and said, “Please do.” This medical student lifted Stacey up in prayer and in doing so lifted her spirits and provided a desperately needed dose of compassion, encouragement, reassurance, peace and light.

What am I suggesting, friend? To those of you who are Believers in Jesus, you may very well find yourself in the coming days in the position to be the mouth, the feet, the arms and eyes of Jesus. To those of you who are not Christians, you still have much to offer by way of a word of encouragement or assurance, two things that the person you are dealing with may desperately need. Or perhaps the shoe may be on the other foot. Maybe like Stacey, the walls of your world may be closing in. Your marriage may be on life support. Your kids may be headed down the wrong road. Your health may be failing. It could be any number of things, but needless to say, you need help. You need hope. As Stacey, despite how she felt, said yes to the medical student. You too may need to reach out and say, “Yes, I need help. I am overwhelmed. I feel like I am being buried alive by the problems surrounding me.”

Friend, the bottom line is that everyone who reads this article will need the faith and courage to either reach out for help from another person or offer hope to another person. May you have the courage, the faith, the conviction to do what is most needed for yourself and for those with whom you come in contact in the coming days!

See You at the Finish Line!

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 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.

Stranger Danger By Ted Freeman, Executive Undersheriff Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Cynthia Scott, Public Information Officer

An innovative program about stranger danger keeps two Monmouth County sheriff’s officers busy teaching about preventive measures to pre-school and elementary school students.

On Oct. 11, 2013, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden introduced a bi-lingual program for elementary school students at Midtown Community School in Neptune, New Jersey, called Dangers of Strangers. Six years later, one of the two original instructors, bi-lingual Officer Iliana Santos, has been joined by Officer Michelle Melendez. The duo conducts the Dangers of Strangers program at elementary schools throughout Monmouth County.

“The safety and security of our children remains a principal concern for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “That’s why it is vital that children are made aware, and often reminded, about the dangers of strangers. Strangers have a way of luring children into harmful or possibly fatal situations through bribes and false claims such as a family emergency, a fake injury, or a lost pet.”

The two sheriff’s officers complement each other well. They have known each other since elementary school, both are married with young children and both have a passion for child safety. That passion shows in their dedication to continually updating the Dangers of Strangers program to keep the material current and relevant. Over the years, segments have been modified to cover the dangers to children over social media, cellphones, and even in interactive online video games.

Most recently, video segments have been added to the programs to illustrate how criminals try to lure young children to go along with them in a car or to a secluded area. The program is continually updated to keep it as contemporary as possible.

A brochure is given to each student that covers all of the safety measures covered in the presentation so that the child and parents can review what was taught in the lesson. The program covers:

• What is a stranger, the difference between good and bad strangers

• What to do if a stranger talks to you

• Safety tips on inappropriate touching and feeling uncomfortable

• Safety tips inside the home

• What to do when you are home alone

• Tricks used by strangers to get you to go with them

• How to answer the telephone when no one else is in the house 

An exercise and demonstration on the importance of using the “Buddy System” when going places in and around your community.

The program is offered to the Spanish-speaking community with bi-lingual Sheriff’s Officer Iliana Santos with brochures and a parent letter also in a Spanish version.

The program was scheduled for all third-grade classes at C. Richard Applegate School, Freehold Township, New Jersey by Guidance Counselor Diana Whille, in conjunction with third-grade teachers Lisa Cicero, Janet Giglio, Jaclyn Doyle and JoAnn Zamrzycki and presented on Feb. 7, 2019. A total of 74 students attended the two back-to-back sessions.

Following the program, teachers and students were asked their reaction to the presentation. Teacher Lisa Cicero said, “The presentation was extremely informative and kid friendly, and the students were highly engaged.” Teacher Jackie Doyle said, “The presentation highlighted the importance of children being aware of their surroundings and identifying trusted adults around them. The officers also reminded students to share with their families the tips they learned about staying safe, whether they are at the playground or on the internet. It is an important conversation for teachers and parents to continually have with their children!”

Student reactions were also very positive including remarks from third-graders:

“It was so much fun, and I want to do it again,” said Amber. Mathew said, “I learned what to do if someone is calling on the phone and you do not know their phone number or voice. You should hang up or get an adult.” And Emma told us, “I think it was important that the officers came, so that if we ever see a stranger or feel like we are in an uncomfortable situation, we know what to do. We’re ready thanks to them.”

“I am proud to have the opportunity to offer sixteen youth outreach programs to our schools in Monmouth County” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “Children are Monmouth County’s most valuable natural resource and our youth outreach programs are designed to protect and preserve that natural resource.”

Since 2015, over 100 Dangers of Strangers programs have been conducted reaching over 10,000 elementary school students. Officers Santos and Melendez are also involved in conducting numerous other outreach programs including Career Days, Distracted Driving, Lock Your Meds, SEEK 9-1-1, ACES 9-1-1, Gold Star Senior Travel, Keeping Your Keys – Senior Safe Driving, Sheriff Youth Week and many others.

Honest and Law-Abiding Citizens Have Nothing to Fear By Christian Argudo

While working the midnight tour, you are dispatch ed to Main Street on a report of a burglary and attempted rape in progress. It is later discovered that a young lady woke to a man who had broken into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her. After a brief fight, she was able to dial 911 as the suspect fled the scene. The description provided was of a young Hispanic male and he was seen driving away in an unknown vehicle. As you are turning the corner onto Main Street, you observe two vehicles: a rusty older model GMC pickup truck and a newer model Honda Accord. There is a possibility that one of these vehicles is occupied by the suspect. You have a 50 percent chance to stop the right vehicle. Which vehicle would you stop?

The uninformed public would say that if you stop the pickup truck, you are guilty of stereotyping and even worse you are a racist. On the other hand, if you stop the newer Honda, then you are an idiot and do not know how to do your job and should be provided with more training.

So, is criminal profiling legal? Yes, it is but racial profiling is not. Is it 100% accurate? Of course not, but nothing really is. The problem is that many people are not willing to accept any margin of error; and that is not realistic in our line of duty no matter how much work and effort we put in.

When officers profile a criminal, they take into account several things, such as time of day, clothing, mannerisms, reaction to police presence and many others factors. For instance, heroin addicts have a distinctive pale skin and pinpoint pupils. Their physical features are not normal and induced by their drug abuse.

Burglars have certain habits when scouting a job. They carry tools unconventional to the time and place they are at the moment. They can’t help themselves but to look “guilty” upon the presence of law enforcement. I can spot them a mile away, based on my training and experience.

So, what’s profiling? Profiling is merely a descriptor, an aid in the process of elimination that is legal and completely necessary to accomplish certain investigative tasks.

Unlike racial profiling; criminal profiling is allowed as long as it does not include race as the main and only factor in the profile. During profiling, we can find a connection between race and misconduct. Criminal behavior comes in patterns that give away unique signs indicating that criminals are up to no good, no matter what their race may be. Criminals are identified by their crimes. Profiling is used to detect threats and to stop crimes; therefore, police can’t do anything about what a person might do, only what they actually do. This means that the crime must be actually be committed before there is police involvement.

The line between discretion and profiling is very thin, as well as what’s popular and what seems to make sense. Police officers have a strenuous job, especially when it is time to make the right decision in a split second. They don’t wake up in the morning thinking they will profile a particular race and make them suspects of certain crimes. As enforcers of the law, they are expected to resolve every case they come in contact with, without receiving any credit, and they’re blamed when things do not go well. It is unfortunate that some people do not see us as people who leave their families behind every day to save somebody else’s family, but as degenerate profilers.

God forbid you see the word “Profiling” on the front page of a newspaper; you will not only find a correlation between evil and law enforcement, but the word itself being demonized by the press. The media does not give it the proper credit, which is that it is a great investigative tool when used properly. The FBI has successfully used profiling for decades to catch criminals. However, if this tool is used by police to catch certain ethnic groups, then it is wrong; but if used to solve crimes and catch criminals, then profiling is highly welcome by everybody in the community, even by those who criticize its existence. So, it’s not the profiling process itself, but what you do with it that is objectionable.

So, before you start knocking criminal profiling, remember that it is completely legal and necessary. Without it, many crimes would go unnoticed.

Christian Argudo is a police sergeant in northern New Jersey. He’s a U.S. Army combat veteran. He served two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He’s earned a bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is currently working toward his master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University as well.

Bastardizing Civil Rights Icons By Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. (Ret.)

The Jussie Smollett incident took enough twists and turns to fill an entire season show on pay TV, before its climactic finale that ended with his arrest. However, the liberal media and race hustlers are still trying to squeeze the last bit of juice out of that orange. If you thought this hoax was over, you are wrong. The identity politics purveyors and the media will use this case as a rallying point to keep this insidious game of race politics alive.

A narrative is now developing by Smollett’s supporters and apologist who are desperately trying to salvage anything possible. They question the motivations of the Chicago Police arguing that Laquan McDonald—the armed black male killed by police and the cover-up by withholding the body cam video until after Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s re-election means the Chicago Police can never again be believed. However, there is another aspect in the aftermath of all this, that I find more disgusting. It’s the rationalization of bad behavior—even criminal behavior—by certain black people who should know better. Liberal media elitists, black political pundits, and professors in ivory towers in academia lead the chorus in furthering the cultural rot that is becoming pervasive throughout the black community.

Instead of being responsible by exhibiting leadership through the influential positions these liberal elites have—many of them who are black—chose to commiserate and pander by finding justification for bad behavior by black men. Is everything upside down?

There was a time that when black icons in the fight for justice were much different. These are icons like Dred Scott, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, Harriett Tubman, Nat Turner and Crispus Attucks who was the first American killed in the Revolutionary War. More recently Emmitt Till, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Thurgood Marshall, and Dr. Martin Luther King come to mind. These stalwarts in the pursuit of justice and equality were people worthy of icon status and role modeling. However, today the people who are championed as heroes and icons in the black community more resemble a police blotter. People like Rodney King, Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin are now the giants in the civil rights movement. This is an insult, a perversion of the blood sweat and tears endured by people worthy of being forever remembered throughout history. It’s disgusting that some hucksters are so desperate to find 21st-century civil rights icons as an example that the fight for justice continues (as if nothing has gotten better), that they are willing to disparage and water down the sacrifices made by real black icons.

Every one of these previously mentioned modern-day civil rights icons (miscreants) were engaged not civil disobedience, but dangerous criminal behavior at the time of their death. Mike Brown had committed a strong-armed robbery of a convenience store clerk before attempting to disarm a police officer for heaven’s sake.

Listen to how these miscreants were heralded. Race hustler Al Sharpton said, “The demonstrations, the rallies that many of us came and started led into what later happened two years later around Ferguson (Mo.), around Eric Garner; but it started, the seeds of that started in Trayvon Martin, so Trayvon Martin energized a renewal of civil rights activism in the 21st century like Emmett Till energized it in the 20th century.” Seriously?

Is anybody surprised that CNN show host Don Lemon excused the hoax perpetrated by Jesse Smollett by saying that, “it’s not his fault,” and that Smollett simply lost in the court of public opinion. Lemon further blamed it on how his lawyers handled it.

However, the gold medal winner in the aftermath of the Smollett hoax is CNN’s race provocateur Van Jones who likened Smollett’s stature to the impact on American society that Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in baseball had. I kid you not. He called Smollett, “the fall of an icon” in the black community. Jones takes hyperbole to a new level. This is sick.

Young black men should be shielded from people like Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Colin Kaepernick, and Jesse Smollett unless we use them as examples of how not to behave or model after. We need role models in the black community, but we don’t need this group. While we’re at it, we should consider shielding them from bad behavior enablers like Don Lemon and Van Jones too.

If Colin Kaepernick, Jussie Smollett and a list of criminals are the 21st-century symbols of where the civil rights movement stands today, then shut it down. What an abomination. Let’s add no more names to the list of who’s who among black icons. In fact, not being able to find people worthy of civil rights icon status today tells me that it’s time to acknowledge that while we should never forget, we have overcome.

(Article courtesy of townhall.com)

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

Chief Today, Demoted Tomorrow. The story of retired Deputy Chief Robert Cowan By Valerie Velazquez-Stetz (Ret.) J.C.P.D.

During the mid-to late 1980s, the New Jersey Department of Civil Service designated both Jersey City and Newark as “Class A” cities. This distinction provided that the mayors of those respective cities “appoint the chief of police” who would then serve at the pleasure of the mayor. This departure from Civil Service procedures and protections is not a good process for appointing a police chief, as it provides an opportunity for a mayor to corrupt the position of police chief.

Robert Cowan was ultimately “appointed” as the chief of police by the Jersey City mayor and was the shortest tenured police chief in Jersey City at nine- and one-half months. His short tenure was not because of lack of competence, energy or accomplishments. During this short tenure, with the assistance of his stellar command staff which included, Deputy Chief Joe Delaney, Deputy Chief John Cory Short, Capt. Joe Ascolese, Lieutenants Kelly Chesler, Jay White, and Pat Macarthy, much was achieved and with many accomplishments.

According to Chief Cowan, his short tenure was three-fold:

• 
Cowan declined to permit the public safety director, Jim Shea, to run the day-to-day operations of the department which was not in his job description under Title 40

• 
Cowan refused to improperly deploy resources of the Jersey City Police Department to shut down major roadways as ordered by Mayor Steven Fulop.

• 
Cowan refused Fulop’s requests to commit several improper acts related to his office that would have been in furtherance of his failed ambitions to be governor of New Jersey.

After his demotion and being sent back to his civil service rank as deputy chief, Cowan told how Public Safety Director Jim Shea had him moved into an “office” that was actually a supervisor’s locker room. He was provided a very old computer in the locker room for his use, although he was assigned no real work, his guess is Fulop and Shea thought this was a proper way to treat a 35-year veteran officer and long-time resident of Jersey City. They did not get the best of Cowan, because the locker room he was assigned as an office, after having been demoted from the chief’s position, was in better condition than some of the police precincts he worked in over his career!

Robert Cowan was born in 1960 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Having grown up in the Greenville section on Seaview Avenue, Robert’s dad, the late Jersey City Police Department Captain James Cowan, raised four boys. His four sons all became Jersey City Police supervisors, Mark, Tom, Jim and Robert. Capt. James Cowan was the commander of the West District, the busiest precinct in New Jersey. Jim was the first of the Cowan sons to come onto the police department through a competitive testing process involving written, physical fitness, psychological and medical testing as well as a thorough background investigation. Cowan laughed when he heard members of the public or others insinuate that his dad was involved with getting the “Cowan Boys” hired at the department and then used his influence to get them promoted. Cowan followed his brother Jim to the police academy in 1979, with his brother Mark hired in 1985 and Tommy in 1987. Cowan and his brother Tom were both promoted to deputy chief through the civil service process. While his brother Mark was promoted to captain and Jimmy to sergeant. Very often they all studied together.

Chief Cowan retired in October 2014 and formed a private investigations firm shortly afterward. Cowan Investigations specializes in litigation consultation as well as divorce-related matters such as alimony/cohabitation investigations and child custody. Amazingly, Cowan Investigations has really taken off over the past year. Cowan and his wife, Liz, work day and night. Recently, Cowan had the good fortune to sign on his former colleague, retired Capt. Joe Ascolese, as the North Jersey operations manager of Cowan Investigations. Although he truly enjoyed his 35 years with the Jersey City Police Department, mostly in patrol, he says, “I am enjoying the pension check as well as running a successful business, most of the time dressed in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt.” He also enjoys his two boxers, Zeus and Hercules.

Valerie A. Stetz (Velazquez) retired on accidental disability from the Jersey City Police Dept. She was injured in a radio car accident responding to a robbery in progress call. Valerie is a member of the NJ Police Honor Legion. She is the radio host for the popular Internet show “BLUE World Uncensored” on DDV RADIO. She is also the Public Relations Manager for NJ Blue Now Magazine. Valerie is married, with a son and daughter.

Cultural Entitlement: The Age of “Expectation” By Lt. Anthony Espino

We are experiencing a culture of entitlement in this country. Every time I watch news outlets, I hear the cries of “poor me.” Many people in America are looking for handouts, too lazy to go out and earn their own money. Hey, let’s tax the rich; they don’t need all that money. Sure, let’s punish those who work hard and are driven to succeed in life.

This type of rhetoric is quickly changing the mindset of the American people. Instead of looking for ways to better themselves or looking for ways to help others, they are looking for ways to get the government to help them. Self-reliance has been replaced by reliance.

There are many Americans who depend on the government. They see themselves as victims and carry themselves in a manner that would suggest as much. Illegal immigrants believe they’re entitled to opportunities in America regardless of following the laws to enter the country legally. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for immigration, but it has to be done lawfully. This great country was built by immigrants, but those people came here legally and willing to contribute to society. They worked hard, respected and loved this country.

We have college students believing their tuition should be free. I’m all for that, considering I have a daughter in college and another going next year. Free higher education in the United States may sound like a great idea. For nearly a century after federal land-grant colleges were first established in 1862, many public institutions were free, or nearly so. Now, with more than $1 trillion in U.S. student loan debt and growing, this has put constraints on both young people’s futures and the economy.

An entitlement culture makes life comfortable, removing that feeling of desperation. In my opinion our children, seniors, men and women of the armed forces, law enforcement, emergency personnel, firefighters and churches are the only members of our society who are entitled to anything.

Let’s think about our parents and their parents and so on who have made many sacrifices over the years so that we could have a better country than the one they inherited from their predecessors. Our law enforcement families proudly put on that uniform every day, working hard to keep our cities and towns safe. Our firefighters bravely run into burning buildings and homes risking their lives to save others. Our brave men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting enemies from all over the world, risking their lives to protect our freedoms. Our churches, regardless of your religion, are preaching the good and lifting up our communities. Our emergency personnel treat the injured and sick regardless what time of day it is. Lastly, remember our children who are America’s future.

We have many people talking about health care as being a right. That’s a tough topic to touch on. I would like to see everyone have the ability to be treated for certain diseases and illnesses, but unfortunately the burden would fall on the hard-working taxpayers. What medicines and treatments would be covered? How much would the taxpayers be expected to fund of it? Those are questions for Congress to figure out. In my opinion, I believe those deserving of free health care are the elderly, armed forces, disabled vets and our children.

By providing free housing, free cellphones, free food, free money and free health insurance, how is this incentive to work? How is this fair to those who do work and struggle to pay for all those things themselves? When we’re born, it’s our parents’ responsibility to provide for us. When we are grown it is our responsibility. When did it become the government’s right to make working-class people take care of everybody? Who is going to care of those working-class people?

We need to teach young people to aim high, work hard, and that good things come to those who strive to be successful in life. I don’t want to hear about rights or fairness, because in America we’re allowed too many things, and have taken for granted those things as a result.

America should have a culture of entrepreneurship, not a culture of entitlement. For America to be successful, we need a lot more of one, and a lot less of the other.

Lt. Anthony Espino is a 20-year veteran police officer, assigned to the Patrol and Crime Prevention Unit. His passion is to lecture to community members, teachers, and students to promote awareness and offer tips to prevent crime and victimization.

Traditional Japanese Karate-Do And why you are missing out By Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.)

Traditional Japanese Karate-Do And why you are missing out By Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.Over the years, we’ve all heard stories whether real or fabricated, about the prowess, or lack thereof, of karate black belts. As a boy in the ‘60s, I remember hearing stories of black belts returning to America after fulfilling their military obligation in Japan or Korea. Their hands now were considered “deadly weapons” and they even had to “register their hands” with local authorities (I’m not making this up). There was one particularly dangerous individual, just ask him he’ll tell you, named “Count Dante.” How mystical! (I’ll leave his real name out of this article) He took ads out in magazines explaining how he could teach you “Dim Mak” and “Iron Palm!” This, of course, would make you almost as deadly as he was.

There were many other notable black belts out there that were the top tournament fighters, and the “real deal” in the 1960s, namely; Chuck “Carlos” Norris, Mike Stone, Joe Lewis, Thomas La Puppet, Frank Smith, James Yabe, Lois Delgado and Skipper Mullins, to name a few. These individuals put their skills to the test each time they stepped into the ring. Full contact karate and kickboxing matches in the 1970s would, “up the game” and bring more respect and legitimacy to the martial arts world. Joe Lewis, Jeff Smith, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Howard Jackson and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, were a few of the top world champions back then. Eventually, we would see the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in its infancy. Mostly “ham and eggers” would step into the ring where we saw various matchups, including, karate vs. sumo, kung-fu vs. tae kwon do; boxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu, would round out the combatants. Royce Gracie became a popular jiu jitsu champion, as he seemed to confuse all of the “stand-up” fighters making the rounds. Aside from Ken Shamrock and maybe a couple others, he never seemed to fight the best of the best from the martial arts world. However, these “championships” controlled by the Gracie family, as we came to find out, successfully elevated Brazilian jiu jitsu higher than Japanese jiu jitsu. Then, Dana White and company took over and brought in, ostensibly, the best fighters in the world. WOW! We thought! These guys ain’t playing!

I believe in the individual, more than I believe in one system being better than the others. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, trained in my system of Koeikan karate for 12 years, and was an accomplished wrestler in college before he decided to go into the Octagon. He has “Koeikan” tattooed on the side of his head. He then trained in kempo and jiu jitsu, in an effort to increase his skill, speed, and grappling. Chuck would’ve been the champ in his heyday regardless of the style he practiced, why? Because he had heart, determination, and a strong will to win. Machida and St. Pierre also came from a traditional karate dojo.

So that’s enough about how we got here, in the arena of sport karate/martial arts. Now, let’s talk about why you should be in a karate dojo.

For years there was jiu jitsu; later, ju do was founded. Later yet came darate jitsu and karate do. Do, pronounced “dough” meaning “The Way.” So, ‘The Way of the Empty Hand’ was to be seen as a path to self-improvement. The training was rigorous and austere, leading many to give up and quit. As the years went by, however, the military jitsu, continued to give way to the “Do.” This enabled children to participate as experts molded these youngsters into respectful, model citizens. Pediatricians often tell parents to get their ADHD son or daughter into a traditional/structured karate dojo (school). For adults, karate can be the closest thing you’ll find to the “Fountain of Youth.” In a karate dojo, yes, you’ll get a little bruised up. And while more serious injuries can occur with those students who lean toward combat karate, you won’t normally see spinal or neck injuries that can occur more in a mixed martial arts school. I believe that “stand up” fighting is better for police officers, as you wouldn’t want to fall on your gun or mace canister taking someone to the ground. Stand up fighting is also better against multiple attackers; just be quick, and keep your head on a swivel. Karate practitioners many times continue to train and do their kata (forms) right into their 60s and 70s. How many other sports can give you that kind of longevity? Think about it, and be safe out there.

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.

“Make a difference every day” By Julia Torres

Veteran Mark Levy served in the Air Force as a Security Police (MP) dog handler. Upon being honorably discharged, he became a member of the Orlando Police Department’s Blue family bringing his invaluable military experiences with him while later developing new skills in the civilian sector.

Most folks know that a law enforcement officer wears many hats. One day the job may entail being a social worker, counseling youth against wayward behavior; a negotiator, balancing the art of a plea deal for a confession; a justice seeker, providing testimony to ensure conviction. All these actions serve to sharpen an individual’s career, adding future possibilities. In his present twelve-year police career, Mark was no different, except for beginning to employ the learned entrepreneurial abilities while on the job.

His compassionate nature for kids who “are in a tough spot with no control over their situation” combined with a love for mountain biking led him to a life-changing idea. Mark believes, “trying to give people a hand up is better than giving them a hand out”. His champion approach of “teaching them skills on mountain bikes to help overcome obstacles on the trail will give them the confidence to overcome obstacles in life” became the beacon for Toughbiker, the 501c3 he started in 2014.

While at Orlando PD, Mark started to raise awareness for his mountain bike mentoring program—one in which his desire is to bring into schools—in addition to incorporating his love for cycling into his first 50 mile cycle run in memory of fallen officers as a way of giving back to the law enforcement community. Preparation for the Toughbiker: Fallen Officer Memorial Ride began in November 2018 culminating in a successful turnout of over 110 cyclists on February 24, 2019.

For Mark, it was very humbling to have the support of registrants, volunteers, and family members. Some remained behind preparing food for the event’s completion; others led or followed the group, blocking streets and shouting encouragement as riders cycled against wind on local streets and highways.

The halfway point at a public supermarket parking lot presented the riders bananas and mandarins to release muscle tension, along with water for hydration. Within fifteen minutes, they were off again for the remaining 25 miles until they arrived at the finish line where music, food, and eager volunteers cheered their arrival.

Indeed, Mark’s core belief to, “make a difference everyday” was more than met as those who gathered shared in camaraderie and celebratory conversation. One can expect greater things to come in the near future from the individual who simply stated wants, “to do my small part”.

If you would like to learn more, check out https://www.toughbiker.com/

For information on the Orlando Police Department, log onto their site:

http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/

Julia Torres earned a Master of Science in Homeland Security with a certification in Terrorism Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University; a Jersey City State College, K-12 Teacher Certification; and a Bachelor of Arts Visual Arts from Rutgers University, where she enlisted in the Army Reserves. Upon graduating Rutgers, she began a career in law enforcement, and later volunteered for the Gulf War. Once home, she worked undercover until retiring in 2001 due to a Gulf War illness. Since then, she has done volunteer work, acted, and written two non-fiction books.