Looking For a Police Job? Decent Pay, Danger, Lots of Hate and Bad Bosses

(Tips to help you enter one of the most toxic professions successfully)
By: Kirk Lawless

I could have “chased the money,” but I answered a higher calling, and that was to be a cop. Mission accomplished, and with a career cut short, I decided to use the talents God gave me to help other cops. I keep my finger on the pulse of all things law enforcement related; I speak with recruits at the local police academies, I field phone calls from brothers and sisters in distress (no matter the hour, nor however long it takes). I listen. I don’t repeat what is told in confidence. I still give advice when cops who know me (or not) reach out with a problem they think I can help straighten out.

I’m not afraid of anything, especially bad bosses.

If you’re a recruit looking for a job, or a newer officer looking to move to another agency, I’ll share some important information with you and I hope it helps you navigate the treacherous waters on which I have already sailed. I know thousands of cops. I’ve been around lots of police agencies (some good, some in dire need of house cleaning).

There’s lots of hate in this job and I’ve been working on my own side of hating things and letting it go, but it’s a process. I have already forgiven the ones who have attacked my family and I and I’ll say it openly. The apologies will never come. I know that but that doesn’t mean I’ll be quiet when the backstabbing and attacks come.

Remember, people hate you for three reasons. They see you as a threat. They hate themselves. Or they want to be you (put that in your back pocket, as it might help you sort some thing out in your career later).

As we say on the job, “fair” is something to take your kids to. You’re going to see shit that will leave you shaking your head.

When you find yourself looking for that police job, you need to do your research of the particular department. Don’t believe everything you hear and only half of what you see. The rumor mills are in full swing at most departments, and the coconut telegraph spreads news like wildfire. I’ll cite some examples of “Red Flags” about departments and bad bosses and you can compare them to your job search. There are lots of good bosses out there (we’re not talking about them), but sadly there are a ton of “shit” bosses. I’ve worked for both kinds and my former department was certainly not suffering a shortage of bossed culled from the turd cart.

If, by chance, the department you are interested in (or they are interested in you) has a seemingly endless record of bad press, whether locally, nationally or internationally, look into them. My former agency has many fine officers, but at the top (the brass) when piled together, probably don’t amount to one good street copper. Remember, most of these guys are politicians and the only thing worse than a bad boss, is a bad boss turned full-blown politician. Example: police chief turned mayor. Find out how they got from point A to point B and follow your gut.

My former department made international news when an HIV positive teacher took a little boy out of a classroom took him into his own office and sexually assaulted him. The boy told his parents, who took him to the hospital, a rape kit was performed and they were successful in their endeavor to obtain the suspect’s DNA.

The police department was notified, a report was taken and that was that. The parents kept after the department and it took three years to investigate the crime. In the interim, the known suspect was not arrested, his DNA was not seized, nothing. Three years! Eventually somebody (after being pestered by the parents) arrested the suspect (his DNA was a match…surprise!). The suspect was offered a “contract” to his cellmate to “erase” the little boy and his parents. No suspect, no crime. A savvy reporter went after the chief of police Tim Lowery, and interviewed him about the crime and the three-year wait for action. The interview is out there. He laughed at the reporter, while saying his office didn’t drop the ball, but someone in the department did. There was not much said after that interview, (coincidentally chief Lowery was running for the mayor’s seat) and it seemed that maybe the reporter was called off the trail to not have bad press for him before the election. He is now the sitting mayor. The story made it into the London Times in the UK. That’s a huge Red Flag!

As mayor he promoted the assistant chief, Tim Fagan, to police chief. The reporter came after the new chief when another sexual and physical abuse of several children that went untouched for several years was uncovered. They didn’t care for that. This is usually when the brass looks for somebody to “throw under the bus,” and ends in a termination, and both cases presumably morphed into lawsuits. The Mayor turned chief and the new chief were the guys who should have been under the bus, so nothing happened. This is where the lack of integrity comes into play. In my opinion (and of many others) both should have just quietly gone away. But, they weren’t going anywhere. They were suckling at the teat of old mother Florissant and they wanted to keep making it until she runs dry. Red Flag!

In Florissant you’d think lots of folks had daddies that were hammerhead sharks, their eyes should be just a bit too far apart, the gene pool at the police department was so incestuous. Favors owed, favors paid, “wonder ponies” were promoted at a hypersonic speed, often without the proper educational credentials to match each promotion and pay grade. My college transcripts were handed over to the office of policing standards after obtaining each degree, but when “guys like me” asked to see the same credentials of the recent promotion recipient, it became a “private personnel issue” and therefore they were never produced. In other states cops and politicians get arrested for this behavior. It’s commonly referred to as “theft of honest services,” RICO violations, wire fraud such. The feds have the info but for now…crickets. Red Flag!

If the department you’re scoping out, buys into an accreditation organization but does not adhere to its own policies that is a huge Red Flag!

If they change the rules and regulations willy-nilly to conveniently suit them and their cronies (and I mean changed from original format to something completely new and then back again within a week, to ensure the “right” person gets promoted. Red Flag!

In my opinion, the standing chief and newly elected mayor threw a young cop under the bus when a doorbell camera captured images of an unmarked car hit a suspect running on foot (I’ve seen way worse). I’m not sure if the “boo boo” bus took the guy to the hospital. The chief said that the video was “disturbing” (apparently not as disturbing as not investigating the previously mentioned child sex abuse cases for three years). The terrorist group BLM protested and the cop was suspended, terminated and charged quick, fast and in a hurry. Red Flag!

I was at some of the protests and while cops from other agencies were taking bricks, frozen water bottles to their heads and cups of piss to their faces, I have video of a high ranking official sneak out the front door of the PD and literally hide in the bushes while watching the shit show, instead of wading into the fray like a real boss! You don’t want to work somewhere that the boss is that fearful! Red Flag!

Most agencies have a memorial wall commemorating the loss of cops killed in the line of duty. My former agency has three: one died in 1963 (way before my time, so I don’t know much about it), in 1979 a sergeant was gunned down after curbing a bank robber, getting shot 8 times (he died of cancer caused by his injuries in 2000, with three bullets still inside him, one in his head). What did the department do for him? According to the older cops and family members, not much. And yet another, died in 2009 during surgery after suffering a crippling OTJ injury in 2003. They terminated him in 2004. What did the department do for him for the five years while he suffered? Not a damn thing! Red Flag!

But they, have the “memorial” roped off in the lobby of the PD I see as a “look at us. We’ve lost three cops in the line of duty holding the line.” It’s shameful and it’s a disgrace. Now they’ve taken to placing commemorative plaques invoking the names of the dead cops that I don’t believe they give two shits about (but hey, it’s a nice photo op). The lobby is reminiscent of a New Guinea headhunter’s trophy wall full of shrunken heads. Perhaps it affords the family some pride and comfort, that’s a good thing, but the only folks who really cared about the dead cops are their brothers and sisters, not the bosses, and certainly not the politicians. Red Flag!

Remember, it’s cheaper to bury us and have a fancy funeral, rather than fix us or help us, especially financially (not everybody gets their turn at the teat). Red Flag!

In October of 2017 a feeble and failed attempt was made to deny me my “retired in good-standing” credentials. Under H.R. 218 “The Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act (I’ve earned that with 28 years of time, sweat, physical injury, and blood) and they can’t take it from me. They slandered me after probably consulting with the city attorney and hearing that trying to pull my credential was a bad idea after providing them to me since 2012, by telling certain officers that I should be watched during qualification because I posed a danger; to who, other cops? That’s absurd. Who was responsible? I’m betting it was someone either named Tim or Tim Mayor and Chief. They probably don’t know that I know this, but they do now (names, dates, times). Red Flag!

Here’s an example of delusional, shameful, and disgusting behavior. On August 25, Mayor Tim Lowery was at a local business speaking with an 85-year-old United States Army combat veteran. His name is not important, but I know him. The two were engaged in small talk and a witness, my son (knowing the Mayor by sight, but the mayor not knowing him) heard the old “Combat” Veteran ask the mayor if he, himself had served. The mayor’s reply was, “I did. I served Fives years in Afghanistan.” My son called him out as a liar and as committing “Stolen Valor” by telling such an outlandish and shameful lie to the veteran and purple-heart recipient. The thing is, you never know whom I know or where I am. Sometimes I’m everywhere (but not Afghanistan) Mayor Lowery needs to make an open apology starting with every city employee who served in the armed forces. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear of his false exploits. He can do the same with every veteran organization he can find. He has access to a cable channel. That would be a good thing to do, face it like a man instead of hiding like a coward. This wasn’t an “Uh, I misspoke” moment or “He misunderstood me.” It was lie, a horrid lie. I think it’s just another reason he should just quit and go away. I got confirmation from my friend, the Combat Veteran, who is missing a prominent digit on one hand, courtesy of a Viet Cong bullet. Mayor Tim Lowery said exactly what he said. My friend said that he occasionally runs across a “forked tongue” and doesn’t understand why they tell vicious lies.

If you’re a veteran and this disgusts you, drop the mayor a note:  Mayor Tim Lowery 955 Rue St. Francois, Florissant Mo 63031, or call him at 314-921-5700 and tell him what you think about any of these Red Flags!

Chief Tim Fagan can be reached at Florissant PD 1700 N Highway 67, Florissant, Mo 63031, or call him at 314-831-7000 and tell him what you think about the child sex abuse. Red Flags!

If, during your search for a PD to begin a career, you see any of these Red Flags, run, don’t walk and find another place.

My friend still misses his finger he left in the Vietnam jungle, but passed on a chance to go back to look for it!

Feel free to contact me. kirklawless@yahoo.com

Kirk Lawless is a 28 year, decorated, veteran police officer from the St Louis area. He’s a former SWAT operator, narcotics agent, homicide investigator, detective and Medal of Valor recipient. Off the job due to an up close and personal gunfight, he now concentrates on writing. He’s a patriotic warrior, artist, poet, actor, musician, and man of peace.

A Call for Human Rights Policing: We Can Make The World Better

By: Peter Marina & Pedro Marina

Interested in finding new ways to make law enforcement even better? Do you want police officers to further excel at their jobs? Do you want to foster improved trust between police officers and the community? Is it time to end the “us” against “them” mentality?

While some people talk of eliminating police, such talk carries more bark than bite. Even so-called progressives, who argued for defunding police, actually voted “present” allowing increased funding for the police when it protected them personally.

On the superstitious fear of the mob, Orwell states:

The educated man pictures a horde of submen, wanting only a day’s liberty to loot his house, burn his books, and set him to work minding a machine or sweeping out a lavatory. ‘Anything,’ he thinks, ‘any injustice, sooner than let that mob loose (Orwell, 1984).’

Despite the virtue signaling, police are here to stay.

To become the world’s best model of policing, we need a standard national human rights police training program that trains law enforcement agents how to apply human rights in their everyday police interactions with community members.

Human rights police training goes beyond virtue-signaling and preaching ideological liberal concepts using vague, poorly defined terms. It goes beyond teaching police officers the culturally correct attitudes and sanctioned forms of thought. It goes against anti-intellectual orthodox views that teach police what to think instead of how to think. It refuses to force police officers to undergo thought correction therapy for ideas questioning the status quo.

Rather, human rights policing teaches police officers the meaning of human rights along with its recent emergence in human history. It requires police to analyze the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to discuss how it relates to police work. Police officers learn how other officers think about human rights and apply it to everyday policing situations.

Human rights police training teaches police that power derives from institutions, as does trust, and if police want to be trusted, they must restore the legitimacy of law enforcement. It also teaches police officers to use their power, not for use of force, but rather to realize their sense of agency to protect the human rights of the people they serve. Human agency is the ability of human beings to go against the deterministic forces of biology and culture. When police use their agency to protect the human rights of those they serve, they go against the hierarchical logic of power and domination. Rather, they use their agency to save lives and protect people’s ability to enjoy the rights that naturally belong to them. In such a training program, police officers discuss new and creative ways to use their agency for the advancement of human rights in the communities they serve.

Human rights police training teaches police how to use the sociological imagination to understand crime as a structural problem that exists within the institutional arrangements of society. They learn that much of what accounts for street crime is a creative, even if destructive, cultural solution to the collectively experienced structural problems people face. Most importantly, they develop the ability to see the world from the actor’s point of view, through talking with members of the community they serve and learning their story. Police officers discuss their experiences talking with community members only to realize that those they police live colorful, vibrant and nuanced lives very much like our own.

Human rights police training involves police officers interviewing members of a community organization, especially those critical of police, to learn their perspectives on how police officers can apply human rights to their community. Police officers learn how people in their community interpret and understand what human rights policing looks like from the points of view of community members. Police officers discuss their findings with their colleagues and reflect on how this might better inform their ability to apply human rights to policing.

Finally, human rights police training teaches police officers how to apply specific rights from the Declaration of Human Rights to a wide variety of real-life policing situations. It trains police to think about all the human rights that belong to people, and how they can allow community members to enjoy the rights that belong to them, even under tough conditions.

Human rights policing can become the focus of police training and the standard model of policing. Police officers can become the leaders of applying the highest standard of human rights in law enforcement.

Human rights remains a concept, but far from a practice in society. Is it possible that police officers can serve as the harbinger towards making human rights a reality?

We say yes.

We can make the world better.

That’s why we created the Human Rights Policing Certificate Program offered through the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse’s Extended learning Program.

Peter Marina is an Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

Pedro Marina is a U.N.O. graduate in sociology and a retired police lieutenant from the New Orleans Police Department with thirty years of law enforcement experience in the Big Easy.

Their book Human Rights Policing: Reimagining Law Enforcement in the 21st Century is now under contract with Routledge Press.

A Veterans Day like No Other : We Will Overcome

By: Lt Col Jonathon P. Myers (USMC Retired)

I spent 28 years of my life as an officer of Marines. It was my first job, one that I started at 17 years old as an officer candidate and held until I was 50, working for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. I transitioned from active duty to the reserves and had other jobs over the years, but being an officer of Marines was and continues to be my life. The War on Terror following the attacks of September 11, 2001, lasted for 20 of those 28 years. My entire career, and the entire careers of countless other service members from every service and every walk of life, was dominated by this war. Some people joined in the days following 9/11 and spent their careers knowing nothing but this war.

Many people believe that with the disastrous withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan there will be a lot of damage to undo, but ultimately they feel a sense of relief that the war is “finally over.” The problem is that it’s not over at all; it’s only on pause. The enemies of the US will use this time to strategically regroup and take inventory of their newfound power, filling the vacuum left by the diplomatic defeat we suffered at home and abroad. We will see our adversaries, including transnational terror groups as well as nations such as China and Russia, emboldened and bolstered by the disenchanted rhetoric of our longtime allies who have lost confidence in this great nation. Despite its apparent end, this war will go on and new wars will emerge; only now it will be our children who will fight them. Maybe next month, maybe next year, maybe in five years. But they will fight, whether they want to or not.

While nearly all Americans agree that we should have left Afghanistan, there is almost universal agreement that our exit strategy was the most poorly executed of all military withdrawals in the history of our country. As we absorb the impact of this failure, a new generation of veterans is already born, already spending early fall evenings playing until dark on the playgrounds, already engrossed in the new school year, homework and friends. None of them know what awaits them at the dawn of their service. But many of us veterans know full well. It will bring a call to duty, a selflessness that most people never get to experience, and tragedies that most can’t even imagine.

This Veterans Day feels more significant than any Veterans Day of my lifetime. Today’s generation of veterans needs your support now more than ever. In almost an instant, one bad policy decision minimized every successful combat engagement they executed against inferior forces. The political defeat of the United States in Afghanistan has left between two and three million veterans of both Afghanistan and Iraq feeling as though their service and sacrifice may have been in vain. Today you will find them actively reaching out to each other, conducting “buddy checks” to make sure their friends and comrades aren’t contemplating self-harm or engaging in self-destructive behavior.

Although they have each other, this generation of veterans also needs to be recognized and acknowledged by the general public for the significant sacrifices they have made. When service members choose to serve in the military, they sacrifice many of their own freedoms, time with their loved ones, their physical and mental health and sometimes even their lives. On this Veterans Day, look for ways to thank our veterans for all they have given to keep America safe.

Every veteran of the War on Terror has a story to tell. Traditionally, veterans share these stories only among themselves, locking up their emotions and experiences when they encounter friends and family whom they assume “just wouldn’t get it.” Americans owe a debt of gratitude to these veterans, and should seek out, engage, and listen to them whenever possible. It is with the acknowledgment of their service and the listening of the stories that citizens can honor their sacrifices and better understand their struggles, especially during this delicate period. One of the greatest regrets of my life is that I never asked my own grandfather about his experiences in World War II, and he will never know how much I valued his service. It is for this same reason that I wrote my own memoir of service for my children, so that they will never experience that regret.

On this Veterans Day like no other in recent history, I encourage all Americans to go beyond the now-common homage of, “Thank you for your service.” This year, challenge yourself to actually engage with a veteran, learn their story, draw it out, and begin the process of helping that veteran to understand that their service was not in vain. Lift them up, where they belong. As we give voice to their sacrifices, we will recover as veterans, we will recover our national pride, and America will regain its position of power on the world stage.

Jonathan P. Myers was born into a family of CIA operatives and high-level intelligence officials. He served 28 years as an intelligence officer, continuing a grand tradition of military service started by ancestors who helped to establish the Jamestown settlement. Lt. Col. Myers was involved in many high-profile national security events from 1990-2020. He resides on a farm in Virginia with his wife and three children.

INVESTIGATION STRATEGY: Ask the Right Questions to Win

by Lt Joseph Pangaro

Conducting any kind of an investigation requires varying degrees of preparation. A simple shoplifting incident will be covered by the events that led to the on-scene arrest e.g.

• When did you decide to steal the property?

• Was anyone else with you?

• How did you get to the store?

• How many times have your stolen form this store in the past?

• Do you know any employees of this store?

• What were you going to do with the stolen property?

• Do you have an online place to sell items like eBay or Facebook Marketplace?

The idea here is to cover the time before, during, and after the incident and find out if anyone else is involved. Clearly a simple shoplifting as a one-time event can be uncomplicated, but a shoplifting event could also be part of a larger criminal scheme to steal and resell merchandise. Asking the right questions will help you define what you have.

In any investigation, we must always consider the possibility of a larger picture we cannot see, such as an ongoing shoplifting enterprise. We find that out by asking questions.

If you need to investigate a more complex crime such as an economic or what we used to call a white-collar crime, the preparation will be more intense and detailed.

An economic crime can consist of different levels of planning and action by the criminal. I had a case where a woman, aged 63, with a CPA degree was working for multiple companies as their bookkeeper. She also had access to a specific type of accounting program that she used. The program was unique to the bookkeeping industry and only a few people knew how to run it. The program was very efficient, but it also had a way for the operator to manipulate the activities of the software so she could hide things from the business owner.

What she did was list a business expense such as equipment for truck repairs to keep the company vehicles running. This might be a $4,000 expense as a line item in the software. If anyone looked at the books, the expense would seem legitimate and not be noticed.

In reality, she could then change the payee on the check that was issued by the software to something other than a supplier of truck parts. In her case it was for a mortgage payment she made on house she bought in the Bahamas. Because she could manipulate the software, no one except her would know who the payment was made to. She did this to several businesses for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The theft was only discovered by the business when they had a tax audit and had to show the checks for their expenses. When they expected to see “Joes Truck Parts” for $4K, the actual check was to the Bahamas property management company. Since they had no business in the Bahamas, they called the police thinking an outside source had accessed their accounts. In fact, they defended the accountant when I suggested she may be responsible.

When I got the investigation, I looked over the forensic audit report. I was not formally trained on reading forensic audit reports or any kind of bookkeeping other than my own checking account, so it was confusing.

To help me understand they dynamics so I could investigate it properly, I had to get acquainted with the processes. I created a list of questions and spoke to professional accountants and detectives from the economic crime unit of the county prosecutors.

Then questions I had concerned how accounting works and how a check could be made out to one person yet be cashed by a third party, that is not a common financial transaction. What I found was the only way to do this was to manipulate the software that was doing the accounting, check writing and record keeping.

Once I understood that, I began asking:

• Who had access to the accounting software?

• Who actually used the software?

• Who approved the payments?

• Who credited the payments and cash in?

• Who reconciled the accounts?

• And who was authorized to do this?

It was through these questions that I realized I could have a single thief or a conspiracy of thieves. The owner might be involved, or another employee and the accountant could be in with them to defraud the business.

Long and short of it was the only person with the knowledge of the software was the accountant, she did it all. When she prepared the monthly reports, it was with the manipulated information and the CEO signed off on it not knowing he was being defrauded.

This information prepared me to interview the accountant, because I now had specific information to ask questions about. I knew what was real and what was fraud and how I could decipher between the two when she answered my questions.

Her interview responses led me to contact three other companies she worked as a bookkeeper using the same software. In each case she was doing the same thing, her theft was over $1.5 million from the four companies. During follow up interviews we found her laundering scheme, which was quite inventive,

In this case and in many others, the questions we ask should be unique to the case we are investigating. Generic questions are OK, but do not usually lead you to the truth. There are some specific points we search for when asking questions:

• Motive, as this will help us find other witnesses, accused or victims.

• Actual activities, how an act was committed and planned.

In conducting liquor license background investigations, we understand that the motivations for a criminal to get liquor license is almost always the access to a cash business.

A cash business allows you to hide money, launder money, under-report money and use money for other illicit activities. Therefore, asking questions about why a person wants a liquor license, how long they have thought about it and what they want to do with the license can reveal motivations or planning.

You have to figure that running a bar or restaurant takes a specific set of skills. Most restaurants fail in the first year, therefore it is a big financial risk. Running a bar has its own concerns as well and the costs are very high. This means the people who do this usually have some experience in the food and beverage industry, or they are just foolish and don’t understand how they can lose their investment money.

In our liquor license class, we suggest investigators probe the motives of a buyer by asking questions that go beyond the basic, things such as:

• When did you first decide you wanted to buy a bar or restaurant?

• What is your experience in running a bar or restaurant?

• Who will work in your restaurant?

• What will your food theme be?

• What name have you thought of for your restaurant?

• Who else knows about your desire to run a bar?

These seemingly innocuous questions go right to the heart of motivation. A person planning to use the license for the cash value probably did not consider any of these things, whereas a legitimate buyer almost certainly addressed these concepts and can answer enthusiastically.

In the end, questions, unique questions, outside the norm, without being provocative or offensive can help you see through lies and deception and reveal the real bottom line.

I suggest you get my book- “The Interview” from Loose Leaf Law or on Amazon or Goodreads for more tips on how to enhance your interview skills. Whether you are a patrol officer, corrections officer, detective or supervisor, our interview skills can make the difference in getting confessions and admissions.

Always seek the truth!

Lt. Joseph Pangaro retired after serving 27 years at a police department in Monmouth County, NJ, having served as the Lead Training Officer. Pangaro is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickenson University’s Certified Public Managers Program (CPM). He’s a newspaper columnist who writes about the rigors and joys in law enforcement. Joseph Pangaro is the CEO and President of Pangaro Training and Management, and Pangaro Global Training, an online training company. E-mail at: JPangaro@TrueSecurityDesign.com, www.TrueSecurityDesign.com

YOU ARE NOT ALONE: Overcoming Addiction

By: Nicholas Ricciotti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lawbreakers Are Hurting Themselves: Blame the Cops!

By Joel F. Shults, Ed.D

In another upside-down world, a man who died fleeing from police is now considered a victim of murder at the hands of the police. In late October of 2020, Washington D.C. officers observed 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown driving an electric scooter with no helmet and motoring down a sidewalk, both of which are illegal. The Revel electric moped sounds innocuous and even playful but weighing in at around 200 pounds with a top speed of 30 miles per house, it is not pedestrian-friendly. A quick internet search reveals several deaths of riders or pedestrians related to the whizzing cycles.

Two officers in separate patrol cars took up pursuit of the cyclist after Hylton-Brown failed to stop as required by law. Instead, he led officers on a circuitous chase which ended when he slammed into another motorist and died despite the medical attention the officers rendered. The rest of the account, as recounted in the federal indictment of the officers, cited a rash of accusations that the officers intentionally obscured and covered up some investigative facts, and violated acceptable pursuit policy.

As a result of the incident, one officer is charged with second degree murder, and both officers are charged with impeding the investigation. If the allegations against the officers, which include failing to make a complete investigation by leaving out witness statements and being deceptive about the details of the event, are proven then certainly they are to be held accountable.

But not murder.

A recent Supreme Court case affirmed that police officers are not required to be mind readers. That case, recently published, concerned officers responding to a domestic violence complaint where a woman call in fear about the appearance of her ex. Officers arrived and contacted the suspect. The suspect moved further away from officers, ignored their commands, and then picked up a hammer in such a way that the officers found it necessary to use deadly force to stop his threat. The officers sought qualified immunity, having been required to respond to the call and facing an uncertain and unpredictable situation within which they had to exercise split-second judgment. Those are the kinds of situations for which qualified immunity was developed by the courts.

Those pressing to hold the officers accountable for the hammer-wielding man’s death claimed that it was the officers’ decisions and behaviors that caused the dead man’s behavior. If true, this would mean that the person refusing to follow the officers’ commands and warnings, blatantly displaying a deadly weapon, and leaving the officers no other recourse was dead because the officers failed to predict how the suspect would react. In other words, maybe the cops shouldn’t have even shown up. Or maybe they should have let the hammer fly to see if it would hit its mark.

An important note in much use of force cases is not just the question of whether the officers were in fear for their safety. This is the claim that critics make “All you have to do is say you were scared and you’re justified in killing!” This is wrong, factually, on two counts. One is that fear must be reasonable. It is not an entirely subjective claim that must be believed. Secondly, the fear is for the whole potential of the situation. Would the person’s throw of the hammer injure an officer in a way that disabled their ability to continue to handle the situation?  Would the hammer, if thrown, distract the officers while the assailant obtained another weapon? If the suspect’s attack allowed him to escape, would he have injured the 911 caller? It would be foolish to think the police would predict that the suspect would suddenly comply, but also predict that the whole thing is no big deal and nobody is going to get hurt.

Which brings us back to the murder charge for our Washington, D.C. officer where it seems we want our laws enforced until the suspect gets hurt, then it wasn’t worth it. We know at least one headline in a blog somewhere is going to say “scooter driver murdered by police”. How about scooter driver would be alive today if he’d pulled over?”

A retired police chief Joel Shults is an award-winning writer, college professor, trainer, and first responder chaplain. He is the author of several law enforcement-related books and numerous articles. He serves as a municipal judge and a coroner’s investigator in rural southern Colorado. He can be found on twitter @chiefshults, and online at joelshults.blogspot.com and streetsmartforce.com

Are Half Of Harsh Police Encounters Due To Untreated Stress?

By: Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.

Does anyone care about police stress? Have society and cities abandoned cops and their mental health needs? How much of the total number of adverse police-civilian encounters each year are explained by untreated mental health needs among police officers is difficult to determine exactly, but our review of the research suggests it could be large – potentially accounting for up to nearly half (46%) of all police misconduct.

The emphasis of hundreds of negative articles is police misconduct or use of force or racial/ethnic bias. The conclusions seem to be that there is something wrong with cops or policing in general. Polls indicate that policing needs to change. For those of us who have been in policing or the justice system for decades, it’s a puzzle. The overwhelming majority of police officers I’ve encountered seem to be genuinely decent, level-headed people who just want to serve.

Yet there are times when things go south. Why?

Agencies go overboard to find applicants with the right temperaments. Emphasis is placed on a thorough investigation of friends, family and past employment. We polygraph. We look at all aspects of a person’s life. We do psychologicals. We do criminal background checks. We check for any signs of bias.

Departments and cities don’t want the multimillion-dollar lawsuits and the endless negative publicity and citizen protests. They try to pick the best possible people to be cops.

We train officers using real-life scenarios and shoot-don’t shoot labs. We emphasize using as little force as possible, which is borne out in Department of Justice data where two to three percent of police-civilian encounters involve force or the threat of force, hardly the stereotype presented by critics.

This is accompanied by data indicating that the vast majority of Americans, regardless of demographics, rank police officers highly to the point where they are one of the most trusted organizations in America. They rank far better than Congress or the media.

Yet it’s equally true that we sometimes go overboard or worse. I’ve seen mild-mannered people explode if provoked enough. I’m told that the pope would become aggressive if he had to go through what cops experience. I watched a suspect during booking tell an arresting officer that he would torture and kill every member of his family. A committed pacifist would want to retaliate against someone swearing that he would kill his family. Cops go through unbelievable events. They comfort people as they die. They see badly abused kids. They witness homicides. They make death notifications. They rush toward gunfire. They are the target of endless negative media accounts.

 “If” there is a problem with policing, and if it’s connected to stress or PTSD, whose fault is it?

Society says that it wants “guardians” but demands that “warriors” run into a church or synagogue or school when some nutcase opens fire. Society places ridiculously insane demands on cops, yet it wants them to do the right thing in all cases.  Is that even possible? Ever chase someone wanted for a crime on a high-speed pursuit for 30 minutes risking life and limb yet “gently” approach the car and speak to the suspect like he’s a wayward child? When it happened to me, I was pissed. The suspect was treated legally but harshly.

Citizens state that they don’t want proactive policing when it seems to be the only modality that has a research base for reducing crime. Yet they blame cops for rising crime. America simply doesn’t know what it wants from cops, which makes policing impossible which makes the job beyond stressful. America simply doesn’t care about the mental health of its protectors, which is why treatment and allowances are almost nonexistent.

University of Chicago Crime Lab:

It is clear that people in more stressful jobs in general tend to have higher rates of adverse mental health outcomes like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and alcohol use.

We see this for police officers as well, who have symptoms of PTSD at a rate four times higher than that of other working-age adults, and who also have a suicide rate 82% higher.

While the effects of officer wellness interventions are currently not well understood, there is fairly good evidence that mental health interventions can be helpful. Most of the research in this area looks at officer mental health as the key outcome of interest, rather than police misconduct behavior specifically, so by how much existing interventions (if scaled) could change adverse policing outcomes overall remains uncertain.

The Hill (newspaper of Congress):

There were 174 officer suicides in 2020, making officers more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty — even as shootings of officers increase. From April 2020 to April 2021, officer retirements increased 45 percent, a trend that shows no sign of abating. Meanwhile, a Council on Criminal Justice Task Force on Policing brief on officer wellness noted that only 29 percent of police departments have wellness programs or training.

Note: the above articles were first presented by The Crime Report.

USA Today: The Widow of a Police Officer at the Capitol Riot Who Committed Suicide:

These officers need to be recognized for the horrors they have seen and protected us from. Their service needs to be respected. Their families should receive the same support and assistance as every other fallen officer’s family. Instead, we have been stigmatized, had our health insurance taken, denied even the courtesy of an official burial.

Society and the media are ridiculously absurd as to what they want from cops. Quite simply, it’s impossible to be all things to all people. That’s why cops are leaving the job in record numbers per endless media accounts. That’s why police recruitment is down 63 percent per the Police Executive Research Forum.

Cops fear the consequences of being proactive. That’s why violent crime is skyrocketing throughout the country. We are simply asking too much from too few. Police officers, especially big city cops, need time away from the job. They need programs to help them decompress. They need training as to how to handle stress. They need much better pay. They need a public that appreciates them. In some cases, they need treatment.

They need critical reporters and progressives to put on a uniform and spend a couple of months in the streets. Let’s see how they react to what cops see daily.

But many police officers who comment on my articles show signs of stress. I do an article on police public opinion showing that the vast majority of Americans, regardless of who they are, are supportive and want them in their communities, and yet they harshly reject the premise that anyone is sympathetic.

If I provide research supporting what police chiefs are saying about repeat criminals, they heap scorn (i.e., tell us something we don’t know).

There is no one more cynical than big city veteran cops along with big city veteran reporters. Governments and the larger society need to understand that police officers are human. They can only take so much. The violence problem in America is proof that we have unrealistic expectations as to what cops should be and do.

Police officers are precious resources, but they have an expiration date. Those “expired” are leaving per the demands of family and friends and it’s mostly the poor and urban minorities that suffer the consequences.

How Did We Get Here? Stand Up and Defend Against Evil

By: Major Wesley R. Wise (Ret.)

If written today, what might our obituary say?

"The United States of America: born July 1776, died June 2021.”

Fathered by George Washington. Proud family members at the time of her birth included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and many others.

Though King George of England initially opposed the union, he was later quoted as saying George Washington was the greatest man of the age. Citizens of the young republic were nearly unanimous in their agreement with that assessment.

Throughout the more than two centuries of her life, our nation was inhabited by some of the greatest and most inspirational men and women ever to walk the earth: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and scores more. They had their differences, but they never allowed perfection to be elevated to the point of being the enemy of the great.

Things changed in the 1960s. Political assassination, which had always been present in the history of mankind, reached new heights of depravity, taking the Kennedys and MLK. Dissent became weaponized and vile. Our leaders were figuratively, and often literally, spat upon for doing the best job they could.

As we entered the 1970s, we saw needless death at places like Kent State. Most notably, we saw Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein almost single (or more correctly double) handedly transform a once-noble profession into what is now described almost too kindly as "gotcha" journalism. Students of the craft saw that going after leaders for any reason, real or contrived, was the path to fame and riches.

As the next half-century unfolded, we saw many of the individuals who disliked or hated the principles on which this great nation was founded assume positions of leadership — men like John Kerry, who compared our soldiers to Genghis Khan, even if he could not correctly pronounce Khan's name. Kerry rode the wealth of two wives, a good head of hair, a nice speaking voice, and the right set of initials to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts and on to a candidacy for president; failing that, he became secretary of state. All accomplished by a man who threw his military medals, even if undeserved, over the White House fence.

Moving on, through the end of the twentieth and into the twenty-first century, we saw our educational system devolve into a group of institutions that taught that the United States was a thoroughly racist and corrupt entity. Again, the lack of perfection in our nation was transmogrified into a falsely and malevolently labeled evil.

So here we stand today. We are in trouble, and the evil among us will push back hard on those good men who attempt to do something. But we had better. I, for one, will keep trying. Will you?

Police Officer Tyler Timmins

Article & Artwork by Jonny Castro

On October 26th, Police Officer Tyler Timmins conducted a vehicle investigation on a stolen truck at a Pontoon Beach gas station. Just as Tyler made his approach toward the vehicle, one of the occupants gunned down the officer. He was airlifted to the hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. His killer was taken into custody at the scene.

Officer Tyler Timmins spent 14 years of his life in law enforcement. He joined the Pontoon Beach Police Department in April of last year after proudly serving with three other agencies throughout Madison County, Illinois. Tyler comes from a law enforcement family. His wife, who he just married in September, is also a police officer. Tyler was remembered as the guy who would give the shirt off his back to anybody, and would do anything he could to help people. He was 36-years old.

The War On Cops: REMEMBER the ALAMO!

by Chris Amos

In her book, The War on Cops, Heather Mac Donald traces this “war” back to the shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darrin Wilson in 2014. Mac Donald specifically points to the false narrative, “hands up, don’t shoot” that spread like wildfire. With full knowledge that this narrative was not true, and in fact Wilson shot Brown while being beaten by the much stronger and bigger Brown, the media fanned the flames of this lie. I was traveling across the country speaking at law enforcement conferences during this time and have picture after picture of very influential people from members of the St. Louis Rams to news anchors of CNN; from crowds in Times Square to even larger crowds in Hong Kong and from actors in Hollywood to performers at the Grammys. In every case, hands were raised, buying into the “hands up, don’t shoot” bogus narrative. This was fake news before the term fake news had been born.

The coordinated attacks on law enforcement we see today may have begun in 2014 with the “Ferguson Effect” but they caught fire on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, MN as the perfect storm unfolded. Unlike Ferguson, in the Minneapolis case there were many credible witnesses, including other police officers, and there was video. The anti-police movement suddenly had what they were previously missing, and we all know the summer of fires, riots, looting and violence that followed. The match had been struck and policing would, possibly forever, be changed.

I want to share, as a retired cop and police shooting survivor, what I see unfolding in this war before ending with a word of hope. Initially, I thought the attacks against law enforcement were a reaction to Trump Derangement Syndrome. I remember hearing stories about the hatred held by many for POTUS Richard Nixon. While Nixon was beyond reach for his detractors, his foot soldiers, our Vietnam vets, were not. As a rookie cop I was surrounded by these vets and they would share the animosity and hatred they experienced for just doing their jobs. I thought those suffering from T.D.S. would likewise turn their disdain for Trump toward the law and order POTUS’ foot soldiers, law enforcement and corrections officers. While I am sure this happened, I failed to see that these attacks were far more coordinated and sinister than T.D.S. No, what we are seeing is an attempt to tear apart America and BUILD it BACK BETTER, into some Marxist utopia. A utopia that exists only in the minds and hearts of those who that want to see America, as we know it, destroyed. How might this be done?

STEP ONE: Demonize the police. This has been the sole calling of many within the media, both legacy and social. Paint every police officer as a racist, trigger-happy thug, just looking to violate someone’s civil rights. This is done by taking the actions of a few corrupt and racist cops and applying them to every L.E.O. in the country. And by taking the actions, the policies, the procedures of one corrupt police department and painting every police department or sheriff’s office with that same brush. Following the George Floyd incident, EVERY police department in the country was called on to make reforms, whether they were needed or not. My own department in Norfolk eliminated chokeholds almost 20 years before the Floyd incident. About 15 years ago, having been made aware of positional asphyxia, we did away with dogpiling on a suspect, unless needed to gain control and once done the suspect would immediately be placed in a sitting or standing position. I mention this just as an example to demonstrate how not all police officers or departments operate in the same manner. But those in a war against cops do not want to hear that. No, to them ALL Cops are evil, or in the words of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar while trying to explain the spike in crime in Minneapolis, “the [bad, evil, hateful] police have chosen to not fulfill their oath of office and to provide the public safety they are owed to the citizens they serve.” She went on to describe the Minneapolis Police Dept. as “the most dysfunctional in our state and probably in the country.” This narrative is needed to ensure step two is attained.

STEP TWO: Defund the police. If all cops and departments are evil, negligent, and dysfunctional then it just goes to reason that we have to stop sending money their way. NYC defunded the NYPD $1,000,000,000. That is ONE BILLION DOLLARS! Many other cities across the country followed suit, from rural Asheville, N.C. to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, just to name a few. So let’s take already undermanned, overworked agencies and cut all overtime from their budget. Let’s cut all training from their budget. While we are at it let’s get rid of their SWAT teams, Vice and Narcotics Division, Harbor Patrol, School Resource Officers, Horse and Bike Units, and whatever else we deem unnecessary. The insanity of such a position is clear to everyone except the Marxists calling the shots right now, or is it? I would argue the people making these decisions know exactly what their actions are doing to their cities, both large and small. The irony is many of them have become victims themselves of this rising crime rate from their cars being broken into, to personally being victims of robberies and assaults. Oh they know what is happening, but if allowing their cities to become dumpster fires are needed to initiate step 3, then so be it.

STEP THREE: Dismantle the police. That is their endgame. They want to see local and state law enforcement agencies dismantled or “abolished” in their lingo. They probably would love to federalize all law enforcement, think Mexico and their Federal Police Force. What could possibly go wrong? The last thing the Marxists want is for law enforcement to answer to their respective local communities. We have seen in just the last few months, duly elected sheriffs go on the record, telling their constituents they would not be taking legally owned weapons from their community members, enforcing mask mandates, rounding up their local “domestic terrorists,” AKA, concerned parents speaking out at local school board meetings. Many sheriffs have said they will not be firing professional, experienced, proven deputies simply for refusing to get the COVID vaccine. The powers that be toss and turn at night at the very thought that there exist in this country law enforcement and corrections officers and agencies that refuse to bend the knee in submission to their radical agenda. But they will not give up easily. If vaccine mandate threats do not bring the troops in line, then let’s look at eliminating Qualified Immunity as was done for the NYPD.Thank God, the US Supreme Court just upheld Qualified Immunity involving LEOs. Incidentally, no one dissented on the court. So I’m sure the powers that be took note and have made removing Qualified Immunity a priority. Another tactic is to undercut an officer’s authority by advising him he can not make arrests for crimes that are on the books.Another tool being implemented is to place such a heavy burden of the officers, like The Chicago Police Dept’s 13-page general order on foot pursuits, that officers just throw their hands up in the air and adopt all of these when combined, lead to a massive Blue Exodus from departments around the country. Nursing shortage? No problem! We will activate the National Guard. Law enforcement shortage? Guess what… the answer is simple enough, we will activate the National Guard.

Now for some good news, I believe the opponents to law enforcement and corrections will be DEFEATED. Every day more and more people are having their eyes opened to what is happening. They see the flagrant contempt for the law, and the men and women sworn to uphold it. They are seeing and experiencing the consequences of defunding the police. The distant memories of placing their children in bathtubs to sleep at night for fear of being struck by a random bullet are returning. They are reading about security details they, as taxpayers, are providing for the defund the police politicians in office. They are beginning to realize that the men and women in law enforcement and corrections are not evil. They are not villains. No, they are in fact their neighbors. Their kids attend the same schools. They pass unaware in the grocery store or doctor’s office. They are cheering for the same teams. They are quite simply, “one of us”.

Your part in this chapter is to hold the line. Keep your oar in the water. Keep your shoulder to the plow. Don’t give up! Even if that means moving to a state or department that appreciates, supports, and genuinely wants you. I can’t help but think of the men who defended the Alamo during its 13-day siege in 1836. These men sacrificed their very lives for something much bigger than the Alamo, or even Texas. General Santa Anna would be defeated soon after the Alamo fell. The last thing Santa Anna would hear as the Texans overwhelmed his army where the shouts, “Remember the Alamo!”

Friends, I’m here to tell you that you are as important to America’s survival today as those Texans at the Alamo were to the survival of Texas. Now is the time to double down on your commitment to the thin blue line. I would not be surprised if historians, many years from now, looked back at this moment in history, giving credit to law enforcement officers, corrections officers, doctors, nurses, even those domestic terrorists/concerned parents and write about your sacrificial resolve and commitment in the face of tremendous opposition.

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

Hold No Punches : Exclusive Interview 20 Years Later

By Joel E. Gordon & George Beck, Ph.D.

It has been 20 years since 9/11. Blue magazine remembers the sacrifices and the heroes who worked to save us. On Sept. 11, 2001 at 0845 hours American Airlines Flight #11, a Boeing 767, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767, United Airlines Flight 175, struck the south tower. It was clear that America was under attack.

Emerging from tragedy, two leaders arose to take their place in history largely defining their time as New York City’s Mayor and Police Commissioner, Rudy Giuliani and Bernard Kerik. As both led their city and our nation from rescue to recovery, their example of cooperative engagement with all government professionals, agencies and volunteers in bringing together our country for a common cause should forever serve as a model for emergency crisis management.

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We know where we have been. We have lived, learned, sacrificed and mourned. The question that remains is will we be able to maintain safety while recapturing patriotism as we move forward to what lies ahead?

The Blue magazine thanks both Rudy Giuliani and Bernard Kerik for this exclusive interview. What follows are their reflections and thoughts…

The BLUE Magazine: Now 20 years later, what is the first memory you have of the morning of 9/11 when you learned the towers were attacked?

Giuliani: The first memory is at breakfast. Patty Varrone, who was the detective on my detail, walked in and whispered in Denny Young’s ear, he was my counsel. I could hear a little of what they were saying. And then Denny repeated it right away and said that a twin-engine plane, they thought a twin-engine plane had hit the north tower and it was very bad. And they knew I would want to get down there right away. We immediately walked out, looked up in the sky, saw a big, beautiful blue sky and I said, probably this isn't an accident—it was either a terrorist attack or it's some form of insane revenge against a business or suicide. That was my first three minutes.

That was quite a message. It was not possible to even imagine that such a tragic event of terrorism could occur on your watch. How were you able to perform your leadership duties in such an efficient and exemplary manner?

Giuliani: I think because it was so big and it was so horrible, you just felt like it was bigger than you and you just had to do the best you could. I remember telling Bernie Kerik at some point when we saw a man jump out the window when we were walking to the fire department command post, that this was much worse than anything we faced before. We didn't have a plan for it. We had 26, 27 plans but we didn't have one for airplanes hitting our buildings like missiles and that we were just going to have to use our best intuition, make judgments, and then just pray to God they come out right.

Kerik: As the police commissioner, I had 55,000 men and women under my command but assisted the mayor in overseeing every city agency for the response rescue recovery and investigation. None of us had time to think about the magnitude or scope of that charge. We did the best we could under the circumstances and I am proud of our accomplishments.

What was learned and can you give us any recommendations that you may have for current leaders based on what we've learned that day?

Giuliani:  The first thing you got to do is you've got to say in your head, this is very different. I always treated emergencies like that. I'm thinking about today. It seems like these emergencies, they want to turn into political theater. First thing you got to do is you got to say to yourself, this is real life. This isn't political theater, and you've got to make the right judgment. And you're probably not always going to make the right judgment. But if you aim in the direction of making the right judgment, not the right political one, the right one to save lives and bring the city back, you're probably going to more frequently make the right call than if you get all confused with politics.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the recovery phase, how was that? When you remember, obviously, you saw the worst of it initially and then you're actually seeing what I would consider the worst of it for someone who was actually there looking at it.

Giuliani:  It was very hard because some people wanted to recover. Other people didn't want to recover. You were hurting them if you were push- ing them too hard and then others wanted to be pushed. So you had to try to do it very delicately and you had to try to know what audience you were talking to. People are not totally predictable. Well, I'd say they grieve in different ways and they react to things in different ways. I think it's a shame, though, that what we weren't able to preserve is when things happen that are bigger than politics, like that attack, like the pandemic, now we politicize them, whereas then, we were at least one administration away from doing that. It was a better reaction for the country. I mean, the country came out of 9/11 better organized than it was when it went in.

Is today's climate of lawlessness actually conducive to making future terror attacks more likely?

Giuliani: Yeah, no question about it. I mean, I hate to say that, but terrorists feed on weakness. I think those terrorist attacks wouldn't have occurred if Clinton had had a very strong response to Bin Laden. Instead, every time Bin Laden you know, it's terrible to analogize this because this is so meaningless or simple or cute, but it's like a child, you know, the child first grabs the cookie and you don't do anything about it. Then the child grabs two cookies. Then the child knocks over the cookie jar. Then the child breaks that China and child just wants to be told where to stop. And so, you know, he bombed us a couple of times overseas and basically we bombed empty fields. So he had to look at us as a paper tiger. I think Clinton's failure to respond with massive force to protect our Marines or to answer for what happened to our Marines basically didn't give him the idea. He always had the idea and it gave him confidence that he could pull it off. And it was a terrible mistake to do that. It's why Democrats just do it. That's why they create so many wars. They don't know how to be strong. What Biden is doing with China and with Iran. Apparently, he's even relieving some of the sanctions. And I'm telling everybody, just so he can give money to a terrorist state, I don't even get it. But that will convince Iran that we're a paper tiger and China, having met with his deputies and kind of slapped them around, they sort of look at Biden as they probably can't figure out how we elected them. And I know I'm sure Putin must be sitting there thinking, well, they find this guy, must have gone to a nursing home.

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Kerik: Up until about five years ago, for the prior 15 years I had said that one of the greatest threats to this country was the enemy that hit us on Sept. 11, 2001, radical Islam. I’ve now changed my mind and I believe one of the greatest threats facing our nation today it’s the infusion of Marxism and socialism. We actually have radical left-wing Marxists elected to the US House of Representatives. I never thought I would see the day.

Government accountability and taking responsibility for caring for our sick and injured first responders resulting from the 9/11 attack has been lacking. Why do you think the government has been so callous in its responsibility in caring for our wounded heroes and their families?

Kerik: One of the things that came out of 9/11 was the reality that city and state agencies and the federal government must take care of those men and women who put themselves in harm’s way. We lost 23 members of my department, 37 members of the port authority Police Department and 343 firefighters. It was essential that the city take care of their families and those that got sick as a result of being at Ground Zero. We’re still fighting that fight and should not be. If you’re going to ask your public servants and first responders to put themselves in harm’s way then you must have the in sight to take care of them should anything go wrong.

Giuliani: I think it's a question of things move on, and it's a shame to say this, but even though there's some downside to not doing it politically, it's not as front of mind as it was then. Politically, there are more important things now for them to pay attention to in their own interests. I'm not saying this in an approving way. I'm saying this because I think this is part of the corruption of American politics. They're all in it for themselves. You don't find too many people in American politics who sit back and first say what's good for the country and then do what's good for the country. The minute they figure out it's going to hurt them, they stop. And if they don't get benefits from it, they stop. So, I mean, the simple answer is that the heat isn't enough. When it heats up, they do little things. But it's a shame to be that way. And it wasn't that way at the beginning. We got everything we asked for from President Bush. We got more than we asked.

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Can you recall a memory that you have from being at ground zero, something that you've seen that maybe has stayed with you all these years that still haunts you?

Kerik: The two things that stand out to me about that day, was first arriving at the base of tower one and two and watching dozens of people jump to their death. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before and as a police officer you’re usually always in a position to take control but this, it was different. There was no way to stop them from jumping. There was no way to help them. The other thing I remember about that day is 5 o’clock in the afternoon walking into the auditorium and having to meet with the families of the 23 men and women who were missing from the NYPD. Those 23 people died that day but I will always be thankful to their families for their strength and support. They were an inspiration to me and the mayor.

Giuliani: Oh, my goodness. There are a couple. That one that I fixate on the most is seeing the first man jump from the 100th floor because my deputy mayor had told me that people were jumping and I didn't see it right away and I didn't believe it. So when I saw it, I was approaching the fire department command post and I saw a man standing up by the... He was kind of looking out and then he just jumped and it was an incredible experience. I can't even, I can't describe to you.  It convinced me that this was a much, much different thing that we have faced before.

How have the continuing deaths and illnesses attributable to the aftermath of the World Trade Center towers collapsing affected you personally?

Giuliani: I think it's terrible because we got the person who spent most of his time on this was obsessive about it, Deputy Mayor Joe Lhota.  We got reports daily about the quality of the smoke and the debris, particularly from the EPA, but also from other agencies. And he published them daily. And any time there was a slight aberration, he'd be right on top of it. So it's hard to figure out who to blame for it with a negligence in not doing the right tests. Or is it possible the tests didn't exist then?  We had never had this before. The building had melted and that was releasing all kinds of things. It's not like when anthrax happened, we knew exactly what to do and contained it beautifully. Right. Take Cipro. We had four million Cipro pills, maybe five million. But this, you didn't know it was harming people or in what way it was harming them.

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In 20 years how did law enforcement and other first responders go from being viewed as heroes to most Americans to zeros in the eyes of the progressive left and their allies?  What has happened to patriotism?

Kerik: Over the last 10 years, the radical left political groups in this country have attacked the police and victimized the thugs and villainized the cops. In my opinion, they’re all cowards. On 9/11 and in the aftermath, they ran like cockroaches when you turn on the lights. They were scared to death, but it was the men and women first responders who did what had to be done just like they do on a daily basis today. The people who criticize them and try to villainize them are hypocrites because they would never do the job of a first responder. They don’t have the courage. It’s a shame that other politicians don’t call them out for their hypocrisy and lunacy.

Giuliani: It's been taken over by communists. I believe that these people either are marching us toward communism knowingly or they're being brainwashed and propagandized. And I think this has been a plan that's been going on for a long, long time. I never would have believed it five years ago. But everything I see I can read about in 1858 with Karl Marx, everything they're doing, tearing down our statues, tearing down our history, making us hate this country, dishonoring the flag. First thing that Mao did in China was to cancel out Chinese history. You know how the Chinese culture is so important. It was to the Chinese people. The Chinese communists don't allow a Chinese culture because that was all bad. Only socialism is good and they're trying to get rid of as many religious people as possible, the Falun Gong, the Uighurs. So I think that disrespect for law enforcement comes right out of Marxism, translated by the three Black Lives Matter Marxists, and then the former Black Panthers police killers who are advising. It's the biggest and most dangerous con job in the history of the country. The organization is a hard-core Marxist organization that spends most of its time not worrying about black lives, but trying to destroy the American family. They don't believe in families. They feel that families subjugate women and fathers are useless. They want to do away with our religion because God has no place in socialism or communism, and God is used to suppress people and they have no  use for the police because the police, I don't know what they think, put innocent people in jail?  Well, they don't want the police, but they want to take over… So I don't understand why anyone buys this communism or socialism thing. It's a complete con job for Putin to be the richest man in Russia or Xi, the richest man in China or. You name it, I mean, they. They live much more opulent lives than capitalists. But people fall for it because they're very good at brainwashing and now they possess the media.

Where are we headed as a nation over the next 20 years?

Giuliani: We're going to find out in 2022. I have the feeling a little bit of evidence in terms of polling that supports it, but not completely. I have a feeling that there's going to be a revulsion by the American people, unlike ever before. In America, I didn't think you could censor, you know, enormously relevant information that the president could run for president United States such as taking bribes for 30 years. And it's provable by the words of his son in Texas quoting. For the last 30 years. I pay all the expenses of the family and I got to give 50 percent of my income to Pop. So since 50 percent of his income is money he's getting from are, in many cases, crooks, what the hell is his father getting the money for, doing favors for? None of the people that they get money from are stupid, by the way. It's not like this is some kind of a naive charity scam. They're getting money from some of the most dangerous people in the world like a member of Ukrainian organized crime who knows how many people he's killed. The wife of the mayor of Moscow, she deposed him. She got rid of him, the mayor. And became very close to Putin, who the hell knows how many people she's had killed? I mean, and he's got his drug addict son dealing with them?  No wonder the guy became a drug addict. I have to believe if you read, any of that hard drive, which I have all of it, you've got to say to yourself who pulled this off; who pulled this con job loss on us? How do we put a guy in the White House who's amassed 30 to 40 million in bribes using his family as bagmen, and is clearly suffering from dementia. Clearly, I mean, when I go visit my ex-mother-in-law in the nursing home, half the people there were functioning better than him. You've got to be a fool not to see it. You've got to just pretend. He can't remember the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh, yeah, Joe's fine. He just can't complete that sentence. He forgot what he was saying. Oh, yeah, Joe's fine. He's president of the United States and the Democrats don't care about this country enough to put up a sane man for president? I think what has happened is the Democrat Party at the very top became completely corrupted by the Clintons. And they're all in it for money; you look at the money Pelosi's made. They all made millions. And their long and pretty useless public servants. But they became billionaires. So we're in a difficult spot. And basically, we've got to kick, we've got to get rid of Pelosi. I think she's a menace. Wouldn't be bad to turn back to send it to and then have a real president in 2024, either Trump or somebody like him.

Commissioner, where is law enforcement headed over the next 20 years?

Kerik: As for law enforcement over the next 20 years, it’s really going to be dependent on the political movement in this country. If the socialists and Marxists are able to take control of the country, the United States of America as we have known it and it was created will be no more. We need leadership in the House and Senate and White House that’s going to abide by the constitution and enforce the laws of our land without political agendas behind them.

Can you please speak directly to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and in the aftermath? What is your message to them?

Kerik:  People have commended the mayor and I and called us heroes. I look at it this way. I am no more of a hero than those who ran into those buildings on that day, some of whom did not return. They are the real heroes. It was my honor and privilege to lead them in what I would consider the greatest rescue mission in the history of our nation. They took 20 to 25,000 people out of those buildings and the surrounding area and evacuated more than 1 million people out of southern Manhattan into the four boroughs and New Jersey. God bless all of you. And may the memory of your loved ones--our true heroes--never be forgotten.

Giuliani: My message to them is that their loved ones saved America. The goal of the Islamic terrorists was to crush the American spirit, not just to kill 10 million, three million. Their aim was probably much larger, 12 to 15 million. But due to the evacuation efforts, that was thwarted somewhat. But still, it was terrible. So their whole purpose is to break our spirit, to demoralize us. We have it within our power to make sure that doesn't happen. We have it in our power to make sure that, you know, we were chosen to survive. 

A special message from Bernard Kerik

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In the years since the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, Mayor Giuliani and I have been called heroes for our service and for the heroics by the men and women of the NYPD, FDNY, and PAPD.

I was honored to lead the 55,000 men and women of the NYPD, but I could never have done so without my two pillars of strength, my chief of the department, Joseph Esposito, and my first deputy commissioner, Joseph Dunne. They were at my side in the best and worst of times.

I have always said, and will say until the day I die, my executive staff was the best in the history of the NYPD.

Their dedication, perseverance, and unshaken courage in the face of death resulted in the most successful rescue mission in the history of our country, evacuating between 20 and 25,000 people out of the World Trade Center and immediate area. We also evacuated more than one million people out of southern Manhattan into the four boroughs and New Jersey coastline.

The city of New York, and our country owes them a debt of gratitude that bears no limits.

Leading them, and serving with them, was the greatest honor in my lifetime.

God bless them all.

20 Years Later: Inspiring heroism towards generations ahead

By: Will Sheehan - Legislative Director, New Jersey Veterans Network (NJVN)

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I was a teenager living across the river from Manhattan when the Twin Towers fell. As I walked down my childhood block, I watched as the soot from the collapsed towers drifted down and settled on my neighbor’s cars. Amidst the gray fog was an eerie silence - reducing Bayonne’s daily clamor to only the sounds of sirens as members of the Bayonne Fire and Police Departments reported to Ground Zero.

In our nation’s darkest hour, our police officers, firefighters and EMTs served as our brightest light - running directly into danger, to help others. We have all heard the stories of 9/11’s heroes - first responders charging through the plumes of smoke, past bent steel and into the darkness. For many, that fateful sprint into the towers was the ultimate sacrifice. And for others, it was exposure to carcinogens while participating in rescue and recovery missions at Ground Zero. Each first responder represented the very best of the American spirit - imprinting a legacy of service and sacrifice on my generation, and the ones that followed.

As New York City rebuilt in the months following September 11th, my peers slowly returned to the normalcy of being teenagers, worrying about SAT scores and prom. However, there was nothing normal about a terrorist attack on American soil. I knew that there was no way we could repay our brave first responders for their service and sacrifice - we could only pay it forward, which is why I accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, to join the fight against the world’s evil. I entered the academy as Congress drafted a declaration of war, and graduated during the height of the Global War on Terror. For nine years, I served as an intelligence officer with the SEAL Teams, deploying with Joint Special Operations Command in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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In Iraq, I had the honor of serving with men and women who were true heroes. Brave soldiers, sailors and Marines who deployed to far corners of the globe not because they hated what was in front of them, but because they loved what was behind them. From the brave first responders who ran into harm's way on September 11th, to our brave troops who ran directly into danger every day after, their sacrifice and service is defined not by their actions, but by their tireless devotion to our fellow countrymen and women. To me, there are endless parallels between America’s troops and our first responders. From the iconic image of six Marines raising the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima, to the image of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero - both serve as a reminder that even in our toughest hours, the American spirit always prevails.

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Twenty years later, I have the immense honor of interviewing prospective students for the U.S. Service Academies, all of whom were born after 2001. They don’t remember a world before September 11th because they never lived in it. But, each and every student possesses a steadfast commitment to something larger than themselves. For some, this commitment has already manifested - as volunteer EMTs, firefighters, and junior police officers in their local community. For others, it’s a future career in the Armed Forces. For many, it’s a combination of both.

As we mark the twentieth anniversary of September 11th, we must renew our promise to always honor the heroism of our brave first responders - especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice - and may the generations to come continue to be inspired by their commitment, service and spirit.

Shanksville Pennsylvania: WE WILL NEVER FORGET FLIGHT 93

By Dale Gabriel

Has it really been 20 years? September 11, 2001 was a horrible time for our country, yet there was SOME good that came out of it; it brought us all together. This country needs togetherness like that today.

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We ALL have memories and stories about that horrific day, but for me and those of us in law enforcement and first responders, it is an extremely different memory than most of the general public. In my case, memories of 9/11, as a trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police, working in the troop assigned where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.

It started out like any other day. I was working daylight shift. I was on patrol, enjoying the sunny fall day. Since I rarely worked daylight, I enjoyed being seen, especially by kids. I was following school buses and waving to the kids, driving around the school as they made their way inside. I was very active volunteering in the school, and a great majority of the kids knew me. They loved seeing me in uniform. Little did we all know that a short while later, our lives would change forever.

I heard something on my police radio about a plane crash, since the 911 call from Flight 93 came into my county dispatch center, but I really did not pay that much attention to it, as I was heading to a DUI hearing. I strolled into the Magistrate's office, and everybody was abuzz, talking about the tragic plane crash, yet at that point, nobody knew exactly just HOW tragic it was.

As more details came to light, it was obvious that this was NOT like any other plane crash, and this was a day unlike any other.

Initially, we thought it was nothing more than a horrible accident. Then we heard about the second, then the third. America was under attack, specifically New York and Washington, D.C., followed by a crash right here in our back yard, Shanskville, Pennsylvania, in the midst of my troop, Pennsylvania State Police Troop A. Nobody knew what might get hit next.

My fellow troopers and I were all called into station to discuss what was going on, even though nobody was sure. The PA State Police had to create and develop a plan they had never even considered, a plan they really had no clue about. What exactly was PSP going to do? How do you develop a plan when you really have no idea what is going on? Are we protecting the public? Are we going to war? I was proud at how quickly everything came together, and even more proud being just a very small part of it.

I cannot say it too many times. All of our lives changed forever that day. Innocence was lost. Those of us who had kids had to painstakingly explain to them what was going on, which was difficult, because to be honest, we didn't have a clue ourselves.

Personally, for a small amount of the population, those of us in law enforcement, fire rescue, EMS and especially the military and our families, it was much different for us than the rest of the world especially with Flight 93 crashing so close. As the plan was being created, my PSP brothers and sisters were told to pack a bag, say goodbye to our families and be ready to head to Shanksville at the drop of a hat for only God knew how long.

Nobody knew what our task would be. Would we be digging for bodies? Would we be gathering evidence? Would we be standing guard? Nobody knew for sure who was going, when they were going, what our task would be, or when we might get the chance to see our families again. In the end, we did ALL of those things.

I called my wife and told her to grab our three kids at the middle school and elementary and bring them home. I wanted to see them and give them a hug, not knowing what the future was going to hold for any of us. In addition, how do you explain something like this to a 12-, 10- and 7-year-old? How do you tell them what happened, and worse yet, what might STILL happen? How do you keep them safe, keep them from being terrified? It was a very trying time to be a parent, even MORE trying to be a trooper. But it was about more than just us. It was also about our families. What we all were able to do in the end would not be possible without our families.

Sometimes, I think the families made more sacrifices than those of us who were forced to work because of the attacks. My wife spent the next couple months like a single mother while I worked 12- and 16-hour days, seven days a week. With half our complement spending months at Shanksville, we could not forget the general public we were sworn to serve and protect. We were very short-handed but got the job done. As I reflect upon it, we were fortunate that crime was down during this time. People were actually treating each other BETTER.

It's been said over and over, but it's necessary. Life as we knew it would never be the same. From all that devastation, however, some good did arise. Patriotism tops the list. People in all walks of life started to appreciate America as we should have before. Red, white, and blue could be seen everywhere. Patriotic songs were heard continuously. New songs were written. Americans began to take on an "us against them" mentality, and THEY were NOT going to win! They could not keep us down!

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People finally started to appreciate the firemen, the EMTs, the police, those of us who worked every day before, and every day since, to keep them safe, those of us who worked all night, weekends, holidays when they were out celebrating with family, as well as through storms that people were not supposed to go out in. I always had a sense of pride for what I did but never like this. As EVERYBODY seemed to appreciate and respect us, I had an even bigger sense of pride that I never really experienced any other time in my career as a trooper. People would routinely thank us for our service, pick up our checks at lunch, or simply smile and wave to acknowledge us. Their kids wanted to shake our hands. This is what being a police officer SHOULD be like.

I don't even know how many days straight I worked. I lost count. On my first day off after the attacks, baseball was getting back to being played. The Pirates were having their first game after a long layoff. As a huge baseball fan, I wanted to just forget about everything going on, and enjoy watching the game. A stranger, seeing me post something about my situation, gave me tickets to that first Pirates game for the whole family; the best seats I have ever had for a ball game in my life. A stranger!

To this day, the national anthem still makes me cry. I stand tall and proud, and think of the words as they are being sung, the words about OUR Star-Spangled Banner. I reflect upon everything in my life that I have to be thankful for, especially for my dad, a proud Marine who served in the Korean War, and all the veterans who fought, many making the ultimate sacrifice to give us freedom. I think about all the first responders who lost their lives helping others that fateful day and the families they left behind. I pray for all those afflicted with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and those who are still passing, from afflictions developed that day. I think about the countless police shootings we see on the news now, nearly every day. Then, I start to think of all of these professional athletes, many of them backed up by so-called “celebrities” disrespecting the flag, our military, our police, and the country by refusing to stand, ignoring the national anthem, and it makes me absolutely sick and disgusted.

So as you go about your business today, take a moment to reflect on it all. Think of how lucky you are to have survived that day and the period after it. Pray for those who did not and their families. Think of all the heroes on Flight 93 who may have saved thousands of lives, with their efforts, while surrendering their own. Think of the people who rebuilt New York. Think of all those first responders who risked their own lives to help others. Think of how many did not make it. Think of the families they left behind. Think of the sacrifices made by the families of all those first responders, as my wife and daughters had done. Think of anyone and everyone who did something, ANYTHING, to help America recover. Think of all the military personnel then, and ever since then who risk their lives to keep us free... and please, STAND for the national anthem.

And let's pray we never have to endure another incident like this for the rest of our lives, nor our children's lives, our grandchildren and so on, but let us also pray for togetherness. Pray that we can all come together as a nation, as Americans, pray to stop the hatred.

God Bless America and PLEASE BACK THE BLUE!

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

9/11 : America Must Unify

By: Joel F. Shults, Ed.D

As the news stunned the reporters as they relayed the unfathomable tragedies of the weaponized passenger jetliners, I stepped outside the student center between classes and looked to the sky. Was this the beginning of targets all across America? Would I be donning the uniform I still had in my closet from my Army days? Would my family, even here in my small Missouri town a thousand miles from New York City and Washington, D.C., be safe here in the heartland?

With a recently issued chaplain credential and a hunger to serve, I sought out a place where I could volunteer. I just had to go. I also knew that just showing up to a disaster is a double-edged sword for crisis managers. Self-deployed volunteers can become an additional burden to manage, so I searched internet message boards to see where I might be useful.

I saw that the United Way in New York City had swiftly established a donation website and had been absolutely overwhelmed with donations. I offered myself and my 18-year-old civic-minded daughter and we were on our way. It was already early October when we arrived in New York. The flights and hotel rooms were cheap, as travelers were still hesitant to risk not only hijacking, but the anthrax and white powder scare continued since its first appearance a week after the towers fell.

In just those few weeks since the attack, I saw America at work. Rescuers were still pulling bodies out of the depths, honoring each one solemnly. Ashes still accumulated on all the buildings, some of which had been opened to first responder respite. Tables displaying souvenirs being hawked by the entrepreneurial capitalists the terrorists despised were full of Americana. I bought a dozen American flag and ribbon pins – doubtfully made in the USA, but precious because they were covered in the microscopic remains of the buildings and bodies destroyed.

A motorcade with Mayor Giuliani swooped onto the grounds of City Hall to the cheers and admiration of everyone watching. He bounded up the steps, turned to give an authoritative wave, and disappeared flanked by his security detail.

It was all there that day. Rescue. Volunteers. The American vendor circus. Posters pleading for missing loved ones. Impromptu memorial decorations. The ordinariness of life moving on. Churches serving and seeing strangers come to pray or mourn. American flags. Anger at the enemy. Military recruits lining the offices. Hero stories. Respect for leaders who stood up, got their hands dirty and resolved to rebound. I rode with officers from the Bronx who welcomed me like a brother and continued to answer the calls for service that had not abated in the shock of the aftermath.

When my daughter and I arrived at the United Way office, we were assigned follow-up duty to donors. The website had some glitches so we had to call and verify donations that ranged from $20 to $20,000. We talked to widows who wanted to give, and to Hollywood studios that had collected from their shows’ cast members. There was already a storeroom of boxes of unopened letters bearing checks and cash.

I returned to continue serving my local law enforcement as a reserve officer and chaplain. With renewed concerns, we patrolled the lock and dam system on the river, the power plants, government buildings, all with the fears of attacks on our vulnerability. It is a fear and awareness that remains to this day.

No other event in American history created a sentiment that so many of its citizens shared at least for a few short months. We were united. Must this be how we become united once again?

Wear Positivity Memories Like Armor: Counterbalance to a Crazy World

By Lt. Joseph Pangaro CPM, CSO

In 2001, after the attacks on the World Trade Center, I was a detective with 16 years on the job. From my perspective, the profession I was in was one of the best things a person could do for a career I could imagine. The public thought very highly of us law enforcement types, thanks to the brave officers who died trying to save lives in the tower collapses.

Their act of bravery and dedication to duty exemplified what every cop already knew, but the public had to be reminded of from time to time; that the men and women of law enforcement don’t just talk about service, honor and duty, they live it every day with sacrifice to the point of death.

The public opinion of law enforcement was at an all-time high. People openly thanked you for your service with a smile on their faces and you could feel that it was genuine. We officers felt pride in our work and chosen profession and there was an overall consensus that our work was important to the entire country. It was, and still is no matter the current slump in public opinion we see today.

We felt that our mission to protect the innocent and weak from the criminals that plagued our cities and towns was one fully supported, funded and easily understood. In fact, proactively targeting criminals as individuals or groups was the right thing to do; it made for a safer society for everyone. Yes, those were the days.

Fast forward to today.

Through the slow drip of time and circumstance, media coverage and the ascendency of “woke” thinking and political correctness we find ourselves in a totally different place when it comes to public opinion.

The illegal and highly inappropriate acts of a few of us in our ranks has added steam to the anti-police culture shift we are all living through currently in modern America. We are the newest scapegoats for society’s ills. As a result, the once-vaunted practice of pro-active policing has now taken on a stigma of advancing multiple sets of “Anti” behavior, even where no such real belief exists. Of course, I mean the perception that law enforcement officers negatively target certain groups of our citizens for racial, ethnic, religious or socio-economic reasons.

None of that is true. I have never attended a meeting where we sat around before a shift and decided who we wanted to “get” that day to satisfy our hatred or feelings of superiority. In fact, the belief that we do that kind of thing at all is left high and dry by the fact that our ranks are now very diverse and every group they think we hate is now represented in our profession at every level and we stand as brothers and sisters in blue.

Nonetheless, that belief exists and is repeated by many people who have ulterior motives for their anti-police rhetoric, or can gin up ratings on their TV shows or otherwise use the made-up conflict between law enforcement and the public we serve to suit their own needs, personal and political.

This struggle is real and the internal conflict it has caused for the public and for every member of law enforcement to one degree or another is detrimental to our country on a large scale and to each human being on the small scale. The anger directed toward our law enforcement community members can cause a form of PTSD. It is a constant attack on us, albeit it in small and occasionally large doses, but the damage can and is being done.

The open conversation about the “Ferguson effect,” that being officers abandoning proactive police work for a reactive response status, is common among our ranks and is a symptom of the PTSD and damage to our mission that is taking place. What the public is missing is the reality that it is pro-active police work that keeps us all safe in our communities. Without it, crime rises as we are seeing every day.

So, if we accept this premise we have to ask a few questions: One, is this sustainable? Can our society survive where crime runs rampant, and criminals have the advantage? And two, can our officers survive this constant barrage of mental and physical attack?

The answer to both, I posit, is no.

Our society cannot sustain itself if we continue on the road we are on. But the solution to this societal downturn is a larger question for every citizen and requires a response that only the people of the nation can answer and solve by the choices they make.

As for our law enforcement community we do have some options.

We cannot or will not quit in droves. Some may leave the profession as we have seen, but we will not leave in numbers significant enough to make a real difference. What we can do is understand the concept of creating a counterbalance to the negativity we may be feeling as individuals so we can survive the adverse impact of the attack on us as law enforcement officers and people.

We create a counterbalance by understanding the concept of counterbalance as it relates to human emotions and perceptions we feel internally.

A counterbalance is a concept that if we think of the scales of justice, you know, all the statues we see of Lady Liberty and justice with the blindfold and the scales. If one side of her scales is over-filled they list in that direction, but if both sides are filled then they reach equilibrium and are in balance; same thing here.

There are some old sayings that offer some insight as well- “Junk in – Junk out”, or “you are what you eat,” I’ll offer a new one: “If all you hear, see, and feel about yourself and your profession is negative, you will be negative,” So the key here is counterbalance the negative we hear with positives so we can be leveled.

We could add to our lives more positive things such as church or religious activity, more time with friends (and not talk about work), more time with family, develop or explore a new hobby or an old one you have not had time for, and the dreaded one - find a counselor and talk about how this negativity has affected you.

There are many ways to counterbalance ourselves and build up resiliency, the new buzz word for “dealing with it.” No matter what you choose, it helps to choose something because we can’t wallow in it. We must stop listening to the news and dwelling on the difficulties. Think about the people you have helped over the course of your career. Even if you have a hard time coming up with incidents, the reality is you have helped some people and some of them in significant ways you many never know, but trust me you have. These are all positives that help us displace the negatives and buoy our spirits. We need to do this.

In 2019, the statistics showed 14 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year. For law enforcement the number is 17 per 100,000, higher than any other profession. That is a dangerous statistic for each of us because that statistic in based on active-duty law enforcement officers and doesn’t include the retired people who kill themselves in their retirement years. In the COVID year of 2020, the numbers were higher for every group. It’s like playing Russian roulette and it’s not a game we need to participate in.

I won’t dwell on law enforcement suicide other than to identify a bridge between PTSD, suicide and living an unbalanced life of stress. The connective tissue here is obvious and we should all take note of it and take a personal stake in it as well as for our profession.

We must support the idea of creating counterbalance personally and professionally since our lives and mental health depends on it. It is something in our grasp if we seek the positive and work hard at it.

Ours is a noble profession, one that society needs. Without us, the Blue line of law enforcement, our society will crumble, and they know it as well as we do.

In my 30-plus years in this profession I have seen the pendulum swing both ways, as we were regarded as heroes to zeros and then back again. As sure as the sun rises, law enforcement will regain its place of esteem and respect. It is inevitable because we represent good, decency and justice and evil will always be present. Someday, in some way, evil will rise again and people will clamor for the centurions in Blue and we will, as we always have, answer the call, come to the rescue and do our duty and society will be grateful we are on watch at our posts.

Hang in my brothers and sisters, things will get better. In the meantime, find the positives where you can and wear them like armor and counterbalance the negative at every turn.

Let me know what you think. JPangaro@TrueSecurityDesign.com 

Tribute: Walk to Remember Detective Melvin V. Santiago

By Vincent DeFazio

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We started our annual walk in July 2019 in Melvins memory for his 5th year taken (I do not call it an anniversary bc an anniversary is something you celebrate, Melvin being taken is not a celebration).

We continue the walk because we don’t want Melvin’s memory or his sacrifice to be forgotten, especially during these times when police are so disrespected and their lives disregarded it is extremely important to make sure that no officers ultimate sacrifice is forgotten and the public understand that the men and women who put that uniform on to protect their communities are human beings with families, friends, people who care for them. Their life matters too. Melvin’s mission as an officer was to show a new side of “community policing”. He went to the projects on his lunch hour and played basketball with the kids on the court, he spoke with the youth and seniors, bringing a new respect and understanding to the job and community. His time was cut way too short. Mel would have done amazing things for Jersey City and community policing.

We plan on making the walk a yearly event for Melvins memory, all officers lost and for our present LEO working.

http://MYM2650.org

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A New Approach: Chief Medina & Pastor Paul work to prevent Blue Suicide

By Robert Foreman

Chief Gustavo A. Medina of the Tequesta Police Department in Florida has worked in public safety for over 23 years. However, he began his career in New Jersey where he worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the Newark Police Department, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office (ECPO) and the Professional Standards Bureau.  His years of experience in New Jersey have given him some valuable insights into officer training and support that he continues to draw from today. However, he did not realize how greatly both he, and his current department, would be impacted when their paths converged with Paul Beresford, a retired Baptist pastor.

“I am so blessed to have met a person like Paul Beresford. He is one of the most sincere, caring, empathetic individuals you will ever meet. He has a genuine love for all, but especially for our men and women in blue. He often stops me in the morning and lets me know if we lost one of our heroes to suicide. He can quote the numbers and tells me every day – 'we need to do more; we need to do better,'" said Chief Medina.

“When I came to the Tequesta PD, I knew I wanted to help implement a program that focuses on the mental health of all our officers. Pastor Paul was sent to get certified in Crisis Intervention, after which I designated him the Critical Incident Stress Manager, a position he will tell you he finds even more personally rewarding than his previous role as a pastor. He is constantly learning new ways to communicate with our officers, and his love and commitment for our men and women is the reason we have been successful with our mental health efforts.”

Chief Medina noted that they started by providing Pastor Paul with his own private office within the police department. In the entry to his office, a sign reads, “Friends, Family gather here.”  The sign is Pastor Paul’s way of letting all the officers know that everyone is family and that they are in this together as one.

“The goal was to create an environment where officers feel comfortable to simply talk, air their frustrations, discuss a troubling call or share personal struggles they are experiencing. The officers know that what is shared with Pastor Paul remains between them and he would never violate their trust,” said Chief Medina. “I then made it a point to go in his office, close the door and have my own de-stressing sessions so that my officers could see that it is OK to speak with the pastor. We are all humans first and if a chief, director or superintendent is serious about helping reduce blue suicides, they must lead from the front and be the example.”

Chief Medina believes that the keys to the program being successful are consistency and trust. Without consistency, one would not be able to build trust with the men and women in blue. He noted that the designated person must always be accessible, regardless of the time or day. Additionally, the designated person must be properly trained, not rush the process, and be real and genuine with the officers at all times. Above all else, the person must follow up with the officers and never violate their trust.

“We have also made our program available to other local police departments and we continue to spread the word of the work that Pastor Paul does.  I once asked a neighboring police department chief if we could come by on their training day to tell them about the necessary work that Pastor Paul does for us and to let them know there is no shame in asking for help,” said Chief Medina.

“We must never stop working for all of our officers. Not until the day where officer suicides are non-existent, as anything less than that is unacceptable.  Our program should not be the exception but instead the norm in law enforcement.  No matter the size of your department, if you are blessed to be in charge then be in charge and protect your officers. Our profession is in desperate need of strong leadership that stands up for the great work that our officers are doing in this nation. To repeat Pastor Paul’s words - we need to do more; we need to do better!”

SEPTEMBER 2021 : Editor's Point of View

Welcome to another significant issue of Blue Magazine. It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the attack on 9/11/2001. I am sure many of us can recall exactly where we were on that morning and how this national tragedy from New York City to the Pentagon to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and beyond had changed our lives.  We recently sat down with former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to get their perspective on 9/11 then and now. A lot of things were brought out from that day and the rescue effort that you're not going to want to miss. We also discussed a lot about where we are today — how police went from being heroes to zeros, how they went from being respected to disrespected and how our so-called woke culture contributed to that, and what this means for law enforcement and society.

We are proud to announce we have a new managing editor, Joel Gordon. He's a retired chief. He has great talent and expert journalism skills. Chief Gordon's ability to work with our writers is unmatched. He is the perfect person for the job. We're happy to promote him. We're glad he's a big part of Blue Magazine.  As many of you know, Blue magazine started as a very small local magazine in New Jersey. Founder Daniel Del Valle was literally publishing and distributing the magazine from the trunk of his car. Over the years, we grew to become the leading national law enforcement publication. Our success didn't happen overnight.  Chief Gordon helped us bring Blue Magazine onto the national stage. We appreciate him.  Once again, congratulations Chief Gordon. You deserve it!

 Blue Magazine and Moment of Silence are teaming up again for a Blue Suicide Event like none seen before. This year we will have a retreat here in New Jersey starting Friday night, Sept. 17, and ending Sunday, Sept. 18.  There will be many speakers and workshops to teach us skills to help others and ourselves.  The event will be held at Saint Paul’s Abbey (Andover, NJ). All 500 private acres are reserved for us! We hope to see you there!

Enjoy this issue of Blue Magazine.  Every article is worthy of your time.  Should you need us, be sure to reach out. We are here for you.

The Bag: A warrior's mindset

By Kirk Lawless

I like to tell the kids at the police academy about “The bag.” I ask them, and none seem to know what I’m talking about.  They apparently weren’t issued one. They didn’t issue one to me when I was in the police academy and I thought by now it would be standard equipment. It should be.

Back in the day, you just rummaged around and found your own.  I still have mine and there are many of them.  They are cumbersome and everywhere.

I’m not talking about “The bag,” as in the uniform. I’m talking about the other “bag” the one every cop gets whether they want it or not, they’re enormous and plentiful. In fact, the supply is endless. 

“The bag” and what goes into it, comes with a formula. Let’s say that with every call you go on during your career you receive an appropriately sized rock, or brick, or cinderblock, and that’s where “The bag” comes into play.

Every natural death you respond to is sad.  The ozone in the room where the body lays has changed, you can smell it. It’s a sort of staleness, the void created by a human life snuffed out.  You’ll remember that smell and you get one “brick.”

Death from illness, also sad, “two bricks.”

Accidental death, sad, “two bricks.”

Suicide, sad, tragic, and pathetic, “three bricks.”

Homicide, sad, tragic, anguish, rage and disgust washes over you, “five bricks.”

Rape/sexual assault, anger, empathy and the rage, when it kicks in, “the bricks” will flow in, in appropriate numbers commensurate with the shit you see.

When the victim is a child the sadness, tragedy, the rage is incomprehensible, and gut-wrenching, “10 to 100 bricks”

Maybe you know the victim. You factor in all the variables, grief, sorrow, and pity, “500 bricks.”

Any of the above, when the victim is a brother or sister officer, you’ll get the sadness, anger, thoughts of revenge, pity, sorrow, loss and the “bricks” will probably become cinderblocks and the weight will be measured in tons.

“Shit, my bag is full. What now?”  Grab a new bag and start filling it.  “The full one, what I do with that?”  You can try to get rid of it, but you won’t be able to shake it.  Tie a knot in it and stuff it in your locker.  When that’s full, you’ll probably start taking them home (that’s where the fun starts) folks want to see what’s in the bags.  They want to hear about the bricks.  For me, they are private things, and it’s best not to talk about “the bags” or what’s inside. Soon the bags will be everywhere: in the garage, in the attic, in the closet, way up high, top shelf, near the old gray wool blanket reeking of mothballs that will one day be your own death.

Your heart will grow heavier, likewise the badge, heavier than when you first pinned it on. After 20 years it feels as heavy as a ¾ ton pickup truck pinned to your uniform.

You shoulder the weight as best you can. Maybe you will start to struggle with it back bent, leaning into the wind.  Your legs might buckle, but you power through it.  It’s hard to ask for help, so you don’t. That’s the cop way.

Every bullet hole you see or apply direct pressure to, to staunch the flow of blood, will weaken the mental dike and you keep hammering in those plugs, but as fast as you do, another leak springs, but it ain’t water, it’s blood.  Gallons of it, sometimes it’s a stranger’s blood, sometimes it’s another officer’s, sometimes it’s your own.

So now you’ve got these damned bags of brick, cinderblocks, hunks of asphalt covered in blood.  You start accumulating them in the attic of your mind, in your dreams, your nightmares.

In the basement of your mind, where it’s dark, that’s where you’ll put the blackest, bloodiest bags.  They’re heavy and they leave a slick trail down the cellar steps, the weight of what’s inside thumping against every stair. Once hidden, you turn and run up the steps as fast as you can, because whatever was in that bag sounds as if it’s chasing you, breathing down the back of your neck, but you’re able to slam the door and throw the bolt.  Whatever had been chasing you slams against the door bowing it from its frame, heaving with every inhaled and exhaled breath coming from the other side. “It” wants you, not today but maybe someday.

Shotgun suicide to the face, “Hollow head” is a frequent flyer with me. When he gets out of his bag, he’s annoying mostly.  He doesn’t do much, appearing from my peripheral vision, walking quickly and steadily near the foot of my bed and coming around to my side. His hollowed head has no eyes, no ears.  I can see the inside of his skull where his brain once sat, before he made an extraordinary and grisly piece of carnival “spin art” out of his head with a 12-gauge shotgun while sitting near a ceiling fan on its fastest setting.

His body language is inquisitive and with what’s left of his head nodding, neck craning from side to side trying to listen, but without ears to hear. No eyes, but straining to see. He’d like some answers, maybe some help, but for him they just aren’t coming.

Picture a locomotive, tons of steel, cannonballing down the track. No brakes, curve ahead, and beyond that a bridge, but the trestle is out.  So fast, so fast, off the rails, plumes of smoke, hot ash and flames, then nothing, blackness, zero sound and waking up in a puddle of sweaty, torn sheets.

Shit, shower and shave, put on the “bag” (uniform) and head out the door to “Get back after it.”

Maybe you should talk to somebody? You might. One day. No shame in that at all. You’ll know when it’s time to do that.  The older cops know. Find a good one and reach out. Chances are they will lift you up.

Roll call is over and it’s time to hit the streets.  The old Sarge whispers, “Don’t forget to grab a new bag kid. I think you’re gonna need it.”

Kirk Lawless is a 28 year, decorated veteran police officer from the St Louis area. He’s a former SWAT operator, narcotics agent, homicide investigator, detective and Medal of Valor recipient. Off the job due to an up-close and personal gunfight, he now concentrates on writing. He’s a patriotic warrior, artist, poet, actor, musician, and man of peace.

Now he needs us: President Biden is depending on cops to save him from progressives.

By: Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.

The president doesn’t want to alienate the liberal wing of his party. But there is little to no proof that his non-police proposals work. Considering the social, political and research implications currently at hand, it’s possible that nothing will work.

I was part of a team creating presidential briefing papers on crime when I was a Senior Specialist for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. My counterparts today are delivering similar messages to the president’s staff. They are saying that his proposals except those encouraging cities and states to use federal money to hire more cops have little to no proof that they work.

The only thing that has a research base for lowering crime is proactive policing.

We Need the NYPD

The primary message from a second crime summit came from Eric Adams, the pro-police probable next mayor of New York City who, I believe, told the president that his agenda (and that of Democrats throughout the country) depends on a strong approach to violence based on research proving effectiveness.

Per Mr. Adams’ campaign website, “If we are for SAFETY – we NEED the NYPD” - Eric Adams. He was a New York City cop for 22 years, retiring as a captain.

Mr. Adams and aides are telling the president that exploding violence is creating a huge political liability for him and his party. They are also advising him that his proposals (i.e., violence interrupters, programs for ex-offenders, gun control and social programs) are not going to reduce violent crime.

They are telling him that because it’s true. Go to the Department of Justice’s Crime Solutions.Gov (the supposed gold standard as to what works to reduce crime) and search for programs rated as successful focusing on violence interrupters, programs for ex-offenders, gun control and social programs. There is little evidence that they work.

Proactive Policing

The only thing that works is proactive policing. That’s the message being delivered by Mr. Adams. Police operations under the banner of proactive policing seem to have the best track record of violence reduction. Proactivity is probably the only modality with a research base as to reducing crime per a literature review from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Proactive policing prompts officers to take action (i.e., a person with a history of violence suspected of carrying a gun) when they have a legal right to investigate. But proactivity requires enormous risks and is the center of endless complaints against law enforcement.

In the final analysis, many make insistent and passionate claims of success for a wide variety of violence prevention programs. Most are wrong.

There are no easy solutions. Police-based programs seem to work where others fail. But hiring more cops when police officers are leaving in droves and with recruitment down by 63 percent (per the Police Executive Research Forum) will be a monumental task. There is an anti-cop agenda painting one million employees with a broad brush of violence and corruption and it’s mostly being delivered by progressives and liberal media.

There are real concerns with reintroducing proactive policing when city cops refuse to engage in the practice and residents are unwilling to support it. Considering the social, political and research implications currently at hand, it’s possible that nothing will work.

Biden Risks Alienating Liberals 

In a meeting at the White House, President Joe Biden urged mayors from some of the nation’s largest cities to invest in police departments and establish community-based programs that could help rebuild trust between people of color and law enforcement, saying Americans owed law enforcement and community leaders “big time.”

The meeting sent a clear signal to progressives in his party and Republican critics that he would crack down on crime, reports the New York Times. It is a difficult position for Biden, who risks alienating liberals in Congress and voters who are pushing for criminal justice reform after police killings of Black people last year.

Biden’s plan also includes urging communities to use $350 billion in funds from his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to increase hiring at departments as well as support more community-focused organizations. And by inviting Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president who won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in part by making public safety a centerpiece of his campaign, Biden is reflecting his support for balancing reform with strong anti-crime efforts. The “first responsibility of democracy,” the president said, “(is) to keep each other safe.”

The White House is encouraging state and local governments to use funding from the COVID relief package passed earlier this year to address a summer rise in violent crime as pandemic restrictions loosened nationwide.

The administration’s strategy to combat crime, a White House memo obtained by CNN said, “uses the American Rescue Plan’s $350 billion in financial support and clear guidance to provide state, local, territorial, and tribal governments the money they need to put more police officers on the beat — including hiring above pre-pandemic levels in communities experiencing an increase in gun violence associated with the pandemic — as well as the other resources, training, and accountability they need to engage in effective community policing.”

They Need To Hire More Police Officers

“I’ll underscore his commitment to ensuring their state and law and local law enforcement have the resources and support they need to hire more police officers and invest in effective and accountable community policing,” White House Press  Secretary Jen Psaki said.

Still, Republicans have attacked Biden for being “soft on crime.”

I have no agenda regarding the president. I wish him (and any president) well in all endeavors.

But we’re in a pickle. The president doesn’t want to alienate the liberal wing of his party. But there is little to no proof that his non-police proposals will work.

It’s clear that there are a wide variety of people who want more cops engaged in proactive policing, but can we hire more officers when so many are leaving and recruitment is dismal?

Even if we hire more, will they return to proactivity after years of violent protests?

It’s fair to suggest that we have created a massive problem with growing violence and fear without solutions.

While I wish the president well, he’s the same person who railed against police abuses, painting all officers with a broad brush. He’s the same person who supported alternative solutions with little to no evidence that they work. He’s the same person who called for bail reform and cutting the prison population in half.

And now, he’s dependent on cops to save him from a problem partially of his own making.