Victory Announced in New Jersey

Victory Announced in New Jersey
By: Timothy R. Smith, Esq.

The law firm of Caruso Smith Picini has announced that the New Jersey Supreme Court has decided in favor of Officer Greg DiGuglielmo in his Special Disciplinary Arbitration case against the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The law firm of Caruso Smith Picini is a criminal and administrative defense firm that represents police officers all throughout the State of New Jersey.

Caruso Smith Picini acquired the case for the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93 pro bono. The firm felt that it was clear that Officer DiGuglielmo had his rights violated and that the employer, New Jersey Institute of Technology, improperly impeded on the officer's rights.

The case was before the courts to determine whether Officer DiGuglielmo, an NJIT Police Officer, was permitted to pursue a claim challenging his termination through the Special Disciplinary Arbitration Process. Officer DiGuglielmo, who was the Fraternal Order of Police Union President for the New Jersey Institute of Technology Police Department, was terminated from his position of police officer without a hearing and without requested discovery to present a case for his defense.

New Jersey Institute of Technology not only terminated Officer DiGuglielmo without a hearing and due process, but New Jersey Institute of Technology also continued its efforts by appealing to the New Jersey courts that Officer DiGuglielmo and all New Jersey police officers who patrol college campuses are not entitled to their rights under New Jersey Statutes 40A:14-209 and 40A:14-210.

Caruso Smith Picini stood with the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police and Officer DiGuglielmo and fought this injustice to the bitter end. The victory for Officer DiGuglielmo is also a victory for all campus police officers throughout the state..

Caruso Smith Picini is proud of the work it does on behalf of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police and police officers throughout the state of New Jersey. We will continue to fight for the rights of Officer DiGuglielmo and look forward to a complete exoneration of Officer DiGuglielmo and expose the improprieties of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Timothy R. Smith, a certified criminal trial attorney (less than 1% of New Jersey lawyers have satisfied the rigorous requirements necessary to achieve such a designation), devotes much of his practice to criminal and disciplinary defense. Smith was formerly employed as a police officer, detective, police union president and member of a prosecutor’s office legal staff prior to transitioning into private legal practice. Smith has served as an adjunct professor of graduate studies at Seton Hall University. He has also served as a private consultant to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey instructing police recruits in the area of search and seizure.

Crime in the Nation’s Capital: Can You Change Violent Offenders?

Crime in the Nation’s Capital: Can You Change Violent Offenders?
By: Leonard Sipes

I was the senior public affairs specialist for a federal criminal justice agency in Washington, D.C. I sat in endless meetings with federal and D.C. officials as they discussed efforts to stop or modify violence. Washington, D.C. has the best-funded justice system in the country. It has access to crime control and prevention experts from its endless think tanks. Its courts, parole and probation, prosecutor’s office and pretrial services are well-funded federal agencies with very low caseloads (compared to the rest of the country). Even non-federal D.C. agencies (i.e., the police) get a ton of money from the federal government.

Collectively, these agencies come into contact with an endless number of offenders on a daily basis. The services they provide to those caught up in the justice system are the envy of the country (while noting that advocates insist that it’s not enough).

If you spend time in D.C. examining crime issues, you will come into contact with an abundance of well-educated, very experienced, compassionate people who fervently believe that given enough resources, you can stop people from engaging in violence. This discussion has been going on for decades. Yet when you look at a list of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., Washington, D.C. is often near the top of the list.

With a resource-rich and dedicated justice system powered by federal dollars, one would expect D.C. to get complicated initiatives right. There are thousands of articles on evidence-based programs to guide them. There are hundreds of nationally known experts who will tell you what to do and how to do it.

At one point, the D.C. government set out to do whatever it took to save Jahmeze Williams, the 20-year-old slumped over in the back seat of a car, a bullet lodged in his right arm.

He died within half an hour, shot inches above a tattoo of his mother’s name.

Williams was one of about 230 D.C. residents the city had dubbed “People of Promise,” a diplomatic way of referring to a list of those considered most at risk of committing violence — or becoming a victim of violence themselves. The initiative, a key pillar of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s effort to combat crime as homicides continue at a pace that could reach a two-decade high, was designed to bring intense government services to those on the list, assigning a cabinet-level official to supervise each person’s case.

But about five months after the city formally launched the program, two people, including Williams, had been killed, at least eight others on the list had been shot and more than a dozen had been charged in connection with non-fatal shootings, carjackings and unlawful possession of firearms, according to city officials and a review of the list by The Washington Post against court and other public records.

City officials said they enlisted a wide swath of agencies to implement the program — including behavioral health, public works and transportation. But they acknowledged missteps in the process, and they conceded they have yet to even make contact with about half of those they want to protect. Asked to grade the initiative, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Christopher Geldart said he would give it a “C-plus.”

The Washington Post reviewed a copy of the list of People of Promise, which the city declined to provide. The document includes dozens of repeat offenders, multiple members of families linked to generations of violence in D.C., and people charged in some of the most high-profile shootings in the region.

Those on the list appear to be men between 15 and 64 years old, with the majority between 18 and 35. Most people are affiliated with a known gang or crew and have previous charges ranging from low-level drug offenses to first-degree murder. At that point, 52 people had been slain in the District since January. Over the next five months, that number about tripled. But by late September in D.C., the number of slayings was about even compared to the same time in 2021 — when there were more than 200 killings in a year for the first time in almost two decades.

Bowser has said she can bring gun violence down by 90 percent by focusing on “the people and places where most of the crime is happening.”

Over the last two fiscal years, the city spent $139 million on efforts outside policing to combat gun violence. It is unclear what subset of that funding went directly into People of Promise, since the program is meant to streamline an array of services from multiple agencies, rather than offer new ones.

People of Promise grew out of an analysis performed by David Muhammad, executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, on shootings in 2019 and 2020. The District government paid him $65,000 over two years for a process that included identifying the 230 or so people most at risk of committing gun violence or being victimized by it. As of mid-September, Geldart said the city had made contact with 122 people on the list of about 230 — about 40 of whom are currently incarcerated. He said government workers had been able to “actively engage” about 94 of the people they reached. That, he said, means they did something like providing employment or mental health services, or successfully conducted safety check-ins.

The mayor suggests a 90 percent reduction in gun violence by focusing on high-risk people and places. She relies on an abundance of criminological data stating that a minority of offenders and places are responsible for most violence. Focus your resources there and you will get significant reductions. If you have the best possible resources, talent, and data, what could go wrong?

For those of us writing about crime and violence, the overwhelming majority of what we read comes daily from very progressive national sources.

To summarize their message, cops and prisons are inherently flawed responses to crime and criminals. What are needed are “proven, evidence-based” modalities that offer the services necessary to assist people caught up in the justice system. They will offer an endless array of programs they deem successful to guide the rest of us. The problem with their assessment is that the overwhelming number of programs and modalities provided have little to no proof of effectiveness. Criminology relies on well-constructed, methodically correct evaluations that have been replicated over time using independent evaluators. Using this as a benchmark, there are few studies that indicate that providing services to offenders works. In a massive meta-analysis of rehabilitation programs, interventions either didn’t work, or they didn’t work well, resulting in the vast majority of offenders returning to the justice system.

This can be an intimidating thought. When I offer this analysis through my writings, there are many who insist that these programs do work. Critics offer small studies using tiny numbers without independent evaluations (i.e., violence interrupters) that suggest huge reductions in recidivism. There was a study called Project Hope out of Hawaii that was probation based offering very significant reductions in new crimes. It was the darling of many of us until it was replicated in a variety of states and deemed ineffective.

To summarize, I believe the problem is not with D.C.’s implementation (while acknowledging that there are issues). I believe that it’s the “science” itself. The mayor correctly relies on criminological data suggesting that a focus on people and places without understanding that high-risk offenders are notoriously difficult to change based on massive rates of recidivism. Regardless, the vast majority of untargeted offenders are still committing crimes. A 90 percent reduction in gun violence was wildly unrealistic.

The problem with many offenders is that they have vast histories of mental illness or emotional problems plus substance abuse issues. Most were raised by single mothers in high-crime areas where the literature cites high numbers of abuse and neglect, brain damage and PTSD along with a host of other disturbing emotional conditions. As a parole and probation agent once told me, “They have chips on their shoulders the size of Montana.” If you were raised in a climate of extreme dysfunction, you are (or can be) at war with the world.

Many of us have been calling for a massive increase in the research funding of the Department of Justice to figure out why so many programs seem to fail. There should be a multi-day national conference to address these issues. But admitting failures is sort of like conceding that the science itself (as we currently understand it) is flawed.  Programs like “People of Promise” and rehabilitative efforts need to continue as long as they have the funds for comprehensive, independent, and replicated evaluations throughout the life of the program and beyond. Everything should be on the table using the same criteria. Let the results speak for themselves.

But in the meantime, we have cities with immense violence problems that need to be addressed. And yes, at the moment, all we have with a proven track record is law enforcement, proactive policing, and separating the dangerous from the rest of us. That’s not progressive, but for the moment, it’s the truth.

Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.is a retired federal senior spokesperson. A former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs - University of Maryland. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Past police officer. Aspiring drummer. Operator of CrimeinAmerica.net. His book based on thirty-five years of criminal justice public relations,” Success with the Media: Everything You Need to Survive Reporters and Your Organization” is available at Amazon and additional booksellers. He can also be found @ leonardsipes.com

America is Still Behind Us

America is Still Behind Us
By: Richard Rosell, Ph.D.

I often wonder what that world would be like if the majority of the news media were as honest and transparent as law enforcement.  I don’t ponder that for long, though.  It will never happen in our lifetime.  It may never happen in 100 lifetimes.  The data is there for them, should they desire to use it honestly.  Sadly, it is much more convenient for them to consistently ignore the facts in order to create chaos and instigate mistrust against us.

Consider that a 2022 Gallup poll reported that 41.5 percent of both black and white Americans had faith in the police, 56 and 27 percent by whites and blacks respectively.  This data represents an increase from the 37.5 percent total in 2020.  But the most interesting aspect of this increase is that, while there was no change in the percentage of white Americans (56%), confidence among black Americans jumped 8 percent, from 19 to 27 percent. When all Americans are included, the average confidence in law enforcement jumps to 48 percent. Only two institutions of the 16 included in the poll, small business and the military, top confidence in law enforcement, garnering 68 and 64 percent respectively.

Now, I know what you are thinking. “Gee, we only have a 48 percent confidence rate?” While I would love to see that percentage double, when you put it into the proper perspective, we are doing much better than most institutions.

The Supreme Court, the institution upon which we depend to properly interpret our most sacred document, the United States Constitution, only enjoys the confidence of 25 percent of Americans.  

The American public school system, responsible for educating the next generation, and all subsequent generations, of American children, rates only slightly better than the Supreme Court at 28 percent.

Confidence in the presidency has dropped dramatically to 23 percent. Without getting political, I think we all know why.

At the bottom of the sixteen institutions included in the poll we find the United States Congress, with a mere 7 percent confidence rating.  How disturbing is the state of our republic that the institution charged with creating federal law and providing for the common defense can boast that 93 percent of Americans polled have no confidence in it?  In my humble opinion, it certainly earned that 7 percent rating.

While I take no joy in that fact that many of our institutions have become so morally and ethically corrupt that they no longer enjoy the confidence of the average American, I am not surprised.  Nor am I shocked, that Gallup reports that only 11 percent of Americans have a “Great Deal” of confidence in television media, and 16 percent in print media.  Don’t you remember when these embarrassing stats appeared on the front page of the New York Times and the Washington Post on the same day?  Oh, wait, that’s right.  That didn’t happen.

I’m not satisfied with 48 percent, but I am also mindful of the possibility that if the media portrayed law enforcement as we truly are as opposed to how they want us to appear, our confidence percentage would be significantly higher.  So, keep your chins up and continue to do your best. It could be worse; we could be Congress.

Richard Rosell, Ph.D. is currently the Police Chief and Public Safety Director for the Town of Indian River Shores, Florida, the former Director of Public Safety for the Town of Dover, NJ and Township of Springfield, NJ, and a 27-year veteran of the New Jersey State Police, retiring at the rank of Captain.

Police Officer Steven Hernandez

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Police Officer Steven Hernandez
Article & Artwork by Jonny Castro

“Whatever his struggle, he deserves to be remembered.”
On the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2023, NYPD Police Officer Steven Hernandez took his own life by jumping from a 17-story building in Queens. Moments before the tragic incident, the distraught officer had just left a mandated appointment at a department psychiatrist office in the NYPD Medical Division, which was located within the same building complex. He had recently made a series of posts on social media pleading for help with the mental health issues that he had been battling. “Please help me. Please love me. Please care for me. Please listen to me…” was one of those posts.

Officer Hernandez joined the NYPD in 2017 and was assigned to the 121st Precinct in Staten Island. He leaves behind two young children. He was 30 years old.

College Killings in Idaho: The Incel Danger Grows

College Killings in Idaho: The Incel Danger Grows
By Lt Joseph Pangaro, CPM, CSO, MOI

A blast of gunfire or the slashing of a knife and tragedy descends on innocent victims. Is it an active shooter angry at their school, or workplace? Who is this killer?

We have many kinds of dangerous people in the world today, and we have become familiar with some of them, like the school-age student shooter or the aggrieved workplace shooter who kills their classmates or co-workers, but have we ever heard of the incel killer?

“Incels” or involuntary celibates as they are known, are mostly males who believe that they are entitled to and are desirous of sexual relationships with beautiful women but are denied these relationships by some cruel realities of life. There are some “incel” females, but their numbers are very small.

The cruel realities of life they believe they suffer from are defined as a set of circumstances they believe are dictated by human nature. More specifically, they believe that women will only engage in sexual activity with a limited number of high-status and very attractive men. They call this the 80/20 rule.

Eighty percent of women have sex with only 20% of the very attractive and high-status men in the world. This leaves many men lonely and unfulfilled sexually and in relationships devoid of sex. 

So, as the belief system goes, an average-looking man has limited opportunity at best to find female sexual partners and an unattractive man has almost no chance of engaging with women.

This belief system and the inability to connect to the female partners they desire leaves these men involuntarily celibate, or as incels.

Several active shooter events have taken place in which the shooter was a self-described incel. The recent college killings in Idaho where four young college students were brutally stabbed to death, apparently in their sleep, is an example or I believe it could be an example of the killer being an incel or at least being on that road.

I posited this idea after seeing reports about the crime scene and method of operation of the killer in the house the victims were staying in. The violence of the attack, the repeated stabbings and the use of a knife as the weapon of murder all indicated to me that this was perhaps an incel-related attack.

In a recent news report, a retired FBI agent from the profile unit said he thinks there may be incel tendencies involved in this crime. 

The use of the knife in an up-close and personal attack such as these four killings is also indicative of the mindset of the killer. A knife, when used to repeatedly stab a victim, can be a sexually motivated action; the knife is a phallic symbol. We often see this pattern of behavior in a domestic violence homicide.

I have personal experience with this kind of investigation when I was the lead in a brutal double homicide investigation. The killer was the boyfriend and father of one of the victims’ children. The other victim was the killer’s elderly grandmother.

The killer was jealous of the girlfriend and believed a possible sexual affair was taking place between the girlfriend and another man. In an attempt to prove this, he sneaked into the home anticipating catching the girlfriend in bed with the boyfriend.

The killer did not find his girlfriend in bed with a lover, but the topic came up and a screaming fight ensured. The killer, in a rage, used a large knife to stab the victim 33 times.

This motive came out in the course of the investigation and revealed the repeated stabbing; the overkill with the knife was a statement of sexual power over the victim.

It is this experience and my research on the actions and thought patterns and beliefs of the incel community that leads me to believe these killings in Idaho are also incel-related. Time and evidence will tell.

The Idaho suspected killer (he is charged with the murders), used a large knife to repeatedly stab the victims, three of whom were attractive young women, with one being a male who was in bed with one of the women. The Idaho suspect was reported to be very awkward with women and was teased by women when he was in high school.The reports of his other behaviors have not been revealed yet, but a picture is starting to come together.

These facts all combined give indication that incel actions are involved in this case.

For all of us in law enforcement who investigate crime, this tells us clearly that we must consider this rising concern of incel crime as we look at incidents going forward.

Joseph Pangaro is a 27-year veteran of law enforcement. He retired in 2013 at the rank of Lieutenant and currently serves as the Director of School Safety and Security for a large school district in NJ. He is also the owner of Pangaro Training and Management, a company that provides training to the public and private sector on a host of topics. Email: JPangaro@Yahoo.com

“It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be”

“It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be”
By: Anthony Mikatarian

As you get more experienced in life, your learning curve gets more developed as well. You realize and truly appreciate the real values in life and become better at diagnosing and discarding the smoke and mirror imposters. One aspect of life that I would like to discuss is both understanding and appreciating your self-worth. This topic has been weighing heavy on my heart lately because I have recently seen an abundance of egregious character and personal attacks by negative and scrupulous outside forces against too many of my associates, loved ones and even myself. This has caused such things as humiliation, confusion, hypocrisy, disappointment and at times plausible anger.

All through your adolescence and through a good portion of your adulthood, we as humans spend an abundant amount of time and energy seeking approval by everyone (fitting in). When I say everyone, I mean our families, friends, associates, colleagues, strangers and even from the unsavory types. This can lead to you losing your way and yourself. I know this from experience. As I grow wiser in my years, I learned the simple recipe to getting back on track has always been there, but I was blinded by the fraudulent smoke and mirrors. For me, it starts with honoring God and your family (loved ones). Throughout your life, you will find yourself under attack and will face incredible challenges. There will be people who will intentionally and even unintentionally try to break you and your family down, discredit you, humiliate you and will exhaust all measures to shatter your self-worth. What I have learned about these types of people is that yes, some of them are just rotten apples and jealous. However, I feel most of these people are lost in the smoke and mirror trap set upon them by others. I’ve noticed many of them are unhappy in their own lives and will focus their negative energy on others.

Through my own experiences of trials, errors and all types of disappointments, I found that learning to devote myself to God and my family is all that is needed. I’ve learned to ask myself only three major questions before I do anything. They are: What would God do? What would select loved ones do? What will my children think? Asking and answering these questions in my mind has done wonders for me in cancelling out the many different types of noises and distractions. These questions help me to positively focus on my self-worth, my honor and my decision-making. You will walk away feeling proud even when you are getting attacked by negative, misguided forces trying to convince you otherwise. “It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be.” – Virgil. Stay true to yourselves brothers and sisters! God Bless…

Anthony Mikatarian has been a police officer for 22 years of service. He is currently assigned to patrol in a northern NJ municipality. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I., and another degree in Mortuary Science from the American Academy McAllister Institute in New York City.

School Resource Officers: ‘Momma Bear’ and the Human Rights Approach

School Resource Officers: ‘Momma Bear’ and the Human Rights Approach
By: Peter Marina, Ph.D.

Many people ask why children cause so many problems for adults. But with juvenile arrest rates so high, maybe we need to ask why adults cause so many problems for children.

Police don’t choose to put kids in cages — it is a spineless act that society forces upon them. It’s part of the larger cowardly practice of a society that uses police to solve structural problems embedded in institutional contradictions, like pervasive relative deprivation rooted in social inequality, unequal access to housing, high costs of health care and exclusion from profitable sectors of the economy. The United States government criminalized our children and made them a police problem instead of solving the real root problems children face.

The privileged elite’s answer to defund police (but only when they are not put in danger) not only exacerbates the problem but also purposefully scapegoats police and ignores the real problems young people face in an increasingly troubled social world.

Actions to defund School Resource Officers (SROs) take away important resources from kids who look for mentors and “old heads” to guide them to make positive life choices. Either these privileged elites are too lazy to conduct their own research about SROs, willfully ignorant or virtue signalers hoping to advance their careers.

I developed and teach a human rights policing course to undergraduate students in Wisconsin, but this course looks much different than my better-known Human Rights Policing Certificate Program offered to law enforcement professionals. I’m a professor in La Crosse, WI, the cultural hub of the driftless region, which at one time held one of the highest juvenile arrest rates in the United States. My university students conducted community-engaged research projects with community organizations and members on policing and human rights.

One group of students worked with SROs. Like me, those students were skeptical about having people with guns and arresting power in schools where learning purportedly takes place. The concept seems, at first, absurd. Of course, arresting or putting children in jail is absurd. I've worked in juvenile jails in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood where Mike Tyson learned how to fight, and I found that if you want to create violent, aggressive adults, the best thing to do is arrest children and put them in jail. Only a sick, demented society arrests and incarcerates children.

Despite our skepticism, we kept an open mind.

What we found surprised us.

The La Crosse School Board threatened to cut the funding of SROs. But they did not, to my knowledge, do their due diligence and go into the schools to qualitatively research the impact of SROs on kids — unwise practice. My students did the hard work for them.They conducted extensive ethnographic research in the schools on the impact of SROs. Here is one of their findings:

Through interviews, literature reviews, and local news updates, our research group discovered that the SRO program in La Crosse has become a political matter. Although we found that SROs in the La Crosse School District are playing a positive role as a mentor and protector and adequately implementing human rights policing by avoiding citations and suspensions, the La Crosse School Board and members of the School Resource Officer Advisory Committee in La Crosse believe that the SRO program provides little benefit to students due to an increase in juvenile arrest rates and an increase in suspensions and hopes to cut down on the number of police officers in schools.

They also found the SROs who protected and nurtured students, and who backed the students over administration and even some teachers, were the most supportive role models.

One SRO, who we dubbed "Momma Bear" in class, defended her students from arrests and citations. Momma Bear protected her students from people who wanted officers to punish students and introduce them into the juvenile justice system. She served as a role model, defended the students, advocated on their behalf, cried with them, loved them, listened to their stories, allowed herself to become vulnerable to them and gave them her heart and soul. She didn't follow the social script of the job. Rather, she utilized her agency and invented her own script to better serve students and to protect their enjoyment of human rights.

And guess what? The La Crosse School Board recommended cutting the funding, spreading Momma Bear too thin across too many schools. The students lost an advocate, a friend, a resource, and an essential support network.

My students and I changed our minds about SROs. We now believe that only highly specialized, trained, genuine and empathetic people should become SROs. They need human rights training, among other things, and to receive all the necessary resources to be student advocates, to serve that Momma Bear role. Their main function should be, to the greatest extent legally possible, to make sure that all children enjoy the human rights that belong to them and to defend those rights from people (e.g., teachers, parents, or administrators) who want to prevent them from enjoying them. What's more, these SROs need more funding and higher pay to defend and advocate for these students who need genuine Momma Bear resources now more than ever.

For those concerned with race, cutting SROs is not the answer to disproportionate racial disparities in arrest rates. That only takes away resources from students. Rather, transforming police officers in our schools into student human rights protectors helps protect students of every race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

Let’s stop arresting kids, and instead, transform highly trained police officers to protect their human rights and help set them on a positive path in life.

A human rights approach to policing is the best path forward.

Dr. Peter Marina is a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Along with his father, (retired) Lieutenant Pedro Marina, he teaches human rights policing to law enforcement professionals throughout the United States. He is author of the Human Rights Policing: Reimagining Law Enforcement in the 21st Century with Routledge Press (2022).

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From proactive, to reactive, to inactive?

From proactive, to reactive, to inactive?
By: Kirk Lawless 

Lots of folks use the term “It’s like the wild west, out here” referring to violent crime in America. Foreigners say it way too much. If they only knew how bad things really were here in the United States, the “Wild West” would look like a church picnic in comparison.

Here in “Murder City” St. Louis (we swap 1st place with New Orleans; Chicago may shoot more folks, but here we are keener on sight alignment and that is why our homicide record is so high).

Our streets have been terrifying for years, and since Officer Darren Wilson back in 2014, things have spiraled out of control, to the point the criminals have been empowered to (for the most part) do their dirt without interference from the police. Meanwhile, most administrators hide in the police stations crying like rats eatin’ red onions.

The normal flow of new recruits coming on the job as the older road dogs go out the door upon retiring has been interrupted. The structured chain of command has also been interrupted, regardless of political favors does it make sense to have a two-year sergeant in charge of a platoon of coppers with 10, 15, or 20 years of experience? Similarly, does it make sense to have a two-year copper serving as a Field Training Officer? Seriously, that is one of the most important positions in a police department, and it comes with a lot of weight. But still, they pass on the talents of veteran officers to train the new cops and make the determination that they are ready to leave the nest and fly on their own. Crazy!

Policing has gone from proactive, to reactive and sadly, to inactive. My personal opinion is that skill training in police academies and FTOs with talent commensurate with years on the job being underutilized is a huge problem.

You have a shortage of folks who want to be the police, and when you find the ones that want the job and they’ll fit in a bag (uniform) that’s another cop on the street, regardless if they’re ready or not. The “dumbing down” of the pool of prospects certainly isn’t making matters better. Being able to read and write with some degree of intelligence used to be a prerequisite to becoming a cop. Some departments have taken to allowing candidates with felony records become cops (they certainly know the inside workings of the justice system).

When I am allowed access to academy recruits, I can tell with a degree of certainty which recruits will be good cops, mediocre cops and ones who are choosing the wrong profession.

I’ve learned that many have never been involved in as much as a fist fight or any type of physical confrontation. While that is certainly not a requirement, it neither hurts nor precludes someone from being “the cops.” The violence, use of force and self defense will be coming soon enough and the gaping maws of the criminal element if nothing else, is patient and lies in wait for fresh meat (you).

Some of the recruits are former service members who have been “in the shit, ” others are practitioners of various disciplines of martial arts such as jiu-jitsu (sometimes referred to as “murder yoga” or “the simple art of folding someone’s clothes while they are still wearing them.”) You would be well advised to seek out some additional training to add to your defensive tactics foundation.

We all refer to defensive this and defensive that, but given the current anti-police climate, trust me that you will be called on to perform offensive duties. You will be challenged. If you get bested by a bad guy, it empowers them to strap on the next cop, and the one after that until some grizzled veteran cop sends the mutt to the emergency room for stitches and/or broken bones and assorted boo boos. That is how reputations are cultivated. Although not a panacea to help you win street fights, it certainly doesn’t hurt to work in a jurisdiction where word on the streets is that, “The cops there don’t fucking play.”

You can bluff your way out of some confrontations, but always make good on your word. Maybe the bad guy is bigger and you think you’re going to get a beat down.

“Verbal Judo” can also include what I call “tactical swearing.” You don’t have to cuss out everyone you encounter, but on the occasion you cross paths with a former guest of the penitentiary, you might have to dial up the “Cuss O meter” (I just made that up) to a level they might understand. If you start with the “Sir, I don’t want to hurt you” or “Please don’t make me taze you,” you are already starting at a deficit and might considering sending this person the aforementioned invitation to beat your ass! You’ve empowered them and their aggression level will probably start to manifest itself.

A simple scenario, you’re the cops and you need to lock a guy up for trashing a bar and beating up the bouncers, backup is a few minutes away. The guy is already bloody and has an adrenaline boost. You can see tattoos on his face and hands and arms of the “I’ve been in prison for a hot minute.” Do you think he’s going to obey your verbal command to submit to arrest if you start with the empathy and sir this, and sir that? Please don’t make me hit you with my baton, taze you, hurt your feelings, or put my hand on my gun in an attempt to intimidate you? Probably not going to happen, tiger. Along the lines of,

“You’re under arrest. Get on the ground. Do it now.”

“F**k you!” (non compliant)

“No, f**k you. Get on the ground or you’re going to meet my nightstick.”

Now, you’re in a quandary. If he doesn’t comply and you don’t put the stick to him, you should go ahead and address that envelope and put a stamp on it, as you have invited him to “visit” violence on you. If he doesn’t comply and you feel he is worthy of receiving a taste of your nightstick, swing away (don’t hit him in the head). If you let him get away with it with you, remember the next cop that he crosses paths with? You can work on your own street creds and those of your department at the same time by not playing. My golden rule was/is, “I’m only going to tell you once” if non-compliant, magical things happen. You will take some hits in the process, but it’s really not personal, it’s the business of the streets.

So there are many factors to consider, unless of course, there is gunplay. Tell them one time “Drop it” or “Drop it or I will shoot you.” If they do not drop it (you can be the timekeeper here) fast enough, you better shoot them before they start trying to make your torso look like a giant block of Swiss cheese.

You may never have to shoot at someone (you missed) or shoot someone (but you might) but the statistics are low that you will, somewhere in the area of .001 (.00087 really)%.

Always remember your training, hone your skills, write damned good police reports and use your pen for notes, not invitations to kick your ass! Of course follow the laws in your state and make sure everything you do is legal.

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.

‘Broken Windows’ a Smashing Success

‘Broken Windows’ a Smashing Success
By Bernard Kerik

Policy that cracked down on petty vandalism led to huge reductions in more serious crimes.

Ask cops on the beat and they’ll tell you keeping the peace on the streets isn’t rocket science.

In fact, criminologist George L. Kelling mapped out what it takes over four decades ago.

Kelling and fellow professor James Q. Wilson, writing in a 1982 article in Atlantic magazine, argued that authorities were too slow to address petty vandalism and “non-violent” crimes. Those infractions might seem minor, Kelling wrote, but they disrupted community life and set the stage for the more serious crimes.

“Just one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares,” they wrote. And with that, the “Broken Windows” theory of policing was born.

Kelling’s field studies in Newark, N.J., and Kansas City, Mo., rebuffed the progressive-liberal notion that “minor,” and “victimless” crime that  supposedly hurts no one - drug dealing, illegal gambling, vagrancy, and prostitution could simply be ignored.

Kelling argued such selective law enforcement drove law-abiding citizens from public spaces like parks, street corners, and gathering places, and handed them over to those engaged in begging, graffiti, vandalism, jaywalking, fare evading, and public drunkenness.

And from there the criminal elements only got worse setting off a downward spiral of chaos and disorder.

New York City leaders, desperate to take back their streets, decided to give the broken windows theory a try.

A 1984-1989 experiment by the New York Mass Transit Authority reduced New York subway crime by eliminating subway car graffiti.

Next, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly put an end to the intimidating phenomenon “squeegee men” who panhandled by intrusively cleaning the windshields of cars stopped at traffic lights. The squeegee crackdown escalated when newly elected Mayor Rudy Giuliani took over in 1994.

Under Giuliani, Police Commissioner William Bratton unleashed Broken Windows policing across New York, cracking down on aggressive begging, prostitution, and even subway turnstile jumping - forms of vice that have all made a comeback in Gotham in recent years, along with violent crime.

Broken Windows went on to inform policing strategies from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. It has also gave rise to a whole genre of spinoff and ancillary theories - all of them imbued with the idea that focusing on low-level disorder reduced more serious crime.

Bratton would later remark that Kelling’s “Broken Windows” concept had “the most profound influence on American policing in the last 40 to 50 years.” - B.K.

Want to Defund Police … No Need, Just Repeal Qualified Immunity

Want to Defund Police … No Need, Just Repeal Qualified Immunity
By: Ken Dye

Qualified immunity is a type of legal immunity that shields police officers from harassment, distractions and liability when their duties are performed reasonably.

Specifically, qualified immunity protects a government official from lawsuits alleging that the official violated a plaintiff's rights, only allowing suits where officials violated a “clearly established” statutory or constitutional right. When determining whether a right was “clearly established,” courts consider whether a reasonable official would have known that the defendant’s conduct violated the plaintiff’s rights. Of important note, courts conducting this analysis apply the law that was in force at the time of the alleged violation, not the law in effect when the court considers the case.

Qualified immunity is not immunity from having to pay money damages, but immunity from having to go through the costs of a trial at all. Accordingly, courts must resolve qualified immunity issues as early in a case as possible, preferably before discovery.

Qualified immunity only applies to suits against government officials as individuals, not suits against the government for damages caused by the officials’ actions.

After the Michael Brown Jr. incident in Ferguson, MO and the death of George Floyd the hue and cry went up…”Cops have too much authority, cops kill over (insert your favorite three item number here) blacks every year.”

The media, spoon-fed the incidents, without delving into the facts. Yes, George Floyd’s death shouldn’t have happened… but it did. One must look into the actions by Mr. Floyd that brought a police response.

The Michael Brown Jr. incident was misreported by all media forms. Here’s a bulletin for you: “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” is a false narrative. Even the president and the AG knew this early on.

Knee-jerk politicians, in an effort to placate the loudest voices, eliminated qualified immunity. That, along with no-bail legislation, led to an alarming increase in crime.

Officers are leaving departments where they feel they have no protection against foolish and unnecessary lawsuits backed by a number of lawyers willing to take the case… in the interest of justice, of course.

Officers, concerned that they may be sued, stopped pro-active policing. Some refused to make arrests even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Why? Largely due to the lack of qualified immunity.

Maybe it’s time for the lawmakers to take another look at these unnecessary and burdensome laws that hamper the ability to “Serve and Protect.”

If not you better make friends with criminals.

Ken Dye is the author of five books about crime, cops and bad guys in the St. Louis area. He blogs under “Cops Perspective” and has over 20,000 followers. Ken served with the St. Louis County Police Department for 13 years and finished his LE career with the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority as the administrator for the statewide MEG’s and Narcotics Task Forces.

Whose Side Are They On?

Whose Side Are They On?
By: Joel E. Gordon

I am increasingly feeling as though trust in the federal government and its agencies is like trying to hold on to the debunked once common belief that the earth is flat.

In 1992, Congress passed the JFK Records Act mandating the release of ALL documents relevant to his assassination by 2017. It’s now five years past the deadline and 3% of the documents are still secret. What could be so bad that they still refuse to provide transparency and tell us the truth?

Could it be that in his book They Killed our President Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty, the former CIA operative known as “X,” has valid belief in federal law enforcement involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy? His theories were the basis for Oliver Stone’s controversial movie JFK, where it suggests a coup d'état at the highest levels of government, revealing the elite power base he believes controlled the U.S. government, implicating members of the CIA, the Mafia, the military-industrial complex, Secret Service, FBI and Kennedy's vice-president and then president Lyndon Baines Johnson as either co-conspirators or as having motives to cover up the truth of the assassination.

In his book, Colonel Prouty backs this belief up with his knowledge of the security arrangements at Dallas and other tidbits that only a CIA insider would know (for example, that every member of Kennedy’s cabinet was abroad at the time of Kennedy’s assassination).

Fast forward to our current era of skepticism over the veracity and motives of current Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice. Is there truly a “Deep-State” elite power base controlling the U.S. government? Does what once seemed implausible both past and present now seem to be even more likely?

For example, the United States Secret Service has repeatedly changed its position about whether it is in possession of records related to the investigation of Hunter Biden’s gun, reportedly disposed of in a dumpster in Delaware. The Secret Service suddenly said it now located over 100 records, totaling over 400 pages.

“The Secret Service’s changing story on records raises additional questions about its role in the Hunter Biden gun incident. One thing is clear, Judicial Watch’s persistence means the public may get records that the Secret Service suggested didn’t exist,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Now, the Secret Service is still maintaining it has no record of visitors to President Biden’s Rehoboth Beach Delaware home? Under what circumstances will they be forced to come clean on that issue which cannot be truthful in the absence of gross incompetence?

I remain curious as to the justification of the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago residence over alleged concerns over ‘sensitive’ documents while the property was being protected by the Secret Service. Is it the position of the FBI that the Secret Service was incapable of safeguarding property or maintaining logs of activity?

And what about the 51 former intelligence officials who sounded the false alarm of “Russian interference?”  Using the institutional weight of their former roles affording them security clearances, they signed the disingenuous letter to apparently attempt to bolster the past FBI false hypothesis claiming that material from Hunter Biden’s laptop published by the New York Post “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

The Department of Justice and FBI actions pertaining to investigation of President Donald Trump are well documented (FISA abuses, Christopher Steele dossier, etc.) and are ongoing as the search for criminal culpability continues even when based upon debunked ‘evidence’ or potential ‘fruits of the poisonous tree.’ Some of the current ongoing investigations:

·         The DOJ’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation

·         The Justice Department investigation into January 6

·         The Georgia election investigation

·         The congressional Trump tax reviews

Despite past and the numerous already active investigations, in addition to the DOJ appointment of a special counsel, the Jan. 6 select House committee voted to refer former President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation and potential prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The criminal referral of Trump accuses him of obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the government and inciting or assisting an insurrection.

EQUITY: The quality of being fair and impartial

As many obvious criminal actions go unpunished, many times without prosecution, others are targeted looking for charges that could be brought. Is it any wonder that the American public has understandably lost faith in equal treatment and application of the law?

In a culture currently being consumed over EQUITY, where is the justification for these and other actions?

Is collusion to suppress truth at unprecedented levels? Can the DOJ, NSA, CIA, DHS, Secret Service, FBI and other government agencies be trusted? Is the revelation of accusations of corruption at our highest levels of government clear and convincing to you as being exposed through the Twitter Files and elsewhere? Are the right individuals in charge to protect our freedoms and live up to their sworn obligation to adhere to our Constitution and Bill of Rights? Who is really in charge? You decide.

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

TRIBUTE - THE MAN: Football Legend Franco Harris

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I was nine years old when Franco caught the Immaculate Reception. I was just becoming a football fan, just learning the game, from my dad and my coaches. I really enjoyed watching football, especially with my dad, but I loved playing it even more. When I played, I was always number 32 or later, number 58.

I thought I remembered watching the Immaculate Reception game, but it was not on local TV. Was it a rebroadcast I watched? It’s a highlight that I have now seen probably a thousand times. I no longer remember, but it was a great day that my dad and I talked about for many years.

Even with all the great athletes who came through Pittsburgh during my childhood, I never really considered athletes role models. Well, maybe a few. Roberto. Mario. Franco was one of those. Funny how these great men are known by just one name!

There certainly were other people I would prefer my kids look up to. First and foremost, teachers, military, coaches, leaders, my brothers and sisters in law enforcement.

Flash forward about 36 years after the Immaculate Reception. Hannah was among the leaders in middle school; academically, athletically, voluntary community involvement… a leader. One day, the principal called me. I was PTA president at the time. She told me that a group of the top students were being taken to a county program to be recognized, and Franco was going to be a keynote speaker. She asked if I would like to accompany them. I was not needed, but she thought I might enjoy it. Of course I would like to go!

I sat through the program. I can no longer remember what was said, but afterward, the small group of Greensburg Salem middle school students had a chat session with Franco. I told him my dad was Italian and absolutely love him and Franco's Italian Army. I was wearing a PSP shirt. Franco saw it and asked about it. I told him I was a trooper. He asked my name. Franco Harris wanted to know my name! He thought it was cool that I was a trooper. He was sincere. He asked a lot of questions about it, about stuff troopers do, about things I had done. He asked the kids if they knew "Mr. Gabriel." Most of them nodded their heads. The principal told him that I was PTA president and most of the kids knew me because I was fairly active in the school. He laughed at that. He said he didn't remember ever meeting a dad who was a PTA president. He said that was "cool" too. He seemed to like the word "cool."

He asked if one of the kids was mine, and Hannah raised her hand. He talked to her specifically and addressed the rest of the kids. What he said to them blew me away. He told them that a lot of kids look up to athletes and celebrities, but "Mr. Gabriel is a hero. That ALL police officers are heroes, that all people that do things for kids are heroes." These were his exact words. Man, I could have cried. I probably did. He asked if I could join him for a picture that one of his people took.

Franco Harris was not just a great athlete, not just a once-in-a-lifetime Hall of Famer, he was a great man. I will remember his kind words for the rest of MY life.

Thank you for that Franco. Rest in Peace.

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.

Get the best version of you

Get the best version of you
By: Monica Eaton

Anxiety and overwhelm are real. The headaches, the chest pain, the fatigue. It’s all very real and valid. But in today’s world, it’s often overlooked. We continue to power through, telling ourselves it’ll get better, but yet we fail to rest.

An injury forces you to rest, causing so much physical pain we can’t use that body part much until it’s healed. Most of us know all too well that if we push through the pain of the physical injury healing is disrupted and delayed.

The mental health side is no different. When is the last time you prioritized yourself? As first responders, we often put everyone’s needs before our own.

We save lives and put criminals in jail. We fear calling in sick for work when we know it affects our co-workers and being short-staffed. We don’t take the rest day we need because laundry and other chores need to be done. We don’t work out or make time to cook food and eat well because somehow, with everything else, we just don’t have time to.

We don’t make time for ourselves because somehow all of those things take priority over our own well-being. These “selfless” acts are what put us into the hamster wheel of fatigue, irritability, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, anxiety, and so on.

Caring for everyone else instead of ourselves isn’t so selfless when it puts us in the hospital or in the ground earlier than we had planned because our family, friends, and coworkers depend on us.

Instead of putting everyone and everything first, choose you. Make time for the gym. Make time for sleep. Make time for family. Make time to cook. Make time for your hobbies and other things you enjoy doing.

Know that it is OK to lighten your load to tackle the chores and commitments until you can handle them again.

It is OK to lighten your workout for a walk, yoga, or stretching.

It is OK to take a nap.

It is OK to ask for help.

You are not alone in your struggles. Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

Listen to yourself. Listen to your body. Take the rest day.

The minute you choose to prioritize yourself is the very minute you, and everyone else, benefits from getting the best version of you.

Don’t wait. Start now.

Monica Eaton is the owner/CEO of Five-0 Fierce and Fit which creates online nutrition and fitness programs designed to help female first responders lose fat, gain strength and take back their confidence in 90 days because “your family depends on you to be fit for duty.” Using her six-year Oklahoma law enforcement experience along with her 15-year background in fitness and nutrition she helps female first responders reach their full potential in life and career. Look her up on Instagram @five0.fierce.and.fit

IT IS BEYOND TIME FOR TWO-SIDED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COPS

IT IS BEYOND TIME FOR TWO-SIDED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COPS
By: Deon Joseph (Excerpted from two essays)

When you are an honest man, you sometimes can’t win with some people especially when I try to explain police work to folks.

I know I would be one of the most popular cops in the nation if I just tell millions who have been primed to see all cops in the negative exactly what they want to hear. That for 25 years, all I saw was racism and brutality.

I know my circles would increase. I’d be embraced by activists, celebrities and be speaking on every college campus in the nation. All I have to do is throw 800,000 men and women under the bus. I’m the right color; I’m on one of the largest departments in the nation… But I can’t do that because I’d be lying.

If I don’t tell the aforementioned groups what they want to hear, then I’m considered brainwashed or that I have a blind spot to when officers cross the line (when I’ve actually reported misconduct by officers).

So instead of trying to please everyone, I’m just going to continue to always tell the truth. And that truth is the reason many have trouble seeing the honorable rule of cops: because there are too many powerful groups with a vested interest in hyper-focusing on the negative exception.

These groups know the truth, but showing the honorable rule doesn’t bring… “Change;” a change that so far resembles a rolling dumpster fire. It’s not going to get better before it gets worse. It’s just going to get worse. It’s time for journalists, political figures, educators, entertainers and other critics benefiting from the divide between cops and communities to stop and take a look at the fruits of their labor over the last few years and start telling the truth and to begin providing a sense of balance.

            • That most cops aren’t racist.

            • Most cops aren’t brutes.

            • Most cops don’t ever want to take a life.

            • That disparity does not always equate to bias.

            • That we are not saturating communities because of color… but because of the high level of death and violence.

I was asked by a curious young Black woman how I can be a cop in today’s times. She also asked why things are so dangerous as it relates to crime. She admitted at one time in her young life she wanted to be a cop, but based on societal pressures and her criminal justice professor, she was afraid to. She was cordial and open, so I engaged her. We sat down and I asked her, “How could you not be a police officer?” She was puzzled by my question.

We had a great discussion about my career versus how police work is portrayed unfairly. At one point I then explained to her something my father told me: “If you believe there is a problem somewhere, and do nothing to try to change it, then it becomes an excuse.” I explained to her that her angst against becoming a police officer was preventing her from being the hero her community needed. When we were done, she said that I helped push her closer to her decision.

To my LEO friends; there is a reason they don’t want us talking to people at colleges or on high school campuses. If they can’t completely defund the police, they can deplete it through negative indoctrination and propaganda against the police. If we don’t become bold and fight our way back at the table on the issues of policing, in a few years, there will be no one to police the streets of our nation. That’s the madness the other side wants.

If you actually have a conversation with the average cop, you will discover that. I think it’s time for two-sided conversations again. It’s time to humanize each other and be honest. To put down our polarized views and be open to realities we haven’t been exposed to. We have to start speaking up. You don’t have to be a police chief, captain or union rep to do that. Speak up. The future of safety in America is depending on it.

It could actually save lives. Because this anti-police movement is killing people.

Deon Joseph is a 27 year veteran of law enforcement in Southern California - 23 of those years working in the homeless community to create an environment conducive to change for those in recovery, as a Lead Officer. He’s been recognized for his work locally and nationally, and news stories and documentaries surrounding his work in crime fighting and community relations, featured him. www.deonjoseph.org

What the hell happened to ‘our’ FBI?

What the hell happened to ‘our’ FBI?
By: Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.)

Over the last three decades, I remember several of my department’s lieutenants going to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Not only were these men honored to go, but it looked great on their resume for future options and promotions. To attend, arguably, the academy of the top law enforcement agency in the world, was definitely a highlight in their careers. So how did the FBI come off its rails and get so politicized, weaponized even, to do the bidding of “the far left?”

I think that we all noticed how blatant the problem became during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle. The Clintons were always embroiled in one scandal or another, so it was no surprise to many of us that Hillary, the former secretary of state, was accused of destroying some 33,000 emails and having a government server with classified information in an offsite private storage room/closet. Scandals within the Obama administration were pilling on, including, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal targeting conservatives, the TEA Party and more. Any investigator with half a brain could tell you that she was destroying incriminating evidence with the use of “bleach bit” and a hammer. But alas, we all witnessed on national TV the cover-up by FBI director James Comey. Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok, (all eventually fired BTW) colluded and changed the wording of the law that Hillary violated, to make it plausible to infer that she didn’t actually commit a crime or, according to Comey, that no prosecutor would bring a case against her. Juxtapose this with the FBI’s unprecedented raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence over the summer of 2022.

Because we have witnessed so many atrocious acts committed by the FBI brass since 2016, I’ll try to stick with abbreviated versions for this relatively short article. There is a bright side, however, as many honest, mostly conservative, FBI whistleblowers are now coming forward to speak to our majority House Republicans about the high-level corruption. It always struck me as odd that while a very high percentage of law enforcement agencies across the country supported former President Donald Trump, the FBI would fight him tooth and nail, and even lie about him to keep him out of office. Trump is by far, the most pro-law enforcement president I’ve ever witnessed. Democrat politicians across the country actually seem pro-criminal, with their no-bail policies and light sentences for offenders. These ill-advised policies only get more police officers killed!

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller knew early on in his investigation that Trump never colluded with Russia, yet went along with the charade. Why? We know this today from the Michael Horowitz report, AG William Barr statements and the Durham investigation. Not only did the FBI lie to the FISA court when applying for the warrants against the Trump campaign, but top agents purposely left out all exculpatory evidence showing that Trump, Flynn, Carter Page, et.al. weren’t guilty of anything. FBI agent Peter Strzok seemed to act with the most malice toward then-candidate Trump, ensuring his girlfriend Lisa Page that Trump would never be elected and there was an “insurance policy” to ensure just that. He was apparently talking about the disgraceful and totally unverified “Steele Dossier.” Today, we know that the FBI told Christopher Steele, an unreliable informant, that it would pay him one million dollars if he could verify its contents; which he never could. And we all know that there is so much more to this sinister story. The lies that came out of the Russian Hoax were repeated for years during Trump’s presidency. Even former CIA Director Brennan told CNN that Trump was probably an “agent” of the Russian government without a shred of proof. All of this vicious slander certainly led to Trump’s demise.

For years, the FBI would go after associates of Donald Trump. Who can forget the embarrassing raid on Roger Stone’s home in the pre-dawn hours? I actually felt bad for the FBI SWAT team that was ordered to treat a 65-year-old accused of a white-collar crime like a notorious armed drug dealer. They even called CNN to tell them about this dog and pony show beforehand.  Those highly trained agents must have been mortified. The Justice Department could’ve told Stone’s lawyer to have him turn himself in at the Federal Building, as was normal protocol for anyone else under the same circumstances.

Thanks to Elon Musk, and his purchase of Twitter, we’re finding out more about the FBI’s machinations. They actually paid Twitter, and probably Facebook, to suppress free speech about Hunter Biden, and so much more. I mean; who are these people? Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Twitter was paid to squash any information about Hunter Biden and his laptop. I’m so glad that Hunter, the smartest man that President Biden knows, according to him, is bringing to light the corruption of the Biden family, due to his incompetence. The New York Post story about the laptop was again said to be a product of Russia, and their disinformation campaign. 50 former agents and even CIA personnel signed a letter for Joe Biden and the DNC confirming same only weeks before Election Day, and the liberal media ran with it. Polls show that if the Biden laptop story wasn’t suppressed by the FBI, Donald Trump would’ve won a second term.

So here we are today in 2023 with Republicans in charge of all investigations in the House, and we need answers! How did a “crack addict” like Hunter Biden make millions from Ukraine and China in businesses he knew nothing about? And how crazy is it that Donald Trump got impeached for trying to get to the bottom of this?  How and why did Hunter get a seat so often on Air Force Two to China and Eastern Europe when his father was vice-president? Who’s the “Big Guy” who always got a 10% cut on multimillion-dollar deals? Is the FBI going to finally bring charges against Hunter for lying on a gun permit in addition to related crimes? Could you image if Hunter was Don Jr. or Eric Trump? Incredible! So why after receiving the incriminating laptop over two years ago, is the FBI still trying to cover it up? Will we ever get the truth about what really happened on January 6th? Why would the FBI target conservative parents at school board meetings?  For that and more… stay tuned!

Pat Ciser is a retired lieutenant from the Clifton Police Department, and a 7th Degree Black Belt. He was a member of 5 U.S. Karate Teams, winning gold medals in South America and Europe. He is the Author of BUDO and the BADGE; Exploits of a Jersey Cop (BN.com/Amazon), and is a guest writer for Official Karate Magazine.

Transportation Saves Lives

Transportation Saves Lives
By: Michael Boll

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For the last few years, the New Jersey Veterans Network (NJVN) has grown to a full-time charity that provides life-changing and life-saving resources.  Nearly every day, the NJVN is conducting numerous charitable pickups and drop-offs throughout the state of New Jersey. To accomplish our vital and important missions, we rely on using our trucks and vans.  The NJVN fleet is small, and all the vehicles are used, but they are able to deliver because of both of our team board members. Adam Rempfer, owner of DeFalco's Towing, and Joseph O'Neill, owner of Benner's Auto.  Not only have these two men always played a major role with the NJVN day-to-day operations, they have helped countless people in need.

Adam Rempfer, owner of DeFalco's Towing and Auto Body, joined our team after his shop donated a refurbished car to a disabled veteran.  For years, Adam and DeFalco's have been donating cars to people in need and hosting various charity events.  Also, they have contributed huge financial donations to the Law Enforcement Unity Tour and NJ State Police.  Now, Adam is a NJVN board member and has graciously taken on all the NJVN vehicle repair and maintenance.  However, Adam and DeFalco's generosity doesn't stop there; they have hosted and sponsored numerous events at our VA hospitals and veteran shelters.

Joseph O'Neill, owner of Benner's Auto Body, was a board member of the NABC Charity Cars, and a few years ago he contacted the NJVN about donating several refurbished cars to our veterans.  After working with Joe and Benner's Auto and seeing what an incredible job they did, we asked him to join the NJVN team.  For a long time, Joe and Benner's have been helping people who were desperately in need, and they have hosted different types of charitable events and galas.  Joe is also a cancer survivor and has done a tremendous job raising and providing large financial donations to fight cancer and fund cancer research.  Recently, Joe and Benner's Auto have taken on NJVN vehicle care and maintenance.

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Every day, the NJVN is providing resources to veterans in need, and now we know there is nothing stopping us from completing our mission because of amazing men like Joe O'Neill and Adam Rempfer.  Each of them has always put others first and loves being able to help our veterans live a better way of life.

If you would like to join the team, please send us an email at NJVN1775@gmail.com and be sure to include your name, email, and phone number. 

Check out more of our accomplishments at our website: NJVN.org 

Help us save Vets!

Michael D. Boll is a retired police sergeant in NJ. He previously served as a United States Marine and is a Gulf War veteran. He is the founder of Operation Rebound Racing Team, a nonprofit organization that helps wounded veterans and first responders enjoy a better quality of life.

A TIME TO KNEEL

A TIME TO KNEEL
By: Chris Amos

At this writing, 24-year-old Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin is in stable but critical condition at a hospital in Cincinnati, following a hit in a “Monday Night Football” game against the Bengals. Medical staff worked on Hamlin for several minutes on the field before transporting him to the hospital. The Bills reported he suffered cardiac arrest following the hit. Thank God, professional help was only yards away. Lord willing, at the time you read this, we will have heard the great news of Damar’s release from the hospital and prognosis of a full recovery, with or without football in his future.

This incident should once again remind us of just how fragile life is. Like a morning mist, it’s here and then just that quickly it’s gone.

I tuned in to ESPN Tuesday morning for any updates concerning Damar’s condition. Having nothing new to report on that front, the many talking heads repeatedly emphasized how difficult this incident was on Damar’s teammates and fellow NFL players. I heard several state they had never experienced anything like this during their careers. There was agreement across the board that any expectation that the game could resume was ludicrous. After all, many said, and rightly so, football was a game, a multibillion-dollar game, but a game nonetheless. The belief that Damar’s teammates could be mentally ready to re-engage in a game of controlled collisions and violence after having witnessed medical personnel fight to save a young man, a friend, an NFL brother’s life, was ridiculous. It wasn’t going to happen. End of story.

I agree 100% with what the anchors, former players, coaches, doctors and everyone else had to say. Damar’s life and health was of far greater importance than the #1 seed in the AFC or anything else NFL-related. One analyst reminded the audience: The next time a member of your fantasy team doesn’t produce, or a player on your favorite team underperforms, think twice before you lash out at them on social media. These are men who have given their lives in pursuit of their dreams. They do the best they can, and have the broken bones, the nicks, the bruises, the concussions, and the like to prove their willingness and desire to give everything they have for the team, their teammates, their community. So how about cutting them some slack?

The irony of this moment is that many of these sharing their heartfelt sentiments in support of Damar specifically, but the NFL in general, were so quick to throw another group of men and women under the bus in 2020. Who might that group be? The men and women of law enforcement who have given their lives while also in pursuit of their dreams. They do the best they can, and have the broken bones, the nicks, the bruises, the concussions and the like to prove their willingness and desire to give everything they have for the team, their teammates, their community. These are men and women who have stood over injured teammates. For many they have, tragically, had to place sheets over their lifeless teammate’s bodies. In fact, just 5½ hours before Damar’s medical emergency, one such teammate was shot in the head and killed, his teammate was wounded. His name was Justin McIntire.

In 2014, I stood by a dear friend and teammate and watched as surgeons cracked his chest and began to manually massage his heart in a desperate attempt to save his life. They were unsuccessful. I watched as my friend’s teammates arrived at the emergency room and once news of his tragic death spread, many of those teammates went back to work. Others were never able to respond to the hospital as they remained working at the very scene where two of their teammates were shot, one fatally.

I would simply ask of those who have platforms like ESPN and others, the next time a police officer doesn’t perform as expected or even required by law, please, please, please do not be so quick to attack an entire vocation because of the actions of a few. The next time you encounter a police officer who seems to be dismissive or indifferent, perhaps maybe just maybe, he or she just left the scene in which one of their teammates was seriously injured or worse. I think this world would be a much better place to live in if we all practiced the art of giving each other some slack.

As for Damar Hamlin, here’s to praying he is touched by the great physician, Jesus Christ, and makes a speedy and full recovery.

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.

MANAGING EDITOR’S POINT OF VIEW

MANAGING EDITOR’S POINT OF VIEW

Have you ever stopped to think about what human traits are best in a law enforcement officer? Besides the obvious compassion, even temperament and desire to help others, perhaps one of the most important traits in anyone tasked to patrol our communities and perform investigations is that of curiosity.

Curiosity is often followed by answers and solutions. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret.” It does not go unnoticed that a common thread in finding solutions exists in individuals who are willing to examine contrarian views and are curious as to the hows, whys and wherefores of the world around us.

BLUE Magazine writers have consistently exhibited these traits while providing insights and solutions to many of the problems which surround us. Look at any issue of our magazine and you will find great content that is multi-faceted: exploratory, enlightening, entertaining and beneficial.

During my career as a law enforcement officer and chief of police, back in my day, top of mind awareness was given to officer safety. The goal was to police to the best of our ability, and at the end of each tour of duty and assignment get to go home in harmless fashion. This is, of course, often a tall order.

In this issue, Chief Ron Camacho explores the missing piece to overcoming resistance to change by Developing Buy-in. Police Recruiting in Today’s Challenging Environment is examined by Ken Dye. And I discuss officer safety directly asking, “Who among us wouldn’t rather stand our ground than be put in the ground?” in my article UNDER ATTACK: Here, There and Everywhere.

The Moment of Silence and BLUE Magazine Blue Unity Night event, held this past September in warm and sunny Davie, Florida, served as reminder to each attendee of our individual worth and the fact that together in unity great achievements are not only possible but frequently can be had. Reach out… we are here for you just as you remain in support of others.

As the holiday season is upon us and a New Year looms on the horizon, let us reflect on the year that was and set our sights on a safe, goal-oriented 2023 ahead.

Joel E. Gordon
Managing Editor

A LIFE WELL LIVED: World War II Veteran and Retired Newark Police OfficerPhilip Alfano, Passes Away at 98

A LIFE WELL LIVED: World War II Veteran and Retired Newark Police OfficerPhilip Alfano, Passes Away at 98
by George Beck Jr. Ph.D.

The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

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This is who Philip Alfano, Jr. was; loved and respected as a man who was a giver, not a taker. In life, it is the everyday man who gives of himself for the betterment of others who leaves a legacy greater than any worldly riches or long-forgotten titles.

All too often, we are mistakenly fixated on fame and fortune — emulating supposed role models we see on television or sporting fields, only to be let down, shocked that somebody who had all the success the world could offer somehow messed it all up.

But what if everything we were led to believe about success was wrong? That it's not how much money is in your bank account, the car you drive, how many fans adore you or the title you hold; instead, the accurate measurement is determined by how you love, are loved and enjoy life to its fullest. Philip Alfano Jr.'s life is a prime example.

Philip Alfano Jr. grew up in North Newark, born in Jersey City on September 19, 1924, to the late Philip and Blanche (Conversano) Alfano. He lived a long life of good health, devoted his life to service, and inspired many of his children and grandchildren to seek vocations in public service. The Alfanos are legendary in Newark, mainly in the Fire Department, where generations of the Alfano family continue to protect and serve the city proudly.

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Early on, Alfano sought a life of public service. During World War II, he enlisted as a gunner on four U.S. Navy ships protecting fuel and supplies into Guam and Saipan — where the B-29s would launch and bomb Tokyo. The Navy took him all over the world and through hostile areas of the South Pacific, supporting the war effort as a 17-year-old kid from New Jersey.

While at a port in Portland, Oregon, in 1943, Alfano met his future bride of 74 years, Beryl. After the war, he'd return to Portland, and the happy couple would resettle in Newark, having seven children who grew into dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After the war, Alfano worked in a jewelry factory, got laid off, and at that time, had five children and needed steady employment. A friend on the Newark police force suggested he'd make a good officer and urged him to take the upcoming police exam.

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Alfano began his career in law enforcement in 1958 and spent the next decade working the radio car, making many arrests and risking his life in a city where eventually, the infamous riots would break out in 1967. Alfano was known at the Newark Police Department for his kindness and ability to help other officers see that although law enforcement is a complex and stressful profession, life both inside and outside of work is to be enjoyed and appreciated. During the eulogy at Alfano's funeral service, a former coworker remarked how even during some of the worst days, if you were paired with Alfano, somehow you ended up laughing.

Time spent with family is what Philip cherished most of all. He purchased a summer home at Culver's Lake, which was the heartbeat and gathering place for extended family and friends, and, where after 1982, he spent his retirement years, along with winters in Boynton Beach, FL.

Alfano understood that time was our most precious commodity. He enjoyed every year by dividing his time at Culver Lake in Branchville, NJ, and Boynton Beach, while also taking RV trips to national parks, cruises to the Caribbean and Canada, and vacationing at the Jersey shore. Years later, he was off with his wife Beryl to explore Italy, where he visited his parents' hometowns of Palomonte and Eboli, as he proudly had said, "We did it all!" The simple life brought Alfano great joy. He often shared meals and a glass of wine with family and friends, especially one of his signature dishes, linguini and clam sauce. He also took pride in his garden of rose bushes, fruit trees, basil plants and grape vines and loved making wine.

Every day Alfano woke up eager to enjoy the day — to savor the beauty and majesty of life. The pace was purposed, and he lived in the moment, always present with his thoughts and actions. He had many friends of all ages and was active until his last day on October 22, 2022.

It is truly an honor to have Alfano on the cover of Blue Magazine. He was a cherished friend of our publication and regularly attended events. His life was exemplary and inspiring as he had an entire beautiful life with many blessings. Alfano was able to see what was important in life and what was not. Even at 98, he was forward-thinking with a positive attitude, empathy and compassion for the many family and friends who visited him often.

He was our most significant role model and friend, and we hope that from his successful life, you see that the "little man" is actually the "big man" and that you adjust your life to live it so wonderfully as Alfano did.

Blue Magazine salutes Police Officer Phillip Alfano Jr. for his life of service, heroism and love. Rest in peace our dear friend. Your memory is an everlasting blessing to all whose lives you touched.

RED FLAG LAWS & UNFUNDED MANDATES: The Demand for More Never Ends

RED FLAG LAWS & UNFUNDED MANDATES: The Demand for More Never Ends
By: Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.

Red flag laws are impossible to effectively enforce. We within the justice system knew that when they were introduced. What most want in terms of crime and justice improvements won’t happen because of staffing and budget issues. But that won’t stop the endless, unrealistic demands. And people wonder why we don’t improve?

Most of what I read about crime and justice is from advocates demanding more. It will never change. There comes a point where I want to scream at everyone insisting on more services. “Fine,” is my answer. “Just get us the money. Just shut up unless you can provide the funds.” I say this while noting that 70 percent of what’s written about crime and justice would disappear overnight if you took new but unfunded initiatives off the table.

The federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an example. We decided to make our system of air transport safe. It took billions of dollars and 54,000 new employees. But it worked because we decided to fund and staff it correctly. Unless we are willing to make similar commitments (but on a much smaller scale), we are peeing into the wind.

We have an exodus of police officers leaving the job, yet every newspaper article I read addressing growing crime includes calls for more cops and more aggressive policing or specialized units focusing on everything from sex crimes to domestic violence to child welfare to speeders.

We are decades behind in DNA checks. Do you think we do this purposely?

We have about 14,000 officers leaving the job in recent years and thousands more are in the process of leaving. There are endless media stories of cities not being able to respond to basic 911 calls.

We demoralized every cop in the country through endless criticism (yes, some of it was justified) and the defund the police movement. We stereotyped a million police employees based on the illegal and unethical actions of a few, yet we want apprehensive cops taking on more difficult and dangerous tasks without sufficient staffing and funds? I don’t think that’s how it works.

Red Flag Laws and Unfunded Mandates

We all agree that people with mental health issues, especially those with a commitment to custody, shouldn’t have access to firearms. We all agree that felons, especially those with violent or domestic abuse histories, should not have guns.

Depending on how states define their laws and understanding that thousands get access to firearms because of limitations of FBI record checks, it creates hundreds of thousands of violators.

What’s the definition of mental illness? What happens if someone becomes stabilized? Is there an appeal process? Can the courts handle appeals while being years behind because of COVID? Do we have sufficient numbers of law enforcement officers to enforce it? There is nothing wrong with red flag laws beyond the fact that it’s impossible to make them work.

Much of the discussions on red flag laws attempts to deal with mass shooters, but the majority of them have no criminal history or history of mental illness.

Mass killers usually don’t have criminal records. Researchers at Columbia University analyzed 1,315 mass murders of all types worldwide between 1900 and 2019 and found that 20% of mass killers had histories of being subject to a restraining order, arrest or incarceration.

Several studies confirm that most shooters who kill four or more victims are not psychotic or hallucinatory and haven’t been treated for mental health problems. An analysis of Columbia University’s mass murder database shows that 11% of all mass murderers had serious mental illness - USA Today.

We attempt to “control” mass shootings with red flag laws knowing that the impact is negligible.

This isn’t a red flag story. It’s a rant about the unrealistic expectations of those demanding what we in the justice system cannot provide.

It applies to corrections. States can’t hire enough correctional officers. Thousands are leaving their jobs. Correctional officers are working endless amounts of overtime. National Guard interventions are possible. Critics want every conceivable program for inmates yet there are no additional funds. The federal First Step Act was doomed from the start. Parole and probation agents carry caseloads of 150-200 offenders or more.

Every one of us in the system fully understood that when red flag laws were introduced, they would never work sufficiently. Why? Because if fully enforced, there would be hundreds of thousands of people identified requiring an army of cops and civilian employees we don’t have to enforce the law. We don’t have the judicial or correctional or mental health capacities to deal with them. Hell, even the nation’s newer mental health hotline is woefully underfunded with unanswered calls.

Taking guns out of the hands of the mentally ill or people with violent histories? We endlessly beat up on cops, but we want them to do the risky stuff that will be the subject of tons of newspaper ink when the inevitable negative news story happens. Can you think of a more difficult or dangerous police mission unless it’s adequately staffed and funded?

Every one of us in the system shakes our heads at the renewed calls for proactive policing, the one modality with a proven research base (hundreds of studies) indicating that it reduces crime (there are no other proven initiatives) after years of being criticized for incidents that go south. What used to be routine is now in jeopardy because cops no longer trust politicians or the public. Do we have the person power to return to proactivity? No!

Spend one day looking at progressive digital publications or media reports and tally the costs of demanded police or correctional or judicial initiatives that cities or states don’t have a chance in Hades of providing.

No, we’re not going back to jury trials. We plea bargain 95 percent (after prosecutors drop 30 percent of cases) because we have no choice. No, we’re not going to provide college educations to inmates. We don’t have the money to provide basic correctional education services.

The worthiness of the project is irrelevant. The demand for more we don’t have never ends. By the way, most demanded initiatives have little to nothing in terms of independent research to support new expenditures. Advocates will swear they are effective and will save states money.

We within the justice system must hold ourselves accountable to politicians, the community and the media; it comes with the job. Yes, equal treatment under the law is what we pledge to do and and must do. We must do better.

But from my first day on the job to the last, we all understood that what people demand and what our person power and budgets allow is simply out of sync. It’s also impossible to provide 40 million yearly police contacts without mistakes.

Show me the money!!! The justice system won’t improve or give people what they want or need until we come to grips with that reality.

Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.is a retired federal senior spokesperson. A former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs - University of Maryland. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Past police officer. Aspiring drummer. Operator of CrimeinAmerica.net. His book based on thirty-five years of criminal justice public relations,” Success with the Media: Everything You Need to Survive Reporters and Your Organization” is available at Amazon and additional booksellers. He can also be found @ leonardsipes.com