Frustration, Disappointment, and Self-Assessment.

I know how ya feel, buddy.

Man, what a week.  I don't want to get too political on here, or add to the noise that is swarming on and on about the situation in Baltimore, but, I would feel remiss if I didn't say anything.

I work, and live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA.  I don't want to give my exact location, but it is safe to assume that where I work in effected by the happenings in Charm City.

I'm not going into specifics here, but as a nation, here is what we KNOW.

1) An individual was taken into police custody in the form of arrest.

2) The individual in question, was a black male.

3) The individual was placed into a "paddy wagon" or prisoner transport vehicle.

4) The officers on scene failed to seat-belt the individual.

5) At some point, the individual sustained an injury, and requested medical treatment.

6) Medical treatment was delayed.

7) The individual in custody dies as a result of an injury.

Those are the facts.  ALL of the reported facts.  Everything else is window dressing, and speculation provided by the media, special interest groups, and political figure heads.

As a result of a heated political and sociological climate, the citizens of Baltimore have rallied and had multiple protests.  While most are peaceful, certain individuals have taken it upon themselves to use the opportunity to spark violence, and civil unrest (read "RIOT").

As Police, what can we learn from this event?

I'm not the one to speak on lessons learned from the police response to the riot.  That will be studied by department heads across the nation in the coming months.

However, as a Patrolman, an FTO, and a senior officer, I think we should look at the incident that lead up to the in custody death.

1) There were 6 officers involved.  I know it's gotten cliche' but, "if you see something, say something" doesn't just apply to citizens calling us for terror tips.  We should communicate among each other during difficult arrests, and all calls for service.  If one or two of the officers saw something critical that the others didn't see, that needs to be communicated.

2) Refer to your training and procedures.  I don't know what might of went "wrong" in this arrest, but something tells me that it was out of the ordinary.  We need to be vigilant on doing things as dictated by our training, and procedures, especially when things break bad.  It was revealed that he wasn't buckled in.  What does your policy say about seat belts?  Find out, and follow it.

3) Do NOT deny timely access to medical treatment.  If a prisoner asks for medical treatment, I know it has become a stall tactic, and is a pain in the ass to deal with, but we MUST call for the medics IMMEDIATELY.  That takes the liability off of us.  If there is a medical need, it will be met.  If the prisoner refuses, then we at least tried to provide them the necessary service.  It was revealed that there was a delay in treatment.  Timely access to the medics may, or may not, have prevented the in custody death, but it would have been a more appropriate response.

4) If you are on scene, and the rules are not being followed, step up and make sure they are.  You don't have to be a Sgt, or a supervisor, to call someone out on an improper action.  If you are the most senior officer on scene, you are liable to ensure that those junior to you are acting in accordance to the rules.  Now, I'm not saying that you need to be a baby sergeant, but if someone is doing something immoral, illegal, against policy, or unsafe, and intervention needs to happen now, step up. If it's something that can wait, talk to them after the call, and get on the same page.

I'm not sure if someone in the group was grossly negligent, and if someone else saw something, and kept silent.  I'm hoping that it was just a freak occurrence that happened to end in tragedy.  But, if something could have been done, and it was up to you, can you look at yourself in the mirror knowing that you did not have the courage to stop it?

Again, I don't want this to be an article of assumption, but rather an article of reflection.  Are we, you, am I, doing everything we can to make sure that those entrusted in your custody are protected?  Are we making sure that our integrity is in check, and we are doing the right thing?

I have plenty of stories where taking a "short cut" has lead to disaster.  Some of them are mine.  So, I write this as a reminder to you, and me, to do it right, and not to take shortcuts, or keep silent when we can prevent a mistake.

Stay safe,

Shamus

Tales from the hood........no, the OTHER hood.

       

The police car. To the non officer, it's just a car. To us, it's a car, office, home, safety, comfort, the list goes on. You see the hood, there?  Over the span of my career, I have had many conversations while leaning back on the hood of the car. Some good, some bad.

Recently, I had a good chat with a young rookie officer, while leaning on the hood of my car. I thought I'd share some of that chat here. 

We were talking about the age differences in our line of work, and how a lot of the rookies coming out are in their EARLY 20's, while I am knocking on 40, and towards the tail end of my career. You see, I used to be one of those young guys. One of the really young guys. I started a month after my 22nd birthday. 

A bit of advice I had gotten when I was young, was to watch the old timers, and do what they did. Now, in theory, this seems like good advice. However, in practice, it wasn't so good. The older guys that I watched were all miserable, disgruntled, cinical older guys. Well. Watching those guys, and trying to do what they did, and being around all that negativity took a young officer, and made him a young, cinical, disgruntled officer. I wasn't happy, I started taking short cuts, I was always focused on what I didn't have, instead of the positives, and what I did. Within my first five years, I had been to Internal Affairs so much that I was on a first name basis with the union lawyer. I was miserable. 

Looking back, I think that this is part of what lead me down the path where I had contemplated suicide. (If you haven't yet, read the police suicide tab up top, it tells the story)  It has taken me a lot of time since to figure out who I am, what I want, and where I want to go. I wish I could have that time back, and do my rookie years over again. I would have followed the advice I gave this young officer a couple days ago, while I was leaning on the hood of my car. 

I told this kid that I find it refreshing that these young kids are coming out of the academy excited, and full of piss and vinegar. I told him that he should turn to the older guys for advice and guidance, HOWEVER, not to get sucked in by the negativity. To seek out the senior guys that seem to be content, and happy with their job. The guys that seem to be squared away. I also told him to make sure he keeps connections with the other younger guys, and to try to stay excited about the job. 

He was asking me if I thought it was bad that he was feeling like he got into a rut last week, after only having a few months of "street time". Here are my thoughts on that. It is perfectly fine to get discouraged and get into a rut. Even when you are still new. However, it is NOT ok to stay there. That's when you should talk to someone.  You need to evaluate why you are feeling like you are in a rut. Is it that you have been to the same house three times that week?  Because that happens. And it gets frustrating every time you go back, and tell people the same thing as the last. But, one day it will either sink in, or it just won't bother you any more. Or, is it that you are feeling overwhelmed?  Because that happens too. And when it does, it's ok to ask for help. It is a priority that you get out of the rut. Find a way, get some help, talk to someone. The good senior guys will be there to help you out of the rut. The miserable older guys will make it easy to stay there. Misery loves company. 

It's too bad I have learned this so late in my career. I wish I could go back. I made a promise to myself that I would be the senior guy who encourages, instead of discourages. That is one of the main reasons I decided to push to get into FTO school.

You know, funny thing about the hood. It is the setting of a lot of joking around, and funny stories. It's also the setting of heartache, pain, anguish, dispair. The same hood that you lean against to tell stories, is the same hood you might have to tell someone their loved one has died, or that you are taking their freedom away. It's also the same hood that catches the palms of bad guys, or the contraband you pull from their pockets during an arrest. It's also the same hood that have caught tears. Tears of laughter, tears of sadness, tears of pain.  

It's been a table. A table where I've shared a pizza, or a meal with my side partners. A table where I've filled out paperwork, or a table that I plotted a course out on a map. 

To some, it's just a hood. The part of the car that hides the engine. 

Take care out there,

Shamus

A little thing about stories.....

I don't want to toot my own horn, here (see what I did there?), but I added a new little reminder above good ol' Barney over there.

Be sure to check the "Stories" tab from time to time.  That's where I'm going to do smaller posts, funny things, and jokes.  I added a couple this week, so, check them out.

I'm still playing with the format and having fun with this, so this is how I'm going to do it for now.  If it becomes too hard to separate the two, I might kill the tab, but I wanted the "Posts" to be more serious, and a "behind the badge" (curtain) look at cop life.

I tried to see if there was a way to alert a new addition on a "page" or "tab" but it doesn't look like it.  There also isn't a way to comment on an individual story, that I can find.  So it's purely for reading pleasure at this point.

Do you like it this way, or should I mix the fun in with the life experience stuff?  Hit the comment button, and let me know if you have a preference.

Later,

Shamus

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

I'd like to take a minute to thank and honor the unsung heroes of our job.  The 9-1-1 call center, and the dispatchers that not only tell us where to go, but are our life line while we are out there.

They are the "voice on the other end of the radio" when we are out there.  I know I have needed them when the shit has hit the fan, and I know they worry about me, and my fellow officers when they have to send us into harm's way.

So, a few funny memes I wanted to share...........

Sorry for those mic clicks.  It's not you, it's me.....

I don't mean to be snippy, but that 10-17 really pissed me off, and it's the third time I'v been there this week.

Admit it, it's funny!!!  I don't care who you are, you laughed.........

We couldn't do our job without you and your thankless dedication.  I can only imagine how hard it is to sit on the other end of the mic when those you care about go running off in the distance towards unknown threats, or hearing the small whimpers of a victim on the other end of the phone crying for help, knowing that there is nothing you can immediately do to help, but still have to offer calming and encouraging words.

Like an extension of us, we know that you care, and do the best job you can, and often go unnoticed, unnamed, and unrewarded for a hard job well done.



We out here really do appreciate all the hard work you guys and gals do.  Have a good week, and......

and on, and on, and on......

Thanks again, 

Shamus