Oh My!

04 Aug 09 Well stated, from a long-time street-LEO, now retired: "Your last Quip eloquently explains why I abruptly separated from my department after twenty-five years of passionate public service: I wasn't tired of the job, but I could no longer stand watching a chief who would far rather see his mug in the papers, and hear his name repeated ad-nauseam on the evening news for his supposed involvement with some ' community project,' than take a chance of seeing an arrest report that indicated we police officers had actually laid hands on a miscreant. Police work is not always forceful, nor is it always a kind-and-gentle meeting-of-minds after tea and crumpets in the solarium. The V in VCA is not for 'Vacillate!' Violence of criminals actors must be confronted, contained, and controlled, quickly, and via appropriate force. There certainly are times when a strong word or two, along with a stern expression, carry the day, but most often 'appropriate force' will be acutely, immediately necessary, and will inevitably involve pain, physical contact, and inconvenience, maybe even ' deadly persuasion.' What naive 'administrators' do not grasp is that the criminal actor, not responding LEOs, determine what level of force is reasonably necessary! When officers are confronted with illegal force, it is our sworn duty to respond, without delay, with superior force, until the situation is back under control. Too often, inexperienced officers respond to violent criminals with an inappropriately low level of force, far less than is reasonably required, and sometimes they get away with it. 'Administrators' then begin to falsely believe that their officer's indecisiveness and timidity was all wonderful and reward him for his incorrect actions. When this same officer is subsequently murdered, because he didn't 'get-away-with-it' a second time, there are myriad accolades for this ' kind, gentle, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly' officer, rather than the stark recognition that the officer, in fact, committed suicide-by-stupidity, and was aided and abetted by an ill-informed, naive, self-serving System which inappropriately hired him in the first place! There is no 'safe' way to be a victim, intentionally or otherwise. Spineless shadows of men have no place in modern law enforcement, on the beat, nor in the office." Comment: As has been said before, when police confrontations get out of hand, it is invariably because first-responders failed to employ an appropriate level of force in the first place. In the end, more people are hurt than would have been if tough, decisive cops had arrived and taken charge immediately. Ultimately, indecision, hesitation, dithering, and timidity get far more officers hurt and killed than does the precise, appropriate, immediate, and unapologetic use of force. We desperately need tough cops. We need tough sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and chiefs even more! As if to make the point, a deputy chief with LAPD, who obviously needs to get out more, was recently quoted as saying, "You use it (the diminutive Fabrique National 57) on large lions, tigers and bears!" Oh my! /John