I have been reading quite a bit lately about cops getting laid off, furloughed, having pay and benefits cut, and the like.  I am hoping our readers out there who are officers right now, or who are familiar with their local department’s situation, to comment here and let us all know what they have experienced.

I have written before on what a foolhardy proposition it is to lay off cops to save money.  Cash saved right now, perhaps.  But in the long run, the price will not be worth the increase in crime, reduction in public trust, and hard cash that will be spent later to battle the problems caused today.

Let us all know what the state of affairs is in your local jurisdiction…

Wow!  You go on vacation for a few weeks and look what happens.  I am so sorry to have missed this lively debate, however I am proud of all of you for covering it well in comments.  Your conversation gives me hope that we truly are building a dialogue here at the PC.

I am just starting to research what happened wiht the professor and the Sergeant.  I will write on it when I am fully educated.  Thank you all for starting the conversation yourselves.  Next vacation I’ll have to find WIFI!

I hope to generate some discussion here for future posts, but I am also just plain curious.  Please answer quickly and from the hip:

What’s Wrong With Cops These Days?

Let’s see what people think…

I just caught this video of the “latest” disturbing incident captured on video tape.  So my usual warnings apply to the public and the media:

Remember, we weren’t there.  Remember, we don’t know who this guy was or what he said.  Also remember that police work often looks ugly, even if justified.

I also have notes of caution for all the cops out there; my friends included.  For god’s sake, just know that everything you do is being videotaped!  This used to be hyperbole, advice given to send a message to new recruits.  Today, it is actually close to the truth.

So let us wait and see on the video, but remember that every action we take is being memorialized somewhere, and that in the end this is a good thing.

Hello all,
I hope the week found you all well.  I think it is important to remind ourselves – and our friends and neighbors – of our men and women who have fallen in defense of this country.  On Memorial Day it also strikes me how many of our fellow law enforcement officers serve in both capacities – as officers and as military personnel.  A double thank you to those women and men.

Have a thoughtful Memorial Day and say a hearty “Thank You” to the service members in your lives.

PC

I received an email from a detective in Evanston, Illinois.  As far as I can tell he has no direct ties to Oakland PD.  He pointed out to me that the tragedy there left 10 children without fathers.  That is an amazing and horrible number.  He asked me to spread the word on a fund raising effort he is coordinating for the fallen officers’ families out there.  I jealously protect you all from the endless solicitations, etc. that I receive, however this one was quite moving.

If you are so inclined, head over to this link and help him with his project.  One hundred percent of the profits go directly to the families.  Thanks!

Ok, not really.  I do, however, get a little giddy each time someone recognizes the value of our conversations.  Check out our feature on Police One dot com.  Nice!

It has been an unbelieveably tragic few weeks in law enforcement in this nation.  First this Oakland tragedy, followed quickly by the deaths in Pittsburgh.  I have been advocating for years that patrol officers in our cities and towns need to be better armed.  In large cities, this seems to run into political roadblocks.  In small towns, it is frequently a budget issue.

Enough is enough.  Every patrol officer in America should have some type of rifle or submachine gun in their vehicle, ready to deploy.  I don’t mean locked in the station, “just in case” or any other of the half-solutions that the pundits feel they can live with.  It is time.

Cops have known for years that we are terribly out-gunned out there.  Do I know that the Oakland cops or the Pittsburgh officers would have been saved?  Certainly not.  But in Oakland, the first rifles to arrive on scene were after the suspect was barricaded, giving him an incredible tactical advantage.

If these two incidents are not enough for the liberal folks to arm us properly, perhaps this article on cross-border drug violence will convince them.  The time of our cops fighting military-grade rifles with pistols must end now.  Maybe it will help save a few cops at the next Oakland or Pittsburgh…

I am ashamed that I did not get to this sooner.  I must give thoughts and prayers to the four officers killed in Oakland this week, and to their families.  I will not take space discussing the issues in play here; there are many, and they are complex.

For now, let us all think about their families as the funeral takes place Friday afternoon.  For those many readers of this blog who are cops, or who are spending their lives with cops, please please please remember that Police Academy cliche’:

There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop.  Ever.

Rest in peace.

It just seems like all we talk about here is the negative stuff.  So hats off to these New York cops who delivered a baby in Penn Station.  Remember, we are all first responders.  The baby’s middle name?  Penn.