Thanks to #COVID19, officers around the world are being asked to take enforcement action they don’t agree with. We’ve all been there: Your boss has decided you’re going to do something you think is wrong. Suddenly, you have to choose between being “that guy” who causes waves and pisses everyone off, or going along with it in hopes no one ever comes calling your name. In the end, you have to live with whatever action you take. Before you put your ink on that paper, take a step back and consider the consequences.

SHOW NOTES:

Just a thought on a new topic for an episode; How to handle a call/situation when a supervisor demands a specific action to be taken and the officer on scene disagrees with that action. That’s a though position to be in.

Yes, it is, and it happens all the time.

PSA to police supervisors everywhere: Being a good supervisor means you delegate, not micromanage. Provide resources to get the job done and let your people do what they’re trained to do. 

• When an officer has made a decision and it’s within the law and morally sound, DO NOT overrule them

  • 1. You’re forcing them to go back on their word

    • this creates more distrust of the police 

    • It’s immoral: integrity issue

  • 2. Kills morale

    • What do you think your patrol officers are talking about the next time they door up? 

  • 3. Tells your officers they can’t make decisions on their own

    • Forces you to work harder for less. Work smart, then hard. 

• Ruling by rank is the best way to lose the respect of your officers

  • If you have to guide an officer, do it in a way that makes them feel appreciated and understood

PSA for Patrol level officers: know when to respectfully say no, especially among this pandemic

• This is hard, and requires some experience but trust your conscience

• Officers everywhere are being asked to do questionable things under the guise of “public safety”

Greenville Mississippi: Greenville police officers reportedly issued $500 tickets to congregants who refused to leave the Temple Baptist Church parking lot where a drive-in service was being conducted.

Fox News: 

“Government is clearly overstepping its authority when it singles out churches for punishment, especially in a ridiculous fashion like this,” said ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker, director of the ADF Center for Christian Ministries. “In Greenville, you can be in your car at a drive-in restaurant, but you can’t be in your car at a drive-in church service. That’s not only nonsensical, it’s unconstitutional, too.” - Fox News

• He’s not wrong

• These officers don’t get paid enough to make these decisions

• It can reasonably be assumed they’ve been told to do this

  • Say NO! Yes, it's hard, but ONLY YOU can sign that ticket! Once you do, you’re on the hook for that bad arrest

  • It takes brave people to do the right thing in tough times like these

  • This is what our Fear Nothing is about. Having courage when fear tells you not to rock the boat, that it will be easier to just do what you’re told. Use courage to do what’s right and good. 

• Ask yourself: 

  • What purpose does this govt action serve? 

  • What if an officer tried to do this to someone I love? 

  • What side of history am I going to land on? 

Police Using Drones to Enforce Social Distancing:

• In public spaces… ok, fine

• In someone’s backyard? Nope. 

  • So the govt. is now going to tell me I can’t be outside, on my own property, with my own family? Hell no. Bring that shit in close. My 1187 can fix this. 

“State and local entities in at least 22 states are using drones manufactured and donated by DJI. Federal officials told The New York Times in 2017 that they have "moderate confidence" that the drones were "providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government.” - The Blaze

$1000 fine

“If these drones save one life, it is clearly worth the activity and the information that the drones are sending.” -mayor

• REALLY!?!?

• To whom? Sending to whom? 

• Also, NO! 

  • Have we forgotten about the NSA spying on the American people to help stop terrorism? 

  • National security and individual freedom have an inverse relationship

    • If you want to increase your ability to catch terrorist plots, you have to invade people’s privacy earlier, with less evidence

    • If you want the government to not be able to track you at all, they can’t track the bad guys either

  • Saying that saying one life is worth the most draconian government measures is patently insane. 

    • Welcome to the Unites States of Amarxism. 

    • Where does that end? The government could save many lives if it could track everything we did at all times. That is not an acceptable trade for most freedom loving Americans. 

  • Ever seen the minority report? That’s where it leads. Getting life sentences before you’ve even taken one physical step toward committing a crime. 

    • I know it’s dramatic, but that is the trade of we make “for your own safety” 

I’m not suggesting people go out and riot, even if some of this is out of control. 

If our infringements upon people’s rights aren’t moving the public safety needle significantly, we should reconsider. I challenge everyone in a position of political or legal power to take a step back and consider this:

• The Book, the Bell, and the Candle

  • The book: do I have legally justified authority to do this and or am I violating someone’s rights? 

  • The Bell: Are there warning bells going off from your conscience?  

  • The Candle: Will your actions stand up to public scrutiny? 

    • This doesn’t mean you worry about what people will think

    • But can you clearly articulate, logically, why the action is good, fair and reasonable?

• It’s ok to slow down and ask yourself, your peers, and your superiors questions first.

• Remember, once your own ink involved, you have to answer for your actions, in this life or the next. 

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Do Good || Be Strong || Fear Nothing