BACKWhy Brave Cops Are Scared
By
Sgt. Jeff Baker
Denver police recently responded to a call of two men fighting over a gun. Upon arrival they observed one man shot and struggling with the suspect for control of the weapon. When verbal commands went ignored, officers were forced to shoot the dangerous criminal to death. After the officers quite literally saved Maurice Knox's life by shooting Hakijah Ogobonna Ector, Knox repaid them by popping off in the Denver Post, saying, "They could have done a better job ending it . . . they didn't have to kill him." Knox went on to exclaim, apparently based on his vast knowledge of policing and officer survival dogma, that police could have physically restrained Ector rather than shoot him.
Such is life in policing, Y2K. Doesn't matter how righteous the cops' actions might have been. Doesn't matter whether or not they abided by policy and use of force protocol spelled out in force continuum, and state and federal law. Doesn't matter that police, unsavory as it might sound, must sometimes snuff out life in order to preserve it.
Talk swirls more and more about police officers who once embraced the hazards of their job and pursued criminals with abandon, often putting their own lives in harm's way in order to serve the citizens of their communities. And when duty calls, most cops will still run toward the sounds and cries of danger and looming peril when human nature very much compels us to run the other direction. That being said, I do believe ambivalence toward aggressive, proactive patrol has grown more prevalent in the last decade, particularly in the last few years. Many otherwise assertive street cops have now taken the position that "you get paid the same" if you find a shade tree under which to do the daily crossword between calls. Even young, usually aggressive rookies and, say, 2-5 year officers are slowing down, doing less officer-initiated activities, and even turning a blind eye to some things that just a short time ago were reason enough to prompt official action. Cops all across the country are reprioritizing their lives and once loved careers, putting their families, mortgages, and kids' college funds above the exciting and personally fulfilling but sometimes seemingly useless pursuit of the criminal element in their patrol districts.
Sad? Yes. Am I defending it? Not really. But am I trying to understand it? Of course. We all need to pay attention. There's much at stake here. I believe we've got a systemic problem in American policing today. Whether such threats are real, perceived, or a combination of both, police officers increasingly believe they will be scapegoated by politicians and police bureaucrats all too willing to serve up a pound of cop flesh to satiate the howling masses, and no-justice-no-peace community "leaders" without regard for any brand of law unless it fits their narrowly defined, often biased and bigoted definition. In short, "justice" often means terminating and/or locking the cop up sans any legal or procedural proof of wrongdoing.
It's alarming, depressing even, to hear once hard working officers suggest people get used to thinking of their local police department in the same light as a fire department: "If you need us, call us. Otherwise, you ain't gonna see us." It's also a harsh reality. We reap what we sow, and America needs to recognize and support its protectors in various shades of blue, tan, brown and green. Indeed, police need to be encouraged so when the Moment Of Truth arrives, the majority of police officers will continue to rise to the occasion, abject lessons in diminishing returns notwithstanding. Otherwise, we risk nurturing an environment already ripe for cops to lay down and do only that which is required.
BACK| Jeff Baker
opdsgt@yahoo.com is a
15-year veteran police officer, sergeant
with Omaha PD, survivor of two on-duty shootings, recipient of the OPD Medal
of Valor, frequent free-lance editorialist for LE-related publications such
as *American Police Beat*, I edited *THE SHIELD* - the official publication
of the Omaha Police Union - for four years, and am a union rep for accused
OPD officers, having served in such capacity for seven years. See the new Shield Online articles at our union website www.omahapoliceunion.com |
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