07/27/2020
I know this is a long post but take time out if your day to read it. Youâll be glad (or pi**ed offđ¤ˇââď¸ if you do.
If more Police Agencies adopted the policing style of Camden NJ Police department our world could be a better place. Lawrence Jones (an incredibly intellectual reporter) is a man who goes inside the department to hear what the police Chief and the Camden community have done to drop crime rates in their community. Theyâve implemented the Community Oriented Police Service (or COPS for short) standard of policing which is where officers go back to the days of âwalking the beatâ.
This method accomplishes two things which are both instrumental in dropping crime rates:
1. Police actually speak to shop owners, pedestrians, AND criminals, typically without being dispatched anywhere. The community SEES the Officer, they have conversations (which in most cases have nothing to do with actual police work), and both the officer and the PERSON, get to know each other.
2. While the criminals will still commit crimes, they are much less likely to do so if they know an officer is on foot (possibly just around the corner) and if the officer has and interacted with the community and gotten to know the people in it they know where to find the criminals and likely, WHO is committing or could commit crime.
Donât you think this could work everywhere? It would however, require the community actually support and be involved with the program on an ongoing basis. It would also require the officer to stay in this same position for a generous length of time in order to be most effective. The days of riding around in a police car out of touch with the people have caused the communities to see officers as unapproachable and ineffective.
Police forces around the country are typically understaffed and work at the set âminimum # officer requiredâ in order to meet policy guidelines. Many donât even have the âminimumâ officers on duty simply because they just donât have the officers available.
Officers who work under these conditions are destined for failure. They get burnt out, stressed out, tired and lazy. How many of you can name ANY OTHER JOB requiring the person who is holding the position to be highly efficient in ALL of the following:
1. Effective communicator (and above all) NEVER VIOLATE SOMEONES CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
2. Parental figure to countless kids
3. Guidance counselor (to basically everyone)
4. Efficient in different mechanical aspects (fixing a car tire, putting together a bicycle, jump starting a vehicle, getting a vehicle âunstuckâ from mud, snow etc), giving driving lessons, fixing computers/game consoles, fixing lawn mowers and other lawn equipment (just to name a few)
5. Handling and being proficient in different types of âless than lethalâ equipment such as taser, ASP, The Wrap, handcuffing, pepper spray, un armed self defense techniques, de-escalation, riot/crowd control ( Iâm sure I missed some)
6. Handling and being highly proficient in various fi****ms such as G***k, 9mm, patrol rifle, shotgun, less than lethal shot gun (and any other firearm you happen to come into contact with in your daily patrol duties which you MUST make safe as soon as possible).
7. Traffic safety which involves directing traffic, working traffic accidents, determining causation and possible âfaultâ based on witness and involved parties while remaining objectionable, blocking road hazards, elimination of road hazards, identifying road hazards (both obvious and potential which includes being proficient in identifying hazardous chemicals), speed measurement devices (because not only do you need to know how they work quite often you have to testify in court about HOW the equipment works and if it was working properly both before and after the actual stop) effectively operating fire extinguishers when necessary (the fire department doesnât like us to put out fires unless absolutely necessary because âwe donât catch bank robbers so......â), the actual SAFETY of the persons involved in accidents in the roadway (people always want to walk around their cars and check out the damage not realizing they are putting themselves in harms way), identify possible impaired driving based solely on watching how the driver is operating (or not being able to properly operate) a vehicle, determining a level of possible impairment while speaking face to face with a vehicle operator by having them complete several tests by which YOU are not allowed to make ANY mistakes and must complete completely without error and record results based in standardized tests and THEN (only then) can you place someone under arrest for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs (did I mention drugs?) if you suspect someone is under the influence of drugs, well now thatâs a whole new skill set!
8. Crime scene management
9. Investigating crime (thatâs actually a very difficult skill to tackle). Detectives deserve much more gratitude then they commonly receive.
10. Dealing with DEATH. This is ALWAYS a very involved process. First you must know how to do all those things I mentioned above in order to be able to deal with all of the circumstances a death can involve) was it a murder? Was it accidental? Was it su***de? Was it a little of everything? Who is/are this or these people? Is there a suspect?
11. Notifications regarding a death to someoneâs loved ones (again you HAVE to be highly professional and highly proficient in the above mentioned areas because you are the âface of your departmentâ and the âface of all law enforcement â to some who may never have had any interaction with law enforcement in any way whatsoever, they may be well known to law enforcement in an official capacity but you must be professional no matter the circumstances, or (unfortunately) you might even KNOW the people as members of your church , club, hangout or on a friendly basis. These are highly emotional and stressful situations and the wrong words, actions (whether real or perceived) could put you âon the carpetâ so to speak.
12. Identify evidence, collect and properly process evidence ( because if you donât do this perfectly someone might be able to walk away from a crime theyâve committed). NO MISTAKES PERMITTED. Completely unacceptable.
13. Efficient in various computer/technical knowledge. Because the patrol car you drive has SO MANY things you have to be able to operate while you are performing your daily duties. Apart from the actual driving (which you must have mastered no matter what your driving experience was before you became a police officer because if you do not use your turn signal or make a complete stop âthat guyâ who just got a ticket the other day is right behind you with his cell phone out recording everything and will likely send that video to your boss demanding YOU also receive a citation. (Well, they arenât wrong are they?) While operating your vehicle you must do so with due regard for all pedestrians and motorists (even the ones on cell phones or have their music cranked so loud they cannot hear your sirens or their not paying attention and donât see your lights either), remembering to follow your departments policy in emergency driving (which usually requires one hand to drive and the other to talk on the radio while your remembering to alternate your siren and slow or stop at intersections while your planning your approach to the crime in the most proficient, effective and above all SAFE manner possible, AND what you are going to do when you get there.
14. Deal with mentally disturbed/suicidal people. Many times you arrive at these calls after just driving halfway across your city in the manner I have described in #13. But you have to forget about all that now because someoneâs life (and very likely your own) is on the line here. How you approach and/or speak to someone threatening to take their own life or someone elseâs could alter the outcome with one wrong word or mistep. You may even have to resort to deadly force in a seconds notice. If you do not react correctly you may kill someone, or they may kill you. Most times we donât have time to sit down and think through all the possibilities or options we could address or weigh the outcome of a tense situation.
16. You canât be tired. Mentally or physically.
What you have just read can be a typical for most officers. Sometimes, in a slow day, you may never have to use your emergency equipment, or draw your weapon, but the lingering effects of those times when you had to will remain with you, slowing sapping your energy, drive, and commitment. Imagine doing this for 5 years. Imagine doing it for 15 years. Imagine doing it for 30 years. People often say âwell just get a different jobâ or âyou donât have to do it, you could do something elseâ. Let me make one thing clear. Law Enforcers do not do this job to get rich. We donât do it for fame (or infamy), we donât do it for recognition or because we HAVE to. We do it because we are called to it. Itâs in our heart and soul. Our blood is blue. Itâs a passion. 99% of us do it because we want to help make a difference in our communities. 99% of us CHOOSE the profession because we just wonât be pacified doing anything else. I admire those who try and decide itâs not for them. They have reached the understanding of their capabilities to handle the monstrosityâs we witness and want no part of, thatâs ok.
Be courageous enough to know if itâs time to go.
