As far back as human history is recorded, every civilization has required some organization of people to “keep the peace.” And, there have always been those who resent authority figures.
There is a war going on right now, the likes of which we in the United States have never seen before. It’s an open war on the police and, indirectly, at law-abiding Americans. Make no mistake, it’s a war. YOU, the law-abiding citizen, may not feel like you are at war. But, members of groups like Black Lives Matter, ANTIFA, and a dozen others have openly proclaimed that they are at war. And, we cannot forget the politicians and officials who openly support these groups.
One important part of any war is psychological warfare. And, part of psychological warfare is constant propaganda that speaks of one’s enemy in terms that lump everyone into a group, and that then de-humanize that group.
It’s subtle but you can recognize it if you know what to look for. Have you noticed how rioters are constantly referred to as “peaceful protesters” by politicians and the media? At the same time, news reports claim that police “in riot gear” “attacked”… “fired on” … “broke up”… the peaceful protesters. Yet, there is never any mention of the cops having stood peacefully, sometimes for hours, while rioters throw bottles and bricks, light fires, verbally abuse the officers, and basically whip themselves into a frenzy – challenging the cops to do something.
Have you noticed that every time one cop breaks a law, uses too much force, or does something corrupt, politicians call for “more training” for all cops? In the case of the George Floyd tragedy, somehow everyone else in the country, except Ofc Derek Chauvin, knew that placing a handcuffed man face down on the ground, and sitting on him with a knee on his neck for eight minutes, was not a good idea.
Horrible as this incident was, I am going to go out on a limb, and say that there is no policy in the Minneapolis PD that approves this style of controlling a suspect. I’m going to guess that, if asked prior to the incident, no supervisor or administrator would have agreed that this would be a good tactic – especially when there were three other officers there who could have helped keep Floyd under control.
And, yet, this incident has been used as an excuse to put ALL cops under a microscope.
That is why I tell my own stories from the street in “Blue Lives Matter – The Heart Behind the Badge.”
All cops do not think alike. All cops do not behave in the same way. All cops do not react in the same manner to situations on the street. There are indeed bad cops. They existed before I wore the badge. They existed during my time as a cop. And, they exist today. But, they do not represent all cops.
I tell my stories to re-introduce the humanity that all cops possess. I wrote the book to give readers a raw and undiluted look at the kinds of things that cops face, and the emotions they go through.
“Blue Lives Matter – The Heart Behind the Badge” is available at BookLocker.com, Amazon, and wherever books are sold.
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