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First let me say this is not a make wrong but rather a make right...
That said, all of us who chose this profession had to attend, at a minimum, a police academy where basic recruit curriculum cover just that, the basics! This includes, but not limited to; Legal, Court procedures, Patrol techniques, Constitutional Rights, Interviews etc,. Some states require more than others, but for the most part, the basics are covered.
Once we complete the academy we move on to field training with an FTO. During this process, we can spend on upwards of four months learning from seasoned officers whose responsibility it is to ensure we enhance our basic fundamentals so we can achieve solo status...
Once we reach solo status, training may come from courses we sign up for, self-research, squad training, mandatory in-service or through roll calls and training bulletins. Point is, training never ends. Whether this is your first year or thirtieth, training starts the minute we raise our right hand and take the oath and continues to when we choose to shadow box our retirement badge.
Now I say all that to bring us to this; We all know, or should know, that groups such as cop block, cop watch and others target encounters with LE just to raise civil rights violations and broadcast their efforts on various social media or youtube. These groups have established a following where sub-groups are popping up all over, whether it be small town America or the larger cities.
The question is, why are we dropping the ball during these encounters? Why are we giving them exactly what they want for all the world to see? Where are we failing that officers are not knowledgeable enough to survive these encounters?
Back to the basics:
We should all know and have an above average knowledge of our Constitutional Rights.
We should know and have an above average knowledge of our state statutes, to include but not limited to: Stop and Frisk(Identify) Firearms related statutes (Open Carry) (Conceal Carry)
We should know and have a full understanding of what "Reasonable Articulable Suspicion" is.
We should know and have a full understanding of what "Probable Cause" is.
We should know what constitutes a detention vs. consensual encounter.
We should review and understand applicable case law regarding detentions such as, but not limited to;
Terry v. Ohio 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Jones v. Clark No. 09-3574 (7th Cir. 2011)
U.S. v. Arvizu 151 L Ed 2d 740 (2002)
U.S. v. Cortez 449 U.S. 411 (1981)
Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada 542 U.S. 177 (2004)
Brown v. Texas 443 U.S. 47 (1979)
We should make the effort to conduct our own research, enhance our knowledge and bring awareness to current trends in our area.
Example: Here in Florida, there is a growing trend with those exercising their right to open carry a firearm while fishing. Now many officers will argue that Florida is a conceal state and OC is prohibited under Florida statute 790.053. However, Florida statute 790.25(3)(h) allows one to openly carry a firearm to, from or while engaged in fishing but yet officers are continuing to detain those lawfully exercising their right due to ignorance of the statute.
We should always maintain the mindset that our actions are always being recorded and act accordingly.
We should never allow our emotions to enter into our decision making. Never allow your emotions to cloud your judgement.
If we witness a fellow officer falling, HELP THEM OUT! Do not just sit back and watch them fail. Pull them aside and square them away. They should thank you for it later.
Lastly, keep our egos in check.
Brothers and sisters, it's time we step it up. It's time we represent the badge with the honor and dignity it deserves. It's time we represent each other as true professionals and work to change the negative perception our society is developing of us. When one of us fails, we all fail!!
In honor of National Police week 2014, Respect for our fallen, may they never be forgotten.
Be safe!!!
That said, all of us who chose this profession had to attend, at a minimum, a police academy where basic recruit curriculum cover just that, the basics! This includes, but not limited to; Legal, Court procedures, Patrol techniques, Constitutional Rights, Interviews etc,. Some states require more than others, but for the most part, the basics are covered.
Once we complete the academy we move on to field training with an FTO. During this process, we can spend on upwards of four months learning from seasoned officers whose responsibility it is to ensure we enhance our basic fundamentals so we can achieve solo status...
Once we reach solo status, training may come from courses we sign up for, self-research, squad training, mandatory in-service or through roll calls and training bulletins. Point is, training never ends. Whether this is your first year or thirtieth, training starts the minute we raise our right hand and take the oath and continues to when we choose to shadow box our retirement badge.
Now I say all that to bring us to this; We all know, or should know, that groups such as cop block, cop watch and others target encounters with LE just to raise civil rights violations and broadcast their efforts on various social media or youtube. These groups have established a following where sub-groups are popping up all over, whether it be small town America or the larger cities.
The question is, why are we dropping the ball during these encounters? Why are we giving them exactly what they want for all the world to see? Where are we failing that officers are not knowledgeable enough to survive these encounters?
Back to the basics:
We should all know and have an above average knowledge of our Constitutional Rights.
We should know and have an above average knowledge of our state statutes, to include but not limited to: Stop and Frisk(Identify) Firearms related statutes (Open Carry) (Conceal Carry)
We should know and have a full understanding of what "Reasonable Articulable Suspicion" is.
We should know and have a full understanding of what "Probable Cause" is.
We should know what constitutes a detention vs. consensual encounter.
We should review and understand applicable case law regarding detentions such as, but not limited to;
Terry v. Ohio 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Jones v. Clark No. 09-3574 (7th Cir. 2011)
U.S. v. Arvizu 151 L Ed 2d 740 (2002)
U.S. v. Cortez 449 U.S. 411 (1981)
Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada 542 U.S. 177 (2004)
Brown v. Texas 443 U.S. 47 (1979)
We should make the effort to conduct our own research, enhance our knowledge and bring awareness to current trends in our area.
Example: Here in Florida, there is a growing trend with those exercising their right to open carry a firearm while fishing. Now many officers will argue that Florida is a conceal state and OC is prohibited under Florida statute 790.053. However, Florida statute 790.25(3)(h) allows one to openly carry a firearm to, from or while engaged in fishing but yet officers are continuing to detain those lawfully exercising their right due to ignorance of the statute.
We should always maintain the mindset that our actions are always being recorded and act accordingly.
We should never allow our emotions to enter into our decision making. Never allow your emotions to cloud your judgement.
If we witness a fellow officer falling, HELP THEM OUT! Do not just sit back and watch them fail. Pull them aside and square them away. They should thank you for it later.
Lastly, keep our egos in check.
Brothers and sisters, it's time we step it up. It's time we represent the badge with the honor and dignity it deserves. It's time we represent each other as true professionals and work to change the negative perception our society is developing of us. When one of us fails, we all fail!!
In honor of National Police week 2014, Respect for our fallen, may they never be forgotten.
Be safe!!!
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