Greetings FOP Members,
By now you have seen that the THUGS from BLM and other similar groups have attempted to disrupt the State FOP Convention being held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Well today was check-in day with activities spread over the next 3 days so expect more bad behavior from the THUGS OF BALTIMORE. On the bright side maybe they will stop killing each other while they are protesting us.
A few more points in reference to the DOJ Report:
1- This is an excerpt from an AP Report that I would like to share:
Baltimore police are trained in aggressive tactics that foster an “us vs. them mentality” toward the community, the report said.
Eugene O’Donnell, a former New York City police officer and a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the report failed to take into account the complicated realities of being a police officer in Baltimore.
“They have huge unresolved problems, huge festering problems,” O’Donnell said. “And the Justice Department has nothing to say about that at all.”
He said the Justice Department criticized officers for making unlawful stops, when “it’s absolutely impossible to articulate what is and what is not a lawful stop. It’s a minefield.”
I would like to add that a majority of Law Enforcement Officers killed in the Line of Duty in the State are From Baltimore City. Now DOJ argues that we should drop our guard and approach everyone like we are patrolling Sesame Street. In today’s climate of hatred for police I would keep your Black Mourning Bands close by and available.
2- The report points out that we as police should not engage in as many foot pursuits because it’s dangerous. So as I see it if we stop chasing criminals, then when we are investigating a crime be it murder, rape or FTO all criminals will start running on the oft-chance that we will not chase them.
What is the PRIMARY JOB of the Police Officer, if not to deter crime then to SOLVE CRIMES by arresting criminals! It will be kinda hard if you can’t chase them.
3- Finally, this B.S. that the Police of the BPD all by themselves decided to move loitering and FTO, up the scale of law enforcement priorities misstates the history of the BPD. When I came on the BPD in 1982 a Loitering or FTO arrest was considered a “HUMBLE”. If your side-partners and fellow shift officers didn’t bust your chops then the Desk Sgt and your own Sgt would have caustic comments for you. The last thing you wanted was to have the REP as an officer who terrorizes drunks and loiterers with arrest.
But then politics intervene, first in the late 80’s or early 90’s when the same City Council criticizing us now, passed the blatantly unconstitutional “Drug Free Zone” Law which outlawed Loitering in about one third of the City. Most real police ignored this law and it was eventually declared unconstitutional.
Unfortunately, Mayor O’Malley actively began the POLITICIZATION of Crime Fighting by actively promoting Command Staff members who would enforce his Zero Tolerance Strategy, the U.S. Constitution be damned. The PC and computerized Officer Monthly Stat Sheets in Lotus Notes allowed his minions to ensure his orders were obeyed. Have things changed, well the Stat Sheet is still in use capturing the same data. Officers continue to advise me that Unit 41 continues to broadcast over KGA ordering officers to go to their HOT CORNERS and sweep them of LOITERERS (the more things change the more they stay the same).
The more you study the DOJ Report with its lack of scholarly objectivity and lack of statistical rigor, the more you will realize it is heavy on anecdotes from questionable characters and light on provable facts.
Fraternally,
Vic Gearhart
1st VP FOP LODGE #3
Memo Sent ….Greetings FOP Members, was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com
