By Steve Pomper Sometimes even when cops intend to do things right, cops are human, and things can still go wrong. We recently saw this happen when former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter pulled her gun instead of Taser. This mistake resulted in a First-Degree Manslaughter charge, trial, and conviction. Even after this conviction, all Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Since 2015, every January 9 is recognized as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (LEAD). With an ocean of bias as a retired law enforcement officer, I imagine most everyone can see the unrelenting tumult America’s cops have experienced of late. Police officers endured. Others perished, either from miscreants responding to the anti-cop dog-whistle…or Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D There isn’t a lot of hoopla over Law Enforcement Appreciation Day which was January 9th this year. After all, it competes with National Apricot Day, Balloon Ascension Day, National Static Electricity Day, Word Nerd Day, Take the Stairs Day, and Ride the Subway Naked Day. Besides those special days, Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Civil disobedience has been a hallmark of individual courage to force attention to the need for change. From the American Revolution to Rosa Parks to imprisoned 84-year-old nun Megan Rice, defying the law and accepting the consequences has been a noble stand against perceived injustice. We have entered a Read more »
By Steve Pomper She probably wouldn’t tell you this, as most cops don’t like to call attention to themselves, so it’s left to those of us who learn of the heroism to document it for posterity. Cops are hesitant to accept accolades, even when they’ve just accomplished a singular act of bravery. In Colorado last week, Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski On his final day of duty after three decades as a New York City cop, retiring NYPD police Commissioner Dermot Shea opted to walk the beat alongside many veteran and some brand-new cops working the Times Square revelry on New Year’s Eve. One may categorize such a final official act as a Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The trail of the burglar wasn’t hard to follow. An old-fashioned skating rink on the edge of town, the kind that was just a barn with walls that could be opened up like windows for ventilation on hot Missouri nights, was missing the coin box. Across the street was Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Despite the anti-police climate adding pressure to retention and recruitment of law enforcement officers across the country, departments are nonetheless training those who bravely step forward and pinning public safety pros, rolling out new cops as we confront the door of 2022. On Tuesday, the NYPD held “Gun and Shield Day” whereby Read more »
By Steve Pomper Heading into 2022, there are some positive signs for cops and the people they serve and protect. Many “defund the police” jurisdictions have collided with a reality cops know only too well. They are choosing (or being forced into) “re-funding” the police. When you diminish law enforcement, you diminish law and order. We Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The headlines would lead the average citizens to believe that the population of our country has collectively developed an adversarial relationship with its police. Television ratings show just the opposite. Americans are fascinated by the police. Perhaps the reality is that Americans are fascinated by crime. Maybe it’s the Read more »