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What is it that causes our young man and women when they graduate from a Police Academy , forget the basics involving police work? In stead, they develop a sense of being a “Sloppy Joes". For some unknown reason they discard all the training they have received in sensitivity in dealing with the public.
The majority are right out of High school. No life experience, and have limited education. Many have two years of college, while others are in a career move and just need a job. Others seek the opportunity in getting a job with the power to use for the wrong reasons: When the average citizen becomes a criminal, they are amateurs. However, when a cop goes outside the law and becomes a criminal, then you have good reasons to worry.
I recall when I was at the Academy, when they advised and stressed strongly to all Police Recruits to be respectable, polite to the public, and watch your language, while not taking the job personal. I can assure you, throughout my twenty-Six year career as a Police Officer, I managed to follow that advice and still be successful in performing my duties as described by the Constitution of the United States . To safeguard the rights of all individuals regardless of their ethnic background or religious beliefs;
In today’s world, events are happening fast. Everyone is in hurry and not knowing where they are heading. Police Officers and members of Law Enforcement know well what modern technology has done to affect police work. It is a thankless job. Not understood by the average person; In addition, hated by criminals. However, as police officers we must never lose touch with actions we take because there will be an equal and suitable reaction that would affect our lives later in our career. In addition, regardless of who we are we are accountable for our actions.
The averages Police Department can holdfast to their well-established reputation that most of their Police Officers when they retire do so with honor. However, because of the greed for power unscrupulous individuals join the police force for personal gain causing other good and faithful devoted officers to suffer. For those who chose the profession with the best intent soon realize others who want to profit from the power that it brings them causes a black stigma on the profession.
Since my retirement from the force, I have had many instances where Officers have stopped me for any clear reason. When stopped, I asked why and they just look at me without a reply walking away back to their Police car. After roughly ten minutes, they return with my credentials and my license, and without giving me an answer get back into their patrol car and drive away. I have had many of these unpleasant experiences with young Police Officers, both man and women. The men while talking to me have been rude and disrespectful with their remarks. Showing little regards whether I had been a retired Officer. Not realizing the discomfort a person experiences during a meeting with an Officer of the Law. The women on the other hand, are more understanding; however, they have displayed to be just as rude lacking consideration while projecting a real macho image.
I can recall the many times I stopped motorist for traffic violations. I always kept in mind I never new whom I was stopping. Regardless of whom it was I would, show respect and I would listen to what they had to say. This method gave me good results and the experiences I gain gave me confidence which cause me to perfect my way of dealing with the public. It also taught me people skills, which is essential in today's world. Whenever I stopped family members of Police Officers, I always upheld to the highest Ethical standard to be fair and just and to exercise good judgment in extending departmental professional courtesy.
There is something wrong with this picture, which needs addressing by all Police Department throughout this country to reduce the resentment by the public towards our Police Officers. I am sure these events occurre throughout the Country, involving other officers and citizens.
Police Officers must realize the job, which they hold, is an important one, and any action on their part reflects on the department they represent. The job needs good and sensible people with good judgment in handle ling the public. They must be truthful, honest and fair to everyone. They will never know when they may be a victim of an incident and be force in being straightforward with the facts and the truth.
Now I am saddened because of the way Police Officers today treat people on the streets. Especially when an Officer stops another Officer, the lack of respect and courtesy shown:
I have seen officers talked to motorist projecting and image of higher superiority when speaking to them. Showing no respect or consideration regardless of whether they are Senior Citizens. Many of them being a reminder of their own parents. When I see this, I get a bad taste in my mouth, and it saddens my heart because I wonder where they are getting these people.
Recently I had an unpleasant experience in having a Police Officer give my youngest son a summons with out probable cause. It occurred around SW 27 th Avenue and Bird Road Florida . My Son had just finished taking his little 4 years old Son, my grandson to the movies. He was on his way to buy him pizza at a pizza shop own by his friend in the area. The Officer stopped my Son, claiming he was driving a 2004 Black Acura with complete tinted front windshield. My, Son was driving my car, which does not have complete front tinted windshield.
After carefully checking the tint “VLT" Visible Light Transmission reading of 70% and seeing it complied with state laws, I discovered the summons is invalid. The Officer who issued the summons failed to follow proper protocol in issuing the summons displaying his lack of experience as a Police Officer. If he had used just a little common sense, he would have exercises good judgment in calling a Supervisor to the scene with a meter. If he had taken a few minutes, in using proper procedures he would have discovered the front windshield in my car met Florida ’s DOT, windshield “VLT" 70% tint specifications. He issued the Summons without using meter and getting a proper reading. He did it by looking at the windshield, which is unacceptable and sloppy Police work
When I bought the car, it was with factory specification, which complied with all standards met by the state of Florida DOT Visible Light Transmission guidelines, which is 70%. In other words, he issued a summons without probable cause.
I believe this was not an isolated case. This happens often by many Officers looking for shortcuts when issuing summonses. When a Police Officer issues a summons for tinted front windshields a calibrated meter is to be use to ensure the motorist is in direct violation of states prescribe laws, showing the summons to be valid. Anything other is unacceptable.
The same applies when issuing a speeding ticket. All proper documentation dealing with the ticket must be present in Traffic Court , Including the Officer and the offender receiving the ticket. The Officers must have in his possession while in court a copy of the violation given describing the total number of miles traveled over the posted speed limit in the area. All documentation about the Radar Gun used, the certificate showing recent date of calibration and his citation log needed by his jurisdiction. These are simple procedure, when properly followed will always win your case. Deviation from these procedures always causes an Officer to lose his day in court and eventually lose faith with the Judge handling his case.
When Officers go out of their ways to do sloppy Police work it reflects on their department suggesting the lack of training they have received. Causing more harm than good.
Therefore, I cannot understand why some Officers fall through the cracks and do the opposite of what they are taught. To avert some of these inconsistencies the Supervisors should stay on top of their officers and check on their performance.
Being a Police Officer gives you the capacity to learn how to think like the criminal to defeat them at their game. Therefore, having an officer go bad, turning into a criminal is serious matter. As a professional and now a retired Police officer, I do not relish the idea of having to face an ex-cop who has become a bad-guy during a criminal confrontation. Which often, turns into a major crisis?
If Police work is to be more of a profession like other professions, you must raise the standards and qualifications to be in pace and meet modern times. There has to be better screening procedures to weed out the undesirable from the ranks. As it is now, a great number of undesirable Police Officers have falling through the cracks winding up in positions of high-level of authority and abusing that authority.
FYI:
Automobile window tinting, by its nature, reduces the visible light transmittance through a car's windows. This can be problematic at night, when motorists must be able to see through the windows of other cars to spot hazards. Police officers must also be able to identify the passengers in a car.
In many jurisdictions, there are government rules in place to ensure darkness levels of films do not present a danger to motorists. To get best results, it is also important, for Police Officers to use properly calibrated meters when taking readings. In addition, documenting your actions.
In the United States , the federal Department of Transport specifies a minimum of 70% visible light transmission (VLT) for window tinting on the front windshield and the windows to the immediate left and right of the driver side. The Dot does not specify any VLT needs for any other windows. Individual states can pass laws that go further in the specifications set forth by the Dot. Private cars may have tint on the windows to the immediate left and right of the driver as dark as 20% VLT, depending on the state.
The question which comes to mind, why would Police Officers run the risk of making fool of themselves in a Court of Law by using sloppy techniques which will get in trouble with the Judges. Yet these incidents continue to take place in traffic courts throughout this country.
Many Police Officers instead of using common sense in doing what is right in Police Work are becoming “Sloppy Joes" developing credibility gaps while in court with many Judges. Officers of this caliber are becoming more frequent in today's society causing the public to lose respect for the Law Enforcement Profession. It takes a joint effort by all of us in exposing these bad apples to correct the problem. End.
» left by Anonymous (2 years 56 days ago.)
I'm a former Texas county sheriff with fifteen years law enforcement experience through 1987. The current problem in Texas began with the vast amounts of federal money that became available after the George H. W. Bush administration instituted the so-called "War on Drugs" twenty-odd years ago. In our state these funds were used to establish "Regional Drug Task Forces," a new slant on enforcement served up by rogue cops with little or no effective supervision. Some of these officers learned how to work the system and divert thousands of dollars into their own pockets. In Tulia, Texas, during 1999 a Task Force operative, Tom Coleman, operating alone with neither wires nor video surveillance was responsible for sealed indictments that sent 19 innocent men, all except one of them local Negroes, to prison for individual terms of up to 321 years. Upon finally beng caught Coleman, the son of a Texas Ranger, was convicted and sentenced to ten years, probated. Fair and equal justice? I don't think so. (See Tulia: Race, Cocaine and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, Nate Blakeslee, 2005.) Frank Brown, a west-Texas District Attorney and former prosecutor for one of the regional task forces in west-Central Texas resigned the latter position when the federal courts began allowing officers to stop and search vehicles without probable cause. The DA said he had often wondered what would happen if a Black man were given a Corvette with Miami tags and sent to El Paso on Interstate-10. Brown's summation: "It'd take him six months to get there." Another problem directly related to the above came along with legislation that permitted local and state agencies to confiscate money and assets of drug related arrests. The tinted windows Irizarry referred to as a reason for a traffic stop fit a "profile" that one officer thought might get him a big bust and loads of cash for his department. In direct response to Dr. Irizarry's article, it appears that law enforcement has gotten to be more about getting money than fulfilling its traditional role: "To Protect and to Serve."
» left by Reinaldo Irizarry, Sr., Ph.D.(711) Reinaldo Irizarry, Sr., Ph.D. (2 years 54 days ago.)
Dear Mr. Glenn Willeford, Cd. Chihuahua, Mexico; I bid you greetings.
Sir, in response to your excellent comments, Sir I can only say there are some of us that still recognize the importance and the difference in been a professional Law enforcement officer. Some of us still believe in professional ethics and honor. The truth is there are some officers that feel entering this profession, they can become wealthy. In addition, to be honest some of them do
I have always found it to be like a breath of fresh air when some one with your experience in Police Work recognizes the shortcomings that have affected Police Work in resent years.
Law Enforcement is not what it uses to be nor would it ever be again. There are unscrupulous people that are now seeking this profession for the sole purpose of the wonderful opportunities it provides in taking advantage of the poor average sucker in the street. Some rising to high rank with the authority to crush any one who gets in their way. As a result, the Officer with good intention is force to take a back seat and watch everything that is going on and expected to keep quite.
When I first put on a badge, I did so with the intent of retiring after many years of honorable service. In addition, by watching my steps through out my career and not abusing any ones rights, I was able to do so. My mission was to Serve and protect the week and the innocent wit pride, integrity and honor.
I thanks you Sir for taking the time to read my article and have a positive critique.
» left by Anonymous (2 years 52 days ago.)
Dr. Irizarry, thanks. In 1987 I was removed from the constitutionally elected office of sheriff in a Texas county by state district judge Brock Jones on the word of two only marginally credible witnesses who had not been cross examined and prior to any examining trial, grand jury indictment or trial by jury. The preceding summer my department had busted the largest methamphetamine lab ever taken down in western Texas. A rancher from whom the druggies were buying large parcels of land was enraged. By springtime, I was history. So, there's no politics in American law enforcement, eh? I feel safer in Mexico where we KNOW what to expect from cops and judges than in my own country where we only THINK we know. Been here thirteen years now, invited to apply for either residency or citizenship, and doubt I'll ever go back to the USA unless it's just to make certain people nervous.
I have a long book coming out in October on what happened but being unfamiliar with this website's policy I hesitate to post it here. Best, sir.
» left by Anonymous (2 years 52 days ago.)
Dear Mr. Willeford, Thank you again for the comments. However, I must tell you bad incidents always happened to good and honest people with the best intents. That is just the way it is now in this country. There has been a shift in the way people view events today and everyone is rushing to judgment. No one is taking the time to seek the truth, which will show the right path. The value for good healthy and honest citizenship is disappearing.
I am interested in reading your book when it becomes available. Please keep me in mind with copy. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors. Please feel free to write to me and vent whenever you need to. I am all ears…
» left by Anonymous (2 years 52 days ago.)
Good Dr. Irizarry, much apprecated. After twenty years of holding it back I let it all out in the book. My need to "vent" is finally past. Upon the sage advice of good, and older, friends who said, "Glenn, they had no mercy on you, this is your catharsis, use true names and let the chips fall where they may." So I have, and a lot of people are going to be angry, perhaps most especially the Texas Rangers. Well, to the Devil with them. Name of the book is, DIRTY COP? The Rise and Fall of a Texas Sheriff, Memoir & Essays. It is now at press and should be in Texas bookstores by the third or last week of October. If you want one personalized contact me. I can sell direct at a savings of five dollars, mas o menos, to the customer and it's the only way to "personalize." Let me know soon for an early copy.
» left by Reinaldo Irizarry, Sr., Ph.D.(711) Reinaldo Irizarry, Sr., Ph.D. (2 years 51 days ago.)
Dear Mr. Glenn, I am looking forward to having the first copy signed by you.
Let me know when I can get one. You can also e-mail me any time you feel like talking to some one that knows how to listen and has a lot of experience in receiving info in confidence.
» left by Anonymous (2 years 51 days ago.)
Dr. Irizarry, be happy to comply. As I had to "rob Peter to pay Paul" and self-publish the work I must charge $19.95 and try to at least break even on it; if I get lucky and make a few bucks, well, I think I've earned it. In concern that this service might not like us using their medium for a chat line, and understanding why they won't permit the exchange of los dirreciones (correo electronico) I'm in a quandry as to how to get in touch. Have you any suggestions? Glenn Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (2 years 51 days ago.)
Dear Glenn, go to the website to one of my articles you will see my name and there is a little envelope icon, click on it and you will have my e-mail address. You can get in touch with me. Thanks Dr. Irizarry
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