Respect

Respect....what’s lacking in America!

As I begin my forty-eighth year as a proud full-time law enforcement officer, I have never posted my personal beliefs on any social media site but the relentless and blatant distortion of the law enforcement profession compels me to stand up for the dedicated men and women who honor the badge we wear every day and especially for those officers who sadly sacrificed their lives while protecting others.

First and foremost, in my view, every unnatural death is a tragedy and Mr. Floyd’s death was certainly no exception. The rogue officer responsible for his death is being held accountable as are the other officers who failed to uphold their oath by not intervening in an inexcusable excessive use of force, regardless of what led up to Mr. Floyd’s senseless and unforgiveable death. Their conduct is reprehensible, unconscionable and not representative of the law enforcement profession. They are the anomaly.

Most, if not all, law enforcement citizen encounters begin with a call for service or a perceived violation of the law on behalf of an officer. What caused the law enforcement encounter and what led to force being used? These are precisely the questions that are noticeably missing in today’s narrative. This should be the focal point of every use of force incident but unfortunately, it is conveniently omitted by those who have never walked in an officer’s shoes when making their quick, ill-informed and reckless judgments of deadly force incidents without knowing all of the facts. Sadly, their self- serving, irresponsible, hasty opinions perpetuate the divisiveness between law enforcement and the public.

During my career as a law enforcement instructor hosting various town-hall and church congregation meetings over the years, I always stressed to the audience that when approached by a law enforcement officer to immediately exercise the “The Golden Rule”. I emphasized that regardless of the circumstances, citizens have a civic duty to respect and comply with the officer’s instructions since officers are duly empowered by law to enforce the law and to complain immediately afterwards if they disliked anything about the encounter. I often referred to it as the three C’s; “Cooperate, Comply and Complain”.

Respect is a fundamental value that traditionally is instilled by parents or guardians in children at an early age which in essence forms the cornerstone of “The Golden Rule”. Unfortunately, over time, respect for others has slowly eroded only to be replaced by egocentricity and a lack of respect for authority in America. Consequently, law enforcement officers are persistently challenged by self-absorbed individuals who believe it is their right to debate an issue on the street instead of cooperating with the officer to avoid escalation.

In those rare instances where officers are unable to successfully de-escalate the encounter, the choices made by the individual to contest, avoid or resist the officer’s instructions, prompts a necessary response by the officer to use whatever force is necessary to either control the situation or effect an arrest. Unfortunately, a mere hand full of those incidents result in deadly force because of the actions of the non-compliant and uncontrollable individual. However, no one wants to hear all of the facts of any deadly encounter to determine the who, what, when, where, how and why before making an uninformed judgment because most incidents would not fall within the current narrative that all police officers are no different than the Minneapolis officers. The stark difference, however, is like night and day.

Policing is a partnership; the police cannot do their jobs without the community and the community cannot protect itself without the police. Police officers are “called” to help others and to make a difference in their communities. We all are human and experience life’s struggles the same as every other human being to include making mistakes as well. Throughout my career in Illinois as well as in Georgia, I have yet to encounter one police officer whose sole purpose for being a police officer was to abuse and violate human rights. I have, however, encountered a few overzealous officers in both states whose deep disdain for the criminal element made them roughshod at best but they didn’t arbitrarily violate anyone’s civil rights and received training to correct their shortcomings.

What those outside of the law enforcement profession lack who stereotype all of us as the same as those who fail to uphold the badge, such as what happened in Minneapolis, is the first hand exposure to what police officers encounter every day. They have never responded to circumstances where split second life and death decisions have to be made only for those decisions to be armchair quarterbacked and dissected from every angle that was not available to the officer who made the decision for years by those who never walked in an officer’s shoes. The quick to judge have never processed horrific crime or accident scenes by collecting body parts. They also haven’t been cussed at, spit at, bit or struck for no reason other than doing their job while wearing a badge. They haven’t worked long hours with minimal sleep nor have they missed countless family occasions because duty called. They have not experienced the savagery committed against human beings nor the brutal mistreatment of innocent children. They have not grappled with a criminal resisting arrest inflicting potentially fatal strikes to your head while trying to remove weapons on your belt to maim or kill you. They also haven’t experienced the joy of saving a life or just helping anyone in need.

Our profession is no different than any other profession; they all have individuals who do not belong who inevitably shed a negative light upon their peers. The hiring and promoting of law enforcement officers are the two most important decisions police executives make. Unfortunately, despite the rigorous screening process to select or promote the most qualified, there are obviously those few who do slip through the cracks and tarnish the badge we proudly wear.

We vehemently denounce the criminal behavior of any law enforcement officer and proudly side with everyone who voice opposition legally and seek change peacefully. We strongly oppose those who violate the law and will continue upholding our oath of office with great resolve on behalf of those who perished wearing the badge, regardless of the current adversarial rhetoric. Respect is the solution but until respect is restored across America, the poor choices made by non-conforming, resisting and combative individuals forces officers to react accordingly to uphold their oath to enforce the law.

Christopher A. Bish, MPA