LEOs: do you trust your department to back you?

[fortyofforty]

To Law Enforcement Officers:  How confident are you that your department would back you in a shooting?  Would they go to bat for you?  Would they provide legal representation at no cost to you?  Would the department attempt to fire you and walk away, or would it stand up to public pressure?  We can use the Michael Brown shooting as an example, if need be.  That one was pretty clearly a justifiable use of force by any objective standards, but that caused much public outrage.

[Rabbi]

I have faith in everything as it is now. 

 

The problem is things change. 

[Mayhem like me]

I have faith My Sheriff is a 20 year friend and a solid man of his word and has been a real cop.

 

[TBO]

11 hours ago, fortyofforty said:

To Law Enforcement Officers:  How confident are you that your department would back you in a shooting?  Would they go to bat for you?  Would they provide legal representation at no cost to you?  Would the department attempt to fire you and walk away, or would it stand up to public pressure?  We can use the Michael Brown shooting as an example, if need be.  That one was pretty clearly a justifiable use of force by any objective standards, but that caused much public outrage.

I'll add another layer.

 

It's one thing for an Law Enforcement Officer to have faith in his agency, it's another thing for him to have faith in:

-his city/county/state administration/entity.

 

For clarity, a City Cop who has faith in his Department Administration, but not in the City Mayor/Council/etc.

 

Or a Sheriff's Deputy who has faith in his Sheriff, but not the County Board.

Or an LEO who has faith in his Agency & others, but not in the big players (DOJ/FBI/etc).

 

FWIW: I believe that often, a lack of faith in a Mayor/Council/Board isn't about malice on their part, but rather the all too human condition of doing nothing as they don't know what to do. It's the very essence of:

"All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing". 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by TBO

[Rabbi]

8 hours ago, TBO said:

I'll add another layer.

 

It's one thing for an Law Enforcement Officer to have faith in his agency, it's another thing for him to have faith in:

-his city/county/state administration/entity.

 

For clarity, a City Cop who has faith in his Department Administration, but not in the City Mayor/Council/etc.

 

Or a Sheriff's Deputy who has faith in his Sheriff, but not the County Board.

Or an LEO who has faith in his Agency & others, but not in the big players (DOJ/FBI/etc).

 

FWIW: I believe that often, a lack of faith in a Mayor/Council/Board isn't about malice on their part, but rather the all too human condition of doing nothing as they don't know what to do. It's the very essence of:

"All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing". 

 

 

Yep. There are a lot of layers of people going in a lot of directions. 

[fortyofforty]

I believe if the public pressure fed by a Fa-Left media becomes too hot, many politicians will buckle and cave.  They will, in turn, put pressure on the Chief of Police, who works at the pleasure of the City Council.  Or, public pressure will force a Sheriff who values his reelection, to turn away from an officer.  It takes a set of brass balls and a strong moral compass to do what's right in the face of public outrage.  I know of one case in which an agency stuck by an "officer" who was wrongly charged by an overzealous local District Attorney looking to score political points.  The DA actually sought to prosecute, but his efforts were ultimately thwarted.  He did score political points, though, and probably looked good for any future office for which he wants to run.  Such things can and do ruin lives, even of the right and just.  It's a shame.  One thing I like about President Trump is that his first inclination is to side with Law Enforcement, until proven wrong.  His predecessor sided with the supposed victims of police violence, every time.

[1L26]

On 9/18/2017 at 7:29 PM, fortyofforty said:

I believe if the public pressure fed by a Fa-Left media becomes too hot, many politicians will buckle and cave.  They will, in turn, put pressure on the Chief of Police, who works at the pleasure of the City Council.  Or, public pressure will force a Sheriff who values his reelection, to turn away from an officer.  It takes a set of brass balls and a strong moral compass to do what's right in the face of public outrage.  I know of one case in which an agency stuck by an "officer" who was wrongly charged by an overzealous local District Attorney looking to score political points.  The DA actually sought to prosecute, but his efforts were ultimately thwarted.  He did score political points, though, and probably looked good for any future office for which he wants to run.  Such things can and do ruin lives, even of the right and just.  It's a shame.  One thing I like about President Trump is that his first inclination is to side with Law Enforcement, until proven wrong.  His predecessor sided with the supposed victims of police violence, every time.

Absolutely spot on!

[furetto7]

While I have absolute faith in my Sheriff, I don't know how much support we would get from the County Commissioners.  They have been supportive in the past but there has never been a major incident in the county that might test them.