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Officers Down in America

With your indulgence, I would like to start a thread honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. After 42 years as a LEO at various levels, it distresses me that the national media rarely focuses on the deaths of these committed public servants. Perhaps we can raise public awareness in a small way. I will begin below with a deputy sheriff killed in Texas this past weekend followed by the officer killed in mmedge's AOR in New Mexico
 
Eastland County borders our county and these attacks only reinforce my observation that the cultural rot is not isolated to the urban environment. The previous post on the school girl being attacked I can also identify with since my third career is a science teacher. My first job was in a very small rural school and it was pretty good. I then went to a mid-size city junior high and it was the environment described in the previous article. Multi-generational gang/tribal behavior where parents talk a good talk but rarely solve the problem. I left finally, and am now in a small town school, but the kicker is behavior is similar as the urban school though not as many incidents and less intense when they happen.

The point is, crap spreads via social media, criminal activity becomes cool and people like the deputy pay for it. All one has to do is travel the highways and county roads in this state and one will encounter - sorry if this makes people angry - towns that are flat out dumps and have been that way for a couple of generations now. The only difference between some of these towns versus the urban jungle is they can park more derelict vehicles and old school buses per acre. There is no "Texas pride" in these places.

RIP, deputy our thoughts are with you.
 
I think discussion is appropriate
I was afraid, quite correctly so far, that a general discussion would devolve into political, and societal critique and take away from what I felt was a somber, and important memorial.

There are other threads, other discussions where side bar topics mentioned are more appropriate in my humble opinion.

Therefore once again,

Rest well brave officers, God's Peace upon you, thank you for your service and sacrifice.
 
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While a societal decay diatribe is tempting, it just makes what these fine men and women, the thin blue line, do all the more remarkable.

RIP to those that gave their life’s doing the right thing. And may their families take some small comfort in their supreme sacrifice.
 
The following is an update to the story I linked to earlier. It shows a picture of the person who took an officers life for no reason. 🤬

 
The problem with the Media is a dead LEO doesn’t push their agenda! They don’t like to make LE hero’s they like bad LE stories so that’s how they paint the stories.

The bigger problem is a couple. The first is with many many Police and Municipal and State administrators and legislators. They set the atmosphere that severe scrutiny and or criminal or discipline will be directed at any Officer even if they act within the parameters of a lawful use of force. They (Bosses) are afraid of feeling over a 30 second cell phone video. Legislators will use it for votes and rarely does an Officer not being killed or injured works for votes like the Police excessive force narrative does.

They (again Administration) makes a bunch of “rules” selling the point that it protects the agency and Ofdice from getting sued when in fact it does the complete opposite and makes it easier for an Ifdicer to break an agency no no and then the administration fires up the bus and runs over the Officer (remember in Tombstone with Kurt Russell after the OK shootout and when the smoke clears Sheriff Behan shows up and acts like he’s trying to do something…yeah like that)

The there is the two fold issue of Training. One hand Training is the first to get cut so those that want it have to do it on their own time and dime. Then there is the Officers that don’t think they need it.

I have worked a couple decade as a Use of Force and Firearms trainer. LE shootings have a nationwide hit percentage of around 20%. That’s 1 out of 5 bullets hit who they mean to!

There is a 10% 80% 10% breakdown top 10 exceed standards and train. Middle 80 most barely pass the minimum standard (usually once a year) which doesn’t mean they are proficient and the bottom 10 which is why agency’s go to easier courses.

By numbers the 80% are the ones getting caught in bad spots

However the top 10 don’t get a free pass. RIP to him but Deputy K Dinkheller was murdered in 1998 in an extended gunfight. He was the best shot in his agency and fellow LEOs said after his death Deputy Dnkheller was the one they thought would survive a gunfight. Yet here we are.

So they need to incorporate cognitive and decision making part of training. And what is plan B, C and D if the suspect doesn’t go down . A firearm alone with a badge and campaign hat won’t ward off evil with just its presence!

So while you will never eliminate everything we could minimize it if Admin would let LE use of force experts (specifically those that have been in shootings) re write how SOPs and Training standards go instead of folks in an office that have never been in shootings and are worried more about their appointment in their positions or votes! Look at other agencies that have great hit percentage in shootings. They probably know how to direct yours. Give lackadaisical officers a chance to improve and lead them to the fountain but if they refuse to drink well lowering standards isn’t the answer.

And with the dire need of warm bodies not sure a hard line on critical thinking skills and firearms skills is going to be a big deal for a while

Just my 2 cents!
 
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The following is an update to the story I linked to earlier. It shows a picture of the person who took an officers life for no reason. 🤬

the old saying, "he who represents himself in court, has a fool for a lawyer"

fits here.
 
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