My thoughts on Baltimore

Denene and I once had an extremely unpleasant encounter with a Baltimore police officer. Here’s what happened.

While visiting the city we were walking along/on a path in a public park. Between the gravel trails there was a newly installed lawn with numerous “Keep Off The Grass” signs dotting the lush greenery. It was a lovely place, especially so when considering the huge amount of nearby drab and dirty concrete, graffiti, and litter.

Suddenly we heard someone shouting, so we stopped walking and looked around to see what what all the yelling was about. Well, we saw a very large uniformed police officer standing approximately 50-60 yards away, directly across the lawn from our location. A man in plainclothes stood next to him (I’m not sure if he was an officer or not). The man in uniform began shouting again. We realized he was shouting at us.

Suddenly the officer and his companion launched in a full run, straight toward us and across the new lawn, while dodging the Keep Off The Grass signs. We stood still, waiting in the precise spot we were in when he began his tirade. When the pair finally reached us, huffing and puffing from the long run, the officer moved into a position where he was chest-to-chest and toe-to-toe with me, and started shouting again. I moved a bit to position myself between the officer and Denene.

“Can’t you read?” he yelled.

“Read what?” I asked, totally not understanding what the hell he was talking about.

“Those signs right there!” he screamed while pointing to the Keep Off The Grass signs.

By now his partner had moved in close as well, as if I was about to be handcuffed. Believe me, I know the move.

“Sure, I can read.”

“Then why were you on the grass?”

“We weren’t on the grass,” I said. And we weren’t. Never even came close to it, actually.

“Don’t lie to me. I saw you there,” he said. “I can lock you up for lying to me, and I should.”

Okay, I’d had enough of this BS, so I closed the remaining four-inch gap between my chest and his gut (he was that big) and WENT OFF. He finally quieted down and backed off, but not before having the last word. “I’ll lock your ass up if I catch you on the grass again. You white people think you can do whatever you want.”

Yeah, he went there. You white people. And I sensed the contempt he had for me. I also knew he was dying for me to touch him so he could reciprocate with whatever means it took to get me in handcuffs. His friend inched closer. I stood my ground.

Then he and his buddy slowly backed away and headed back across the lawn, tromping through the Keep Off The Grass signs, to where I first saw them.

Denene and I went back to our hotel where, ironically, I was scheduled to speak on a panel with, get this, the officer’s boss. But I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to go back to the park to give the officer a piece of my mind and to school him on a few things he’d done wrong. Denene begged me not to go, fully anticipating spending a lot of cash to get me out of a Baltimore lockup, or hospital (the guy was huge and she knows I wouldn’t back down from a charging elephant, if I’m right).

But I went, and I calmly introduced myself and provided a bit of my background before diving in with my complaints. I also was quite clear that I was in town to teach about proper police procedure. He quickly apologized and offered a big bear paw for me to shake, as a peace offering.

I shook his hand and said I accepted his apology, but I knew it wasn’t sincere. He was merely worried that I’d snitch on him to his boss. But I didn’t. Never mentioned it to him.

But I’ve never forgotten that day in Baltimore. I’ve also not forgotten what it feels like to have race enter into an encounter with the police. It’s a dirty felling that no amount of soap can wash away.

Tyler Proffitt

Tyler Proffitt is a champion, several times over. His room is practically filled to the brim with trophies, medals, and other top awards, most of them 1st place accolades.

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Tyler pictured with a few of his awards.

Last Saturday, Tyler and his team, Carlson Gracie/Ghost Team, traveled to Indianapolis to compete in the daylong double-elimination Extreme Grappling Open competition.

Tyler, who’s 13-years-old, competed against 16-year-olds in the No-Gi division (Gi is the traditional garment worn in martial arts) and, after a grueling day, wound up fighting for the top spot.

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In the end, after one win and a loss, Tyler came away victorious after locking in a belly-down arm-bar on his opponent who quickly tapped-out.

A “tap-out” occurs when a competitor submits to his opponent, usually as a result of intense pain being applied to a portion of their body. Submission is signaled by using a hand to tap the mat or somewhere that’s visible to the judge.

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When the final match was finally over, Tyler congratulated his much older and much larger competitor before heading to the podium to receive his 1st place award.

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Tyler also won first place in the Gi matches.

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Two weeks ago, Tyler won the title belt (expert division) at the NAGA (North American Grappling Association) Championship in Nashville.

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Tyler on the winner’s podium holding up the coveted title belt. Pictured with him is the silver medal winner (2nd place).

Thanks to his hard work, coaches, teammates, and you, the writers who stepped up to sponsor him, Tyler has been able to compete in, and win, numerous high-profile competitions. To name only a few:

Ohio State Judo Championship – 1st place

Bluegrass Brawl (Louisville, Ky.) – 1st Place

Ohio State North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Championship – 1st Place

USKS Superstars – 1st Place

Grand Nationals (Indiana) 1st Place in four divisions—Grappling, Knife Forms, Sparring, Kata.

Advanced Naga – 2nd Place in Gi and No Gi

 Abu Dhabi World Submission Fighting Championship (Charleston, West Va.) – 1st Place

Tyler is also a two-time nominee to the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

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Here’s a brief video of Tyler during a few of his championship matches.

Again, thanks to all of his writer sponsors. By the way, their books are featured in the right side bar of this blog.

 

*If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and having your books advertised on this page please contact Lee Lofland (the proud grandpa) at lofland32@msn.com.

Monday Quiz

Police officers make split-second decisions nearly every day of their careers, and many of those decisions often affect the lives of others. Could you do the same?

Well, let’s see how well you perform while under absolutely no pressure other than to satisfy your own curiosity. Here’s a brief but fun little quiz with answers that may or may not have been seen lurking within the pages of various works of fiction. Whether or not their use was correct or not…well, I’ll leave that one alone for now.

I’ll post the answers tomorrow. In the meantime…

Your time starts…now.

*By the way, the quiz becomes slightly more difficult as you go.

 

Monday Quiz

1. Officers cannot, no way, no how, legally search a person’s home without a warrant. T or F?

2. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of the people to be protected from unreasonable search and seizure by the government. T or F?

3. The U.S. Constitution mandates that a police officer reads a suspect the Miranda Warning following an arrest. T or F?

4. Cordite is the main ingredient in modern ammunition. T or F?

5. Bullet-proof vests will stop all bullets. T or F?

6. All police officers are expert marksmen. T or F?

7. All police officers are highly skilled in martial arts and/or other fighting styles. T or F?

8. Cops are never afraid. T or F?

9. DNA testing is flawless. T or F?

10. Handheld fingerprint readers used by patrol officers return results in as little as 45 seconds. T or F?

11. Police sometimes use simulated cell phone towers that force nearby phones to connect with them, thus enabling officers to zero in on a suspect’s location.. T or F?

12. The NETF is an acronym for National Explosives Task Force, an organization that gathers intel on explosives so they can prevent future bomb plots. T or F?

13. Turkey Vultures are used to detect leaks in gas pipelines. Engineers pump a gas—the gas produced by decomposing bodies—into pipelines. Where/when the buzzards begin to circle, well, that’s the area where the leak can be found. T or F?

14. Technology is moving toward autonomous killer robots that could select, engage, and terminate targets, including people, without the assistance and/or guidance from humans. T or F?

15. Smart Keyboards can identify their users by the way they type—key pressure, typing speed, patterns, etc. T or F?

 

A house cannot be robbed

HOUSE ROBBED WHILE FAMILY AT MOVIE

Cordite, Ca. – The home of I. Will Fillemfullalead on Glock Circle in Cordite was robbed last night between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. while the family was away enjoying a movie at a local theater. Robbers gained entry by kicking in the kitchen door and then took nearly everything from the home, including a goldfish named Pegleg, leaving the Fillemfullaleads with very little. The Red Cross has offered their assistance—blankets, water, food, and a loaner fish until they’re able to get a new one.

“When we got home, we saw that our house had been robbed. They took everything, right down to the kids’ handguns and reloading kits,” said Mrs. Fillemfullalead. “I hope the police catch them before we do, or there’ll never be a trial.”

Police spokesperson, Captain I. M. Overwait said investigators questioned a potential witness, a Mr. Kayne West of Blowhard Lane, who saw two masked men flee the area. West expressed his anger that the robbers chose the Fillemfullalead house over Beyonce’s. “Y’all know Beyonce deserved to be robbed more than these chumps,” West said to investigators.

Okay, how many times have you seen headlines similar to the ones above? Too many times if you ask me, because a house cannot be robbed. No way, no how. The definition of a robbery is this – To take something (property) from a person by force, violence, or threat.

From a PERSON. Not from an inanimate object. From a PERSON. Not a building. Not a car. Not a shed. Not an office. Not a dog house. Not a cardboard box.

From a P.E.R.S.O.N.

You cannot threaten a house or business. Nope, there has to be a human person present to constitute a robbery. And he/she must have felt threatened and/or intimidated by the robber when the goods were taken. Otherwise, a home or business has been burglarized (NOT robbed), and their property stolen (NOT robbed).

Therefore, the Fillemfullalead’s home was burglarized and their belongings stolen by the burglars.

Burglary – To break and enter a building illegally with the intention of committing a crime, such as stealing the things inside.

Please, keep this in mind when writing your stories.

 

Support earns add space for book

Last year, several writers answered my call to help sponsor our 13-year-old grandson, Tyler, on his quest to compete in a national martial arts tournament. Well, you came through and so did Tyler (he won), and he’s extremely grateful for your help. Without your support back then he couldn’t have gone on to do as well as he has. For example, he’s since competed and placed in several major tournaments, including (to name a only few):

Bluegrass Brawl (Louisville, Ky.) – 1st Place

Ohio State North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Championship – 1st Place

USKS Superstars – 1st Place

Grand Nationals (Indiana) 1st Place in four divisions—Grappling, Knife Forms, Sparring, Kata.

Advanced Naga – 2nd Place in Gi and No Gi

 Abu Dhabi World Submission Fighting Championship (Charleston, West Va.) – 1st Place

Tyler currently trains at MMAx in Springfield, Ohio, and at 6:10 Judo Club. 6:10 Judo is owned and operated by veteran law enforcement officers from the area.

Most recently, Tyler competed in the Ohio State Judo Championship and fought his way to the top of the bracket where he secured the gold medal. As a result, he is currently the Ohio State Judo Champion in the 13-14 age division. He also competed in the 15-16 age group to see how well he could do against much larger and far more experienced competitors. He took 2nd in the older group and brought home the Silver Medal.

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In addition to his numerous awards, Tyler is a two-time nominee to the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Since Tyler is relatively new to the sport, rising so quickly to earn top honors, he hasn’t been around long enough to secure the large sponsorships his competitors enjoy. Therefore, to help with the expense of traveling to and competing at large upcoming tournaments (listed below), Tyler, his family, and his coaches and trainers are actively seeking donors and sponsors.

So I had an idea…turn to the writing community again. And, as a way to show my appreciation to sponsors, I’ve offered to run ads on this site for each person who contributes. A $50 sponsorship receives four months of ad space for your book (normally, a $140 value). I’ll also dedicate a blog post featuring all the sponsors and their book covers.

*By the way, in case you’re curious, this website receives thousands of visitors each day. So it’s a win-win scenario for everyone. Tyler can compete and writers receive excellent advertising at a huge discount.

FYI – Tyler’s goals are to receive a college wrestling scholarship and to compete in the Olympics.

If you’d like to help out as a sponsor, you can do so by clicking following link, and then contact me at lofland32@msn.com to have your ad placed here on The Graveyard Shift.

Tyler Sponsorship

Thanks so much for your generous support!

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Tyler Proffitt

Again, please click the link to support Tyler.

Tyler Sponsorship

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Tyler’s Upcoming Tournaments

NAGA Nashville 4/11/15,

Indiana State Judo Championship 4/18/15

Portland IN, EGO Open 4/25/15

Indianapolis IN, 2015 EMAC

KY State Championship 5/2/15

Akiya Judo Championship 5/9/15 Cleveland

Amer-Kan Judo Challenge 5/30/15

Hoosier Open 6/6/15

Northcoast Judo Championships 6/13/15

NAGA 6/27/15 Cincinnati OH

National Judo Championships 7/10/15 Indianapolis IN

EGO 8/22/15 Indianapolis IN

Maumee Bay Judo Classic 10/17/15

Super EGO 10/24/15 Indianapolis IN

Elvis Lives

As police officers, we’re often presented with the opportunity to meet various celebrities and other “important” people. Sometimes, we’re even placed in the unfortunate position of having to arrest a few of those VIP’s.

For example, I once served as training officer to a rookie who stopped a very fancy tour bus for traveling at a speed well above above the posted limit. The young officer eagerly approached the driver’s window and was quite surprised to see one of his favorite musicians behind the wheel—an extremely famous musician (why he was behind the wheel and not the designated bus driver was a mystery that went unanswered).

The singer/guitarist was quick to announce his identity, as if the verbal identification had been necessary, hoping his fame would be enough to satisfy the appetite of the officer’s squalling radar unit.

The still wet-behind-the-ears officer, totally starstruck, tongue-tied, and rubber-kneed in the presence of the legend of stage and Radioland, immediately knew what he had to do. That’s right, my babbling trainee, with the speed and grace of a wild cheetah, was quick to snag the driver’s autograph and then send the celebrity and his bus full of musicians on their way to the next concert on their tour. And, when the officer returned to our patrol car he was grinning from ear to ear, like a mule eating briars.

The rookie officer shoved the signature-clad paper into my hands so I, too, could have a look at his prize. Sure enough, scrawled across the bottom of the traffic summons was the signature of one of the all-time greats of the music world. A golden voice and fancy guitar, though, do not qualify as exemptions to posted speed limits, especially when driving 82 mph in a 55 mph zone. I’d taught the young officer well.

Of course, I’ve had my own share of encounters with well-known celebrities and other people of fame. Like Marvin The Martian, the guy from the red planet who’s all-important goal was to return home.

“You see,” he told me as I was arresting him for hacking his sister-in-law to death using a rusty ax, “she wouldn’t allow the mother ship to return to earth. I had no choice. She’s evil, you know.”

Then there was the time I responded to the call of a oddly-dressed, weird-acting man walking in the median between the north and southbound lanes of a major interstate highway. When I finally located the gentleman, I pulled my patrol car onto the shoulder and approached on foot.

He stood waiting for me in the center of the median strip. The buttery-soft light of a near full moon served as his backdrop. The effect was quite, well, heavenly.

My gaze was immediately drawn to his sandal-clad feet and long, wavy brown hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. He held out his right hand for me to shake and, in an unusually soothing and calm voice, introduced himself as…

I must admit, I paused for a second before moving along to serious questions, such as the typical, “Do you have any identification?”

Of course, when I did ask, he gave me that look. You know the one. The “Seriously, you need to see MY identification?” look.

Well, as luck would have it, the guy wasn’t really Jesus after all. Instead, he was a slightly out of touch homeless man who merely thought he was Jesus.

And then there was Elvis, whom I had to remove from an elderly lady’s refrigerator once or twice each month around 2 a.m. so she could watch TV. After all, we all know how annoying it can be when “The King” slips in behind the cheesecake and starts stealing our radio and TV signals.

Things could have been worse, I suppose. At least I’ve never encountered Lindsay, Miley, Kim, or Charlie Sheen.

Still, if only my handcuffs could talk. The stories they could tell would curl your toes. Like the time when…

 

Brutal torture of a prison inmate...by rubber band

Make no mistake about it, to serve time in state prison is no picnic. Inmates are confined in small spaces with some of the most dangerous people in the country—gang-bangers, murderers, robbers, etc. Prisoners often suffer violent assaults and brutal rapes. They’re sometimes beaten, cut, stabbed, and killed by other prisoners, and sometimes corrections officers and other staff members step over the line to deliver physical and mental abuse. So yes, prisoners have a tendency to become hardened…to the very core of their being.

We’ve all heard tales of prisoners fabricating weapons from almost anything they can get their hands, such as knives made from ink pens and swords or spears made from rolled and stiffened newspaper. But there’s one extremely deadly weapon you never hear about, and it, this life-threatening and brutal device, is the center of a California lawsuit. Warning, this gets ugly… (note the intense level of sarcasm).

A prison inmate who’s serving time at the state prison in Vacaville, California has filed a lawsuit in state court claiming he was the victim of a rubber band assault on Nov. 9, 2012. The prisoner, Michael Aaron Witkin, states in his affidavit that a prison librarian launched at least 10 rubber bands at him while he was inside the library. His claim went on to state that she (the librarian) even giggled almost uncontrollably during her “vicious” rubber band attack. Finally, Witkin said the rubber bands were large and could leave a painful sting. Poor baby…

*A quick search discovered a Michael Aaron Witkin who’s serving time at the Solano State Prison in Vacaville. This Michael Witkins was previously arrested for attempted murder (shooting a woman several times), pistol whipping another individual, resisting arrest, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, robbery, and illegal possession of hydrocodone and marijuana.

Since the aforementioned Michael Witkins is the only Michael Witkins listed as serving time in the Vacaville prison, well, it might be okay to assume this is the same Michael Witkin who filed the previously mentioned lawsuit. If so, I’m quite certain his victims would have preferred that he’d used rubber bands instead of an actual gun during his assault on them.

Execution of cop killer Andrew Brannan

At 8:33 p.m. last night, Andrew Brannan took his last breath. He died by lethal injection at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison. It was 17 years and one day after Brannan brutally killed 22-year-old Deputy Kyle Dinkheller.

On the day of his murder, Deputy Dinkheller’s wife was pregnant with their second child. Their first child, a daughter, was 22-months old.

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Deputy Kyle Dinkheller

Deputy Dinkheller’s fatal encounter with his killer began when he stopped Vietnam veteran Andrew Brannan for driving nearly 100 mph. Minutes later Brannan pulled a rifle from his truck and began firing at the deputy. He charged forward, laying down cover fire as he went, and when he ran out of ammunition he reloaded and fired even more rounds into Deputy Dinkheller’s body.

The video below is from the dash cam in Dinkheller’s patrol car. It shows how quickly the situation escalated from a simple traffic stop to cold-blooded murder, and it shows raw emotion and fear. It also shows how vulnerable police officers are to attack and how there’s often no real time to think or formulate a plan for survival.

You’ll have questions after viewing, and you’ll most likely wonder why the deputy took such a long time before firing his service weapon.

Unfortunately, it was reported that Deputy Dinkheller’s supervisor had recently reprimanded him for being too quick to draw his weapon. If this was the case, then his boss’s words had to be on the deputy’s mind in the moments before he was gunned down. Was the reprimand the reason he paused before attempting to terminate the threat to his life? We’ll never know. But probably so.

I’ve said it time and time again in police academies and on this site…a moment’s hesitation could mean the difference between living and dying.

The images within the video are graphic and the audio is extremely haunting and distressing.

This is not a video game, nor is it a work of fiction.

You are about to witness the actual murder of a police officer.

Top 2017 Predictions

Madam Zelda did a reading for us this morning and she’s confident 2015 will be a fantastic year. Here’s a list of her top 24 predictions. Believe me, she’s always right…well, almost always.

1. Alafair Burke enrolls in a much-needed television repair and install course at a local community college.

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2. Michael Cudlitz actually wears pants during the filming of the next Writers’ Police Academy video. That’s right, he was indeed pant-less in the 2014 video. At least the Walking Dead star wore a shirt…

3. Good cop Melanie Atkins will be caught in steamy affair with Richard Castle. Beckett to file for divorce.

4. Sara Gruen arrested for construction of massive unpermitted gingerbread houses.

5. Katherine Ramsland purchases Bonaventure Cemetery and converts it to summer home.

6. Someone almost takes Hannah Schwartz seriously.

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7. Mike Roche, former Secret Service agent, officially changes name to Love Doctor after becoming THE most sought-after romance book cover model.

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8. Rick McMahan is appointed to head ATF. Rejects the offer in favor of a career as ballet instructor. His wife is not surprised. Not at all.

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9. David Swords sets sights on becoming the next Love Doctor.

10. Andy Russell, WPA instructor, moves to Florida and becomes shuffleboard king.

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11. Marco Conelli develops allergies to Italian food.

12. Dave Pauly, cold case expert, solves the Jimmy Hoffa mystery. Finds the missing mobster working as a server in a local Cracker Barrel restaurant.

13. Elvira files paternity suit against Oak Ridge Boys crooner Joe Bonsall.

14. Lisa Gardner appears on morning TV and announces, “My name is Lisa Gardner. Except most likely it isn’t.” A close friend, DD Warren, says the bestselling author fears nothing and will never crash and burn, no matter who she really is.

15. Marcia Clark (yes, that Marcia Clark) receives new pair of gloves as birthday gift. They don’t fit.

16. Steve Brown awakens from coma and learns he’s actually a local cop, not FBI. He cries nonstop from February through June.

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17. Jodie Renner reveals plans to write book on how to edit editing books.

18. Hazel Dixon Cooper predicts there’ll be more predictions in the future.

19. This one’s a stretch, but it’s believed that Hank Phillippi Ryan will embark on a book tour.

20. Jenny Milchman enters book tour Twilight Zone and is unable to exit the never-ending loop.

21. Les Edgerton is finally able to accept the fact that not all skies are blue.

22. Renee Paley Bain, AKA “Me,” reunites with her long-lost sisters, Coffee and Tea, who currently own and operate a small private school for wayward flight attendants.

23. Lee Child begins second career as a Billy Ray Cyrus tribute singer. He goes by the name “Achy Breaky Reacher.”

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24. Robin Burcell confesses to crime spree after realizing the composite sketch she drew was of herself.

Cops: damned if they do

The NYPD uses a tactic called “Broken Windows,” the aggressive cracking down on minor offenses which, in turn, creates a ripple effect that reduces the number of major crimes such as murder, robbery, and rape.

Since the tactic was utilized the city has seen a huge decrease in its crime rate. For example, according to the New York Times, homicides are down by 82%. The number of rapes dropped 77%. Robberies are down 84%.

In 1990 (prior to Broken Windows), New York City saw 2272 murders. In 2013 there were 335. To add a bit of perspective to those figures, the last year I served as a police detective, Richmond, Va. recorded 333 murders. The population of Richmond is just over 200,000. New York City…nearly 8.5 million. Yes, that’s 8.5 MILLION.

New York’s prison population has also decreased accordingly…by 28%, meaning that more people were released than were entering the system.

So the Broken Windows policy works, and it works well. As a result, NYC is the safest large city in the U.S.

So what’s the problem? Well, let’s again visit the New York Times (post the murders and violent attacks on police officers), a paper that only five short months ago published the initial Broken Windows article that basically touted its successes.

According to a NY Times article published one month apart from the one mentioned above, in spite of the enormous payoff many are adamant that Broken Windows unfairly targets people of color, and they’ve called for an end to it. Communities United For Police Reform director Joo-Hyun Kang was quoted saying, “The continuation of broken-windows policing will only deepen the divide between police and community.” This statement comes after the report that NYC is the safest city in the country.

I’m sorry that race and emotions have to enter the picture, but when crimes occur more often in some areas than it does in others, well, that’s where the cops are forced to focus their attentions. That’s how it works. Think rationally for a minute, please. Violent crime (hypothetically) occurs in one neighborhood every single night of the year, but you want police to stop going there and instead patrol over on the next block, where the crime rate stands at practically zero?

Suppose your job is to troubleshoot problematic ice cream freezers. So you drive to a nearby grocery store whose manager has complained about all sorts of trouble that’s wreaking havoc on all flavors in the box. It’s no secret that every brand and tasty treat is suffering because of those problems.

So you enter the store, totally aware that the frozen desserts are located on aisle 14, but you avoid 14 by repeatedly walking up and down aisle 9—birthday cards and scented candles—knowing full well you’ll never see a single spoonful of Rocky Road. It’s a fact that the troubles within the freezer will never be addressed by avoiding them. Not ever. Nor will they mend on their own. In fact, things will only grow worse without intervention. The same is true in areas where the majority of crimes take place.

Law enforcement cannot be proactive by avoiding areas where crimes frequently occur. Even reaction times can be slowed to a crawl when officers are forced to remain on the outside of known crime areas. After all, you can’t catch fish if you’re fishing in the middle of a parking lot.

Anyway, back to the New York Times…

NYT Headline today – When New York City Police Walk Off the Job

This headline falsely insinuates that officers are refusing to work and that’s not the case at all. Instead, they are erring on the side of caution by not placing themselves in situations where they could be attacked and/or killed. And their concern and fears are just, considering the recent murders, violent assaults, and ambush attempts of police officers across the country. NYC officers are simply not setting themselves up as targets by making arrests for minor offenses—basically, the very crimes that fall under the Broken Windows tactic/policy.

The article reports traffic citations are down by 94%, summonses for public drinking and urination are down 94 %, parking violations are down 92%, and drug arrests are down 84%.

Dangerous and deplorable are the reporter’s words to describe the lack of enforcement of petty and minor crimes.

The ill-informed author of the NYT article concludes with a demand for officers to “Do your jobs.”

But…when the police did their jobs the NY Times practically condemned and blasted them for doing it, even when the numbers showed a safer New York City. Now they’re angry because officers not doing what you wanted them to stop doing?

So which is it, New York Times? Should cops enforce the law, or not. Should they stay out of certain neighborhoods, or patrol them? Which do you want? A safe city, or a city where criminals, by intimidation, get to pick and choose which laws the cops are allowed to enforce?

Yeah, cops: damned if they do and damned if they don’t…