In a response to a recent blog of mine on another website the author alleged that law enforcement is not properly serving the black communities.   However, as a 29 year veteran of law enforcement at three different cities, two of which I was the Chief of Police, let me tell you some of what I learned in my career.

Back in the 1970's I wrote one of the first accepted Affirmative Action Plans for the recruitment of police from minorities communities in South Florida.   What I discovered, despite major efforts at recruitment at high schools, colleges and other venues, was that most members of the black community DID NOT WANT TO BE POLICE OFFICERS.   I had a very intelligent black female working for me in my records unit who was a single mother.   If she had become a police officer her salary would have doubled.   She would not take the job I offered due to pressure from her black community that considered black police officers to be traitors. 

Of the black officers we did recruit the facts were that a much larger percentage of them than whites became involved in serious misconduct or outright crime like extorting drug dealers.   Here are just a few of the examples.   In one case an officer I went through the police academy with became an armed robber.  In another case a black Sergeant, who was the son of a doctor, became a drug addict and engaged in warning drug dealers of police raids.  Another black officer repeatedly engaged in illicit sexual conduct on duty.

In my three departments I was very successful in implementing community oriented policing programs.  This was due to the fact that most neighborhoods wanted to improve the safety of their community.   However, despite all our efforts to implement community oriented policing in the black communities only a very small minority was willing to participate.  As the old saying relates you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.

The often misunderstood "Broken Windows" theme of policing has repeatedly shown its effects of reducing crime.   Simply put, what it involves is both police and code enforcement units making sure that the physical environment of an area and open law breaking like drinking in public and drug dealing are not permitted to occur since this type of situation has a demonstrated effect on an increase in other crime.   However, liberals have railed against such programs and in many places like NYC where crime had been significantly reduced the problems have been allowed to return with a resultant increase in crime.   When communities refuse to assist the police and politicians prohibit police from engaging in what they term "aggressive" policing techniques is it any wonder that police are relegated to being reactive?

The other fact ignored is that hard statistics show that the black community as a whole is simply much more prone to commit crimes, in many cases violent crimes.  Just look at the news coverage of the past few weeks to see that virtually all of the horrific crimes being covered were done by black suspects.   While there are multiple social and environmental causal factors like the lack of a stable family environment for many blacks likely causing this criminality the FACT remains that it exists?  Pretending that the white community or the police are totally at fault in these communities is simply playing the victim card, which seems to be the theme of the day for Progressive politicians and race baiters like Al Sharpton.

Until the politician stop throwing money at what is really a social problem and the black community cleans up their own act and starts to participate in a active way by not rationalizing away this high crime rate and working to improve both their communities and their family social structure no giveaway programs or attacks on law enforcement are going to improve their situation.

Sorry, you lost me when you claimed to have written one of the first accepted Affirmative Action plans for hiring police officers.

Affirmative Action is merely government sponsored racism.

IMHO... of course.

Quote from: Darth Fife on May 24, 2015, 05:07:30 PM
Sorry, you lost me when you claimed to have written one of the first accepted Affirmative Action plans for hiring police officers.

Affirmative Action is merely government sponsored racism.

IMHO... of course.

He didn't say he supported it but remember in Florida if he was directed to it would be his responsibility to do it as chief of police! Sometime you are required to do things you may not agree with personally!

Quote from: redbeard on May 24, 2015, 05:15:05 PM
He didn't say he supported it but remember in Florida if he was directed to it would be his responsibility to do it as chief of police! Sometime you are required to do things you may not agree with personally!

You're correct Red. And that's when I resign.

Quote from: Darth Fife on May 24, 2015, 05:07:30 PM
Sorry, you lost me when you claimed to have written one of the first accepted Affirmative Action plans for hiring police officers.

Affirmative Action is merely government sponsored racism.

IMHO... of course.

I'm sure he is addressing the madates of EEOC requirements.  This is not a wanna do; it's a gotta do.

On the other foot, knowing the law makes these "madates" cut both ways.  Some see them as giving them carte blanche to intimidate superviors, while a supervisor that knows and understands the requirements of the law, ad yes...write the policy & procedures, lesson plans and then train it...it well equipted to deal with the abuses of these often abused laws, ruloes and regulations.

If the law is to be respected, it must first be obeyed by those who are sworn to uphold it.  We didn't make the law, our job is enforcement!  It's too damn bad, our POTUS doesn't take his oath as seriously as we who wore the uniform did (do).

Then again, when I worked my way up through the ranks to achieve an administrative position, I found that a day without a lawsuit is like a day without sunshine!  It's why they pay you the big buck...(yeah, right)

First Chief let me be among the first to welcome you aboard, I was a 25 year Cop in Wash DC, served as an investigator, retired at the Rank of Lieutenant and went into private security.

I know exactly what you are talking about, Wash DC Dept. actively tried to recruit Black Police officers in increasing numbers during the 70's & 80's.....without a lot of success....the job in its best ratio and proportion in the 80 and 90's when I retired probably never got over 60% That's in a city that was around 75% Black.

As an investigator working with a Black partner, I often sensed the outright hostility a black officer was subject to....the feeling was...'we can understand the white boy....but you a brother working against your own people, you the white mans dog....an Uncle tom' etc etc. Lots of scout car teams, (usually "salt and Pepper") a black and white officer had similar experiences.

And while I saw lots of Bad Black cops, I probably saw worse white ones. I got two fired who were working under me as a Sergeant in the Narcotics unit....stealing. But in some cases, the Idiot Marion Barry Regime lowered the standards so that the Dept was forced to take former criminals with records as recruits, this was the begining of the deterioration of the Police Dept. We had people coming on the dept SENT BY DRUG DEALERS. These guys did all kinds of crime, that's when I realized it was time to take the pension and get the hell out.

A lot of the "thug" lifestyle, was ingrained in the Black community, lots of money to be made, greed makes everybody crazy. Need I recall how DC set homicide records for about three years in a row in the early 90's. Then again you had the example of the Barry Regime, more corrupt than a 3rd world banana republic. ANyhow, I draw parralels between Barry and Obamao.

This current marxist wants to undermine and diminish law enforcement in this country and replace Law enforcement with his own 'civilian corps' of nationalist thugs loyal to him. You are seeing steps to disarm the police, Obamao just pulled that this week, he wants to take away basically DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT.

The other thing you are seeing is increasing attacks against police officers, this has a double whammy effect, cops are going to be on edge, possibly more quick to pull that trigger, more controversial shootings....the other part is more indictments against cops for using force, more hesitant for Cops to get involved in proactive law enforcement , or worse, hesitant to use defensive force, resulting in more police deaths, more on edge, worse and worse, both play into this regimes hands. Its going to be a bad summer. More reasons for the "justice" dept to get involved in State/local Law Enforcement.

Quote from: Solar on May 24, 2015, 05:47:32 PM
You're correct Red. And that's when I resign.

resigning over a court order doesn't accomplish anything better to comply and preform the minimum required while fighting the order! If you resign and someone more liberal takes over they will take the compliance to the other extreme! Baltimore is a good example where the police leadership is just rolling over for the liberal politicians and the street cops are left to hang in the wind! 

Quote from: redbeard on May 24, 2015, 06:05:21 PM
resigning over a court order doesn't accomplish anything better to comply and preform the minimum required while fighting the order! If you resign and someone more liberal takes over they will take the compliance to the other extreme! Baltimore is a good example where the police leadership is just rolling over for the liberal politicians and the street cops are left to hang in the wind!

And how has the worked voting for Republicans? A man has to stand on his values, or sacrifice what he believes.
I have never once in my life compromised my values.

In response to the person who brought up the issue of resigning, at the time I wrote the plan I was assigned to the Planning and Research unit of the Hollywood, FL PD and was not a police chief.   Additionally, this plan was the result of a mandatory court order for all law enforcement agencies as the direct result of a complaint and law suit filed with EEOC.  If a person thinks that they can pick and choose which laws or court orders they choose to follow they probably do need to resign as they certainly do not need to be in law enforcement.

Quote from: Bigwater on May 25, 2015, 06:05:08 AM
In response to the person who brought up the issue of resigning, at the time I wrote the plan I was assigned to the Planning and Research unit of the Hollywood, FL PD and was not a police chief.   Additionally, this plan was the result of a mandatory court order for all law enforcement agencies as the direct result of a complaint and law suit filed with EEOC.  If a person thinks that they can pick and choose which laws or court orders they choose to follow they probably do need to resign as they certainly do not need to be in law enforcement.

That would be me. And yes, I too was in law enforcement and left for that very reason.
Busting people for the same thing over and over and watching the DA kick them out because of overcrowding in the jails, a backed up court log.
But the moment an officer makes a mistake, they make an example out of us. No, I could not in good conscience continue the job, so I left and went into private detective work, where people actually pay you to do whats right.

You're right, there is a dilemma, and it will take all of us to fix it through individual and concerted actions.
The railroad Baltimore put these officers should have been a wake up call for every officer in the state, they should have massed in protest.
Think about that....

I'm not attacking you, I'm angry at everyone that refuses to do what's Right.
Welcome to the forum.

Sorry I jumped down your throat, BW, but the beginning of you post started to sound like anyone of a plethora of liberal trolls we get through here. I gave your post a thorough read and agree with most of what you have to say.

Of the black officers we did recruit the facts were that a much larger percentage of them than whites became involved in serious misconduct or outright crime like extorting drug dealers.   Here are just a few of the examples.   In one case an officer I went through the police academy with became an armed robber.  In another case a black Sergeant, who was the son of a doctor, became a drug addict and engaged in warning drug dealers of police raids.  Another black officer repeatedly engaged in illicit sexual conduct on duty.

To me, this is a perfect example of why so-called Affirmative Action programs are doomed to fail. The important thing in any hiring program is to find the best candidate for the job. Not the best white candidate, or the best black candidate, or the best male candidate or the best female candidate - the best candidate, period. When you add race as a qualifier, you automatically limit the quality of the prospective recruits.

This is as true for whites as it is for blacks and, indeed, any other racial subdivision. Imagine how the NBA or the NFL would change if they had to hire white athletes in proportion to the overall national demographics!

Quote from: Darth Fife on May 24, 2015, 05:07:30 PM
Sorry, you lost me when you claimed to have written one of the first accepted Affirmative Action plans for hiring police officers.

Affirmative Action is merely government sponsored racism.

IMHO... of course.

Yeah right. And an all white police force is going to be able to do undercover work in a minority community. No matter what you think of AA, common sense demands a diverse police force.

Quote from: mdgiles on May 25, 2015, 08:23:07 AM
Yeah right. And an all white police force is going to be able to do undercover work in a minority community. No matter what you think of AA, common sense demands a diverse police force.

AA was never about diversity. It was all about Dim votes and nothing else.

Quote from: Solar on May 25, 2015, 08:38:46 AM
AA was never about diversity. It was all about Dim votes and nothing else.

Affirmative Action was started by a REPUBLICAN President - Richard Nixon. Now you can make the case that it has outlived it's usefulness; but to say there was no reason for it in the beginning, is to ignore history, not to mention a barefaced lie. After three hundred years of slavery and a hundred years of LEGAL discrimination, blacks needed a helping hand. Now blacks mostly get blamed for all the other groups that glommed unto it.

Quote from: Bigwater on May 24, 2015, 04:28:13 PMUntil the politician stop throwing money at what is really a social problem and the black community cleans up their own act and starts to participate in a active way by not rationalizing away this high crime rate and working to improve both their communities and their family social structure no giveaway programs or attacks on law enforcement are going to improve their situation.

I agree with that.  It all comes down to personal responsibility and the black community is going to have to change their culture from within.  This is where we really need to support black people, especially black conservatives.  I can't imagine anything harder to be in this day and age.