A follower of our Facebook page sent in some photos that were taken inside the Barstow CHP office. Officers who work there were surprised/greeted by a large number of handwritten thank you notes from some concerned members of the community they serve.
After a little digging, I am told the notes all came from a local church congregation. Members of the Crossroads Assembly Of God were responsible. While I am not a CHP officer nor do I work in Bartsow, I think I speak for all cops, no matter their jurisdiction, when I say thank you to the folks who are behind these very welcome words, especially considering everything happening around us recently.
– The had to put the words to the Pledge of Allegiance on the audience teleprompters just in case the attendees could not remember the words.
– The runner up for the Democrat nomination for president, Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed socialist, gave a speech to the convention and when he tells the audience they need to elect Hillary Clinton, he gets booed extensively.
While the Dallas Terrorist attack was being televised live my eight year old daughter became horrified and asked her mother over and over if Daddy was there. My wife tried to explain afterwards about racism, what it meant and why those Officers were being shot at. It was a very difficult discussion and we spoke about it at length everyday. After the President gave his speech at the Dallas Memorial my daughter was left with even more confusion. She wanted to know why the President didn’t like the Police. These are not words I prompted her with but even she saw through the false empathy. My wife suggested she write a letter to the president explaining how she felt.
My daughter edited her letter multiple times and the original told the President that: “He should dislike the bad guys more, the bad guys who do drugs and hurt children.” I thought this was profound but she wanted to erase it because she felt they were truly not her own words but inspired by her parents. She eventually changed the ending of the letter to simply state “Police are good!” This is meaningful not just for me, but for all Law Enforcement out there, our children will listen to what we are teaching them so let us try and teach them the truth whenever possible. If we let the state raise our children the result is chaos.
Obviously I am biased here because I speak of my own child but I could not be more proud. After asking all of the appropriate questions over the last week and coming to her own conclusions she hit the nail on the head with deadly accuracy. Of course the president doesn’t have a great reputation in my household and I won’t ignore the fact that her words are ultimately inspired by my own lessons but isn’t that the point? Aren’t we supposed to foster critical thought in our young?
As a cop I’ve been taught to write at the fourth grade level which is extremely difficult for me yet this is third grade writing in its purest form. It speaks plainly to the message she wants to portray “my Daddy is good” and she is insulted by our leader believing anything otherwise. She feels strongly enough about it to mail this letter to the President and is hopeful for a response. The very idea that I or any of my partners would treat someone differently because of the color of their skin does not fit into her logic. She simply doesn’t believe this is true because she has not seen or heard of it. This is the danger of promoting false narratives.
Perhaps we could all learn from the third grade vantage point and learn to observe what is directly in front of us instead of focusing on the imaginary. We as a people can learn many lessons by simplifying the facts and acting on our own logic, deciding what the “truth” is by seeing this for ourselves. If I were a bigot and a racist she would know about it because it is not something you can hide from your own children. The obvious truth in her mind is vastly different from how the President views the world. What experiences has he had which causes him to believe in a universal falsehood that gives rise to racism in cops where it seldom exists?
Our politicians need to leave their safe, upper class neighborhoods and mansions and view the world for what it truly is. I encourage President Obama to do a ride along with any lawman in any state and think about the things he witnesses. Any of you who are in doubt should also do this, perhaps some of your questions would be answered and the world would reveal itself for how it truly exists in this realm, not the illusory world politicians speak of. Learn from the simple logic of a fourth grader and stop confusing the simple truth of the world. Racism is indeed real but where is it most prominent? Experience this issues from a wider vantage point if you can. Contact your local law enforcement agency and ask them about a ride along, you will be enlightened.
In an event so ironic it has to be tied to a anti-gun politician, the suspects of two different gun store burglaries are apprehended. Both burglaries, one in Rocklin, CA and the other in Folsom, CA, occurred within approximately 40 minutes of each other. The suspects used a vehicle to smash through the front of the business and then they flooded in stealing both ammunition and guns.
The vehicle and several suspects were located and apprehended in Oakland less than 10 hours later, and much of the stolen merchandise has been recovered. Awesome cop work on everyone’s part!
That part in and of itself is not the ironic part, it is the suspect vehicle, which was NOT reported stolen, that sticks out, and in particular, a bumper sticker on that car.
Ford’s video shows the black Honda CRV, crashing through the front door of the business, and as many as five men were seen getting out of the car and climbing over the metal gate that was blocking the windows and doors.
The vehicle also had a blue bumper sticker that read “I’m ready for Hillary.”
The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that the vehicle’s license plate No. 6VCB742 is registered out of Oakland. It has not been reported as stolen.
You know, they should really pass laws against this sort of thing, that way bad guys wouldn’t break in and steal stuff…
-Matt
Social media is an interesting armchair style warrior. Lots of opinions and sometimes zero experience or knowledge on a subject. The problem is we Cops don’t always know what someone else might have experienced or what their personal Law Enforcement story is. One reader today regarded this page as a “circle jerk LEO” page which made me remember something. Cops aren’t just Cops anymore we are Diplomats and Ambassadors to society. There is a certain responsibilitiy which goes along with the ideal and is inclusive in the duties of a Law Enforcement Officer.
People who are not cops and have never been cops might never fully understand every facet of our calling. Why become angry with those who are under a differing opinion? Obviously it’s ridiculous to think that Law Enforcement Officers are all racially motivated or on the flip side of the coin that we are all “the right hand of the democratic party’s agenda.” Ignorance can be bliss but I would rather enlighten than insult. All may not be enlightened I realize yet in some occasions it is well worth the extra effort which may benefit the Police Reputation.
I teach my children to ask questions and not simply obey commands given to them by someone claiming to be a leader. I also teach my children to be respectful in the asking of those questions and most importantly to listen to the answer and make their own determination. When people put forth ridiculous ideas regarding cops we should seek to answer those accusations with logic and truth. We can also do it diplomatically if the misguided person isn’t too hostile. We may not reach all using this method but less will also be turned away.
When working the streets I usually allowed the public to ask any question they wanted, so long as it was safe at the time for me to do so. In one particular incident I had made a felony arrest on a subject with a warrant. Several people came out of the buildings nearby and began yelling at me. I feared they would surround me so while I was mentally prepared to kill all of them if needed, I also politely told them to give me a minute and promised to answer their questions.
I put the bad guy in the back seat of my car and secured him safely while asking for a cover unit. The potential mob was still angry but at a safe distance. Once my cover partner arrived I had him keep an eye on my prisoner and I approached the group with a smile. I asked what questions they had and It turned out these people were relatives of the man in my car, or so they claimed to be. It really didn’t matter, at this point I felt a small obligation to attempt an explanation as to why in their eyes “the government was taking away their friend for no reason.”
It was calmly explained I had a warrant for his arrest, explained the booking process and provided information on how they could contact the jail to schedule a visit with the subject. I was then asked about the court process, this time they were much less angry in asking the question. I explained the court process and the likelihood the subject would be in jail until his first hearing which would probably occur on the following Tuesday. I was thanked profusely by most of the group and they returned to their homes. One guy even tried to give me a hug and stated: “now that’s respect.”
Later in the day I had a discussion with my partner who told me it was pointless for me to address the small group. I explained I had only done this when it was safe to do so yet he believed I was wasting my time. It was difficult for me at the time to articulate my reasons for doing so but in short I told him this particular neighborhood might be more cooperative with Law Enforcement in the future if we treated them with a little more respect. I tell this story because I believe it is not a waste of time to explain circumstances which the public may not fully understand. Hell, the whole point of writing here is to hopefully enlighten and educate not just to complain. Otherwise our words only serve to rally those who are supportive and turn away those who may be on the fence.
I started a text conversation with one of my favorite and most trusted beat partners regarding this subject and he summed it up quickly and accurately while heading out the door. In a short text message which took him less than a minute to write he hit the nail on the head and went on to prove my point here. Examine the following text message:
“I think we have a responsibility to speak rationally and logically when we speak for the side of law enforcement. It becomes obvious that we are cops in these discussions, so why portray ourselves as irrational asshats. We both know that law enforcement officers in general are not out there hunting minorities and just trying to f with people, but there are people out there who legitimately think otherwise. We have legitimate arguments which carry serious weight. I think we do us and the real issues a huge disservice when we just yell and down talk people. I think some people start seeing the validity of our points when we calmly explain them.”
So, during my life I’ve done many different jobs prior to my becoming a cop. In one of my previous jobs, I dealt with the owner of a local theater in which they performed live on stage plays. The owner was a man of some Hollywood fame and he often got other folks of notoriety to perform in plays at this theater. It was after watching one of those plays that I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one of the actors from the play, a man named Wil Wheaton. It was an enjoyable chat over a beer or two. That was more than 2 decades ago.
Today, I saw something that Wil Wheaton posted on Twitter in response to the shooting death of two bailiff’s in Michigan, and the shooting of a Deputy, and it really pissed me off.
As both a cop, and an NRA member, I’ve grown very tired of the logically challenged liberal elite blaming the NRA every time some criminal does something with a gun, ESPECIALLY when said criminals murders two of my brothers in blue and injures a third, so Twitter being what Twitter is, I took it upon myself to point out the poor logic on which his comment was based.
@wilw What a stupid comment! As a cop & NRA member, this disgusts me. BTW, your logic in meme form… pic.twitter.com/zQggpPeIlx
That was it, the one tweet. I didn’t call him names, I didn’t hammer him with tweet after tweet. Just the one comment.
I clicked on his profile because I was curious what else he might have said regarding that incident, and to see if he had by chance also laid blame on someone who was actually responsible for the horrible event, and to my surprise, I was met with this:
Seriously guy? Wow, what a fragile life one must lead if they cannot face a little well deserved criticism based on something they actually did (as opposed to Cop Block morons blaming me for things I had nothing to do with).
Don’t worry though Wil, despite you blaming me and all the other cops out there who are NRA members for the deaths or our brothers in blue; despite you blaming us for the illegal actions of criminals, terrorists and crazy people who use guns illegally; despite that, we will still strap on a gun every day to protect you and all the other gun hating, NRA hating people. #IAmTheNRA
-Matt
I read through the news today after a recent terrorist attack upon Police Officers in Dallas. Men and women serving their country and communities were attacked because of the clothes they wore and the color of their skin. Alternatively it is reported almost everywhere these attacks were in response to “two innocent black men being gunned down by police” yet the facts are not yet fully known. To respond violently based upon initial emotion is to discredit the American process and disregards civility entirely.
When historians look back upon the last several years what will our defining moments be? I often consider this point of view because as a student of history I realize the human condition is cyclical. Consider our greatest accomplishments and triumphs where Americans had a common goal, pulled together and achieved wondrous results. These American achievements need not be stated they are so powerful.
I use the Rosetta Stone as my example of ancient human achievement. The rock was found in 1799 by French soldiers and now resides in the British Museum. Written upon the enormous rock is a series of accomplishments and instructions for Egyptian priests. It is written in two languages and three scripts. It is amazing to me how multiple cultures collided in an era of little technology to create something this long lasting. (You can read more about this fascinating topic at: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/rosetta.html)
What do the words of the Rosetta stone say? What do they mean? We live in a culture now where it doesn’t matter. Facts are considered boring while violent emotions are considered exciting and relevant. Idols fuel emotionalism as a movement and as role models to America’s youth. A popular musician of our time, Jay Z has released a new song which he addresses the problem. Here is an example of one lyric: “Got my hands in the air in despair/don’t shoot/I just wanna do good.”
Perhaps the music is moving, maybe the lyrics are meaningful but they are not responsible. The words themselves are perpetuated by lies and drive further emotion instead of logic. That emotion is endorsed by powerful leaders of the state and the message becomes misconstrued. Violence is the result and ignorance is the tool.
Music, Television and Movies are not seen as entertainment in our time, they are words and actions to live by. Fantasy is our hero and I still wonder what America’s common goal is. We are divided on all things in regards to morality and justice and I cannot fathom what stamp of human achievement our generation has left upon history. If our Rosetta Stone is chaos, lawlessness and anarchy I wish to distance myself from it as far as possible.
I have children though, so I cannot wallow in despair and would like to leave them something to cling to. We spend so much time trying to convince the emotionally misguided that our own children often become neglected from the truth. More and more I disconnect myself from popular media, social media and even news networks. I teach my children how to think for themselves and encourage them to try and leave the world a better place when they leave it. More than anything I tell them to suppress emotion and use logic to respond. This is how we build a lasting monument to our prosperity as a nation. A nation not divided but as one people and as unified Americans.
A monument to our civilization needs not be represented by division and destruction. Through our common children we must build something greater than we have now. Utilizing morality and logic we must build a culture which welcomes all as Americans and respects the tenements of our rich history. A foundation which shrugs off its mistakes and moves swiftly and accurately to correct them. A foundation which withstands the decaying sands of time and utilizes a profound goal as opposed to destruction with no purpose.
Last night very crappy night for law enforcement and for gun owners, because I guarantee gun grabbers will try to use this incident to push gun control.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Tuesday morning July 5, Alton Sterling was shot and killed by two white cops in Louisiana early.
Let’s take a quick look at what we know about that shooting, which happened to be captured in 2 separate cell phone videos. Sterling was a 37 year old black man who was currently on probation. He was a convicted sex offender (sex with a minor). Had priors for domestic battery, unauthorized entry, aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and for failing to register as a sex offender. He had served 5 years in prison for possession of drugs and an illegal gun.
At the time of the incident, he was selling CDs in front of a convenience store where he got into an altercation with someone, during which he pulled out a gun prompting someone to call the cops.
He was physically described by the caller to the cops.
The cops got there and contacted Sterling because he matched the description. Sterling refused to comply, got tased twice, then tackled.
During the physical struggle with the two officers, one officer discovered the gun in Sterling’s pocket and announced “he’s got a gun!”
The other officer drew his gun and pointed it at sterling and said “hey bro, you fucking move and I swear to God!”
Sterling continued to fight, and in one of the two videos he can be seen reaching toward his right hip despite the officer attempting to control his hand.
The officer fires, shooting him several times, in the chest, not the head as many have claimed. Immediately after the shooting, in one of the 2 videos, one of the cops can be seen removing a gun from Sterling’s right front pants pocket.
So, let’s get this straight, this is the asshole, an idiot who played a huge roll in his own demise, that Black Lives Matter has decided to defend and protest for.
Black Lives Matter social media accounts blew up again. They began screaming about the racist cops murdering another young black man. All the normal BS.
At 11:10 am on July 6th, this image was posted on Facebook.
I first saw it 5 hours after it had been posted. I reported it and I shared it on my FB page asking folks to help get it removed.
It has been reported thousands of times over the last several days, yet Facebook refuses to remove it saying it does not violate the community standards against promoting violence.
Are you freaking kidding me??? How does that image, an image depicting one person
standing behind another, and cutting that person’s throat with a knife, how does that possibly NOT violate those standards?
Then last night, July 7, Dallas police were working a Black Lives Matter protest, because as we all know, nothing could possibly go wrong at a Black Lives Matter protest.
This was a protest for Alton Sterling.
Four gunmen, completely unprovoked, opened fire on the cops. In total, 10 cops were shot, and at this time, 5 of them have died.
Yet, despite all the bullshit rhetoric spewed by all the racist, cop haters from the lowliest Black Lives Matter moron all the way up to Barack Obama, those horrible evil cops, who just had 5 of their brothers murdered, they took the 3 of the 4 suspects into custody, alive, resisting every urge that I know they had, to end those worthless sacks of crap where they stood. The fourth died in a shootout with the cops.
I really am at a loss for words to describe how I feel right now.
First, Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group. They meet every single criteria for it as laid out by the FBI. The following is the FBI’s definition of terrorism:
“The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
It is about damned time they officially be labeled as a terrorist organization.
Secondly, Facebook needs to be held culpable in the deaths of those officers. Their complete refusal to remove images and posts calling for the murder of police allowed the people who committed this act to spread their agenda. Facebook is helping terrorists spread their agenda. They need to be held accountable.
Lastly, President Obama bears some guilt in this whole situation as well. He has fanned the flames of cop hate and racism since he took office. Hell, a few months ago, he had invited members of Black Lives Matter to the white house where he praised them. Just yesterday, he was publicly commenting about the Alton Sterling shooting. How long until we hear him make a statement denouncing Black Lives Matter? How long until we hear him name these officers who were murdered in cold blood by a group of racist black men? I’m sure as hell not holding my breath. That is a long wait for a train that history tells me aint coming.
I have one side telling me I am a racist horrible person and the other telling me I’m not doing my job. The frustrations mount daily, sometimes in anger and others in apathy.
I found this video essay from CNN yesterday. I committed time to go through the majority of it, there really isn’t too much here that is new, unless you live under a rock. The takeaway? Black Americans are continuing to slaughter each other in Chicago and nobody seems to care.
That’s not really a fair statement. People care, all people even the cops. I care or I wouldn’t be spending my free time writing about it. We are tired of the violence, tired of the slaughter on the streets, weary of the finger pointing and the endless rhetoric. NOBODY wants to take responsibility for anything, they simply want to point at others. Yesterday two more police involved shootings captured the nation’s attention, once again the massive violence in the inner-cities goes without comment. These new events have yet to develop fully, but will likely end like all the others. Violence, over reaction and outrage. In the end not much will change. One side will blame the cops, another will blame the culture of violence, someone else will blame poverty while still another will blame the gun. Like most situations there will be Monday morning options, the “could’ve, should’ve and would’ve” crowd will speak large, but it will change nothing.
I committed some time to this collection of video stories, and I saw the same old faces talking about “our lives matter” or “we have to stop killing each other” and of course “we need to fight the racist cops”. Who are some of these faces?
Ice-Cube; militant rapper, hard ass actor and now family movie guy. I appreciate that he seems to want to get a positive message out there but let’s not forget how he got his start…..
God damn, it’s a brand new payback
From the straight gangsta mack in straight gangsta black
How many motherfuckers gotta pay
Went to the shelf and dusted off the AK
Caps gotta get pealed
Cause “The Nigga Ya Love to hate” still can “Kill at Will”
From Ice Cube’s song: “The Wrong Nigga To Fuck With”
Perhaps the next spokesperson is more reasonable….enter Spike Lee- who wants to point out the abhorrent violence in Chicago, while at the same time tweeting messages encouraging people to take justice into their own hands. Spike Lee who called for someone to shoot Charlton Heston with a “.44 Bull Dog” and tweeted out the supposed address of George Zimmerman forcing an uninvolved couple to move due to continued threats of violence.
Both of these men have a powerful voice, I don’t want to imply that what they say doesn’t matter they just can’t have it both ways. You cannot with one breath make money on an image of anger and hate while, with the next, telling everyone it’s not ok. You cannot promote and denounce violence with the same sweep of the hand. If these two have both realized the error in their ways then by all means, speak-up! Repent and let the world know you were wrong. Be a role model, show us a flawed hero who can find his way, that is the voice our kids need.
On the other side we have the politicians, intent on holding onto power in anyway necessary. The Mayor of Chicago calls for an end to the violence while rooting out the “Cancer in the Police Department”. Rahm Emanuel fired his Chief of Police to help keep protestors at bay but has done nothing to stop the violence.
The Big-Wigs in Washington call for stricter gun control……whoa there, hit the brakes. Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun control in the entire nation. Surely the violence cannot possibly be gun related, these people would have to be criminals to have guns in this city.
News-Flash, they are criminals and the cops know who many of them are. The opening video by Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson really sums up the entire problem. “We know who these people are we just need to hold them accountable before they commit new crimes or become victims of crime”——-what a simpleton.
Maybe the cops in Chicago are not racist so much as they are just frustrated. Cops in every city and county are stuck in the middle. They are criticized for inaction and overreaction simultaneously. They know who the bad guys are and they can’t keep them locked up. Even the angry priest with Spike Lee says he hates the prison system but we can’t let these guys just walk around.
When I see the “folk heroes” like Spike Lee, Ice Cube, Snoop Dog and the other malcontents plead for peace while at the same time making millions of dollars from perpetuating a life of crime and mayhem, I am disgusted. You cannot have it both ways. Stop selling the lie, stop encouraging future “urban heroes” to carry the flame. Making martyrs out of criminals who died committing crimes will do nothing to encourage the next generation. Paying homage to a life of crime, materialism and discontent will not give us the next great hero. It will certainly provide us with lasting headlines.
To the law makers, you will never legislate away violence and criminal behavior. Chicago should know better than most cities given their storied history. Even if Chicago went into a full Marshall Law lock-down they would not end the violence. Not, until they are willing to hold people accountable and change the culture. You cannot preach acceptance and exclusiveness at the same time. I do not accept this is a race issue so much as it is a culture issue. We need real role models, not criminals immortalized in roadside tributes made up of dollar store candles.
Black Lives Matter social media accounts blew up again. They began screaming about the racist cops murdering another young black man. All the normal BS.
Are you freaking kidding me??? How does that image, an image depicting one person
