Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The Promise



In our ever changing world, we still need on thing.

We need warriors.

It is important that we confront and challenge our bias, challenge the system to insure and require fair and equal treatment for all and put in place the architecture that constantly reinforces those ideals.

We need to keep our promises. We need to remember the oaths we swore. We need to do it to guarantee that we will uphold the values that we have in our hearts.

But we in fact, need warriors to face the things that go bump in the night.

Yes I understand that most people abhor violence. I personally abhor violence. But I also know that sometimes it is necessary for the greater good. I accept that fact, albeit it’s a begrudgingly acceptance for me.

Law enforcement officers train to mitigate and reduce violence. They spend hours in classes for crisis/tactical communications. Many officers spend time in the community trying to connect and show people that they want to be part of the violence reduction solution continuum. They go and teach in our schools that message. They talk to people almost daily with that theme in prominence.

But, sometimes we need them to confront evil directly. They get called to address problems associated with violent, evil people. Sometimes evil seeks them out. Sometimes that face evil head on and evil does what it does. It kills our hero.

What happened in Ben Lomond, California on June 6th 2020 was exactly that.

“According to Hart, around 1:30 p.m. a caller reported a van parked off the road near Jamison Creek in Boulder Creek. The caller said there were guns and bomb-making materials inside the van. As deputies arrived, they witnessed the van leaving the area drive by a man later identified as Steven Carrillo. They followed the vehicle to a home on Waldeberg Road in Ben Lomond."



Hart said that when deputies went to investigate, they were "ambushed" with gunfire and multiple improvised explosive devices. It was during this time that Gutzwiller was shot. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.”

Article - https://www.ksbw.com/article/santa-cruz-county-sheriffs-office-reports-active-threat-involving-shooting/32789232

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was shot and killed that day. He left behind his wife and family. He left his colleagues at the Sheriff’s Office, his friends, his community and his greater law enforcement family.

Sheriff Hart described Damon as “a courageous, intelligent, sensitive and a caring man".

I submit that he was all of that and he was a warrior. He was protecting us from evil. He was doing the job he was called to do. He was murdered while he was protecting us.

We need more men and women just like him. We need warriors.

We ask so much from our public safety personnel:

They must be brave.

They must be strong and yet sensitive.

They must be fair.

They must be problem solvers.

They must be able to be attentive and alert for 12, 14…..heck even 27 hrs if needed (yes that long at times).

They must be adept at counseling, science, law, sensitive to cultures, hugging, showing love for their fellow man, jumping fences, driving fast, emergency medicine, narcotic and alcohol symptomology, crisis resolution, changing an occasional tire and many others not always covered in training.

They must be patient and respectful as a protester spits in their face as they are telling them they “hope you die”.

But they also must be able to switch to tactical mode, 5 seconds after holding the door to your business for the next patron as they walk in for a welcome cup of coffee at 3 AM.

They say law enforcement is a calling.

It is.

Only a few men and women are up to the task to understand what the promise of swearing the oath actually means. We need more people like Sgt. Gutzwiller. 

I was a cop for a long time. I was and am proud of that. I am proud of my brothers and sisters in blue. I will always back them.

That is my promise.

Thank you for listening. Be good to each other.

Dave

Monday, June 8, 2020

The Bridge


“You reap what you sow Dave-o”...My grandmother would warn me. It’s a biblical reference (Galatians 6: 7-9) to farming and sweat equity from days long since gone and of course life.

I remember as a young man being undecided on my career path. Then one day, it all clicked, I saw my uncle in his uniform, he talked about his career. He’s only 10 years older so that helped, as I could easily envision myself in his shoes.

I didn’t go into law enforcement with the thoughts that with my “authority” I could get over on other people, make amends for any transgressions that maybe befell me in my youth from the neighborhood bully or oppress those I felt “superior” too (whatever that means).

I chose my career because I wanted to go to work each day without routine. To do work that allowed me to truly help people solve problems by working together. To do work that protected the innocent and sought justice for those that preyed on others.

I didn’t ever want to be the judge, jury and certainly not the executioner.

I wanted to be the bridge to safety for the community. That’s it. That was my dream and I got the honor to live it for 30 years. I cannot thank my employers and the cities (Los Banos, Redwood City and Hollister, California) I worked for, for that honor.

I worked with great people; never saw anything (besides the news) that was racist (from my vantage point of course). Saw a few people I worked with make egregious errors that cost them their jobs, but those were usually related to booze or women/men or a combo of both.

Perhaps because I was so vocal about social issues, talking about race relations openly and really prioritized equality maybe my co-workers made conscious decisions to keep their beliefs/feelings on the down low. But I truly doubt that. People can fake who they are for a while, but it always and I mean always comes out. We simply cannot change who we are.

Ever wonder why some people are so apprehensive about talking about race issues? It’s not because they are racists btw. It’s because of the stigma, it’s because of the feeling of not wanting to offend, it’s because we don’t talk enough about it.

We need to talk about our differences, celebrate our differences and embrace them. They are what make us, well, us.

I love hearing about people and their lives. I’m a big biography fan. I love talking to people about their lives. I am a people person, 100%.

We need to talk too, not talk “AT” people more I think. We need to listen to them. We might not agree on everything, that’s fine. But we do need to listen to them I think.

Racist police officers are the outliers, just like in society. Racists are outliers, they are not the majority. They are few. I feel pity on them, if I am being honest. They will never get to see how beautiful our world is through the veil of hate filled eyes. That’s really sad.

Studies show us that about 6% of our population in the world cause 99% of the problems we face. The other 1% is natural occurring or accidents. Law enforcement agencies are a microcosm of our population. Lets say with backgrounds, oral boards and physiological testing we reduced the problem law enforcement employees to maybe 1%. It is still a problem. Can you now see how 1% or less can cause huge problems?

Police officers should be representative of our population. You should see yourself in your law enforcement agency.

They should be white, Latino, black, Asian, Native American, gay, lesbian, etc….police officers in your community.  The same goes for schools, health departments, fire departments and all public services.

Again we should see ourselves. Our children should see themselves in our public services.

The latest headlines are focused on social justice issues. I applaud that. 

The other headlines are “Defund Police Departments”.

Let that sink in. “Defund the Police Department.”

In my world there isn't a place for racism and poorly trained public safety officers and deplorable police tactics. Lets just put that right out in front. My brothers and sisters in law enforcement would give me a big "hell ya" for that sentiment I am sure. 

Let’s look at what our police departments do for us now.

·        Respond to emergency calls in-progress (homicides, armed robbery, burglaries, domestic violence, injury DUI collisions, active shooters, terrorist threats just to name a few.

·         Traffic enforcement

·         School Resource Officers

·         Investigations (financial, sexual assaults, gangs, narcotics, etc)

·         Sex/arson Registrant tracking

·         Fingerprint / livescan

·         Safety/security checks

·         Child/adult welfare reporting and investigation

·         Mental health / crisis response

·         Disorderly conduct (large section of responses here)

 
This is but a partial list.

Here are some of the ideas to replace law enforcement. I offer them as a discussion point. I don't belittle them or offer an opinion on them. I am here to be an active listener. 

·        Special trained social workers to respond to domestic violence, disorderly conduct, mental health crisis first responders and in schools

·        Decriminalize all narcotics

·       Neighborhood watch or similar to handle neighborhood problems like burglaries, robbery, thefts, disputes, etc.

·         Sex/arson registrations eliminated entirely

·         There are a few more but they are minor

I am certainly not questioning the surrounding emotions and reasons of these ideas. There aren't a lot of bad ideas when we form them together, in unity. But there can be disastrous results when we make decisions in haste, without discussion, without complete understanding of cause and effect. 

That is my point really, I am questioning the practicality.

Yes I know to evolve, we see shifting paradigms, we enhance our capacity to understand and hopefully that results in wisdom. I am ALL IN on that way of thinking.

Because every plan, every idea and everything you’ve put into place to make the world in the image you see as perfect goes out the door once you get punched in the nose. Once you get stabbed in the neck (twice). Once you have gun pointed at your head. All of those plans, they are all gone.

I have been in that world. I have seen evil. Evil isn’t a color of skin, isn’t a religion, isn’t poor or wealthy, isn’t healthy or sick.

Evil is just evil.

It destroys, it hurts and sometimes it kills.

It doesn’t care about your social programs, because it’s evil.

We ask our law enforcement officers to confront evil, almost daily.

But we ask our law enforcement officers to do too a lot more than that.

An analogy you've heard here before rings true here. 

A law enforcement officers typical day is 11 hours of boredom, followed by an hour of sheer terror.
 Accurate for sure. 

They are nurses, they are counselors, communicators, they are athletes, they pick you up, they bring light to darkness, they solve disputes, they are accountants, they are lawyers, they are judges, they are mechanics, they help raise and educate our children, the hug the tears and fear away and they sit with you until your last breath. They are heroes, period.

If the problem is not explicitly defined, then its solution cannot be entirely designed.”
- Anuj Somany

 Are their problems among the ranks of law enforcement? Yes, the evidence is readily available. 

I really don't hold credence to the "blue wall of silence" though. We (law enforcement) does not want to work with:

  • Racists
  • Sub-standard
  • Poorly trained, poorly retained
  • Lazy
  • Cowards
  • Just anybody that is not there for the right reasons in general.
Law enforcement officers are in fact people, people. They are problem solvers. Some even use the term "societal garbage workers". I don't like that term. Offensive to me personally, but sometimes its an accurate description for some situations. 

There is that old saying I have written inside my folder I take for meetings.
"We all tend to have a solution to every problem except ours. Because we are so busy looking in others lives that we actually forget about ourselves."
Its a constant reminder to look at myself. To challenge my own bias. To try to see from another perspective and apply to myself and how I see the world. 

The solution is not defund the police, the solution is solving the damn problems. They are right in front of us. 

This country needs to prioritize public safety. Here is a short list of my suggestions:
  • Personnel boards that have a place in the hiring and discipline of public safety personnel. I am suggesting a possibly appointed board that helps select its public safety officers/employees but not replace regular HR procedures. Make them part of the continuum. * Most public safety agencies have citizen involvement in the hiring process. I am suggesting that, that role be defined and then mandated. For example, maybe have a mandated ratio of citizens on a oral board. Maybe there is a place in the appeals process for discipline as well.
  • Re-invest in training for law enforcement. There are tons of state mandates that are totally unfunded. This absolutely decimates local general funds and often because of cost, it gets put on the back burner. There's tons more training that I would suggest, including yearly mandated training in implicit bias, transparency, community policing, use of force to name a few.
  • When we have bad actors in the ranks, we need to remove some of the red tape in the discipline process with also guaranteeing the employees due process rights as guaranteed in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution. Accountability should be the goal. 
  • Physical and mental fitness screenings annually with a set standard. Try remove as much ambiguity as possible. 
  • Education requirements, such as an Associates Degree minimum in a range of acceptable study categories to fit the job title. Military Service Member points to be substituted. Education reimbursement for the candidates if applicable.
  • Education requirements for rank & leadership positions should be mandated. Education reimbursement for the candidates if applicable.
  • The Academy in California is 5-6 months long. In Spain its 2 years, and 2 years for each rank. Its similar to that, all over Europe. They may be on to something. Perhaps a study of their methods is in order, to see if its applicable to our nation. 
  • Personnel Records, establish a state/national accessible personnel record that follows a public employee regardless of where they lateral/transfer too for their entire career. Let minor infractions fall off their record after 3-5 years. Serious issues where suspensions are involved,  you keep in your file for your career.
These are just some of my suggestions.

Like I said previously, I wanted to just be the bridge for my community. The bridge to safety, problem solving and truly showing love to my fellow man.  

Thank you for taking the time to read, please show someone kindness today.

David


Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Why Do Black Lives Matter?

I admit it, I was one of those guys....


I was wrong. 


I must apologize from the outset. I’ve historically responded to the cry “Black Lives Matter” with the retort “No, All  Lives Matter”. Heck I’ve gotten fancy a few times and even said “Every single life matters”. 


But you see, that’s not the point is it? I didn’t understand. I completely missed the point. Lost in my own world, my own filter of the world. I frankly did not have the wisdom to understand what “Black Lives Matter” meant. 


I was a career police officer. I’m proud that I served the communities I worked in.  I know that I worked hard. I was honest, I did the right things, even when people weren’t looking or there wasn’t a video camera on me. I worked with great people, in great communities and can say for certain, that I never saw anything like what we all saw in Minneapolis, or Chicago last year or even almost 30 years ago in Los Angeles with a guy named Rodney King who simply asked "Can we all get along?"

Yes I was a police officer during the time of the Rodney King assault. It was life changing for me. I remembered watching it on the news completely numb with the thought that people in my profession could do that to another human. But I don't want to get ahead myself here, so let's forget I mentioned that. 


I own a Thin Blue Line Flag. I wear a Thin Blue Line Flag patch on my running vest. I have a bunch of shirts with the Thin Blue Line design on them. It's my identity. I love my fellow brothers and sisters in blue. In my mind I will always be a police officer, it's ingrained into my DNA. Somehow the Thin Blue Line flag became a symbol of racism to some folks. I respectfully disagree but I understand the sentiment.


I have talked about my own identity and loves quite a bit. What and who we love and whom we identify with, really defines who we are. 


Some folks in this country would say that "Black Lives Matter" is racist statement against white America. Its not at all that, by the way. Its a statement meant to unify people to the message that racism exists and to make immediate/substantive changes to eliminate it.


I am not black. I will never be black. I will never understand what it is like to be black or grow up as a black man. I cannot identify with being black just because I have black friends. I just will never fully understand. I have to accept that completely, to try to understand the concept of Black Lives Matter. 


Rhetoric and retorts are sometimes meant to reduce the impact and belittle the original message. Take for example when somebody says something like "she's a pretty for a big girl". Why cant she just be simply pretty? It's like  saying "for a smart guy, he sure is handsome." Really, are smart people typically not handsome? Our own insecurities prompt us to do and say these things. 


All lives matter, yes of course they do. Police officer lives matter, yes, yes they do. Every single life matters, of course. All rhetorical, because of course all of these matter and frankly to me, always will. 


The moment is important to people. Let me repeat for those not paying attention. THIS moment is important. Let me put it to you in a way that you can identify with to put it in perspective. 


During the Olympics when you see the Americans walk into the Olympic stadium, wearing red, white and blue, do you swell with pride and get a lump in your throat? Maybe? - the moment


When you watched the final scene in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker, lump in your throat, tear in your eye? No? - the moment


When you saw Prince playing Purple Rain at the Superbowl in the dang rain....emotions, lump, tears? Maybe? Probably...the moment


My mother always called me a softy.....I probably am. Everyone of those examples gets me a little emotional. I admit it. My heart melts at this stuff and always will because of the moment


I want you to try change the way you see yourself. I want you to see yourself through the eyes of others. No we cannot fully understand but let's set the stage. Let's look back a few years and try to see through histories eyes of black people in America or at least try.

  • Your people were former slaves. 

  • They had no freedoms at all. 

  • In writings of the time they were considered as a race, sub-human.

  • Some women were raped and abused at the whim of their owners

  • Men were beaten when they wouldn't submit

  • The entire system relied on them be obedient slaves

  • Black suffrage - Black men did not get the right to vote until AFTER the civil war (15th Amendment)

  • Black suffrage - Black women (Latina's and other races as well) did not get the right to vote until....1965!

  • Civil rights act of 1964 - 1964 folks

What Is the Civil Rights Act?

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origin was banned at all places of public accommodation, including courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas and hotels. No longer could blacks and other minorities be denied service simply based on the color of their skin.


Just a few examples here for you.


There are other things like gentrification, social economics and frankly many other factors that have impacts on black America. I do not have the time for that here. 


Notice how I don't use the term African-American? The term African-American to me says "well not quite American" or "subset of America". Folks they/we are AMERICANS. We are from the USA. We are "One Nation Under God". 


When these incidents happen and we are outraged, something changes inside of our heart. Frank Herbert said in his book Dune published in 1965 "Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."


The sleeper awakes when we see these incidents. Minneapolis was just the latest in a string of incidents and created this moment. Black Lives Matter is a war cry. It brings people together. It unifies the message of a demand for equality 360 degrees in this nation. 


We have asked people in this country "If you see something, say something". Black Lives Matter is the message that people are saying when they saw the murder of George Floyd and other incidents that sparked the movement. 


But Dave, some of these cases were proven to be false. Yes, agreed. I acknowledge that. Not all of these national incidents were an instance of the police doing wrong. People do wrong things at times folks. I accept that we are human and not infallible, that goes for citizens and police alike. But the optics.....the optics were bad and sometimes that is what it is. After all, bad optics can also get people killed.


If my father, brother, son or friend was George Floyd I would be inconsolable. I would be outraged. I would be absolutely militant in my anger. I would want justice but I would most likely not be able to find peace. 


Please read that again and insert your relative, your child, your husband/spouse, your parent or your friend into that scenario. Tell me how you would honestly feel. How would you react?


Black Lives Matter: Is this a cry for justice? Yes. For unity? Yes. For change? Yes 


Am I proud to have served this community as a police officer? Hell yes I am . Am I proud of my fellow police officers? Absolutely I am . Do we need to make changes in selection and standards for law enforcement? Yes there should be a national standard for backgrounds, psychological examinations, physical fitness and longer police academy training. Some European nations require two years of basic training and two years of schooling for each rank. 

Are the former officers in Minneapolis murderers? From my vantage point it is an absolute yes and they should be shown the full-weight of the court and frankly be held to a higher standard because of their former positions of public trust. 


I asked the question "Why Do Black Lives Matter?" Black Lives Matter because in this moment and moments like them, the phrase, the rally cry unifies the message that racism, inequality and the justice system need an overhaul. I agree.


My agreement is not a mark against our law enforcement officers, its a loud vocal vote of support for them. Pretty much all of them agree that what happened in Minneapolis and many of these other hi-profile incidents, are a complete abomination of justice. Remember police officers are your neighbors, your fellow church congregates, your brother/sisters, your community members. They are as mad or madder than maybe most of you about these disgusting acts. They did not sign up for that and do not support that nonsense.


If we are still seeking to be the greatest free nation in the world, we must not marginalize our greatest assets. Our differences are our greatest assets. Our people are our greatest asset. All of our people. 


I still believe in my heart we are the greatest nation in the world


Folks, Black Lives Matter, period.


God bless America, I love you all.


Dave