I continue to see those that denigrate the Police for their actions and tactics that were employed during the manhunt in Boston and Watertown. Those people are totally out of line in those denigrations. In other words; they are talking out of their asses!
Boston bombings: 6 things Cops know that most Americans don’t
Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D.
I do not want to be counted among the journalists who — in the necessary chatter of avoiding dead air — weave a thousand speculative stories. But in the wake of the events in Boston last week, here are some observations I offer after nearly four decades in the business.
1.) There is evil in the world.
We can scramble for meaning and theories and existential answers but you don’t have to be a believer in the supernatural to see that some people just want to kill and destroy. Many commentators and reporters centered on the theme of why a person everyone describes as a nice, normal guy could do this.Study it all you want my friends. No one is immune from the influence of wickedness.
2.) This is why we have seen the militarization of the police.
This week’s events will not silence those who say that SWAT tactics and “military grade weapons” are not appropriate for civilian policing, but it will mute them for a while.Guess what: you want us to deal with bombers and mass murder? Then give us those tools.
3.) Facts and theories are golden. Conjecture is foolishness.
We don’t try to keep the public in the dark. We just can’t play “expert commentator” and throw out a bunch of possible scenarios.We deal in evidence. Facts. Rational probabilities.
Trust us and don’t blame us for silence or misinformation. We’ll tell you what is appropriate to be shared at an appropriate time.
4.) Cops are not omniscient or omnipresent. We work within the laws of physics.
The cheers after Tsarnaev’s arrest were preceded by impatient questions of how he had gotten away from “all those cops.”If we could recruit officers with psychic powers we would.
5.) The applause will fade.
We’ll bask in appreciation while we can, but the next police officer who is murdered will not make CNN headlines.Jesus was welcomed with shouts of adoration not many days before the crowds turned and called for his crucifixion.
Maybe you won’t forget, but you probably will.
6.) This is what we face every day. Every. Day.
Shootouts with murderers? Well, not many of us have, but all of us are standing in line and ready for it.You can say, “I’m out of harm’s way because I’m not in a war zone” but if shooters and bombers have taught us anything it is that they can strike anywhere, anytime.
I can’t think of any warrior cop that I know that would have hesitated one minute to go to Boston if called or who thinks that kind of thing couldn’t happen in their patrol area. SOURCE
There are those in this nation that have never fired a gun, have never been in a fight and have never put their lives on the line. They seem to be the ones that are making the most noise about SWAT and military tactics used by our Police officers.
I personally know of a few individuals that have been through a Civilian Police Training class or 2 and suddenly they are experts on how Police operations and tactics needs to be employed. These are some folks that I am convinced are talking out of their asses too.
If you’ve never carried a gun for a living, worn a badge, if you’ve never been a Law Enforcement professional, if you’ve never been a soldier in combat so intense that you felt the breeze of the bullets that flew by you, YOU have NO idea what our Law Enforcement professionals are up against.
Get a clue, get POST or TCLEOSE certified, get commissioned, go to FBI Counter Terrorism, Counter Intelligence and Counter Terrorism school. Get you some REAL training in SWAT tactics and Spec/Ops procedures, then come talk to me and MY friends about the combat gear, the weapons, the vehicles, the armor and the tactics that are used in an everyday setting. Come put YOUR ass on the line for low pay and an unappreciative public that, for the most part, doesn’t give a damn what YOU feel or who YOU are.
If you haven’t done that, shut your damned mouth and let the professionals take care of business and protect your ignorant ass.
OK, Fred, you asked for comments. Here are mine.
1. yes, there is evil in the world. That’s why we call them bad guys. A lot of the same people who are criticizing the police for not pursuing the Tsarnaevs well enough BEFORE the evil erupted are the same ones who are criticizing the police for pursuing them too aggressively AFTER the evil erupted. Just sayin.
2. I have no problems with the police getting those weapons and protective clothing. But I would like to know why I don’t get to have them too.
3. If Dr. Shultz is asking for patience, I agree with him completely. If he’s asking us to sit down, shut up, and never question anything that any police force ever does at any time or anywhere, then I’m going to disagree with him on this one. Remember that the gestapo was not a military organization but a national POLICE force. We would do well not only to remember that, but to be vigilant in these days of government overreach.
4. I have no problems with the police AT ALL when they work within the laws of both physics and the statutory laws of the land. I have seen no evidence that such was not the case in Boston. There were house to house searches, but that is not the same as the knock on the door at midnight.
5. You know Fred, that I have much respect for the police. But I have also had to wait for two hours after calling 911. I respect them, but I’m not “counting on them.” Like the man said, better to call 911 to report you had to shoot the bad guy because you feared for your life than to have someone else call 911 to report you’ve been shot.
6. My days of being a warrior in the heat of battle are long past. But the vigilance has never gone away. I still look at everyone I see and ask myself “what is he concealing and where does he have it concealed?” I remember a poster we had in the barracks back to the dustup in Viet Nam. It had two identical silhouettes side by side and under one was the word “friend” and under the other was the word “enemy.” Right, we don’t know until the grenade or handgun or pressure cooker comes out of the bag which they are. Sadly, the streets of the US have become more like the streets of Saigon (sorry, Ho Chi Minh City) with each passing year.
Keep your powder dry
Police response time, on average, is close to 7 minutes the last time I checked…
My 12ga responds a lot quicker… My .45 is quicker than that!
Not saying the Police are Saints, they are NOT, but they aren’t the evil demons many are trying to make them appear either…
I don’t know where the 7 minutes come from. 30 minutes for me that is if they are at the state barracks, otherwise who knows. I bet as much for rural America. That is the real danger of gun confiscation for many of us.
7 minutes for those in metropolitan areas, if you try to throw rural Sheriffs and State response in isolated areas, well, that’s not a thing to factor in…
No one is coming to take your guns… NO ONE…
My two hour wait was clearly unusual. But my point is that it is not unheard of (even in my experience) and even 7 minutes is long enough for my entire family to be dead. Not blaming the police. If I could afford it, I would have both a police car with a cop and a fire truck full of policemen sitting in my driveway. Since I cannot afford either of those options, I invest in ammo.
Keep your powder dry
of course I meant a firetruck full of firemen.
Given your advanced age….
Firemen load fuel into locomotives, such as coal. Firefighters? They save lives while risking, and sometimes losing, their own.
I’ve been through POST when I was a Probation Officer (not a Cop) and a lot of other training at Oregon Firearms Academy. I have a few friends who are LEO’s and I listen to their stories over a beer or two. I’m well aware of the difference between a bona fide cop and an armed citizen. The cops in Boston had a very difficult job to do and from what little I know about it, they did the job to the best of their ability with the information at hand. It’s true that when seconds count, the cops are only minutes away. That’s just a fact of life. I therefore also rely on my 12 ga. and my .45.
As a former Sheriff’s deputy — many decades ago- I thought then, and I still do, that every citizen ought to serve as a police officer for at least a week. There is simply no way those who have never served can understand what a police officer has to contend with on a normal day let alone a day such as those last week in and around Boston.
When I was sworn in by the Clerk of Court, she handed me my badge and said: You DO realize you are now a Son of a B*tch, don’t you? And so I was. Some would say, I still am!
JDL
LMAO… Yeah, they say that about me too..
During this operation in Boston, I noticed something that occurred during combat operations like Desert Storm and Iraq Freedom and that was former cops on the various news channels doing all they can to describe possible tactics those involved with the operation could take. After Desert Storm, General Schwartzkoph said one of his biggest obstacles was these former senior officers describing and showing possible tactics on CNN and wondering if Saddam was tuned in to them. I wondered the same thing here if those two murderers were watching the news and seeing what the police were up to; could it have prevented an earlier ending? I mean, the reporters were showing exactly where the cops were and their “experts” were theorizing what they might be doing.
Perzactly Bob F! This is similar to why I do support the gag order that myself and others are still subject to post Columbine. Knowledge is power, and power can / is a double edged sword.
I listened to PD scanner on the night that this happened. This man was live on cam talking about what he had witnessed. His photos are incredibly clean.
http://www.getonhand.com/blogs/news/7743337-boston-bombing-suspect-shootout-pictures
And if you look through the comments, most of them will make you ill.
Yes indeed, and those people making the comments are exactly who this post is aimed at…
I would never call you a son-of-a-b*tch, Fred, maybe a cranky old fart on occasion, then I’d hand you some fibrecon or some such. Yuk-yuk.
Seriously, I agree with the commenters here, and, well, you know what I have.
In all, great respect is what I have for the police and firefighters. And the others.
I AM a cranky old fart…
Fibercon? YOUR day is coming my friend!! LMAO
Then we will not mention the Foley…
In regard to # 3 I am often amazed how much information the media gives out that can help our enemies. An example in the case of the Boston bombers is that it has been pointed out numerous times that the perps didn’t panic and run as did the other people. So the next time something this happens the bombers are going to fake panic and be harder to pinpoint on video. Same thing goes for reporting on what we do in Afghanistan. Let’s not give the enemy any advantage.
In regard to the link provided by ng4779, what should any of us do if we see the police in a gunfight with someone from our window? I assume that all visiting this blog have weapons and many of us are accurate enough to be of real help. In this state there is no self-defense law so I would expect to be charged with murder even if I helped save the life of a police officer.
The issue with inserting yourself into a gunfight: If you’re a civilian, if you are unknown to the officer(s), you may well be shot by the Police yourself.
A gunfight is defined, at best, as utter confusion… If an unknown subject starts popping rounds said subject has presented themselves as a clear and present danger for several reasons, not the least of which being that they would be a MASSIVE distraction to the Officer…
I have a friend that was a Narcotics CID Agent and he worked in plain clothes, had long hair, a beard, looked very unlike a Cop… Long story short, he was in the process of making a buy to set up a bust and the guy decided to pull a gun and rob the Agent…
As he dove out the door of his vehicle my buddy managed to get a round off, shooting backwards and upside down and he hit this cretin in the arm, the round went through the arm and into the chest I believe, in any case, said MORON stumbled off and died…
Now my buddy is on the horn calling for other Agents, Troopers, whoever he can get, to come to his location and back him up… Then it dawned on him… Long hair, beard, shaggy look, dead doper, maybe I better get my badge and ID out and be waving the hell out of it when the cavalry gets here…
Good plan…
As a civilian you never want to insert yourself into a Police action, but especially a shooting, it just presents too many problems, unless you just happen to be WITH the Officer when the shit hits the fan and he KNOWS you… Then, here in Texas, someone is going to be very happy to have you as a friend with a gun and some wicked skills…
Thanks for your comment here. I have thought the same about the risks but still don’t want to be a coward and just go and hide. Please don’t think I am gung-ho about getting into a gunfight as it is one of the last things I would want to do….the last would probably be to go bungee jumping.
If an Officer is down and in need I WILL engage immediately, he’ll realize what’s going on, but an active, *in progress gun fight* is just not real high on my list of things to do either…
Our Protocol in Jefferson County in these situations was, briefly.
Call 911 and identify yourself, location, situation that is occurring to the call taker. Then following that persons directions. Most likely being told to cower and hide, but? You might find yourself deputized as well.
Assisting an “Officer Down” is somewhat different, however, identifying yourself as a “good guy” is most likely the best thing that you could do.
Contact your local authorities and ask.
Far be it from me to gripe about the police and how they handle a particular situation. I have zero experience and therefore, have zero authority to open my mouth in said particular situation. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t question them, if the need should arise, but what happened in Boston was truly a swiftly unfolding event. It was very fluid and moved quickly. I think we should try walking a mile in their shoes before we say very much at all. Just my two cents worth.
Larry, I’ll challenge what I see as a bad plan or decision in a heartbeat… Stuff needs to be challenged, but the problem is, people are pissing and moaning because the Police have weapons and gear that these folks think is not supposed to be used by Police…
These would be the people that don’t know that there is a WAR on the streets of America… Sadly, it’s here, has been for many years that I am aware of and so far, is only getting worse…
And it’s going to get worse as the Cartels get a stronger foothold here. They and the existing gangs are our biggest law enforcement, in my opinion.
By the way, going back to joining in the particular shootout I have seen the pictures taken from a window and they did not look like hard targets to hit but, then again, judging distance from a picture taken by a cell phone may be deceiving. It seems to me the biggest problems from that window would be poor lighting and adrenaline.
Again, if anyone starts firing from a *window*, a civilian not known to the Officers, said Officers will turn fire on the window NOT knowing who is in the window firing rounds in their direction…
Correct and this is all stupid speculation on my part as by the time one could get their chosen weapon loaded and to that window that particular gunfight would have moved on. I doubt these 2 guys were in that spot long as a hoard of law enforcement officers were on their way there in a hurry.
Actually, this is an excellent topic of discussion and I am glad you brought it up…
We have people right here in Texas that think because they own a gun and have taken the CHL course that they are *God’s Gift* to everything guns..
They believe that because they were able to place rounds on a PAPER target that they are now well trained GUN FIGHTERS… They are NOT…
The PAPER isn’t shooting back…
I know some folks that really believe that way, they have had their heads filled by some CHL instructor that knows how to *punch paper* and then these same folks are suddenly *experts* on Texas gun law, gun safety and every other aspect of gun ownership…
These folks might be OK if a burglar breaks in and isn’t armed, provided they don’t *go to pieces* and get their asses beat by the burglar, but many of them WOULD *go to pieces* if the burglar was armed and rounds were fired…
Not knocking the CHL, it’s a great concept for civilians, but the training is drastically lacking, and even if the training was intense, you have to have *range time*, and even then, if your mind-set isn’t right, there is still a damned good chance that you could be shot, wounded or killed in a gun fight…
The *paper punchers* never mention that part…
Not having been in a gunfight I have wondered if I would flinch when fired at or keep my target sighted. I hope to never find out.
Probably the only “well trained gunfighters” are those in the military who have survived a number of fire fights. Most people who have a lot of experience in gunfights are probably dead as it only takes one loss to finish you.
No prize for 2nd place…
People say the “military” showed up in Boston.
They did not.
Those officers dressed in what appeared to be military regalia were members of the FBI’s HRT.
There were NO military personnel deployed in Boston.
BZ
Actually, if I am not mistaken, there was some National Guard involved at some point… But, that is what the Guard is all about…
But the asswipes that are complaining about the combat gear are stupid, that was Police, but, as I have said before, ignorance can be overcome, stupidity is terminal..
And the Alex Jones, InfoWars and PrisonPlanet crowd are beyond stupid..