Usually we don’t focus our posts on videos, and instead add videos to support our instructional narrative. However, recently there have been a few videos posted to YouTube that are so moving and inspirational that they need to be seen by a wide audience of law enforcement officers and their families.
Your job is important. Critically important! Your commitment to your duty is important, and your sacrifices are not in vain. Remember, it is only because of the thin blue line that the darkness and evil of society does not overcome the good of society. You are Sheepdogs, and that is the whole purpose of this site – provide you with the training, information, and tools to protect the sheep!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zyhOW-8Zcc
Al Pacino nails it in this monologue, “We’re in hell now, gentlemen, believe me”. The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City have dug deeply into the fabric of the nation’s law enforcement, and every cop has felt the “hell” in some way or another. From the decidedly one-sided and sensational spin of the mainstream media, to the over-zealous banter of a few idiots who call themselves “community organizers,” the nation’s cops have not been under this heavy of fire since the L.A. Rodney King incident.
As Pacino continues by saying, “we can stay here and get the sh*t kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back, into the light, we can climb out of hell”. A great movie line no doubt, but there is a tremendous amount of truth to that statement in our current situation. American law enforcement should go on the offensive, and not just sit back on our heels taking blow after blow.
We need to open up to our communities (into the light), and remind them that “we are them”. Let them know we are people too, and not some mindless, faceless, evil jack-booted thugs. Let the good people know that we have their backs (“the light”), and we’re there for them. Let the bad people know that we’re there for them too – just in a different way!
Take a look at how the Dover, Delaware Police Department took the offensive! It really takes the fire right out of the media, and the haters. Even though this video was “set up” for a public affairs blast, I say so what, bravo, job well done. Anytime you can make the public smile we win! This video has literally gone viral. Since being posted on January 16, 2015 the Dover, Delaware Police video has had 28,711,118 views, and counting. This police organization just had a positive impact on nearly 30 million people in two weeks! Think about that the next time your Command Staff wants to hide behind “no comment”.
However, we should treat everyone with human dignity. I’ve seen so many cops slip down the slope of pettiness and treat a scumbag, well, like a scumbag! I get it! I’ve done it! But in the end, I’ve only lowered myself to their level. I guarantee you that if you at least show respect for their humanity, the witnesses will not have anything to complain about your behavior. Most bad people and their witnesses complain about being “harassed” and arrested, but professionalism is often recognized by even the worst of society.
Paul Harvey has one of the best descriptions of a Police Officer, and describes us in 2 minutes. For those of you who did not know, Paul Harvey’s father was a police officer for Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was murdered in the line of duty in 1921.
This challenge is in NO WAY a surrender of officer safety. I can throw someone to the ground, strike them repeatedly, taze them, and deposit them in a patrol car if their actions dictate that level of service, but I can still do so in a “professional service” instead of an angry tirade. Anger and “street justice” is what people remember, regardless of the legality and necessity of the police action.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had bad guys calm down in Detention and thank me for doing my job, even apologizing for their behavior. Remember, we’re seeing them at the moment of their crisis, and naturally their emotions are raw and exploding. However, when the venting is done, many of them realize that we are simply doing what we’ve been hired to do. If we did it with professionalism it actually sinks into them and they come away with the idea that “hey I was wrong, but the cop treated me right”. And yes, I’ve had them apologize and thank me even after some pretty serious “street justice”.
At the beginning of our careers the oath of office may have just been a stepping stone process to enter a career of adventure and purpose. However, after years on the job, the grind of the Judicial System, the horrors of what humanity is capable of, and the general apathy of society, can wear on even the most dedicated professional. It is at those times that your oath should be the bedrock of determination that renews your purpose and commitment, even if it is the only thing that keeps us going after the world has chewed us up and spit us out.
Anyone who wears the badge for any length of time knows that the call of duty brings a tremendous burden. No matter how tough you think you are, the reality of this job can chew up the best of us. Whether it is in the moment of a particularly hard call, or the grind of a thousand hard calls. You should remember and find hope that there are many others who carry the same burden of your service as well.
Joe Friday had a pretty good idea of the “costs” of being a cop too. But also how proud he is to serve!
Regardless of where you work, you are a part of the one of the largest fraternities in the country. Your brothers and sisters in uniform are all facing similar struggles, and we have to be able to lay down our coarse exterior and let the struggles vent. Whether you are married with children, or single, your family, are also carrying those burdens. Though I’m not advocating telling all the gruesome details, officers should recognize the needs of their family to be included in the overall conversation on where we stand.
We here at BlueSheepDog recognize the tremendous sacrifice that is required of our nation’s law keepers, because we ourselves are active or retired law enforcement officers. In recent times the media has had a particular field day feasting on the split-second decisions of those who volunteered to serve their communities. However, despite the negative ratings mongering of the media, there are those in your communities that want to express their thanks. And we should open up and accept that graciously.
This video was particularly good for me because it puts a face on the community we serve. People are coming forward and writing their own words of thanks, gratitude, and recognition for what officers have to deal with every day. The vast majority of Americans are standing up and demanding to be heard, over the raucous rants of the vast minority.
Most Americans understand that in order to maintain freedom and liberty, a civil society must be established on the rule of law. Our country, unlike almost every other country, allows “We the People” to determine just what that rule of law will be, and because of that we determine what will be fair and just in regards to our personal freedoms and liberties. Our Constitution is truly a remarkable document, that has survived the test of time.
The BlueSheepDog crew hopes these videos motivate you to keep going, upholding your oath, and hunting down the wolves that prey on the sheep. And we hope that you will take courage and solace from the videos put together by those that we serve. You are not alone, and you are not invisible. Many of those you serve “see you” and are grateful!
- “The Sheep do not want the Dog around. He looks too much like the Wolf. He reminds them that evil lurks out there, just outside the relative safety of the fence.
- The Wolf also hates the Dog. He knows that it is the Dog that stands between him and his prey. It is because of the Dog that he is lean. The Dog is the reason the Wolf if forced to stalk the darkness.
- The Dog knows these facts. Undeterred, he stands ready to do battle. Despite that he is an unwelcome guest in their midst, the Dog is ready, at a moment’s notice, to give his life in defense of his flock.
- It is simply who the BlueSheepDogs are!”
“On this team we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know, that when we add up all those inches, that’s going to make the f***ing difference between winning and losing, and between living and dying … in any fight its the guy who’s willing to die whose going to win that inch … I’m still willing to fight and die for that inch, because, that’s what living is … NOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO!?”