Police Openness

I used to have trouble understanding why citizens thought police officers were too secretive and  felt they were doing things they shouldn't.  I understand now.

A few months ago I observed three local police cars respond to the apartment complex where I live. A supervisor also responded.  To me something big must be going on with that large a response.  The uniformed officers were standing on a sidewalk in front of two apartments. I walked up to one of the officers and asked him what was going on.  He told me he couldn't tell me and to move away. As both a citizen and ex police officer I was not pleased. My perception of the conversation was' You have no right to know and I'm not going to tell you and get the hell out of here" Not knowing I could have thought of all kinds of reasons s the officers were there and what they were doing. Additionally, I walked away with a "bad taste in my mouth" regarding our local police. Was that necessary? No it was not.  Yes, certain things connected to law enforcement  are a need to know, but there is a way to say things without disclosing important information.

The officer could have said something to the effect "We received a call about the resident of this apartment and when someone arrives with the key we need to do a welfare check." That would not be disclosing any private or HIPAA protected information  Check the welfare calls officers respond to often. Sometimes its nothing, somebody hasn't called a friend or family member  in a long time, or they haven't answered their phone, or they missed an appointment or meeting. Often the person is okay, they didn't want to talk with family, their phone wasn't working or they forgot to put a meeting on their calendar etc. And of course there are the times when the person is unconscious or dead.

When people's questions are not answered they tend to fill in the blanks which creates many stories that are not factual based and inaccurate.

How do you feel about police transparency? How are the police whee you live?

How Did We Get To This Place?

Remember the days when we could arrive at the airport only minutes before the plane took off?  We were able to have our friends and family meet us at the gate. And best of all, we were not made to remove our shoes. Remember when we could go to concerts and other events without being searched and  have our purses and jackets checked?  I remember oh so well! Most folks say it all started with September 11. Things must have been brewing before then. Radical behavior and actions such as the attacks that day don't evolve in just a day or two.  We see with much regularity that the behavior and actions still exist. There is talk that the US will be attacked again very soon. Do we know why much of the world starting hating us? Years back our country was admired and feared. What happened? When did it actually start?  I would love to see your comments.

I am back

I've exhausted most of my interesting law enforcement experiences and will start commenting on current situations. I have not been in law enforcement for many years, thus may not know the current laws and policies. Additionally I only know what the media tells us.