Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 4816 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2016 American Police Beat Chairman & Publisher: Cynthia Brown Chief Executive Officer: Sarah Vallee Editor-in-Chief: Mark Nichols Advertising Sales: Dave Quimby Digital Manager: Jeremy Lange Office Assistant: Nora O’Connor Designer: Karin Henderson OPINION/EDITORIAL An Eastern Ohio city made national news recently, when police officials posted graphic photographs on Facebook of an adult couple they say overdosed on heroin in a moving SUV with a young boy. There was a lot of pushback from the public about how public shaming isn’t a great way to solve problems. “We are well aware that some may be of- fended by these images and for that we are truly sorry, but it is time that the non-drug using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis,” the city wrote. “The poison known as heroin has taken a strong grip on many communities, not just ours; the difference is we are willing to fight this problem until it’s gone and if that means we offend a few people along the way we are prepared to deal with that.” The city makes a strong case. You can’t begin to solve, or even under- stand a problem until you are aware of it. And that’s why movements to keep the names of mass shooters like Dylan Roof and Omar Mateen out of the news seems so misguided to some. The rationale for keeping the names of shooters like Adam Lanza and Syed Rizwan Farook secret is the notion that by naming them, we essentially give the bad guys publicity and maybe inspire other acts of incredible violence. Others, even though it’s unpleasant and usually depressing, would rather know as much about the shooters as possible – everything from their online history, their personal history, their medical his- tory and anything else that might flesh out motive and help build profiles of future shooters. A lot of this has to do with Facebook. Mark Zuckerburg recently censored the Pulitzer-Prize-winning photograph of the naked and burned girl fleeing a Vietnam- ese village under attack by the United States. That’s because Facebook, unlike Ameri- can Police Beat, is about making people feel good – not providing intelligent people with useful information. And not seeing that photograph is going to make a lot of people happy because they don’t want to feel sad or mad to the degree that’s possible. Ignorance is bliss. But it’s still igno- rance. For the foreseeable future you will be hearing a lot about flags, the national an- them and 9/11 memorial cleats. The media loves stories like this. It writes itself, requires zero analysis and generates lots of angry comments that generate web traffic where ads can be sold. It’s also a great opportunity for folks to prove they’re “real patriots” and get into some good, old-fashioned “If you don’t love America, then get the hell out!” rants. In this issue of American Police Beat it’s very easy to tell that many law enforce- ment officers, who generally have a lot more riding on ritual and symbolism than others, are none too pleased with the vari- ous silent protests during the playing of the national anthem at sporting events. Stuff like this spreads like wildfire. The proof is that the controversy has now spread from the NFL all the way to women’s soccer. Obviously no one cov- ered the game but the fact that the stadium played the anthem early so one Meagan Rapinoe could do her Kaepernick routine was national news. Some people consider the flag and the anthem to be sacred objects. Others, like the late comedian George Carlin, thought people might take this stuff a little too seri- ously. But it’s worth considering that with all of the unrest, discord and outright hostility (including violence and property damage) it’s nice to know there are ways to make your voice heard that involve nothing but one’s conscience and the act of being silent – or in this case, taking a knee like Kaepernick and Rapinoe. That’s a much better way of protesting than tossing flaming bottles filled with kerosene or assaulting a police officer who’s simply doing his or her job. Consider the cop in Utah recently that sat out the national anthem when the or- ganizers of a demolition derby included a Confederate flag for spectators to salute. Like Kaepernick, Police Officer Daniel Argueta and his family decided to sit in silent protest as others stood, hands over hearts and singing along. “You kind of get caught in, yes, you want to stand, you support the U.S. flag,” Argueta told KSTU-TV. “You support the troops, you support police officers, but what is the Confederate flag doing there? For anybody that knows history and un- derstands the negative impact of that flag and how it’s been used historically, it’s hard to stand up.” The point is that this entire country was basically founded in an act of protest. It’s defined every step forward we’ve taken as a people. As Americans we are all entitled to our own opinion and we all have the freedom to express ourselves politically. It’s just a question of how. Reality can be frightening Peaceful protests are better Together, we created a place where officers can discuss, learn and share Over the years I have been asked often how I got into advocating for the police and founding American Police Beat. Here’s the story: In the late 1970s, I accepted a part-time job working on an early community project with the Boston Police Department. At that time, the relationship between the Department and the people of Boston was tense. A federal court had ruled that Boston schools were unconstitution- ally segregated and ordered students bused outside their neighborhoods to correct the situation. Anger, particularly in the white neighborhoods, resulted in near-riots and numerous incidents of violence. My job was in a busy police station in one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city. At that time there were very few women or minorities on the force. Most of the two hundred officers assigned to the station where I worked were very outspoken about their conservative views on everything from the Vietnam War to women’s rights to homosexuality. One officer told me he didn’t think “girls” should have driver’s licenses. It was quite a culture shock for a liberal-minded young woman who came of age in the 1960s to find herself plopped down in the middle of this strange world. I worked there for three years, organizing and facilitating meetings between residents and the officers who patrolled the district’s neighborhoods. Bill Bratton, then a lieutenant in his 20’s, was my boss. During that time I saw firsthand the officers’ constant dealings with armed assailants, drug dealers, drunks, rapists, gangs, the homeless, the mentally ill, and a whole range of garden-variety crooks. I was continually amazed at the restraint, humor, and human- ity they showed as they went about their difficult task of keeping us safe. I also witnessed extraordinary acts of human kindness and compassion. I will never forget the time I came back to the station and found an older officer sobbing — the kind where your whole body heaves. He had just returned from a call where he had found a three-month-old baby dead in a bathtub. After those three years in that station, I knew I wanted to do something that would help the law enforcement profession. When I founded American Police Beat, my goal was to create a publication for law enforcement officers around the country to communicate with one another about the most pressing issues affecting their personal and professional lives. Today, American Police Beat is the leading police magazine in the United States, with over 220,000 readers every month. With all your support and participation, we accomplished our goal. – Cynthia Brown