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 48AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2016 17 MARTY HALLORAN JAMES LEE BERRON OPINION/EDITORIAL Editor’s note: Following the refusal of San Francisco 49er football player, Colin Kae- pernick, to stand during a recent game when the national anthem was played, Marty Halloran, president of the San Francisco POA wrote the letter below to Roger Goodell, Kaepernick, and Jed York, the president and CEO of the team. To: Mr, Goodell, Mr. York and Mr. Kaepernick: It is with great disappoint- ment to us, the San Francis- co Police Officers Associa- tion, that we are compelled to communicate with you regarding the recent ill- advised statements made by your employee, Colin Kaepernick. While we certainly ac- knowledge Mr. Kaepernick’s First Amendment right to remain seated during the National Anthem, as inap- propriate as that may be, we will not stand by while he attacks police officers in this country with statements such as, “These people are on paid leave while people of color are killed.” Not only does he show an incredible lack of knowledge regarding our profession, but also shows a naivete and total lack of sensitiv- ity towards police officers. Ironically it is those officers who on numerous occasions have protected Mr. Kaeper- nick and have ensured that the venues where the NFL holds its events are fully protected. I only wish Mr. Kaeper- nick could see the emotional and psychological challenges that our officers face follow- ing a fatal encounter. Some are so affected they never return to the job. In short, Mr. Kaepernick has embarrassed himself, the 49er organization, and the NFL based on a false narra- tive and misinformation. Perhaps Mr. Kaepernick could comment on the mur- der of 40 police officers in the United States in the past few months, or the assaults perpetrated on over 100,000 law enforcement officers in the past year. Perhaps he could lend his commentary to the over 8,000 murders that African Americans inflicted on one another in 2015. The law enforcement community cannot be con- tinuously blamed for all of society’s problems, in- cluding racial divide in our country. It isn’t fair and it isn’t true. While the San Francisco POA acknowledges Mr. Kaepernick’s right to speak his point of view and we stand by that right, we also recognize your organiza- tion’s ability to denounce his foolish statements and separate yourself from his actions. As a gesture to build better communications and under- standing about the law en- forcement profession, we are extending an open invitation to Mr. Kaepernick and to any player or employee from the National Foot- ball League to visit the San Francisco PD Academy and partake in any of the simula- tions and training exercises that recruits participate in during their training. Until then we hope your organizations chooses to do the right thing and at least apologize to the many law enforcement officers Mr. Kaepernick has shown such disrespect towards . Marty Halloran is the presi- dent of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. R ecently,theCity of Maryville a n d B l o u n t County lost one of our fin- est. Much has already been said about Officer Kenny Moats. He was a home- grown boy who had a heart of gold and a loyalty to- ward family, friends, and his brothers and sisters in blue that is unmatched. He was loved by all. Officer Moats was, is, a hero. His life was not given in vain. The other two depu- ties are also heroes. Their lives were spared by the grace of God. Everyone now knows the story of how Kenny and the other officers ended up at the residence on Kerr Way Lane Thursday afternoon shortly before 4PM. A do- mestic situation involving a possible weapon. Law enforcement officers know there is no “routine” call. Any call, any traffic stop, has unknown elements that could bring harm or even death to citizens they are trying to help or to the officers themselves. Officers fall back on their training and use sound tactics on every call, even if it is con- sidered “low risk.” Officer Moats and his partner are both seasoned veterans who have responded to hundreds of domestics during their careers. They did everything right during their response. The man who perpetrated this evil deed ambushed these officers. He laid in wait in the garage behind a barricade to remain unseen. When he saw an opportune chance, he began firing at them. Both officers were wearing ballistic vests, but ballistic vests do not completely cover the neck area. There is nothing these officers could have done to prevent what happened. They did everything right. They are heroes because they stood, they continue to stand, for what they believe in. As I sat in my office and heard my deputy on the ra- dio, my blood turned cold. “Shots fired, 156 is down. We need an ambulance.” I raced out of my office, foot- steps of other deputies close behind me. This is the call we don’t want to hear, but it is also the call we know can happen anywhere, any- time. It’s always in the back of our minds, and we pray it won’t happen in our com- munity. Unfortunately, it hap- pened here. In the U.S. 76 officers have died so far this year in the line of duty, and 38 of these deaths were by gunfire. That is up 52% from the same time last year. The year 2016 has not been kind to us. Law enforcement offi- cers don’t choose this career for the fame or the glory, and we certainly don’t do it for the money. This is a call- ing. We do it for love of com- munity and an inner drive to help people. Officer Moats paid the ultimate price for his passion. I’m so proud of the men and women of all of the law enforcement agencies in Blount County. And words cannot ex- press my gratitude to the law enforcement agencies from surrounding counties and agencies who have as- sisted Blount County and Maryville Police Depart- ment with patrol functions. The outpouring of support from these agencies has been a tremendous asset to us. When we needed assis- tance, they raced to assist. Officer Moats is gone, but he is certainly not forgotten. Fidelis ad mortem. James Lee Berron is the sheriff of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee. Police officers and others honoring the sacrifice of Officer Kenny Moats. Devastated by loss, humbled by supporters He’s just ignorant