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 4838 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2016 I t’s not the fact that elected officials can be bought that’s so shock- ing – it’s the fact that they come so cheap. In fact, even the biggest po- litical action committees like AT&T ($2,826,500) and Lock- heed Martin ($2,346,250) spend less than $3 million on politicians per year. (Source: OpenSecrets.Org.) Considering the unbeliev- ably cheap cost of buying influence in government, it’s amazing that more law enforcement associations haven’t started PACs like the National Beer Wholesal- ers Association and Home Depot. But that could be chang- ing. In Salinas, California, the Salinas Police Officers Association has filed pa- perwork to form a political action committee. The PAC will support candidates that the union believes will support public safety as well as fighting those politicians who they believe do not. “We can no longer sit on the sidelines as an associa- tion during every campaign season and watch every poli- tician or would-be politician who wants to be a city leader here say that public safety is their number one priority and then after being sworn in, they get this incredible case of amnesia,” said Jim Knowlton, vice president of the Salinas POA. Oddly, the PAC was formed the same day that mayor and city council can- didates faced a deadline for filing their paperwork for candidacy. And it looks like the PAC has a rocky road ahead. It will actively oppose those who have a “history of saying one thing and doing another,” Knowlton said. That would actually put most people, and probably all politicians, on the en- emies list. But despite all that, Knowl- ton is excited to get started in the rough and tumble world of professional politics. “This is a whole array of things that we need to talk about so it’s great to start that conversation,” Knowl- ten told reporters. “We need people who are dedicated to that conversa- tion and are going to follow through with that conversa- tion who are actually going to put those words and those sound bites and the media into action.” Police union’s PAC to support politicians that tell the truth The fun part of running a political action committee is making the attack ads. Group seeks to influence local races There’s more to it than just making arrests There’s a saying that’s be- ing tossed around a lot lately that goes, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” The idea is that law en- forcement is complicated. You need different people with different skill sets to cover all the bases. For instance, not every situation presents tactical challenges. Some incidents are more of a social chal- lenge. Needless to say, the tacti- cally-focused will not be excited to hear that “a group of Boston police officers are taking a ‘soft approach’ to policing,” as The Boston Globe recently wrote. But homeless kids, neigh- borhood drunks and junkies and other nuisance calls do require a radically different approach than, say, a do- mestic dispute. That’s why Boston Police Commissioner William Ev- ans started a unit called “Op- eration Helping Hands.” “You’re one part social worker, one part cop, and one part older brother,” Of- ficer Michael Sullivan told the Globe. It’s a three-man squad. Sullivan, Officer Jeff Driscoll, and senior crisis clinician Ben Linsky have been working together for close to a year and they’re getting results. The unit spends two nights a week combing the city to find and help the most vul- nerable — the same folks that used to be arrested. The goal is to help folks that aren’t capable of help- ing themselves for a variety of reasons. It could be something as simple as driving them to the hospital or helping them find a bed at a shelter. Commissioner Evans said the effort has resulted in a 10 percent drop in arrests this year alone. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans is also a competitive marathon runner. t)PTUBHF/FHPUJBUJPOT t.PCJMF$PNNBOE t.PCJMF1SFDJODUT t5SBJOJOH$FOUFST t%6*5FTUJOH