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 4016 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: FEBRUARY 2017 OPINION/EDITORIAL 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 In this issue of American Police Beat you can read about the mass exodus of expe- rienced police officers from the Dallas and Houston police departments (among others) as the result of concerns about the solvency of the public employee pension systems in those cities. Plenty of people have been saying 2016 was the worst year ever but last year was particularly brutal for the Dallas PD. A Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer and four Dallas Police Department officers were ambushed, shot and killed by an armed assailant named Micah Johnson. When you’re talking about the senseless murder of five dedicated police officers it might seem to some that a pension crisis wouldn’t be that big a deal. But for police officers the dangers of the job and the promise of a decent life in retirement have a deep connection. Attacks on public employee pensions are generally not discussed in the context of what many describe as the “war on cops.” But make no mistake – the forces that seek to eliminate collective bargaining for law enforcement officers and move them from defined benefit plans to 401(k)s are making it just as hard to find, hire and keep good cops as other issues. The social contract between police of- ficers and the communities they serve and protect used to be simple. The deal was you worked a dangerous, frustrating and stressful job for a crappy paycheck. But if you spent a career serving and protecting you could expect some stability in terms of being able to pay the bills and health care costs in retirement. That’s all changing because of gross financial mismanagement and a lack of respect for law enforcement. But the police are not shrinking vio- lets. Even the officers most upset with hos- tility and violence directed at the police understand that there’s a lot of verbal and emotional abuse that comes with the work. But to watch as the same folks that stand on stages with hero cops and talk about their selflessness and sacrifice turn around and try and take their pensions is especially sinister. Cops are fine with risking their lives chasing bad guys and running into burning buildings. What they will not tolerate is being the fall guys for the incompetence of elected officials. Adding insult to injury People’s feelings about the federal gov- ernment largely depend on their political leanings and who’s in charge at any given time. There are also contradictions like the fact that people hate Congress as much as they love their Congressman. Now that we’ve turned the page on the Obama administration, many law enforce- ment professionals are excited about what comes next. President Trump enjoys a lot of support in law enforcement circles and part of that has to do with the fact that Trump said on the campaign trail that he’s going to be a “cheerleader for police.” Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen. Considering the standard pattern of campaign promises evaporating into the ether once a politician is in office, it might make sense to think about how we improve conditions for officers, agencies and com- munities without federal assistance. This is because the federal government has very little to do with local law enforce- ment. With the exception of the COPS hiring program, federal support for local law enforcement has continued to decline with each passing year. Consider federal funding for police train- ing. It’s something that everyone agrees is badly needed. It’s mentioned time and again in reports from commissions like the 21st Century Task Force on Policing. US federal discretionary spending on programs like training police fell by 12 percent between 2010 and 2015, the Gov- ernment Accountability Office (GAO) said in a recent report. Consider the list of things the feds are not good at, such as border security, protecting the environment and the air and water our children breathe and drink and a host of other problem areas. Are these the folks we want to depend on to provide solutions to local problems? In this issue of American Police Beat, as you can find in almost any issue of APB, there’s a story about a simple program in Boston that’s making a difference. It works because it’s simple, local and the people involved are in it for the right reasons. If we want to change the way things are we’re going to have to start talking, roll up our sleeves and get to work. Because if you’re waiting for the feds to support law enforcement beyond lip ser- vice – ask a combat veteran how it went at the VA. If you want something done . . . Since I retired from the Vancouver P.D. in Canada, I’ve been working as an Animal Control Officer. A couple of days ago we had a call from the Vancouver PD. They had arrested a suspect and wanted us to pick up his snake. It was loose somewhere in his apartment and we had to go looking for it. Fun – hide and seek with a big snake. We thought there was only one but we eventually found 3 BOA constrictors, all hiding in closets. This 5 footer one was the biggest. Luckily I’m the supervisor so I didn’t have to transport the reptile. I don’t like snakes. – Steve Gibson I’m done with snakes. . . Police K-9 Calendar . . . Don’t forget about the New York City Police Founda- tions’s K-9 calendar. It’s the perfect gift for the dog lover and/or the police officer in your life. See page 18.