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 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JUNE 2016 31 Are you sure the address is right? This is the police department. Did they order like 40 pizzas? I f you’re a cop with a contract and a pen- sion, keep the term “emergency manag- er” in mind. In Atlantic City, Detroit and who knows how many cities and counties in the pipeline, emergency manag- ers have been installed by governors like Michigan’s Rick Snyder in order to be on the right side of the law when they violate legal con- tracts and take your pension funds. What does this look like in the real world? Cops in Atlantic City haven’t been paid in a month. Thankfully some really good people at the Jersey City Police Officer’s Be- nevolent Association called South End Pizza II in Atlan- tic City and ordered a dozen pies. The pizza was delivered to the Atlantic City Police Department. “We just want to support our brothers and sisters during this difficult time,” said Brian Miller, JCPOBA treasurer. It wasn’t just the associa- tion that pitched in though. South End II pizza maker Cindy Lazri says she’s al- ways been a big supporter of public employees like police officers and firefighters. “They are always there for us and they’re in here all the time, so this is a great thing to see, especially during this difficult time for them,” Lazri told reporters from as she got the order ready. South End II delivery driver Daniel Coggins load- ed his car with the pizzas and brought them to the thankful officers. “North, south, east or west, it doesn’t matter. We’re all blue, and this kindness we’re experiencing from Jersey City police shows the thin blue line of brotherhood has no boundaries. Thank you, Jersey City,” said Officer Keith Bennett, who serves as state del- egate for the Atlantic City Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 24. It’s a complicated thing. On one level it’s heartwarm- ing when people pitch in to help each other out. On another level the fact that police officers, as well as other Americans, are work- ing so much harder for so much less is disturbing. Fellow cops buy lunch for officers without paychecks When states started de- criminalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use, law enforcement officials were still able to target indi- viduals for arrest and pros- ecution by relying on federal law instead of state laws. The same thing happens at the county and state level. In Florida, county com- missioners and taxpayers think people should be given a civil fine if they’re caught with a small amount of marijuana. They passed an ordinance to make it official. But the sheriff isn’t going along. Palm Beach County com- missioners approved an ordinance that called for a $100 fine or 10 hours of community service for pos- session of 20 grams or less of marijuana. That was back in Decem- ber of last year and at the time the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said it would continue to follow state law until it “reviewed the new ordinance.” The review determined that the sheriffs office would not be abiding by the city ordinance. “The Palm Beach County Sheriff will continue to en- force state law and will not be utilizing the citation op- tion,” Deputy County Ad- ministrator Jon Van Arnam wrote to the commission- ers. “The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office will con- tinue to arrest offenders for marijuana possession, in ac- cordance with Florida State Statute guidelines.” Asked about the sheriff’s stand, County Commission- er Priscilla Taylor said that she respected the sheriff’s right to his opinion. “But his budget comes to us,” she warned. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw had the following explanation. He told WPEC-TV 12, “Our goal is not to make it easier for people to possess marijuana. We want to have a system so that if they have a drug problem, to get it off of them. A civil citation doesn’t help that.” Lawman says he’ll follow state laws, not ordinance