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: AUGUST 2016 33 driving home, off duty, in the city where I live but do not work, I noticed a driver who was driving slow and impeding the flow of traf- fic. Several vehicles went around him and blew their horns which is what caught my attention. This driver was driving too slow, displaying inatten- tive driving, and was texting while driving. All three of these things are violation of the law. In order to deescalate the situation while other drivers were blowing their horn and passing in front of other vehicles, I displayed my badge, shook my index finger at him and shook my head back and forth. The driver stopped engaging in these behaviors and went on his way. It wasn’t long before a local cop showed up at my house with a “what were you doing” attitude. He demanded to see my badge. I showed him my badge, cop ID and peace officer license. When I asked him how long he had been a cop, he told me proudly that he had been on the job for five years. I told him that I have been a licensed police officer be- fore his mom and dad made him. I also instructed him that I was within my rights, as a licensed police officer, to intervene in the incident. His response was that in his city cops can do their own police work and do not need old school cops like me helping and that I shouldn’t do it again. I politely told him to go back to his squad car and play with his Lego set. Maybe, just maybe this is why this breed of cops are getting into more physical altercations and shootings. Maybe, just maybe. – Name withheld upon request Not trained Iworked at the Massa- chusetts Department of Mental Health for almost 41 years, serving as a D.M.H. police officer for 28 of those years. I have seen over and over again the toll it takes when law enforcement officers are forced to kill mentally ill persons in order to save themselves or others. There is no police officer who enjoys doing this. A friend on the Quincy (MA) Police Department was forced to kill someone in great psychological distress after the subject charged at him with a knife. And he suffered from having to do that for years afterwards. It seems like Monday morning quarterbacking is the rule after these incidents with everyone asking why an officer shoots to kill. If your life is endangered, what choice does one have? My friend the police officer will be haunted by that justi- fied shooting for the rest of his life. However, he knows he had no other choice. The biggest issue today is the mental health system where treatment seems to have been replaced with containment – and that goes for cost-containment too. There are some men- tally ill people who need more treatment but only get contained for short pe- riods of time. These are the revolving door folks police keep bumping into over and over. Law enforcement officers do the best they can but we are not mental health profes- sionals. We are often the last re- sponders to someone in mental health distress. We have gone from one extreme to the other – from locking everyone up to keeping people out on the streets for too long. The commentary about that Indiana town with a mayor and police depart- ment trying to do the right thing is a positive story, but until the mental health sys- tem stands up to its limita- tions and tries to offer better services for these mentally ill people, these nightmare stories will continue. – Sgt. Sal Fiarratani (Ret.) Massachusetts Dept. of Mental Health Police Boston, MA Crown of Fools by Reginald E. Sharpe For the many years I’ve been a cop, Seems like some things just never stop. Blended Canadian whiskey with regal name, Logo and accessory remains the same. Purple velvet many feel, placed inside it will conceal, Illegal drugs, ill-gotten cash, drawstring fortress the perfect stash! Under the seats or in a glovebox, pours out weed or cocaine rocks. Sometimes unhidden without a care, surely the cops won’t look in there. Can’t they see that it’s a red flag? We’re going to check the Crown Royal bag! A criminal myth – like the Tooth Fairy or Cupid, Are they just that dumb or do they think we’re that damn stupid? Reginald E. Sharpe is a warrant officer with the North Charleston Police Dept. in South Carolina. www.vehiclehistory.gov American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Bureau of Justice Assistance U.S. Department of Justice A P r o v en Resource for Law Enforc e m e n t W S I N • R M I N • M OCIC • ROCIC • MAGLOC L E N • N E S P I N The Na  onal Motor Vehicle Title Informa  on System (NMVTIS) Database assists inves  gators with: • Auto The   Inves  ga  ons • Smuggling (weapons, drugs, etc.) • Insurance and Title Fraud • Odometer Tampering and Rollbacks • Iden  ty The   • Salvage, Junkyard, Dealership Inves  ga  ons NMVTIS Law Enforcement Access Tool (LEAT) provides inves  gators with a report  that includes the Junk, Salvage, and Insurer Database; NICB Clone Database; NICB  Counterfeit Database; NICB Flood Damage Database; Mexico Stolen Vehicle Database;  USDOT Dealer Rebate Program; brand informa  on; Na  onal Vehicle Service; JSI  informa  on; a VIN analyzer; a comprehensive   tle history from each state; and more. National Motor Vehicle Title Information System A Proven Reliable Database for Law Enforcement Vechicle Inves  ga  ons  NO COST to law enforcement The U.S. Department of Jus  ce  off  ers the NMVTIS database  at no cost to law enforcement  agencies.   For More Informa  on  E‐mail NMVTIS@usdoj.gov NMVTIS Web site  www.vehiclehistory.gov