24 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: AUGUST 2017 County commissioners put in the part about hir- ing county cops and EMTs only minutes before the vote approving the deal. The requirement would have been great for local police and fire people who were looking forward to the prime off-duty assignments at the stadium. Obviously city cops and paramedics would like those details for them- selves, but the owners have other ideas. “The buyer was pres- sured into acceding to the demand of the seller to hire its employees,” Méndez wrote in a June 15 opin- ion. The Miami City Attor- ney went on to say that the hiring rule “violates public policy” and was “procured under undue influence and therefore may be deemed unenforceable.” Continued from page one Cops lose out on stadium deal P olice officers now enjoy hate crime protections in many states in the USA. Hopefully that will enhance penalties for those charged with assaulting on- duty and uniformed police officers. In a related story, three knucklehead teenagers from New Hampshire, who police say assaulted and yelled racial slurs at a popular street performer in Boston who plays music while dressed as a bear, could also be facing hate crime charges. The three boys recently appeared in court on charg- es of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. Boston Police say “Key- tar Bear” was the victim of the attack. The teens accosted the costumed street performer at one of Boston’s most notorious tourist attractions – Faneuil Hall. Police say the juveniles ripped off the man’s bear mask and hit him several times, all the while yelling racial epithets. One witness to the at- tack told officers that they saw one of the suspects slammed the musician’s face into the ground and vandalized his equipment before taking off with the loose change and some small bills the performer had collected as tips. The Suffolk County Dis- trict Attorney’s Office says the assault is being inves- tigated by personnel for potential civil rights viola- tions. Hate crime bear It must be news to police officers that they’re consid- ered heroes and champions of liberty and democracy by just about everyone. Wasn’t someone saying something about a “war on cops?” Well if you think mo- rale is low at your agency – at least you don’t work at ICE. To listen to acting ICE Director Thomas Homan, you’d think that local law enforcement officers are being given raises, daily parades and free beer. “Unlike other agencies, we do this despite a con- stant deluge of biased at- tacks against ICE person- nel by those who disagree with the laws we enforce,” Homan complained. Some of the pushback against stories about Chris- tians being deported back to countries where they will be killed and ICE agents waiting at court- houses to arrest and deport human trafficking victims seem to have gotten under the acting director’s skin. “While I recognize that people have the right to protest laws they don’t agree with, I want to em- phasize to the public and to the media and to this committee that ICE of- ficers don’t write the laws. They enforce the laws,” he said. Homan might need to get out the office a little bit more. To listen to him you’d think cops are getting high- fives and hugs from every- one they meet. He says while local offi- cers are quick to get a quick We’re not like the police officers who are showered with adulation thank you, “Too often that respect does not seem to extend to the honorable men and women of ICE. Unfortunately, the men and women of this law enforcement agency are vilified for simply doing their jobs.” Maybe he was talk- ing about firefighters and mispoke? Then there’s this comment from Homan: “ICE officers do not do what they do because they hate what’s standing in front of them. They do what they do because they love what is behind them.” Say what now? ICE Director Homan at the podium recently. • Removes weight of duty belt off hips and lower back • Enables you to perform at maximum standards • Helps keep shirt tucked in during physical activity • No need to adjust duty belt when exiting vehicle • No need to hold duty belt when engaging in foot pursuits No more back pain The Back Defender is the only concealed belt suspension system approved for police duty WWW"ACK$EFENSE3YSTEMSCOM   (or)