Helping our fellow officers is easier than you think — no matter how big a city you live in.
By Robin Kinderman
If you watch any of the major news channels, you know that all police officers are racist, militant monsters who use their power to physically abuse minorities and shoot innocent people. You know they’re all brainwashed military wannabes who love to assert their power by conducting drug raids and arresting civilians.
The reality — as many of us know (at least those of you reading this article) — is that law enforcement officers are people like you and me, and many are dealing with issues we can’t even begin to imagine. Yet, even for those of us who know this, the world of policing is often alien and intimidating. We find it difficult to explain to our fellow citizens why they should support their local police.
The answer is this: because local police are the “thin blue line” between order and chaos. Our Founders laid out our nation so that the powers of the federal government were few and defined, and the powers of the states and the people were many and indefinite. The police are a branch of state and local law. Your local officers are hired by the chief, who is selected by the mayor (or city council), who is elected by YOU. Your local police are accountable to you, and this enables communities to remain autonomous from the federal government. Can you imagine if all the police officers in your town were actually FBI agents taking their orders from Washington? They would be completely out of touch with what’s going on in your town, and probably wouldn’t have time for you anyway.
Depending on the town or city they work for, law enforcement officers operate differently; they do what they feel is the most beneficial for their community.
Lieutenant Joe Benoit is an officer of 12 years for the small town of Omro, Wisconsin, located just east of Oshkosh. A total of nine officers serve the community of 3,500. It’s a town much like Mayberry, where everyone knows everyone else, and the guy Officer Benoit arrests Saturday night may be standing in line with him at the grocery store the next day.
Officer Benoit explained that a small town officer is quite different than the perception people have of a big-city cop. He said a lot of the issues the police deal with are family squabbles. Because of the town’s low population, everyone knows the officers on a personal basis — they frequent many of the same places and their kids all go to school together. The lack of privacy may seem like a drawback to those of us from bigger cities, but Benoit says it has its benefits:
Our citizens see through the negative propaganda. They don’t see us as racist, abusive, power-hungry thugs. We’re under a microscope all the time, but you get to know each other. You can’t build that trust when you’re just a number like [officers] are in a bigger city. The true meaning of community-oriented policing is like Mayberry — people will stand up for you.
Officer Benoit emphasized that maintaining good relationships with the people of his town is crucial to productive policing.
People need to be comfortable with you if you want to be proactive. This is difficult to do in a big city. Cops need to interact with people – go play basketball with the kids. They’ll get comfortable with the presence of a police officer and they will willingly share information.”
Knowing people on a first name basis may not be as easy in a larger community, but being involved is just as important.
Officer Kate Mann is the public affairs and resource officer for the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, population 66,579. Her department employs 101 officers who deal mostly with property crimes like theft and burglary. They work hard to keep up positive rapport with civilians, hosting and participating in fundraisers and community events like the Polar Plunge (a yearly fundraiser for Special Olympics that involves participants “plunging” into the lake – in the middle of winter).
“If you go on our Facebook page, you’ll see that we participate in all kinds of events.” Mann explained. “We just recently held a K9 fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings. We’re always doing stuff.” Indeed, scrolling down their news feed, there are pictures of a bike safety class at a local church, a “Unity in the Community” event, a city-wide race to raise money for the Kiwanis Club, and a question-and-answer session held at a local elementary school – and that was all within the first half of May! Mann said they do whatever they can to practice their department’s motto, “Know us before you need us,” and it has resulted in a very pro-police community.
Police involvement in the community is not as easy in a large city, but every-day citizens can make a positive impact simply by understanding the police and sharing that knowledge.
Larger cities are where we see the riots taking place – radical groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa chanting anti-cop sentiments, and the leftist media airing their edited clips of officers being racist, brutal, and trigger happy. The cops’ hands get tied by organizations such as the SPLC and ACLU so that chaos ensues, leaving no choice but for the police to either bring in their military gear, or call in the National Guard. What follows is what we typically see on TV.
Thomas Clarke is a retired undercover narcotics agent for the Montana Criminal Investigation Unit. He spent 20 years in the field, working his way up from patrol officer to detective to working directly with the FBI. He is now the owner and operator of TBK Tactical, which offers tactical training for law enforcement officers. He says,
Everything you do has an element of risk. When you pull someone over, you don’t know what’s behind the wheel. You just don’t know. Law enforcement is a contact sport. The reality is that things get dirty. Officers are people and they get scared. It’s not okay to let fear dictate your actions. A lot of places don’t have adequate training, but [the officers] are still expected to go out into the field.
Clarke explained that despite their academy training, officers can always benefit from additional training, especially in today’s racially and politically charged climate. One way people can help is to raise money to pay the tuition of these classes for their local officers.
Despite their different environments, all three of these officers strongly agreed on one thing – the best way people can support their local police is to simply go down to the station and ask how they can help.
“One of the best ways to help is to purchase equipment. There’s so much equipment that eats up a budget,” Benoit told me. “Just stop in and ask what they need.”
“The best way to help is to simply ask,” Mann agreed.
“Police are there to work with the community. It’s an open-door policy. You should never feel uncomfortable about talking to an officer and asking questions,” Clarke explained. “Police start to forget that the bad people they deal with are a microcosm of society. It’s okay to walk up to an officer and say hi.” He added that police (even in bigger cities) need to reciprocate this effort. “Get out of your car. Go talk to people, interact with people. Play games with kids. People shouldn’t have the perception that you only show up when there’s trouble.”
Remember, law enforcement officers are people, too. They are men and women who made the noble choice to go into a profession that involves risking their lives every day. The least we can do is thank them. Even better, we can understand them. Clarke summed it up best:
Understand that what you’re seeing on TV is only a microcosm of what’s really going on. People need to stop responding to what’s being spoon-fed to them by the media. Use common sense. Put your thinking cap on.