OPINION| The opinions expressed in this article are that of the writer, and may not necessarily reflect those of Tatum Report LLC
Stories continue to increase about cops bidding adios to their departments for more hospitable locales. Then again, places that simply take their cops for granted would be more generous than the overt cop-hating occurring in too many blue environs. However, the conversation surrounding these officers’ departures reveals more than you might initially glean.
One of those conversations is politics poisoning police departments. On his new FOX News show, Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy, the former U.S. Rep. and federal prosecutor, said, “Public Safety is too important to be just another political tool.” Petr Svab at The Epoch Times has a front-page story, “Police Offices Leaving in Droves; Crime Spiking.” Meanwhile, Press Secretary Jen Psaki wants us to know it’s actually the Republicans who don’t like cops and want to defund the police (insert sniff test here).
Not politicizing the cops rarely happens, but communities must endeavor to enforce a politically neutral policy. Law enforcement should decide what policing looks like with informed community oversight. This may sound like pie-in-the-sky, but as long as law enforcement policies and training stay within constitutional limits, there should be few issues.
Radical leftists who know nothing about police work have decided what “proper” law enforcement should look like. Isn’t this a bit like the Boston Bruins telling the Red Sox how they should play baseball?
The radical left believes constitutional equal justice/rule-of-law policing has somehow become “conservative.” Both sides used to hold Old Glory and the Star-Spangled Banner as sacred. Now, radical leftists see the U.S. flag and anthem as hate-filled right-wing icons. Also, the Right tends to like cops; the Left tends not to. The Right hasn’t changed, but the Left has.
Portland, Oregon, is one of these locales with the police superintendent, Mayor Ted Wheeler (tied for 2nd worst mayor in America), is superintending the crumbling of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). If given a chance to hire [Assistant Chief Mike], Frome said he’d tell candidates, “If they want to be part of a progressive police agency, this is where they’re going to come.” If they’re smart, that’s where candidates turn around and walk out the door.
Political progressiveness destroys effective law enforcement. It doesn’t enhance it. Frome is trying to get officers to buy into the myth American policing is broken. The police don’t need “reform;” they only need to strive to improve, as any profession should always do. Just because you don’t like how cops do their jobs doesn’t mean they aren’t doing it correctly.
Frome adds, “The problem with Portland right now is that we are too progressive compared to some of our neighbors,” he said, “and we are not progressive enough for some people in Portland.” What does he mean by that?
Well, we have plenty of evidence showing “too progressive” in Portland means leftist criminal vandals skate while peaceful conservative demonstrators and cops get pinched. So, “not progressive enough” must mean wanting even more imbalance in Portland’s criminal justice system?
Frome makes it sound like politically progressive policing should be the goal. As if politics and policing should be linked. If that’s the case, Portland will never attract and keep good cops. Progressivism and good law enforcement don’t mix.
For example, in my city, if you’re a leftist cop or firefighter (yes, there are some) and express a leftist-approved political view on duty, the local politicians and media will regard you as bold and brave. However, if you’re a conservative cop or firefighter and express a conservative political view, on or off duty, politicians and the media will label you as insubordinate.
“Lakayana Drury, the co-chair of a Portland police community oversight group and director of the nonprofit Word is Bond, said he’s often asked how agencies can recruit and retain officers of color. His group strives to improve relations between young Black [sic] men and officers.”
Drury said, “You have to care about the issues that matter to Black [sic] people and people of color and provide an environment that’s welcoming to communities of color.” What does that mean?
Hey, racist morons! The way you attract and retain black officers or cops of any ethnicity or race is the same for everyone. You support your police, keep politics out, and allow the police to do their jobs. That’s how you retain male, female, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, Atlantic Islander, gay, lesbian, or Welsh Gaelic cops.
It’s not a secret formula, folks. People are people. Most cops I know, of any description, are right of center politically (a result of working in the real world). Politically conservative officers understand the importance of remaining as politically neutral as possible. They serve and protect individuals equally.
Think about it this way. Judging by the current political climate, do you think a conservative would be more likely to protect President Barack Obama, or would a liberal be more likely to protect President Donald Trump?
Just think about all the hateful and violence-laced public rhetoric or gestures made by high-profile leftists against President Trump and his administration: Madonna, Johnny Depp, Kathy Griffin, Maxine Waters, and Rashida Tlaib to name only a handful.
Even Biden once said, if he were in high school, he would like to “Take him [President Trump] behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.” Can you think of any high-profile celebrities or politicians on the right who’ve routinely made similar comments about President Obama or Biden?
Back in Portland, “[Drury] said the frustrations and low morale in the Police Bureau speak to ‘the urgency of this moment to get policing right’ and a need to forge a community policing model that truly reflects how residents want police to serve them.” Remember, according to polls, it’s not the people who hate the police; it’s the leftist radicals. So, do we need a policing model that reflects serving Antifa and BLM? I’m thinking, no.
Some people believe the preferred law enforcement model is served by indoctrinating officers in police academies with critical race theory (CRT). Black, white, Hispanic, and Atlantic Islander officers either come out brainwashed in far-left ideology, confused or just choose another profession.
It’s not the community that’s not happy with the cops but the community of far-left radicals who are engaged in a cultural revolution? To accomplish their goal, they must destroy traditional American constitutional policing.
And they’re aided by state media, allied with leftist politicians. The media refuse to report the news about law enforcement responsibly. They consistently downplay, ignore, or otherwise censor the pro-police view while protecting and promoting the radicals’ anti-police perspective?
The silent majority of traditional, patriotic Americans is beginning to awaken, and the effort to continue becoming louder needs to increase and continue. To continue until this latest iteration of a communist cultural revolution is sent to where President Ronald Reagan said it belongs, on the “ash heap of history.”
Follow Steve Pomper and Tatum Report on Twitter
Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.
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