islander

Bobby DelVecchio is probably one of the greatest guys I know. When first meeting Bobby as a volunteer at Harrison EMS, it was always impressive with his base of knowledge. You sometimes realize that some people just get it. Even as a young volunteer you knew that this kid just knew what he was doing. Having the privilege to watch Bobby grow over the years just made me realize what a special person he is.
His career, while shortened, was a varied career affecting many in the emergency services industry. Developing from a volunteer in Harrison EMS, Bobby became an Empress employee and one of the best dispatchers ever. While working at Empress (this chronological might not be perfect) Bobby went on to work at Sea Tow, TCD,volunteer at TMFD, LVAC, and finally work at the TM Highway Dept.
His caring and ability touched many of us. There remain many police cars, fire chief vehicles and EMS fly –cars that Bobby touched with his dedicated hands. I have the comfort of knowing he personally built 49-11 and 49-12, and never had to doubt the craftsmanship involved. He was the ultimate go to guy. With every industry he became involved with, he automatically became one of the most knowledgeable people in that field.
Not many of us have had as much radio experience as Bobby. His handles of TAC-1, Medic (whatever), Truck 202, “Central”, A-1, 430, E-51, Sea Tow 2, radio repair, or the many other radio names remained ingrained in our memories.
The privilege of knowing and working with Bobby will be forever ingrained in me. Even at a municipal job, not always known for the most productive workday, he stood alone. If something needed to be done, Bobby made sure the job was done well.
The privilege of working with Bobby over the years highlighted many memories and I cannot express the loss and sadness I now feel. However, the knowledge of his contribution to society and many aspects of the emergency services industry bring me great satisfaction of my relationship and experiences with Bobby over the years.
I cannot begin to express my sympathies to his family and friends. His legacy becomes one of knowledge and experience of working with one of the greatest persons I have ever known. We will always love and miss you Bobby, and never forget the myriad of favors you have done for all of us. I sincerely hope your son Milo has the chance to carry on the many great virtues your display.

Article in todays NY Post.
http://m.nypost.com/f/mobile/news/local/kelly_nypd_can_take_down_planes_0LjFbzyfLD4iWLAvvpe0jK
Sources claim it is a .50 caliber Barrett, secured in a safe. While the the Department owns it and takes it out for "special occassions" my guess no chief has the courage to order its use, or if it is used, back the cop who is unlucky enough to use it. Lt Pigottt, need I say more.
This whole piece was just a way for Kelly to stroke his ego. The man is a legend in his own mind.

He will use the same smoke and mirrors used on crime stats to confuse the pilots into landing their aircraft. This is the same job that refuses to give Tazers to front line patrol officers, resisted 9mm handguns, dragged its feet with extendable batons, and took flash bang grenades away from ESU. I fully expect his plan to be the 600 cops asigned to the WTC command to stand on each others shoulders until they reach the height of the aircraft were upon the top officer will politely ask the pilot of said plane to land at the earliest convenience, or else said officer will loose 10 vacation days.

Yet this is the same NYPD that is still using typewriters for reports, has some violent precincts covered by 2 or 3 sectors, and has stationhouses falling apart???

Date is in the title of the post - 10/6/11

I don't (ever) post because I often feel like I have nothing to add. I have no experience other than as family. My grandfather was FDNY. My brothers were volunteers in Dutchess County.
But I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of you. As a family member, I understand the sacrifices you make, the training you make time for and the time you are away from your families, friends and other activities so you can serve your community in the most amazing way I can think of.
I salute your bravery, your commitment and your expertise. Our communities are better places because you live, work and volunteer here.
Consider this a long distance hug from a very grateful community member.
-Heather

Well this is truly amazing. According to lohud, over 60 police units had to respond from as far south as Tuckahoe to deal with this unreasonable and unruly crowd. Why? Because their "muslim sensibilities" were insulted? Give me a freakin' break. The rules are posted and for certain rides, there is to be NO WEARING OF ANY TYPE OF HEADGEAR period.
Why do these people think they are exempt from the rules, the laws? I know what they would like; Sharia Law. Their own version of a justice system implemented in the countries they emigrate to. I think that is a disgusting disgrace, as were the actions of these supposedly "religious" people at the Playland park.
Look, you people want to assimilate in this country, fine. I guess we have to let some of you in. But if you don't like the system, the rules in place... TOO F'IN BAD, go back to the place you came from.
The difference between these people and the ancestors of many of us here in this forum is our great-grandparents had a huge desire to assimilate into the American culture. That's why on my mother's side, they came from Italy, moved into the south Bronx and gave up teaching their native language to their children, my mother, and therefore I don't know Italian today as a result. I wish that part were different, but the point being these people were so anxious to "fit in" they even gave up their language. Italian was forbidden to be spoken in the house by my great-grandparents, as a result their great-grandchildren only speak English.
Now these muslims with their headgear, the hijab, they can't even get on the Dragon Coaster without starting a ruckus? Like Playland OWES them something, like WE owe them anything? They should kiss the ground of freedom they walk upon, shut their damn mouths, follow the rules, or else.
What a waste of PD resources to have to direct half the cars on patrol up to Playland because these freaking people were "insulted"! Enough! Fit in or GET OUT!
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110830/NEWS02/110830004/Police-arrest-15-Playland-dispute-over-Muslim-headwear?odyssey=nav|head

As opposed to the snowstorm when he was a headless chicken? No disrespect for your opinion Bro, but I hate Bloomberg as much as he hates the Fire Dept., and can't wait to see him gone from office. Just my opinion.

Along with Vegas, Phoenix, Rochester, Seattle or Portland, I don't recall which...maybe even both, and there were probably more. A lot of departments were in NYC (mainly at John Jay, IIRC) back when you couldn't give law enforcement jobs away, before the economy nosedived and we civil servants suddenly became such a greedy, overpaid drain on everyone.

I don't need to start a thread about that, that thread has been visited on here a dozen times and is a pointless one to start because it will not go anywhere. Feelings hurt? Far from it my friend as it takes a lot more to hurt my feelings. I personally can care less whether or not Hudson River patrols go from 20 police boats to 1.
I'm merely playing devils advocate, and you were the one who got all up in arms because I compared the redundancy on the Hudson River to the redundancy in the Fire Service in Westchester County. The point I was making was that the redudancy on the River exists for some of the same reasons there is redundancy in the Fire Service.
Why does every PD need to be out there doing these checks? How about a link to the Poughkeepsie Journal article about the alcohol involved boat accident in Tivoli that killed 4 people? Putting 2 marine units in the water to cover an area of the Hudson River from the New York City line up to the Putnam County line, IMHO, is stretching the marine resources too thin. Why does every PD need to get involved? Perhaps because the County PD doesn't have the manpower and/or equipment to staff more then what they already have, I don't know as I do not work for them and am not intimately familiar with the money they have budgeted and allocated for their marine unit. Or maybe it's simply because every PD along the River wants "their piece of the pie". What I do know is that every summer we read about the various marine units, FD and PD alike, carrying out legitimate rescues on the Hudson, and that right there is what makes the strong presence on the River worth it to me. I know if I were bobbing in the middle of the River, I'd rather have 3 boats from neighboring jurisdictions coming to pluck me out rather then wait for 1 coming from miles away. How would I fix it? I don't know, I guess that depends if a problem truly exists?
Better coordination between all of the agencies that patrol the River is a great idea, and how much coordination there is now I truly don't know. A central database for all boats stopped? Eh, not quite sure how that would work or if it's feasible to do so. Just because a boat is stopped at 8am doesn't mean that the individual operating the boat is in the same "condition" (i.e. sober) at 2pm. Maybe the boat had enough life jackets for all the people on the boat at 8am, but now after picking up a few more passengers, now there isn't an appropriate amount of life jackets, which could be a problem if the boat starts taking on water? Is that line of thinking a little far-fetched? Yeah, I will agree that it is, but is it possible? Sure it is. But complacency can not just kill responders, it can kill the people we're supposed to protect as well. I honestly don't have the answers, I'm not a maritime expert, in fact I'm not even a maritime novice, so I'm not sure what is considered the appropriate amount of manpower to cover the Hudson River. All I do know is that the maritime environment is a different environment that has it's own challenges.
Lastly, give me a break with the "harassment" comment. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone cry "harassment" when a Police Officer is simply doing his/her job I'd be a millionaire. Better yet, how about Police Officers just sit back, drop their fishing lines in the water and maybe go for a little dip while they're out there so they're not "harassing" anyone? Maybe those damn Troopers should just park their car on the side of the parkways off in the bushes and take a nap so they're not "harassing" anyone? Maybe those plain-clothes anti-crime cops should just go to the movies or go out to dinner instead of aggressively trying to get guns off the streets so they're not "harassing" anyone?
Whether you like it or not, aggressive enforcement, or I'll just call it "harassment" so you understand, is what prevents incidents like the Tivoli boating accident from occurring more frequently through deterring people from doing stupid things and enforcing the law when they get caught. Like it or not, people do stupid things and Law Enforcement are the ones who hold the responsibility to prevent such incidents from occurring.

I'm merely playing Devils Advocate here, but...
1) The Hudson River is a large body of water, but how do you propose that WCPD cover the Hudson River from Yonkers to the Putnam County line? How many police officers from the WCPD do you propose the County dedicate to Hudson River patrol when the County is cutting police officers from details (i.e. disbanding the Mounted Unit)? How many boats would the County have to purchase to adequately cover the Hudson River waterway? Should the County have to pick up the tab to patrol the Hudson River?
2) Why would the County or State Police know more about maritime law enforcement then local law enforcement? Is it because of the stigma associated with a "County" or "State" law enforcement agency that makes them better educated and/or prepared to handle certain aspects of law enforcement? That's like saying that a city patrol officer is more knowledgeable then a Police Officer from a local agency. True that city officers might handle considerably more calls for service, and a city patrol officer may have more clinical street experience, but unlike city patrol officers, many local law enforcement patrol officers carry out their own follow-up investigations and build their own criminal cases without referring every case to a detective squad, giving some local police officers more investigative experience.
2) I don't understand why an Automatic Fire Alarm requires the response of 3 Engines, a Ladder, a Rescue, 3 Chiefs Cars, and 12 POV's? I would assume the same reason why an emergency call on the Hudson invokes a response from several agencies.

Anyone who has been in Law Enforcement long enough knows not to take anything that you "Hear" as truth until you can verify it yourself and even then you should still doubt it a bit.
Referring to Rob Astorino as the "boss" of the county police just because he is the county exec. would be like me saying that phil amicone is my boss just because he is the mayor of yonkers - It wouldn't make sense.
I wouldn't mind paying extra taxes if it meant that my brothers and sisters in the county police or any police department for that matter could have the newest and the best equipment on the market.
As I said in my prior post, with all the money that this county spends on social welfare, nobody should have ANYTHING bad to say about the county cops getting new cars with a paint job that may cost a little more per car.
In many municipalities, vehicles are purchased through the Capital Improvement Plan which is voted on by the legislative body at least a year in advance so the cars keep coming in when you need them. I remember 7 or 8 years ago when yonkers didn't vote on a CIP and instead of having a fleet or regular cars and a fleet of spares, we had half a fleet of spares, thats is, we had no cars, the DPW guys tried their best to keep us at the bare minimum but there is only so much you can do with a car that is a few years old and runs 24/7 up and down the hills of yonkers.
Thank God the county PD has kept up their fleet and has new cars coming in.. those guys and gals put a hell of a lot of miles on those cars and at times drive at some pretty high speeds so they need and deserve the best no matter what the cost !!

Unbelievable how selfish Fox is. They aren't making money on it, and they need space to air repeats are their reasons. Like Fox isn't making millions upon millions elsewhere and just do this show as a public service, considering all the good it's done.
http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2011/05/16/Americas-Most-Wanted-canceled/UPI-27151305559390/

Even if it is just the new cars, it will cost more money than an all white car with reflective stripes. IIRC when NYPD made the switch from baby blue and white to all white the savings was several hundred per car, and this was 15 years ago

" Take down the blue wall ? " Sometimes the blue wall is all we have because it seems that we have ZERO support from the communities we serve.
You ask what planet this forum is from ? The rest of us are from planet reality, how about you ?
dj henrys father is connected where ? Just because some hack civil rights leaders are leading himn around by the nose in no way makes him connected.
I applaud the PBA for giving this award to P.O. Hess.... he saved lives that night and is a hero.. END OF STORY
As far as the feds go, they are on a witch hunt in westchester county and will stop at nothing to hang a cop, even if it's under false pretenses... we all remember how the FBI agent that was investigating Det. Quinoy in Sleppy Hollow tampered with evidence to try to get a conviction.
But no matter what the feds say, it will not change the fact that PO Hess is the Pleasantville PBA's officer of the year !!!

Typical journal news reporting. The East SIde Access project is not a direct connection between Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. It is a new tunnel from Queens utilizing the lower level of the 63 street tunnel and then under Park Avenue to a new LIRR terminal underneath the lower level of Grand Central. It was designed to give Long Islanders better access to midtown Manhattan around 42 Street, and possibly free up spots in Penn Station in the future for Metro North via the HelLs Gate Bridge or West side. Amtrak and NJ Transit will not use this at all. You will still have to take subway between Penn Station and Grand Central. Check out railroad.net for more info. According to sources there, Penn Station is operating at capacity and any slots freed up by LIRR trains going to Grand Central, Amtrak has first shot at followed by NJ transit. Work on the tunnel from 63/Lexington to Grand Central has been going on via tunnel boring machines for the last few years. The hardest part of the project, connecting the current tunnel underneath the East River to LIRR's sunnyside yard in Queens still has to be dug and will be the hardest and most expensive part of the project.

Overkill of what?
He almost "overkILLED" a police officer!
He was reckless and endangered the general public!
As Chris stated, and it really opened my eyes...he COMMITTED no less than 21 OFFENSES.....

With all due respect, I think you have a grave misunderstanding about the role of an agency officer and the responsibilities of an agency member. It also seems that you view "professional courtesy" as an entitlement. Let me address your comments one at a time...
First off how do you know the police agencies and/or officers involved in this situation haven't gone to the offending agency in the past? Perhaps this is a pattern of behavior that needs to be resolved officially in the courts.
The defendant in this case committed 21 violations (or perhaps more) and received 21 summonses. The number of violations is what should be viewed as excessive, not the number of charges filed against him. These summonses were issued in lieu of a custodial arrest so the officers did exercise discretion.
Agency administrators, be they Chief, Captain, Commissioner, or whatever, are not parents and their members are not children (at least chronologically). There is definitely a time and a place for bringing a wayward child home to mommy or daddy but this is the case of an adult being held responsible for his actions. There's simply no reason for law enforcement to take an offender to his employer to resolve criminal acts (and reckless driving is a crime). That's like saying the State Police should take their findings in the fatal I-95 bus crash to the bus company for resolution. Where's the logic in that?
I understand where you're coming from about dealing with an agency directly and sometimes that is the right thing to do. I once stopped a vehicle operating at an excessive speed with a blue light and learned that there was no fire, the driver was late for work. He got his speeding ticket and his chief (three towns over) got a phone call about the blue light. Had the guy been running people off the road the chief would have read about the arrest in the newspaper.
It doesn't matter if it is a chief or member or civilian driving recklessly. They should be and are held responsible for their own actions. This case is noteworthy because it occurred while the offender was exercising the privilege of using red lights and siren. As the driver of any vehicle you're held responsible for the operation of that vehicle.
It isn't the lights and siren that make the risk greater; it is the driver's tendency to go faster and take more chances while using them. Psychologically it may be a false sense of security or it may be just plain adrenaline. And, highlighting points from other threads, there is a lack of supervision in many volunteer agencies that exacerbates this problem.
Finally, to receive professional courtesy one must be professional and courteous. This driver was neither. To expect preferential treatment or even infer that it is deserved in a case like this is why we hear stories of people getting tickets despite their membership in a fire or EMS agency. People get courtesy when they deserve it, not when they demand it.

Your assertion was that the PD is trying to perform an FD function and we were merely pointing out that PD performed these services first in many communities thereby refuting your point as it could be argued that the FD's started to perform.
What in the emergency services is based strictly upon need? There are many more duplicative resources especially in Westchester County. Nobody suggested that history and tradition dictate our roles; we merely highlighted a contrarian viewpoint. On what standards should we base these needs? I wish we did more needs assessments to determine what was needed vs. what is popular or more cool.
Having been one of the officers to which you're referring, I will argue that the WCPD ESU could perform most extrications very well regardless of the unit staffing. The tool is really a one-person job anyway and additional resources/support could always be requested. One of the toughest extrications I ever worked, I worked with an EMS supervisor from a commercial EMS and not the FD.
I'll counter your hostage argument with what happens when FD is on a fire and a pin job comes in or vice versa?
I don't think they're competing and the 289 Nep scaffolding job proves that point. PD and FD worked well together.
Yup, that's who I meant.
SWAT may be one function of ESU but ESU generally performs many other services besides SWAT. The ESU or CIU trucks in Westchester County do much more than just SWAT. LAPD SWAT is just that, SWAT.
We've discussed this at length in other threads and I think the consensus was no, they shouldn't all be cross-trained.
What differences are you referring to?
Your initial post was construed by many, myself included, to be rather critical of cops in NY. I, and others, have responded to dispute your assertions and have done so factually and respectfully. The discussion has also morphed from a comparison of police in Texas and New York to who should provide rescue services in Westchester County and it is slanted against existing PD units.
I wanted to give you a negative rep point because I don't think the initial post articulated your position well and when someone has to start it with a disclaimer that you're not being critical it is generally because they are.
If you want to discuss regional differences in law enforcement let's do that but let's not do so while simultaneously insinuating that cops in NY are somehow less than their peers in Texas.
Finally, your last remark seems to be hlghly inflammatory. What exactly do you mean with that remark?

I always enjoy when someone asks why the Police Departments try to take away work from the Fire Departments.
Let's look at NYPD ESU. NYPD ESU has been providing rescue services for the citizens of New York City since the 1930's. The Fire Department wanted nothing to do with rescue work, especially back in the days when the city was burning down, before the strict fire codes that exist today, along with the use of sprinkler systems, improved building materials, fireproofing, fire prevention programs, and everything else that has lead to a decrease in the number of fires. So for decades, the NYPD ESU was the sole provider of emergency rescue services in the City of New York.
It wasn't until the number of fires began to decrease, that the FDNY started getting involved with rescue work. So, should PD be asking why the FD was trying to duplicate a service already being provided by them? Before a lot of Westchester County Fire Departments purchased extrication equipment, extrications on the Westchester County Parkways were handled by the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. Should County PD have asked why the local FD's were trying to duplicate a service on the parkways already provided by them? The Town of Mount Pleasant Police was the sole provider of extrication services within their jurisdiction for years before the local fire departments purchased extrication equipment. Should the Town of Mount Pleasant PD have asked why the local FD's were trying to duplicate a service already being provided by the local PD?
Personally, I have no problem with FD's handling rescue work, and always look forward to working together at a scene rather then battle eachother. The one benefit I see to having both Firefighters and Police Officers assigned to Emergency Service Units taking part in a rescue, is that it gives you a larger talent pool to pull from in the event of a significant incident. There are some ESU officers who are talented rescue specialists, just as there are Firefighters assigned to Rescue Companies who possess the same talents and level of expertise. Being able to draw from the experiences and talents of both individuals at an incident is beneficial to the overall success of the operation.

There are differences in many things as you move from region to region in the United States; income, accents, history, culture, politics, demographics, etc., etc., etc. The question you raise is not merely applicable to law enforcement. There are vast differences between New York and Texas. I don't think the differences are as great as you believe nor do I think you properly articulated your argument without disparaging cops in NY and the northeast.
I think there is something to be said for the anti-police, anti-government sentiment in the northeast being a contributing factor to your supposition. I think as the country tried to become more politically correct and public service changed from being a calling to a secure job with benefits, we lost some of the service focus that contributed to law enforcement being what it used to be. There are still many hard-chargers in civil service but there are now an equal number of deadbeats just studying for promotional exams with no concept of the job and/or using the stability to advance their education for their next job.
You're flat out wrong about some things. Cops in ESU aren't trying to be firefighters and who says that rescue is a fire function? ESU predates many of the FD rescue resources in Westchester County. Yonkers E-rigs of the 80's were the first paramedics in the city and had the only extrication equipment for many years. The County PD ran an ESU that provided extrication services all over the county before a lot of FD's got their own hurst tools. ESU is not the same as SWAT either. The LAPD runs SWAT but they don't do most of the things that ESU cops do - it is an apples and oranges comparison. In Jersey City, extrications are performed by EMS not fire or PD. White Plains has a police / fire special operations command that works collaboratively.
Duplicating resources? Are you kidding me? You really think that ESU in the couple of cities that have them in Westchester are the duplicative resources and squandering the funding that exists for emergency services. Hmmm, the 59 fire departments, 43 police departments, 60 or so school districts are definitely not duplicative. Who says that EMS is a fire function? PD is an first responder and in many places they are the only BLSFR that responds. We've already covered in other threads that BLSFR is not strictly limited to PD or FD exclusively.
OK, who decides what the core responsibilities are? What do you do when an agency can't/won't/doesn't fulfill it's core responsibilites? Competition exists on many levels in public service and it can be healthy. There are plenty of examples of intra-disciplinary rivalries that are unhealthy; you're broad sweeping generalizations about inter-disciplinary relationships and responsibilities are way off base.
Pity there isn't a negative rep button anymore. Comparing patrol cops in Texas with ESU cops in NY or asserting that certain functions don't have cross-over between disciplines is way off base. There should be collaboration and less division and that's not strictly a PD/FD thing.

Ive read this post many times and I still fail to see the reason for posting it but it most certainly requires a response.
From what I know of you, you have no background in Law Enforcement so your ideas of how cops should feel about being cops and what they should do on duty may be how it is in a perfect world but in reality thats not how it works. This would be like me who knows nothing of fire fighting making critical observations about the fire service and putting all over the post " No offense guys" and " this is not a knock to firefighters".
As far as I've seen, you're the only member on here from texas so you are the only one who could answer your own question of " why are police officers down here so different ?"
I've been a cop for 12 years and I go balls to the wall every day I go into work as do most cops I know. Would it be nice to follow up with every crime victim we deal with ? Yes but we don't have the time or the manpower to do that stuff. How do you know that cops up here don't know their post as well as cops in Texas ?
Cops are in a unique situation to be cross trained in rescue, where as FD's can't be trained in law enforcement specific things... thats just the way it is.
You ask why is there competition ? There always has and always will be competiton in the emergency services and it's healthy to a degree.
You ask why are there not more hudson river patrols ? There are in the summer but not so much in the winter but what does one thing have to do with the other ?
The bottom line is that expanding the scope of your working capabilities means more job security and possibly more state and federal funding.
The biggest difference between cops up here and cops in texas is that maybe cops in texas enjoy a lot more community support than cops in the north east get.

For the NYPD, members on patrol are supposed to wear the vest at all times. There are some exceptions to this. Most vests are warrantied by the manufacturer for 5 years. With that, when I joined the NYPD in1998 we were fitted for our vest, and told that would be our vest for the next twenty years. It took the death of PO Dillon Stewart in 2005 to get us new vests, rated to a LEVEL IIIA, and the panels overlap. Officer Stewart was shot while in a car chasing a another car, he was hit just under the arm, and the bullet went through the small gap between the front and rear panels. Keep in mind most vests are not stab and puncture rated so they will not stop a knife or other sharp object. Vests are also only rated to stop some handgun rounds, they will not stop a rifle round. Here is a link to a chart that explains the different vest levels, http://www.njlawman....ody%20Armor.htm Vests are hot during the summer, often retaining heat and sweat of the user. Bullet resistant vests also will not be effective if they are soaking wet (heavy rain, enter body of water, etc) Also fitting the vest is important, if it is too big, the user will have trouble sitting down ( the vest will move up and hit you under the chin/throat area, and if too small it will be ineffective. Most are not designed to be folded, or rolled up (there are some on the market that can be), as any crease in the panel will affect its effectiveness. From what I have read in the news media, the incident on Long Island the shooter was intending to kill people. Not sure if the responding crew had a chance to see the firearms before they even got off their apparatus, or if the shooter had it concealed until they approached.

For any LEO's out there who are looking for some good reading material, I just finished the book titled "On Combat", written by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Lt. Col. Grossman is a former Army Ranger and West Point Psychology Professor, and is the director of the Killology Research Group. He studies human aggression and the psychology of combat, and has been on the lecture circuit for a number of years speaking at Law Enforcement conferences. Below is an excerpt from his book that I thought was an excellent piece and just wanted to share it. If you haven't read On Combat yet, I highly reccommend it.
On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman
By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing."
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself...
"Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

A number of posters have really hit the nail on the head regarding Police Officer LODD's, and the reasoning for a lot of them.
The FBI routinely interviews convicted Cop Killers. They are looking to answer the question, "Why did you kill this Police Officer? What made you do it?". The FBI reported that the majority of individuals interviewed responded, "Because the Officer gave me the opportunity", or "I felt like I could take advantage of the Officer", either because of the Officers poor use of tactics, or because the Officers general physical appearance (stature, build, uniform cleanliness and overall general appearance of the Officer being a "slob").
Regarding the Officers general appearance, not much can be done to correct that other then the individual Officer making time to exercise, eat right, clean/iron their uniforms, tuck in their shirts, give off a professional image/appearance, act professionally, etc.
In regards to Police Officers utilizing poor tactics, this falls on the the individual Officer, the Law Enforcement Agency, and society and how society views Police Officers. Most Police Officers have to qualify with their service weapons twice a year to be qualified to carry a firearm within their official duties. I ask the question, is anyone really good at anything they do just twice a year? If an individual officer shoots just twice a year with their department, and does not take the time outiside of work to shoot on their own time, or to attend classes given by private or government agencies, they are doing themselves a grave disservice. When Police Officers shoot to qualify, they're shooting a nice silhouette paper target, utilizing proper stance, closing their non-dominant eye, lining up their sight picture... they're target shooting for score based on the number of shots the tower or range instructor informs them to discharge. In a real-life deadly physical force encounter, Police Officers are not shooting for score, they're shooting to survive. They're point shooting. They're utilizing a combat stance (which is your body's natural reaction to a threat), they're drawing the firearm, pointing it at the target, looking past their sights, and discharging their firearm at the threat to stop the threat. They're not lining up their sights. They're not closing their non-dominant eye. There's no range instructor telling them, "Gimme 2 shots on the tone". So why aren't we conducting monthly training at the range on point shooting? Why aren't we conducting monthly realistic, scenario based training utilizing airsoft or simmunitions to mimic real life encounters? The answers are obvious (manpower, money, overtime, etc.), but Police Officers are dying because of it. The 2 days of TARGET SHOOTING at the range is a disservice to Police Officers, and is not realistic or a feasible way to train for real-life deadly physical force encounters.
In terms of how society is getting police officers killed... well, there are very few professions that are monday morning quarterbacked by the Average Joe citizen more then Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement is criticized by the media, by the general population, and even by our Police Chiefs, Commissioners, Superintendants, etc., who have become more of a group of politicians who are more worried about their own general appearance in the eyes of the public, appeasing as many special interest groups as possible for their own personal political gain, rather then protecting and supporting the Officers they are suppoesd to represent. Hollywood has the Average Joe thinking that it's a piece of cake to shoot a gun out of a perpetrators hand. The Average Joe wants to know why we don't shoot people in the leg because that's what works in Hollywood. Until the average Joe sees an aggressive, determined perpetrator take five .223 rounds center mass and continue to fight, they won't understand why Police Officers utilize aggressive tactics against an armed adversary. Take a look at a just a few examples of recents incidents:
** A SWAT officer, while conducting a tactical entry to take a barricaded subject into custody, shoots and kills a perpetrator who was attempting to stab his bunker operator with a large kitchen knife. The perp struck the ballistic shield several times with the knife before the Officer discharged his weapon. Officer placed on adminstrative desk duty for 9 months, depsite the fact that the shooting was within department and NYS Criminal Procedure Law guidelines.
** 2 Police Officers respond to an EDP, where they are confronted with an individual in a parking lot weilding a metal chair. EDP advances and closes the distance on the Officers while attempting to strike the Officers with the metal chair. Officers retreat until they are finally cornered, forcing one Officer to fire a single shot center mass, eliminating the threat. Officers brought up on department charges for not utilizing appropriate concealment. The prosecuting attorney's arguement is that the Officers should have hid behind a bush to provide them concealment, thereby avoiding the need to shoot the subject.
** Pleasantville Police Officer, after being struck by a vehicle operated by an underage, intoxicated driver, clings onto the hood of the vehicle. Despite verbal commands to stop the vehicle, driver accelerates forcing the Officer to discharge his service weapon through the windshield eliminating the threat and preventing further injury to himself. Officer is dragged through the mud by the media, vigils held for the perp killed by this Officer. Over a week before the media reports on the serious injuries sustained by the Officer.
** A Massachusetts Police Officer, responding to a possible burglary call, encounters an unruly, uncooperate subject inside a private residence. Officer ends up effecting a disorderly conduct arrest, a lawful arrest based on the Massachusetts CPL/Penal Law, where his actions are called "stupid" by our Commander-in-Chief, without having all of the details of the encounter.
Based on a few of these examples, I have made a couple of conclusions. Some of my conclusions are based on my own personal experiences and from talking to other Police Officers. The most dangerous conclusion I have come up with is that Police Officers are utilizing poor tactics and not being as aggressive as they should be in certain instances because of the fear of being dragged through the mud by the media, disciplined by their department, and placed on modified desk duty, even when their actions were appropriate and well within the legal guidelines for the use of deadly physical force. This "second-guessing" gives a perpetrator who has it in their mind that they want to injure/kill the police officer a chance to act upon their intentions.
Police administrators will quite often administer disciplinary action upon a police officer based on the media coverage of an event and the public "outcry", no matter how justified the shooting may have been based on CPL and department guidelines. Officers are taken off the road and placed on desk duty for months, sometimes even years, to prevent the officer from being involved in another deadly physical force encounter, which may look unfavorably if the same officer is involved in numerous shooting incidents, even if they are all justified shootings. This reactive measure taken by Police Administrators in turn causes Police Officers to not take aggressive action when needed for fear of "ruining their careers" or being placed on desk duty. Once again, this "second-guessing" leads to perptrators taking advantage of Police Officers. Face it, Police Officers have pages and pages of rules and guidelines to abide by, whereas perpetrators don't play by the rules, which inherently gives the perpetrator the tactical advantage.
Lastly, Law Enforcement tactics are not pretty. It involves handcuffing people, placing people face down in the dirt, ordering people out of vehicles at gunpoint, striking people with impact weapons, utilizing less lethal devices, chemical agents, and when necessary, deadly physical force. Proper tactics are not pretty, they don't look good in the eyes of the public, but they are necessary for Police Officers to go home at the end of their shift. The media doesn't understand this, society doesn't understand this, but our Police Administrators have to understand this, and have to support their Officers when their Officers actions are appropriate, no matter how it may look in the eyes of the untrained and uneducated.
Sorry for the long post! Kinda got carried away but a very important topic that is filled with TONS of information! Stay safe!