Manns Medium

Some time ago, I penned an article titled “Police Brutality is not something you already have it is cultivated and taught” (you can find it here: http://copwatchnews.com/exclusive/police-brutality-is-not-something-you-already-have-it-is-cultivated-and-taught-2/ ).  In that article I included a portion of a story I read involving Officer Larry Bushart attempting to show how the failure of supervisors and managers of our police departments can result in good cops going bad and making bad decisions without first considering the ramifications that comes with the honor of wearing the badge.  I was contacted by Mr. Bushart with an explanation of his situation and even though we disagreed about whether his divorce and the circumstances around it were included in this article, I did come to realize that both his and my own personal experience was quite similar.  I then took up his call to pen this article and I share all this with you in hopes that you gleam from it that even th...

There is an article titled “ Obama tells BET audience despite grand jury decisions 'things are better ' written by Sara Fischer for CNN which tells “After weeks of racial protests across the country, President Barack Obama is taking the time to deliver encouraging words about the future of race relations in America to a network that reaches a predominately young African-American audience.  "What I told the young people who I met with -- we're going to have more conversations over the coming months -- is, 'This isn't something that is going to be solved overnight,' Obama says in an interview with BET that will air Monday. "'This is something that is deeply rooted in our society. It's deeply rooted in our history.'"  Once criticized for shying away from the topic of race early on in his presidency, Obama has more recently been forced to lead a discussion on the issue.  In his interview, the President says African-American youth need to ...

Here is a question for all you who feel that police are getting the raw end of the deal lately with the non-indictments of shooting, killing and over-reach when dealing with subjects.  The recent flier put out by the Uniformed Police Union talks about their sacrifice and how government should stand with them instead of throwing them under the bus.  Which group sacrifices more?  Is it the cops who patrol our streets or our military?  If you say our military then ask yourself why there is such a disparity in how each is treated. In the military, we have something called honor and valor.  We have something called responsibility but lately this seems to be the only entity where those principals exist.  In the military if you violate the law, you will be held responsible and to account but in the civilian world this seems not to be the case for cops.  Below is a recent story which proves this point. “Philippine prosecutors on Monday filed murder ch...

With all of the stories about police brutality, many wonder what can be done to stem or even change this behavior.  They often times research the policies and procedures of police to find the answer but sometimes the answer could be as plain as the nose on your face.  Here is a suggestion for those who encounter today’s era police where they are very much aware that nothing they do will ever see the light of a court room.  Remember the old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar; well the same is true in this case.  If you are a religious person, use the lessons from the Bible when dealing with not only hostile and angry police but any hostile or angry person. Stay humble, make your point but do not argue because you will not win.  Officers have a catch-all crime that they can use to charge you with and still keep themselves convinced that they did no wrong.  The charge is resisting arrest coupled with assaulting an of...

Remember the old saying about police of the thin blue line and the old Serpico thing where he stood up to bring light to the darkness of his police department only to survive attempted hits on his life by fellow police officers.  Well something close to that is happening now and have been happening for quite some time now.  Not to the extent of people attempting to assassinate anyone but to the point where it seems to be unwritten rule of lawyers and judges when it comes to the word of police over the regular citizen.  The phrase that I keep hearing from former law enforcement officials like myself is that “you never second guess police regarding the performance of their duties”.   This would make sense to me if the minority of officers who abuse their positions were held accountable and made to follow the same rules and regulations that average citizens have to but this is not the case.  This would make sense if there weren’t outstanding and reasonabl...

The murder of Trayvon Martin captured the nation’s attention regarding blacks being seen first as criminal instead of victim and with the acquittal of his murderer George Zimmerman; it told America that making this type of mistake was okay.  The murders at Newtown instructed us that bad things happened to good people and since the individual who did the shooting was killed, we should not have anything else to fear.  Never mind the facts that this mentally challenged child had clean and clear access to all types of weapons which should have never been the case.  Now comes Ferguson which reminds us that some people still see anyone different from them not as a fellow human being but a mistake made by God.  Just when you think we  couldn't  get any dumber, here come two more stories that makes those of us who know compassion feel like we are all alone. The first is an article titled “ Black teen in white foster home pepper-sprayed by police who misto...