Worth a Look: In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.
We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan
Perspective. Sometimes we need to see things from different sides of an issue to get a better understanding of what is going on.
Most of the current dialogue about “the militarization of the police” is exaggerated. The term itself is suspect; another in a long line of catch phrases with ambiguous definitions that are usually created to support false arguments.
However, there are times when policing fuels these debates by using tools or tactics at the wrong time or in the wrong place. Every tool has a specific purpose. Use the wrong tool for the job, and good luck with the results.
A good friend forwarded a link to this opinion piece he saw in the Washington Post. The author, Alex Horton, made several good points when he wrote In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me. Well worth a look, take the time to read this.
When do we get out the big guns or the higher tactics?
© 2015 DAVID A. LYONS
Share the post “Worth a Look: In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.”
David,
Thanks for sharing. After reading the piece on our new Chief of Police this morning in the HL, I feel confident that he is doing everything possible to keep the LFUCG Police force on the right track of community policing.
I agree!
David, “Perspective”, a word that should be the answer to a question on every legal issues exam in every academy in this country. The next question should be ,” What does Perspective mean to you, the officer, when dealing with the public”? If The New Breed would just take 30 seconds before each shift and ponder that, if every TO would make it a training goal for every rookie, ” Does this instance really call for this response and what will it accomplish?”
Matt Luettke
Ha!
James Barth
The author certainly brings up some food for thought.
Michael Stevenson
The last person you want to do something like this to is a person that can write intelligently.
Not all private security is like Paul Blart, and the senior officers associated with this incident should have checked with complex security and, above all, management before launching this “raid.” It would have saved a lot of embarrassment and a potential lawsuit.
Chip Kain
This wasn’t a “raid” at all. It was patrol officers responding to a burglary. I see nothing wrong with this. At all. It wasn’t a mistake and it was cleared up. The author was released after officers detained him pending investigation.
Chip Kain
Michael, how would you have handled this at 9 am on a Sunday morning? I was a courtesy officer and had contact info for my management- most responding officers don’t have that info. Would you prefer the officers stand around while someone fails to get in touch with management? Give up the element of surprise to an unknown person who a neighbor says isn’t supposed to be there? I think under Graham, this force was justified. This guy shouldn’t complain when he left a door to an apartment not normally occupied ajar in a manner that was extremely suspicious. I respectfully disagree with you. I am not sure how much road experience you have (possibly a lot) but I have found investigators usually have a much more in depth approach to situations like this, whereas patrol officers realize the reality of how little time there are to make decisions, investigate first, etc., when the right play is to enter the apartment like they did. The author needs to accept his own role in this situation. I think the officers acted professionally. I detect you feel the officers were in the wrong. Respectfully, we obviously disagree.
Michael Stevenson
Let me say first off I depended on patrol officers many times when I was on the road performing lead work, and in one case making an INTERPOL arrest with no other NCIS help but excellent assistance rendered by a city PD’s patrol division – which, with the INTERPOL arrest, closed three open armed robbery investigations in their own jurisdictions.
It should be noted I am not taking down the officers who performed the actions documented in the story, since they are following orders. My gripe, if there is one, is with their management, who should have taken a few moments to check things out before sending their guys in. That is a good question, though re: the officers “standing around” while one of them contacts the manager. Their supervisor should have made arrangements to have dispatch or another PD rep do that, and right away. They could have placed the door under observation – quietly – until this situation was resolved.
Oh, and our author did in fact do something that wasn’t altogether too intelligent – he drew attention to himself by failing to secure his door behind him – which could have had very unpleasant consequences if someone other than the officers involved had entered his room, and with another motive in mind. Marinating your brain in alcohol doesn’t do much to help one keep on top of things, now, does it?
There is an intimation in the story that apartment management wasn’t contacted, nor was a check made with security at the complex. If they didn’t have security, well and good – that’s covered instead by a check w/management. If they did have security, their security officer on duty could have consulted owners/management re: the situation which should have led to a check of the records in the management office, which in turn should have disclosed this temporary arrangement. A lot of apartment owner/managers have emergency contact info on file with fire departments in the event of a major fire, building collapse, violent incident, etc occurring on their property. If they don’t they’re being negligent. It is only my opinion a quick check should maybe have been made by shift supervisors to find and contact apt management before this went down.
There are times when checking with proprietary security is a good thing before going in like this.
I do have a procedural question, though – in years past, before these types of armed responses were made to situations like this – in innumerable instances, patrol officers would handle this on their own, or with one backup. In many places, such as counties that cover significant geographical area, they still do. How is the decision made to make the type of response the author claims was utilized in his case, vice maybe one or two officers just covering the doorway and knocking? What is the threshold?
Chip Kain
I’ve worked for two departments and the patrol response would be the same- to go in and clear the building or residence. That involves an armed response. I’m not sure patrol has a choice to wait. There are other calls, other responsibilities. I think in a perfect work you maintain tactical advantage, wait, call for several units to surround the residence. The reality is this call needs to be cleared to get to the next one. The author needs to rethink what a raid is. If the department sent heavily armed SWAT officers into that situation and used a flash bang, one might argue overkill. I think the response was spot on. The author needs to move on to his next cause.
I appreciate the response- after I read mine I hoped they wouldn’t come across poorly. I was genuinely arguing from a respectful stance!
Timothy Griffin
Could’a, would’a, should’a…..the words of those Monday morning quarterbacks who weren’t in the arena. Good job guys. Author- next time be more careful.