Thursday, March 28, 2024

Black Community: A Message To All Black Police Officers.

March 30, 2023 by  
Filed under BM, News, Opinion, Weekly Columns

Like
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry
355

(ThyBlackMan.com) I carried a badge for over 15 years and I was trained by some of the top Marshals and Police Detectives in the field. I attended multiple academies and held various certifications and licenses. I have been an impact team leader in high-risk environments, a task force commander, a crime prevention specialist, a detective and a classroom instructor. I have trained dozens of men and women and hired police officers. I have arrested people, intervened on and de-escalated situations. I do not say any of this to brag, but rather to let you know that I have been around and seen many things. That being said, I must first acknowledge that the majority of police officers I encountered actually do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Some are former military while others are everyday citizens who needed a job with benefits. And yet others are young gung ho officers who want to chase people or egotistically fight everything moving. Then there are the bullies who were bullied when they were younger – so now they are out to even the score and turn the tables. Finally, there are the racists and reverse-racists. There are the well-trained, the poorly trained and those who should never have passed the psychological exam. Yes there is a definite wide variety of categories and motives in law enforcement.

Black Police Officer

SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERY AFRICAN-AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND COURT OFFICIAL YOU KNOW.

Over a ten year period I have seen and known many good officers who risk their lives every day for the citizens they protect and serve. I have seen officers arrested and commended, so the spectrum is a two-sided coin. But I have also seen crooked, egotistical, poorly trained, mentally or emotionally unstable officers as well. All that being said, ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITIES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IS HOW AFRICAN-AMERICAN OFFICERS POLICE OUR OWN PEOPLE. And I would venture to say that the next biggest problem is what African-American officers do when they see their fellow officers breaking the law, no matter what the rank or color. As for all of you private citizens who say, teach or believe nobody should “snitch”, how would you feel if the officer sticks to that same BS way of thinking? To private citizens and police officers alike, I ask you this question. How would you feel if a police officer wrongfully harassed, assaulted or tasered your child while other police officers stood by and did nothing then refused to testify? Think about it and the next time you see a police officer abuse a citizen or break the law, open your mouth to the right authorities and report it.

POLICE OFFICERS CALM DOWN WITH THOSE TASERS ONLY USE A TASER WHEN YOU HAVE TO – NOT JUST WHEN IT’S CONVENIENT TO.

Officer be careful whose guard dog you become. This is a message to every African-American police officer, deputy, corrections officer, marshal parole officer, probation officer, state trooper, commander and detective. Why do I say be careful? To begin with, because when you mistreat your own, the powers that be actually do not have much respect for you. Trying to impress them by being more harsh on your own only shows that you will turn on your own – and most people don’t trust a traitor. And you need to know they likely have no special regard for you outside of you wearing the uniform. Secondly I say this because you, as an officer, must always think about your safety – and you should not do anything that could put yourself or your family in jeopardy unnecessarily.

Remember you don’t always wear a uniform, carry a firearm, wear a bullet proof vest, drive a patrol car and have immediate back up at the touch of a button on a Motorola radio – and your family never does. Therefore think smart, do your job yes, but never make it personal and don’t make enemies unnecessarily. Today especially there are many young people who can’t see the future and they are not afraid to shoot, not afraid to die and not afraid to take you with them.

Remember your oath. You are a servant of the people so never forget you are to protect and serve. You are neither an overseer, a judge, a soldier implementing martial law, a jury nor a prosecutor. AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN POLICE OFFICER SHOULD NEVER ALLOW HIMSELF/HERSELF TO BE THE BIG MAN’S BRAINWASHED PIT BULL. And don’t let overzealous supervisors, departmental pressures or the badge, blue lights and sidearm cause you to forget that. If you cannot control your testosterone, your ego or your adrenaline, being a police officer probably isn’t for you. A great many police officers are likely underpaid and over worked. You can also find yourself out-manned and out-gunned by people who are mentally unstable or others who just don’t care about their future. Therefore a police officer should use discretion, accurate threat assessment and wisdom to de-escalate as many situations as possible and go home to your family after your shift. Do what you have to do but don’t do what you don’t have to do.

Karma, reaping and sowing are other good reasons the African-American police officer must remember his or her duty and stay within the guidelines of the law. But what if the law is wrong, unjust, unfair or immoral? Remember slavery was the law of the land. As a police officer, what would you have done? Would you have been stuck between a rock and a hard place? IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO SAY YOU WERE JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS. That is the excuse many of Hitler’s soldiers used, right up until they were charge with war crimes and brought to justice. And though we are not at war in our communities, a great many police departments see things as if we are at war with crime, drugs, gangs and anyone else who breaks the law. A kind of “them verses us” mentality has arisen and quietly pervaded police departments all across this country. Remember, treat people the way you would want yourself, your spouse and your children to be treated. Put your ego in check.

OUR PEOPLE NEED A CRASH COURSE IN “DO UNTO OTHERS…”

If you are part of the law enforcement chain, when you put on a badge DO NOT FORGET YOU WERE NOT BORN BLUE. You are an African-American and what you do in “the field” could change lives and have lasting ripple effects. I know the profiles of the alleged perps you run into and I encourage you to do your job. But do NOT forget in our society the presumption of innocence and the civil rights of all private citizens must be maintained. And these two elements are often much more important than the arrest itself. I also remind you of this if you are a prosecutor or district attorney, a solicitor or a judge. Last year I spoke with the senior Asst. District Attorney in one of the largest counties in my state.

She bragged about their office having a 95% prosecution rate. But I reminded her that prosecutions do not mean convictions. Nor do prosecutions mean all of these people were guilty. I further reminded her the objective must be to make the country safer and act in the public’s best interest, not just stacking up numbers to appear tough on crime. Last year in a different county I reminded the DHS attorney about the exact same thing. PEOPLE STOP LETTING YOUR EMPLOYER MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR OATTH AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PEOPLE. We definitely need a crash course in “Do unto others”.

DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET “BLUEWASHED”. AFRICAN-AMERICAN law enforcement officers should never practice what I call “reverse racism”. Seeking to gain “brownie points” while practicing self-hatred of your own people is never the way to be, act, react or think. If you allow this to happen, you have been what I call BLUEWASHED, in essence brainwashed by the rhetoric and propaganda on the job to the point that you have forgotten who you are and where you came from. A strong sense of duty is excellent, but going overboard is often based on a lack of maturity or an abundance of the wrong motive. Do NOT be overzealous. I know what is said in many police departments to “pump you up”, but you have to combine wisdom, discretion and morality with training, equipment and the conditions you work under.

Though the recent racial fires were set by people of a different color, the sad thing is that a lot of it was likely poor training, lack of wisdom, big egos or a loss of focus on the job that was a great part of the problem. But the bigger tragedy is how many AFRICAN-AMERICAN police officers abuse and/or kill our own people. And the even bigger tragedy is in how many of us as private citizens abuse, otherwise mistreat or kill each other. It’s time for African-American private citizens and police alike to shake off some very bad self-hatred and slave training. And officers, if you would try a tactic on a “white” guy in a Mercedes in the upscale part of town, don’t try it on a poor and working “black” man walking home down the street. DO NOT LET YOUR JOB TAKE YOUR SOUL!

Our people have been programmed to mistreat each other, disrespect each other and stab each other in the back. And if you are not careful, a badge will allow you do just that on a daily basis. Is this practiced by all African-American officers? Emphatically a resounding NO! But it’s practiced by far too many of our people. Sadly that never hits the news, there are no special reports that surface in the media and as a people, we have come to accept it. Then when a Caucasian police officer does something, we are ready to march, protest and riot. Where are such actions when we exterminate our own? Programming is so powerful that you may have been acting it out and you didn’t even know it. But now you do. Now you will be held accountable by God and we who are concerned about our people will be watching.

Request The Free POLICE BRUTALITY Ebook by sending an email to; TrevoCraw@ThyBlackMan.com.

Staff Writer; Trevo Craw

A Free Thinker, who loves to talk about Politics, etc. Also, all about uplifting the Black Community even if it doesn’t fit your mindset. One may hit me up at; TrevoCraw@ThyBlackMan.com.


Comments

22 Responses to “Black Community: A Message To All Black Police Officers.”
  1. Trevo Craw says:

    Blanton what are you talking about? Most of my friends carry a badge and I steal advise me anymore. I have no hate for people just because they were a bitch. Steel they should be held accountable at a higher level because they have specific training and the public trust and an oath they took. My friends who are police commanders and sheriffs and chiefs and detectives and swat team leaders and shift supervisors agree with me. My friends in the FBI and ICE and US marshals agree with me. My friends who are hostage negotiators, police psychologists and master instructors agree with me. Almost everybody I named his care of the badge at one time or another. How long have you carried one? I speak the truth, no matter what group it applies to.

  2. Sir Jon says:

    Correction: It was articulated in a manner in which a child would NOT take it out of content.

  3. Sir Jon says:

    My Brother, it never fails, when you try to do what is right Evil/Haters will always appear to tear down or change the narrative of what you say when it is really meant for the good. I thought your article was excellent. I am not going to comment any further because nothing else is needing to be said or added regarding your article. It was articulated in a manner in which a child would take it out of content. Keep in mind that we have in this Nation human beings that are angry and never looks at themselves as being part of the problem. I am tired of our black-on-Black crimes and killings, and it appears that no one see’s the crime to help our families bring closer. To all the nay-sayers, please help to fix that problem.

    Keep doing the great job that you are doing. Praying for you and your family and others that choose to do the right thing. don’t let this be the last article..

  4. Kenneth says:

    BREAKING NEWS…….If ayou don’t break the law there will be not bad moments dealing with the police

  5. Bill says:

    As a retired USN SCPO and Virginia Special Conservator of the Peace, your comments are well stated and should be direct to all in blue not just the African American officer. I am a white man who grew up in racial red neck era. I learned several things about being color blind is that judge the actions not the color of one’s skin. This was further reenforced in the military. Depending to the branch, all were of one color.
    In closing excellent comments and those who know you personally, should be proud to call you brother.

    Respectfully

  6. Gary Tillery says:

    I truly respect this officer for sharing his wisdom and experience. Wee all have to rmember there are good and bad in all areas of life – in all races, in politics, in all professions. Politicians have spread hate for years and now divide this nation and I wish to invite all races to let go of their political induced hatred and start ignoring intentional politically induced division and start trying to unite. If not China will take over America or nuke us. We can choose freedom or we can choose communism for all of us including our children and Grandchildren. Support your local police and work with them. Stop calling all Whites, White supremacists cause we are not just like Whites should not cart blanche categorize all Blacks criminals. This nation needs a revival or Faith inn God and stop putting your trust and faith in government.

  7. Faye says:

    Thank you for this article, Trevor!

    I’m sure the comments reflect the varied experiences each of us have had with Police Officers. I think the article is really good at looking at various issues surrounding policing of African Americans. And I don’t find a problem with your specifically addressing a specific group. While the commonalities of people are greater than the differences; sociologically the differences are where societal problems come into play and create power struggles and us vs them. I think your perspectives were ones that should be considered and I’m sure others can bring to light other perspectives.

    The complaints I’ve read give voice to the rights of all to have opinions, but what are your (complainants) “realistic” proposed solutions. People run the gamut of behaviors, character, personality traits, and lifestyles (bcpl) from loving to hateful, regardless to the reasons for those (bcpl’s). So in a diverse society, what methods would you employ to provide the greatest level of safety to all community members and the level of human dignity required by God and the law. There is no strategy or human capability that can effectively do this with 100% (and probably even 80%) accuracy and effectiveness. So many of us shoot off our mouths without having any experience working with people to preserve human dignity within its cultural context.

    Your individual worlds/experiences are extremely important primarily to you and they form what and how you think. BUT your world is part of a greater mass of people and since we are living together your issues or mine may not be pre-imminent when looking at all issues. If you’re an adult and you haven’t accepted that life is neither fair or equitable, you’re going to spend your life mad and fighting, and it will plague all areas of your life. Go ahead and do you but understand getting help with making lemonade with lemons is so much more constructive.

    So Trevor, my free thinking brother, keep writing and provoking thought on how to best manage diverse communities experiencing criminal human incidents, situations and circumstances. It’s impossible for man; but God is the only adjudicator with just recompense. Thanks for your insights.

  8. brian says:

    Learn the history of blacks vs. the police throughout centuries of segregation. You will see why the lack of trust is still there. Culture changes slowly.

  9. Richard Weck says:

    Michael E Skeaton is right this site is for all Americans I really got something from IT.

  10. Karen Morton says:

    I am requesting your Police Brutality e-book. This is beautifully written. Thank you.

  11. ARTHUR says:

    bullshit, i see the black cops as not able to do their job. here in NYC we have the same morons physically unable to do the job the asshole politician gave them. I stood next to a female officer (purposely) on the steps of 19 PCT. She was five foot one by five foot wide at ass. this is the type of physical officers we do not need. Recently a male black officer was getting his ass kicked by a 17-year-old in the subway, his partner a female about the same physical size I have previously described could not handle the female friend of the 17-year-old while her partner was placed in a head lock and getting his face rearranged. This entire episode was shown on TV in NYC. The use of the baton to crack the assholes head was removed by the asshole politicians. As a note of my dislike of black officers because most have been required by other assholes to be hired. Spend some time and look at the leadership of NYC police officers.

    • walter says:

      Ar thur you sound like,or should i say you are a dam fool.I see and have worked with white police officers and when they had to go into predomitley black area,they were so dam scared they call me,wheather i was on duty or off.So do you think two white officers would have done better,no,because they had to have half of the dam department to help.When they go to a family dispute they make sure they have atleast 10 cars for help.So know what you’re talking about before you open that big mouth.

  12. Vincent Lavorante says:

    I think all people should be included were all in this together as individuals and friends and families. United we stand divided we fall and it seems to me that there are those that want us divided and use their mass media to instigate it in any way they can.Why are you Saying this is a repeat comment when it isnt

  13. Vincent Lavorante says:

    I think all people should be included were all in this together as individuals and friends and families. United we stand divided we fall and it seems to me that there are those that want us divided and use their mass media to instigate it in any way they can.

  14. Melvin Ingram says:

    Question: What about the 18,000 law enforcements departments in The U.S. Where cops violate Constitutional,Civil,And Human rights.SCOTUS grants them ” qualified immunity”. If you did a survey across the U.S. a large majority of Caucasians will openly admit they cannot bring themselves to convict a police officer even if that clearly violated and killed someone unjustly particularly unarmed Black males.
    It’s always the same story ” He looked at me wrong”,”He was over Six feet tall” “I felt my life was in danger”, ” He reaching for his waistband”It goes on and on. and Lastly, you these KARENS and BRADS who call the police 0n Blacks hoping and praying that the cops esculate the situation.

  15. DM says:

    FIRST of all, “Black people” as such are NOT a collective. ” “.. your own people…”? Really? Go on- keep the bs afloat. If you are already a hammer- EVEYTHING looks like a nail.
    Talk to your peeps about volunteering to DOMINATING the CRIMINAL arena in the areas they live in and blaming “society”.
    How about an individual “policing” themselves? THAT isn’t taught or acquired by arrest. If I do not OWN who I am and what I do, I cannot CHANGE who I am and what I do.

  16. Michael E Skeaton says:

    Thank you. This is very helpful and informative.

  17. Michael E Skeaton says:

    I think this is a great site for all Americans to have access to. This is a 5 star. sincerely thank you for your work, Keep this up.

  18. Michael says:

    I think this is a great site for all Americans to have access to. This is a 5 star. sincerely thank you for your work.

  19. Lex Midnight says:

    Black, White, Brown, Green, A cop is a cop and should do the job the same regardless of the color of the perp. A good writing on policing totally ruined by the race hustling comments.

  20. Blanton says:

    I found many good parts, for all to follow. But felt a lot of hate, to carry on the hate doesn’t help anyone, a lot of evil was done to a lot of good people. Setting good morals, good work ethics and good training, these are good for all, Police Officers, AND All communities, regardless of color or race, I have done this myself in real life I was booed and physically hurt but did what was right and reported on several officers for excessive use of force. Reverse hate is wrong AND VERY DANGERIOUS, No matter what side you are on. Black on Black or White on White or any combination, Police are to uphold the laws fairly and justly no matter what race. If Police step over the line then hold the accountable but don’t judge out of turn just because of the color of their skin. There are not all bad of any group, not all Police are bad and most try and do the best they can regardless of the color of their skin, they are fair to all. Just like not all people are bad no matter what color. there are a few bad in every group.

  21. Charles says:

    How bout we require black police officers to treat all suspects the same without regard to color. I find this article divisive. Police officers should be judged on merit and not their color. I found your veiled threat against black police officers and their families offensive. I find your views African-centric and in touch with the values and mores of most police officers.

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!