All Things Cops

This is my first effort at what I hope will develop into a series of articles concerning All Things Cops.  I am a former law enforcement veteran having served at various levels, jurisdictions and capacities.  My intentions are to provide the reader (those with serious inquiries) with answers to a variety of questions concerning  law enforcement in general and, particularly, the psychodynamics of cops and their actions and behaviors. 

First, a few disclaimers:

a)  There are no experts in the field of law enforcement.  I’m certainly not an expert and I don’t know any.  The field is too ambiguous … too broad … too general for anyone to master the wide range of skills and techniques that are utilized by officers on a daily basis.  Yes, one could argue that there are a few subject matter “experts” … practitioners of a specific craft honed by many years of training and experience.  And yes, there are many cops that are seemingly far more suited for the job than others but by and large most cops are merely competent at conflict resolution, discretionary thought and communicative skills … the foundational attributes of law enforcement.  The bottom line is that, in my opinion, there are no so called “experts” in law enforcement.  Be wary of those that claim to be such a thing. 

b)  I will be reluctant to give a great deal of specific advice insofar as throughout the world there are literally thousands of distinct jurisdictions and sets of laws and ordinances.  So, what might seem like sound counsel to some may be dangerous encouragement to others. 

c)  Lastly, always consider that in every scenario that could possibly be presented in this forum there are three positions … the two opposing ones on either side and the absolute truth in the middle.

I make this promise … I will always be honest and sincere.  To be sure, I wont be able to provide answers to all questions but I will certainly strive to be straightforward and forthcoming.

So, please … do not hesitate to ask and/or comment.  I hope that you find this series useful, interesting and informative.