Posted on Dec 20, 2014
Cpl Brett Wagner
18.2K
89
75
11
11
0
Recently someone asked the question "How do we heal after Ferguson?" No one ever mentioned the the FOUR NYC policemen attacked by a madman with a hatchet, now two NY policemen have been shot execution style. No one ever mentioned the good policemen do everyday. Have our elected officials made the situation better or worse?


http://www.abc6.com/story/27678979/two-nyc-cops-killed-in-ambush-shooting
Posted in these groups: 6262122778 997339a086 z PoliticsRacism logo Racism66dde796 FergusonHealthheart Health
Avatar feed
Responses: 35
SPC Leisel Luman
1
1
0
CPL Bret Wagner, The only ones be helped by this are the people who want to divide and destroy our Capitalist Nation. Our president has set the tone for this by removing and ignoring anyone knowledgable about Military, Foreign Affairs,
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
1LT Nick Kidwell
1
1
0
Methinks Dr. King would be very very disappointed had he lived to see this day.

Hatred sucks, and racism is one of the worst forms of hatred.
(1)
Comment
(0)
SSG General Services Technician And State Vehicle Inspector
SSG (Join to see)
11 y
Sir, well said. Hate is the most evil of all the negative emotions as it is one of two emotions (love is the other but the opposite) one has to choose to do.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SSG Jim Foreman
1
1
0
Without a doubt the media has made things worse. They love to distort the truth and say it's news. Law enforcement is a tough job and all this negative twisted news is making it tougher.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
1
1
0
Edited 11 y ago
It's shut Al Sharpton's pie hole for the time being so that's a start.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
COL Senior Strategic Cyber Planner
1
1
0
I found this and thought it was fit for sharing in this thread. http://www.odmp.org/search/year
(1)
Comment
(0)
COL Senior Strategic Cyber Planner
COL (Join to see)
11 y
(0)
Reply
(0)
Cpl Brett Wagner
Cpl Brett Wagner
11 y
Capt. Jason Williams - What the heck was going on in 2001? Thanks for sharing this link.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Cpl Brett Wagner
Cpl Brett Wagner
11 y
LTC Nicholas Montalto - Another good link thanks.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Cpl Brett Wagner
Cpl Brett Wagner
11 y
LTC Nicholas Montalto- Another good link thanks for sharing.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
MSG Military Police
1
1
0
I think the root cause of this problem on this issue exists on several levels. And their is more than enough finger pointing to go around. You could blame law enforcement. Yes there are dirty cops and cops that don't care. In my may law enforcement career I was unlucky enough to encounter one or two. No matter what screening process you use, the law of averages dictates that x number of people will make their way into the profession. And I believe there is a ring of truth in the adage that states, "If you lie with a pig long enough, you're going to get dirty".

You could blame politicians. Our elected officials need to be careful of the type of message they are sending. In the military, we try to look at the second and third order effects of our decisions, and I'm not sure that is always the case in the political realm. Well meaning intentions can still send a message that isn't always positive. I'm sure we've all seen the picture on Facebook that states if Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner had been killed in Afghanistan, no one would have known. Knee jerk political reactions to these types of events do no one good.

You could blame the news media. The reporting of half truths and partial facts only fuel speculation and fan the flames of social discontent. The media reported daily on the Ferguson shooting, yet it took many weeks for the grand jury to sift through the evidence and arrive at a decision. During that time, it seemed to me that the media was already convicting the officer and portraying Michael Brown as the victim. I didn't know Michael Brown and I can't speak to his character, but I think the media is more concerned about making money than reporting the facts. But its not just the news media.

You can blame society. It seems that there is a growing trend these days to disrespect law enforcement. And we all like to be trendy. Yes, I am old. And when I grew up, the man in blue was to be respected, no matter what. While that may be extreme, I don't know that should be a totally antiquated philosophy. With the bombardment of today's youth with mixed messages from television, video games, and all of the other sources of stimulus, it's no wonder we have an issue.

Parents or caregivers also play a role in this. It is our responsibility to teach our kids right from wrong. And we need to understand that what we do is more important than what we say. We'd all like to think our kids are angels, but statistics show that isn't the case.

The solution has to be a change in philosophy from all levels. And the job is going to be much harder for law enforcement in the meantime. It is sad that the very people we have entrusted to protect us are the ones being vilified. Ok, I will get off my soap box now.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
LCpl Senior Staff Writer
1
1
0
A LEO in Florida was murdered within 24 hours of the two executed cops as well... this here's what we call a problem folks. There's bad cops out there and they deserve harsh scrutiny and harsh punishment when they fuck up. That's the price of responsibility. This crap though? Fuck this shit.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
COL Senior Strategic Cyber Planner
1
1
0
Since the 5th of October, I count 31 officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Who is reporting that?
(1)
Comment
(0)
COL Senior Strategic Cyber Planner
COL (Join to see)
11 y
I just finished the FBI National Academy with a ton of senior leaders from the law enforcement community from around the country and internationally. All of these topics came up in our classes to include the numbers of officer lost in the line of duty. Truly a sad state of affairs. I am hopeful that the kids of the slain NYC officers will be taken care of by the NY Yankees who have throughout time paid for the education of kids of our fallen officers. That says something about their character.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Cpl Brett Wagner
Cpl Brett Wagner
11 y
LYC Nicholas Montalto - No one is reporting that # and I have seen numbers less than that quoted here on RP
(0)
Reply
(0)
Lt Col Instructor Navigator
Lt Col (Join to see)
11 y
2014 is the second safest year for police since 1944 (2013 was the safest since 1944).

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html
(0)
Reply
(0)
COL Ted Mc
COL Ted Mc
11 y
GySgt Austin Belanger You say "... maybe it's because they're shooting people who threaten them now ..." which is interesting because the police have ALWAYS shot people who threaten them.

What APPEARS (remember, "All 'facts' are filtered by the media.") to be the case is that the police are much more prone to feel threatened than in the past (probably with reason) and/or much more prone to shoot people than try to defuse situations peacefully (or "play nice-nice" if you prefer).

My personal preference is for a successful conclusion of an engagement with no casualties on either side. You don't get that very often, but that's the standard you should be aiming for. An engagement run according to "I don't give a crap about casualties just as long as MY ass is safe." is an unsuccessful engagement in the long-term and is almost certain to increase resistance.

What needs to happen is to get rid of the mind-set that the appropriate way to settle any dispute (right down to which TV channel to watch) is to whip out your pistol and start blazing away. Equally what needs to be done is to stop "glamorizing the shooter". A "homicidal sociopath" is just that - they are not a "confused and misunderstood victim of society". Shooting your schoolmates and teachers because you can't get a date is NOT going to get you dates (well, OK, so there are some people of questionable intelligence and stability out there who it might attract, but they sure aren't going to get to ride in MY car).
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS
1
1
0
Cpl Brett Wagner The lack of senior elected leadership on this issue, while not surprising, is disheartening.

No one mentioned the Tarpon Springs, FL officer who was killed the same day as the two NYPD Officers were assassinated either. He responded to a call for service, was attacked and shot, and then the suspect ran him over with the suspects' car before crashing and being taken into custody. The officer a Veteran of Tarpon Springs, FL Police was also a former NYPD officer and the father of 6.

The silence on the erosion of law enforcement's ability to protect citizens is deafening.

If the tragic deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner rate National leader and Attorney General press conference, intervention, and investigation why then does the assassination of two NYPD officers not?

The hardest fact to accept in Mr. Brown and Mr. Garner's case is they were both involved in criminality at the time law enforcement intervened. They were not arbitrarily contacted.

Killing of police will not heal the wounds in Ferguson and New York. Nether will encumbering law enforcement officers with doubt and questions about whether they will survive the incident but not the aftermath.

At some point we have to accept that bad things happen, sometimes to good people. Law enforcement officers carry weapons to protect themselves and the public, are trained to use them, and when faced with an unfortunate circumstance may be forced to use deadly force. No officer I have ever known looks for a reason or chance to use deadly force. Most of us hope to retire without ever having to make that decision.

Healing requires communication on both sides of the issue, a willingness to examine and accept facts, and the ability to look at the situation omnisciently. I do not believe we are at that point yet.

Further, public figures who present bias and even prejudice are not helping anyone. This includes the National News Media who seem to fan the flames.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Cpl Brett Wagner
Cpl Brett Wagner
11 y
SFC Joseph Finck - I cannot and do not disagree with anything you have written and I hope after reading my posts you know that to be true. I did not leave out any LEOs being killed or hurt in the line of duty consciously. So if I left any others out I apologize.
(1)
Reply
(0)
SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS
SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS
11 y
Cpl Brett Wagner My point was not that you had, but that everyone else seems to be as far as the news, National leaders, and activists.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
MAJ Afghanistan Hand
1
1
0
I remember that post well, and frankly, I was offended that a service member would even pose a question such as that to a forum filled with professional military service men and women.

I'm not sure who "we" is, and neither am I sure "what" it is we are supposed to heal. The Ferguson incident was something that was packaged by cable news outlets to tell the story that they wanted to sell, regardless of the facts.

I think law enforcement is an awesome profession. When I'm done with the Army, or when the Army is done with me, it may just be my second profession.

I think what public officials have done is to allow these protesters to take control of the city streets. The inmates seem to be running the asylum. What we need is public officials to give law enforcement the authority to take back control of the city, or cities.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

close