“We conclude that policemen, like teachers and lawyers, are not relegated to a watered-down version of constitutional rights.”
-Garrity v. New Jersey (1967) 385 U.S. 493
January, 2010 Warning Bells article
It was a nice gesture by Chief Beck to free uniformed officers from the requirement of wearing ties with long-sleeve shirts. It was probably designed to signal the troops that Chief Beck has their best interests in mind. In reality, Chief Beck did not need this gesture, because his concern for the street cop has been evident as far back as when he made sergeant. Now is an opportunity for him to demonstrate this concern for the troops in a more meaningful way.
Bill Bratton came to LAPD during a time of crisis. Morale was low. The then-chief of police had received a huge no-confidence vote. Officers were staying inside their cars instead of doing police work out of fear of getting in trouble from an out-of-control disciplinary system.
“I have never seen a department eat its own like LAPD does,” Bratton told the members at the League delegates conference shortly after he arrived. He laid down a new policy that the League has strived to help enforce.
“We cannot let the corrupt actions of a few ruin the reputation of more than 9,000 honest, hard-working cops. But let me make it equally clear that the game of ‘gotcha’ in this Department is coming to an end. If you are in the right, we will back you up—the benefit of the doubt goes to you. If you are wrong, we will retrain you. If you are corrupt, we will jail you,” he said.
Under Bratton’s leadership, officers began to respond to the new environment. The result has been a crime rate that is significantly down.
Chief Beck has repeatedly said that he intends to continue with Bratton’s legacy and practices. Officers should be entitled to believe that the game of gotcha will continue to be over.
But wait! Why are the below scenarios occurring? Figuratively speaking, Chief Bratton’s administrative corpse was still warm when things started to head back down the gotcha trail. Consider the following. [continue reading]
