This website contains criminal justice articles written by former Police Chief and Criminal Justice Professor/Police Academy Manager Richard B. Weinblatt |
| THE COURIER-TRIBUNE (Asheboro, North Carolina, daily newspaper) Sunday, January 4, 2004 Volume 128, Number 4 Guest Column: Understanding your partnership with your police by Richard B. Weinblatt (p. 6A) |
I am honored that The Courier-Tribune has selected me to be part of their panel of guest
columnists for 2004. I view this as a terrific platform to reach out to the community and
encourage a dialogue between law enforcement and the community we serve. I believe
that, as professionals, it is our responsibility to reach out and foster a free flowing
conversation. In order for that dialogue to be relevant and meaningful, it helps if a base
level of understanding is achieved. Hopefully this column will help out in that endeavor.
But why, you ask is it important to understand what the police do in order to solidify the
partnership? To put it simply, why should you care? Comprehension of what your police
do is important and the first reason is imbedded within this very sentence.
Reason One: We are your police. You, the public, pay for our services. Ask yourself
this question as a follow-up to the earlier one. Would you normally want to pay for a
product or service and not be aware of whether you are getting what you paid for? I
think not. You should rightfully have a desire to find out where your tax dollars are
going. However, very importantly, you should also be interested in understanding the
nuances of policing so that your judgements are made in a well-informed manner and
built upon a solid foundation.
Reason Two: The police are the most visible symbol of government and are
often the most misunderstood.
People tend to notice the police arm of the government more than any other. The
impact for some, particularly those who are arrested, can be quite significant. Everybody
notices that marked patrol car when driving down the roadway. You check your speed
and your mirror. Coupled inexorably with the visibility are the misconceptions that
abound concerning what officers do.
For example: You watch as someone else is pulled over and stopped. You see a second
police car arrive. You observe the officers in this situation and many times their actions
become misunderstood. It is helpful to clarify the issues involved in what you saw before
casting judgement.
Did the officers have some prior information on the driver, passenger or vehicle? Even if
that were not the case, quite a few officers have been hurt or killed by people while
conducting so-called “routine” traffic stops. According to the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial, some 300 officers have lost their lives in traffic stops. Many of those
deaths involved situations where the officers made the stop for no other reason than a
motor vehicle law violation.
We are not immune from such tragic events even in our peaceful neck of the woods.
The line of duty death of Randolph County Sheriff’s Deputy Toney Summey on April 27,
2003, makes that point abundantly clear.
Reason Three: The police are granted power over all of us. Anyone who has
some authority over you is someone you should want to understand. Is that not true for
parents in a family unit or subordinates of their supervisors in a corporate setting?
Much like the tri-pronged structure of our government, the police have a carefully
constructed system of checks and balances overseeing law enforcers. This seldom
seen sea of documentation and professional supervision is your insurance against the
unfettered abuses of power that have impacted so terribly people in other countries.
The police are, quite simply, accountable to the people.
Reason Four: The activities of the government should not be taken for granted
and should be intelligently debated. We are blessed to be living in a democratic
society where we can have a measured and reasoned voice in how our government, and
its highest profile component, the police, operates. For many years, the people in Iraq
had lost this right in favor of a totalitarian government approach.
I fully welcome and embrace the documentation by and oversight of the police and its
corresponding judgement of police actions. I am a resident of this community and, like
others who live here, I want to be sure that the police are held accountable. All that I ask
is that the people for whom we work ask questions, learn and understand prior to casting
judgement.
Programs such as the Citizens Police Academy and the Police Explorers, are designed to
encourage interaction between the police and the community. It is not enough to merely
have a partnership with you police. I invite you to explore with us and understand what
and why your law enforcement officers do.
Once you understand the complexity and danger of policing and solidify our partnership,
I think you’ll find that the professional men and women do this job on a daily basis with
the best intentions at heart.
Richard B. Weinblatt is a member of The Courier-Tribune’s 2004 panel of guest
columnists. He serves as the police chief for the City of Randleman where he resides
with his wife, Anne, and son, Michael.
columnists for 2004. I view this as a terrific platform to reach out to the community and
encourage a dialogue between law enforcement and the community we serve. I believe
that, as professionals, it is our responsibility to reach out and foster a free flowing
conversation. In order for that dialogue to be relevant and meaningful, it helps if a base
level of understanding is achieved. Hopefully this column will help out in that endeavor.
But why, you ask is it important to understand what the police do in order to solidify the
partnership? To put it simply, why should you care? Comprehension of what your police
do is important and the first reason is imbedded within this very sentence.
Reason One: We are your police. You, the public, pay for our services. Ask yourself
this question as a follow-up to the earlier one. Would you normally want to pay for a
product or service and not be aware of whether you are getting what you paid for? I
think not. You should rightfully have a desire to find out where your tax dollars are
going. However, very importantly, you should also be interested in understanding the
nuances of policing so that your judgements are made in a well-informed manner and
built upon a solid foundation.
Reason Two: The police are the most visible symbol of government and are
often the most misunderstood.
People tend to notice the police arm of the government more than any other. The
impact for some, particularly those who are arrested, can be quite significant. Everybody
notices that marked patrol car when driving down the roadway. You check your speed
and your mirror. Coupled inexorably with the visibility are the misconceptions that
abound concerning what officers do.
For example: You watch as someone else is pulled over and stopped. You see a second
police car arrive. You observe the officers in this situation and many times their actions
become misunderstood. It is helpful to clarify the issues involved in what you saw before
casting judgement.
Did the officers have some prior information on the driver, passenger or vehicle? Even if
that were not the case, quite a few officers have been hurt or killed by people while
conducting so-called “routine” traffic stops. According to the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial, some 300 officers have lost their lives in traffic stops. Many of those
deaths involved situations where the officers made the stop for no other reason than a
motor vehicle law violation.
We are not immune from such tragic events even in our peaceful neck of the woods.
The line of duty death of Randolph County Sheriff’s Deputy Toney Summey on April 27,
2003, makes that point abundantly clear.
Reason Three: The police are granted power over all of us. Anyone who has
some authority over you is someone you should want to understand. Is that not true for
parents in a family unit or subordinates of their supervisors in a corporate setting?
Much like the tri-pronged structure of our government, the police have a carefully
constructed system of checks and balances overseeing law enforcers. This seldom
seen sea of documentation and professional supervision is your insurance against the
unfettered abuses of power that have impacted so terribly people in other countries.
The police are, quite simply, accountable to the people.
Reason Four: The activities of the government should not be taken for granted
and should be intelligently debated. We are blessed to be living in a democratic
society where we can have a measured and reasoned voice in how our government, and
its highest profile component, the police, operates. For many years, the people in Iraq
had lost this right in favor of a totalitarian government approach.
I fully welcome and embrace the documentation by and oversight of the police and its
corresponding judgement of police actions. I am a resident of this community and, like
others who live here, I want to be sure that the police are held accountable. All that I ask
is that the people for whom we work ask questions, learn and understand prior to casting
judgement.
Programs such as the Citizens Police Academy and the Police Explorers, are designed to
encourage interaction between the police and the community. It is not enough to merely
have a partnership with you police. I invite you to explore with us and understand what
and why your law enforcement officers do.
Once you understand the complexity and danger of policing and solidify our partnership,
I think you’ll find that the professional men and women do this job on a daily basis with
the best intentions at heart.
Richard B. Weinblatt is a member of The Courier-Tribune’s 2004 panel of guest
columnists. He serves as the police chief for the City of Randleman where he resides
with his wife, Anne, and son, Michael.
| For contracting of articles, media commentary, or other matters, contact: richard@policearticles.com |
| policearticles.com home of published articles written by Richard B. Weinblatt |
Located just North of Orlando,
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
| FAST FACT "Reserve Reports" by Richard B. Weinblatt, a regular column in LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT, ran for a decade (1991-2001). |
| FAST FACT Richard Weinblatt's March-April 1997 SHERIFF MAGAZINE article "Sheriffs Take on Rural Patrol Challenge" featured him on the cover. |
| FAST FACT The 250+ page book "Reserve Law Enforcement in the United States" by Richard B. Weinblatt, was published in 1993 |