Department heads need to let officers do their jobs or it’s going to be a long four years

Department heads need to let officers do their jobs or it’s going to be a long four years February 23, 2017

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If the police executives don’t start allowing officers to take an assertive stance against fascist mobs, it’s going to be a long and dangerous four years.

Cops are receiving orders from their superiors to “hold the line,” “bend, but don’t break” and it’s not working. The message isn’t being received, that’s why we continue seeing “protests” turn violent. Eventually, cops are going to get hurt and even killed so, now more than every, a stronger police reaction must start before escalation.

Here’s the only way this works: as soon as the first fire is started; the first rock, brick, or battery is thrown; at the first sign of vandalism, the police should advance the crowd and use less-than-lethal means to disperse them.

With crowd sizes the way they’ve been, it’s unreasonable to expect officers to determine who is part of a “peaceful” protest or who is part of the “resistance.” Too often we’ve seen where these “peaceful” protests end up. Part of the contract of the right to protest is the understanding that the government has the legal authority to enact a policy and we have the right to assemble and say we disagree. But what we see is a clear resistance because they are trying to block the government’s legal authority and endanger others’s safety.

Recently in Milwaukee County, we had an illegal immigration demonstration with thousands of people. My orders were to begin dispersing the crowds at the first destructive incident and to use any non-lethal means necessary: rubber bullets, bean bags, tear gas. It’s the only way to send a clear message.

If you want to be a part of a peaceful protest, have at it. But the second it turns ugly, it’s best to come back another day, or move away from the disturbance, or you will be caught up in the prevention measures. It’s time some people started taking more personal responsibility and stay away from movements which are prone to violence. Figure out another way to protest.

I talked about this in a recent appearance on Fox & Friends. Click CONTINUE to check it out:


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