Shine Your Light—Make It Bright…

The first line of defense against incursions upon our rights and liberties, are law-enforcement officers. Members from policing agencies either protect and serve the citizenry, adhering to a legal and professional standard of conduct, or from the onset, denigrate and deny an individual their Constitutional and God given rights.

Just because the violence or intrusive actions utilized by a police department upon a citizen are determined to be legal, it doesn’t mean that their conduct was appropriate, reasonable or correct.

On the front lines, during the heat of battle, the meaning and intent, along with obedience to the law, can become blurred and obscured for police officers seeking to rationalize and justify improper or illegal conduct.

There weren’t any FDLE agents or State Attorneys in the field of combat, assessing the legality of our use of force, as we aggressively fought and terminated the lives of enemy soldiers.

Gratuitously injuring or killing the opposition under our rules of engagement was forbidden. Captured targets were a valuable source of data and intelligence. These assets saved lives. In many instances they joined our counterinsurgency, fighting against the guerrilla groups and NVA that they had once been a part of.

The  skillful and well-trained adversaries we faced were determined to kill as many United States Marines as possible. The fighting during these campaigns was always fierce, brutal and savage.

Our antagonists gave as good as they got. Many of us incurred battlefield wounds during these  hostile encounters.

What restrains heavily armed combatants, along with  our paramilitary compatriots ‘adorning a badge’, from unnecessarily discharging lethal force upon soldiers and citizens viewed as the enemy, terrorists; or simply the ‘bad guys’?

Surges of norepinephrine and aggression, along with a bloodlust intent on killing all threats (real or imagined) to one’s survival, can trigger a breakdown in the command structure required to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of a combat force or police action.

If inferior or poorly trained recruits are signed on and permitted to participate in armed conflicts, carnage is inevitable. During those crucial moments when clarity, poise and restraint are necessary to appropriately accomplish a mission, a breakdown in discipline will create confusion, chaos and death.

“Extraordinary Leadership” determines if ‘command and control’ during these dangerous confrontations is maintained. Absent such leadership, all manner of savagery is possible.

The ‘chain of command’ (line of authority and responsibility) in the agencies described, runs straight up to our president and police chief. The ‘buck’ stops there.

It has been my experience that in matters of life and death, concerning alleged police brutality perpetrated upon an innocent citizen, these ‘body cams and recorders’ have always malfunctioned or been deactivated, when needed most. Time and time again these devices have failed miserably,  when sought to shed clarity on crucial issues of importance.

Relying upon fancy gadgets affixed to the body armor of  an abusive soldier or police officer, who does not want their misconduct recorded, will not provide the type of oversight they are touted to deliver. These contrivances will be a costly ‘Trojan Horse’.

In one instance, the evidence sought to determine the facts of an event, which would have prevented the execution of a wrongfully accused man, wasn’t available, because the video recorder on that day, for some unexplainable reason,  had been turned off.

Militarizing our civil servants is oxymoronic. It aspires to the proposition that government is the master, we are its servants.

Reliance must be on psychologically sound, physically fit and spiritual suitable men and women under ethical supervision, to fill the ranks of those who ‘protect and serve’; not upon costly technology that can be manipulated and corrupted.

Rigorous training standards, along with receiving advanced instruction at regular intervals, will prepare and maintain our Armed Forces and Police Departments in a manner congruent with the rights and liberties set forth in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Promoting cooperative relationships with the public will foster good faith and trust, as well as reduce crime.

Sticking with the ‘party line’, ‘blue line’ or the ridiculous investigative methods used to examine alleged abuses by our ‘civil servants’, undermines our nation. It creates a ‘breach of trust’ with the taxpayers that pay their salaries and fund the  government.

It’s possible to establish an effective, potent and transparent  police force. Energetic, bold and courageous leadership can birth an “esprit de corps” within law-enforcement, which reflects the values and principles of the oaths they’ve sworn to uphold.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay has skillfully mastered the brand of leadership addressed in this article. It’s  reflected in the brilliance, dedication and courage of the ‘Deputies and Staff’ under his command.

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John Donnelly, a resident of Key Largo was born, raised and went to high school in the South Bronx. Upon graduation he was awarded several scholarships to college.  He chose to enlist in the United Sates Marine Corps. While serving in Vietnam John was wounded in action. He received two meritorious promotions, one during combat. Upon discharge and return to America, John had a difficult time transitioning back into civilian life. He found himself homeless for the next 4 years. As he worked out some troublesome concerns, he began to yearn to make some sense of his experiences via education. He sought and received his GI Bill benefits. He applied and was admitted to New York University. He later transfered to the University of Miami where he graduated on the President’s Honor Roll. John secured a teaching position at a Maximum Security Prison Facility for criminally insane adolescents. While working there he earned a Master of Science degree from Florida International University. He graduated Summa Cum Laude.

More about John Donnelly here.