A former Detroit Police Department officer has taken it upon himself to serve some cool refreshments after a Michigan ice cream shop, Cold Truth Soft Serve, controversially refused to serve officers wearing body armor.
On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, a bill was signed into law that prohibits people from filming law enforcement at distances closer than eight feet. This law, sponsored by State Representative John Kavanagh and signed by Governor Doug Ducey, will go into effect in September.
As proactive officers today in law enforcement, there are more obstacles to overcome daily in our efforts to interdict the criminal element than there have ever been.
Many of these obstacles are from outside influences. However, some of them, sadly enough, come from inside the walls of our department. Sometimes they come from our teammates around us. Unfortunately, those officers will always be speaking negatively about proactive police work. For a new officer who is excited about the job and yearning to go out and have fun doing the job they signed up for, those types of negative interactions with fellow officers can and will have a significant impact on the kind of officer they decide to become.
Let me lead by saying that Mayberry has never existed before and does not exist now. However, that does not mean that aspects of that fictional world do not manifest themselves. We have talked about rural policing before. It gets brought up occasionally, but it’s never given much afterthought. I know it’s called “Street Cop Training,” so the programs are geared towards urban policing. However, rural cops are still a thing that exists. As a rural cop, I wanted to take a moment and wax poetic about what it’s like to “walk” the rural beat in 2022.
At this point, nothing should shock me anymore. Yet I cannot help but feign a little surprise at the actions of the West Hollywood City Council. Los Angeles is seeing an increase in crime at an alarming rate. The more agencies are defunded and told to fight crime with one arm tied around their backs. The more crime will continue to ascend into the smoggy atmosphere. It is almost as if these actions have consequences, and anyone with a functional brain stem could see this coming.
A small police department in Jonesville, Michigan, is trying something new. A recent job posting by the Jonesville Police Department on the city’s website sought to hire two full-time police officers who would work 48-hour shifts with 96 hours off, as the type of shifts seen at fire departments and emergency medical services around the country.
Ipswich water patrol officer Matthew Bodwell was on routine patrol when he heard a “mayday” call over the radio. An experienced mariner with duties that included being an assistant harbormaster, Bodwell is being hailed for his quick thinking and actions. This directly led to the rescue of 5 people after their boat capsized in rough seas.
It has been well established that law enforcement does not pursue in Washington. This is due to the fact of a law that was established in 2021. This law restricts law enforcement’s ability to chase fleeing suspects. Most of us in law enforcement know that there is a time and place for pursuits. Some agencies are laxer than others, but Washington decided to approach with broad strokes and almost wholly banned the practice across the entire state.
Retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Detective Costa “Rick” Walton has joined the lucky few to have ever won a million-dollar jackpot.
Rick stopped at a convenience store and saw a lottery ticket that said he could win a million dollars, so he figured why not buy one. Well, he’s lucky he did because that’s precisely what happened. Rick, 68, purchased the $30 million Marker ticket at Flash Market on Old Monroe Road in Indian Trail and told North Carolina Education Lottery News, “it’s one of the happiest days of my life, and I’m almost 70.”
Staffing shortages have affected a multitude of agencies across the country. Most agencies cite pandemic staffing losses, low pay, and the danger of the job as the cause of the staffing crisis.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia is just one of many departments suffering from a staffing shortage. Douglas County finds itself down nearly 60 deputies out of what should be 350 sworn deputies responsible for over 130 000 people in just 200 square miles.
After four years of no law enforcement, New Athens, Ohio, has named a new Chief of Police. Sabin Ward, a 21-year-old with just 18 months of law enforcement experience, has been sworn in as the new Chief of Police.
In a not so surprising open mouth insert foot moment, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot disputed that Chicago Police Officers are being overworked. A Chicago Aldermen approved an ordinance Wednesday providing a death benefit to spouses of first responders who die by suicide. Lightfoot told reporters the department notifies officers when their days off are canceled and stated officers have an “incredible amount of time off” as part of their contracts.