I am a Chicago Police Officer. I've been an officer for 5 years. My father served 22 years in the Marines, my uncle in Korea, my grandfather landed at Utah Beach. I come from a family whose tradition is service. Is duty. I was raised to believe that I owe America my blood. I take my oath seriously.
I have sworn to protect not only America and the Constitution, but the citizens of Chicago as well. Though I have not served in the military, I have taken fire in defense of my oath. Though Chicago is notorious for it's anti-gun laws, my duty as an American and my lawful use of discretion allows me to enforce laws as I see necessary.
[NOTE: this means he has used his discretion to NOT confiscate the firearms of citizens he has found to be armed, and to decline even citing them at all]
I, too, fear the development of a police state. That is why I feel an organization such as Oath Keepers is so vital for law enforcement. The first steps towards that police state have been taken - in the form of laws. It is we - the police - who are the tip of that enforcement spear. The erosion of Liberty is slow but deliberate, and it is law enforcement who is expected to be the noose.
I have, and continue, to endeavor to make other officers aware of the Constitution and the Liberty it grants. This may seem like an easy thing to do, but consider who we are: Officers sworn to uphold the Law. We are taught to enforce law, not examine it's foundations. I am working to change that.
I routinely tell them that walking down the street at 0200 and being black are NOT sufficient grounds to stop someone. Will I miss some drug and "felon with a gun" pinches because of that refusal? Sure, but it's the exchange I'm willing to make for not living in a fascist police state. And I tell them - you start making those arbitrary stops - you ARE a fascist.
That's a line I will not cross.
[NOTE: this means he has used his discretion to NOT confiscate the firearms of citizens he has found to be armed, and to decline even citing them at all]
I, too, fear the development of a police state. That is why I feel an organization such as Oath Keepers is so vital for law enforcement. The first steps towards that police state have been taken - in the form of laws. It is we - the police - who are the tip of that enforcement spear. The erosion of Liberty is slow but deliberate, and it is law enforcement who is expected to be the noose.
I have, and continue, to endeavor to make other officers aware of the Constitution and the Liberty it grants. This may seem like an easy thing to do, but consider who we are: Officers sworn to uphold the Law. We are taught to enforce law, not examine it's foundations. I am working to change that.
I routinely tell them that walking down the street at 0200 and being black are NOT sufficient grounds to stop someone. Will I miss some drug and "felon with a gun" pinches because of that refusal? Sure, but it's the exchange I'm willing to make for not living in a fascist police state. And I tell them - you start making those arbitrary stops - you ARE a fascist.
I am an Oath Keeper
Message from Stewart Rhodes: This officer uses his discretion as a peace officer, such as by NOT taking guns off of citizens when he had found them because it was obvious they were no threat to anyone but the bad guys. An officer has discretion for a reason, and however screwed up the laws may be, he should use that discretion to respect the rights of the citizens he has sworn to protect. That's what being a peace officer is all about - keeping the peace, not merely "enforcing" every stupid law that stupid, corrupt, or downright evil politicians pass.
Last year I wrote an article about an officer's discretion. I will repost that article here within the next couple of days, and will also ask Sheriff Mack to add his comments on the use of an officer's discretion. - Stewart Rhodes
Message from Stewart Rhodes: This officer uses his discretion as a peace officer, such as by NOT taking guns off of citizens when he had found them because it was obvious they were no threat to anyone but the bad guys. An officer has discretion for a reason, and however screwed up the laws may be, he should use that discretion to respect the rights of the citizens he has sworn to protect. That's what being a peace officer is all about - keeping the peace, not merely "enforcing" every stupid law that stupid, corrupt, or downright evil politicians pass.
Last year I wrote an article about an officer's discretion. I will repost that article here within the next couple of days, and will also ask Sheriff Mack to add his comments on the use of an officer's discretion. - Stewart Rhodes
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10 comments:
Amen. My wife is a police officer on retirement disability from the Chicago Police Department. I respect the officers commitment to his oath.
All police officers need to know that those of us with conceal carry permits and even citizens without a permit may be among the first to come to their aid should it ever be needed.
I gave my oath to the constitution a long time back just as that officer has and now as a citizen I will still honor that oath until the day I die. I'll do so defending the constitution, a citizen in need, a police officer or myself.
Thanks for the words of support. Please give my best to your wife. Hope she is enjoying her retirement.
I wish there more like you here in NY, The folks at the Suffolk County PD licensing are the with few exceptions the most arrogant.
Unless they have been drinking.
Hopefully there will be more. There are a few officers like myself who believe their first loyalty is to the citizenry, not the political machine. A critical first step is awareness, such as the type this organization and others like it provide.
Honestly, reform as a departmental or even local governmental objective is a long, long way off. More and more departments are making the move from community and problem-solving policing and towards performance-based policing. This is a 20 year step backwards, as the emphasis becomes less on partnerships with citizens as the means to reduce crime and more on individual officer statistics. The idea is that the more arrests, the more guns, the more drugs an officer collects, the lower crime will be. Studies have shown that this is not likely the case. In many departments, preferable assignments are given out after a review of such statistics. The slippery slope is that officers are willing to reach further (read: violate basic rights) in order to inflate their numbers. This over-aggressiveness leads to citizen resentment and lack of cooperation.
This city itself recently institute a new award for most gun arrests and/or siezures. It actually says in the award that the award is for the most "legally obtained" weapons. The fact that such a qualifier has to be put into the award itself is indicative of the fact that the department recognizes the potential for abuses.
While I appreciate the theory behind a performance-based system, such a system cannot be instituted without ensuring the appropriate balances are in place to ensure fair practicing. Currently, no such sytemic balances exist. It is up to the individual officer to regulate himself or herself.
Hang tight, people. If you are a current LEO, stand by your principles and maintain your convictions. Be an example of what you preach, and keep on preaching to your colleagues. Use your discretion, and teach the new kids how to do the same. Ensure that our Constitution survives.
Thank you, I just wish every police officer would wake up, but I do not believe that will happen. Some are just power hungry and have no respect for the people but you also have your good ones. Thank you again and God Bless.
Chicago Police Officer, your testimony gave me so much food for thought that I had to wait a while before I could reposnd.
I started out in life respecting police officers, but one stupid dreary incident in life after another, by now, I hate cops. Hate.
I'm a law abiding quiet little housewife with no record whatsoever, and I detest the sight of a cop.
The latest outrage occured this summer when my drunken loser daughter was arguing with her friend. She followed her drunken friend outside, fell down the outside staircase got up and went to bed. Her drunken friend drove away. Her drunken loser husband stayed outside in the yard.
A nosy do-gooder neighbor called the local thugs. Her idiot husband gave them permission to enter. They walked into her bedroom and dragged her out of bed. Human nature being what it is, she was drunk and belligerent and in no cooperative frame of mind. They beat holy hell out of her, hauled her off to jail in her pajamas, created every trumped up charge they could think of.
Did we complain? Did she bother to press any charges? Ha ha and don't make me laugh. She's a drunken loser, but aside from that, she also has no criminal record whatsoever.
This was only the latest outrage. The cops we have around here are ignorant and arrogant. I'm sick and tired of paying taxes for this phony "police protection" they think their selling; I'm more interested in investing in something that will protect me from the glorified welfare recipients we have lounging on the side of the road. And--don't start me on lawyers.
The point to this whole screed, Chicago Police Officer, is if we ever met up, I would not want to look at you with hate. Because any cop that talks to me for whatever reason, he looks in my eyes, he gets a good dose of hate. I don't even try to keep that look off my face anymore. And I'm not even a criminal! If I met up with you, I'd want to look at you with respect, and answer any questions you have cheerfully and with respect. After all, I have nothing to hide, and with you, I have nothing to fear. We can be human beings together.
The oathkeeper's tattoo is wonderful, but hard to see under your uniform even if you had one. Is there a way that an oathkeeping police officer could distinguish himself without violating uniform standards? This way, if I met up with an oathkeeping police officer I wouldn't treat him like a cop. This is important. I would never disrespect a veteran, and I would never disrespect an oathkeeper should we actually be lucky enough to have on on our local police force.
Sorry this post is so long. That's why I had to wait 24 hours, to shorten it up, because this is a loaded topic for me. I come from the streets of the Bronx, and quite frankly, I'd rather get mugged. It's a more honest relationship.
I'm soory that you've had such a lousy series of encounters with law enforcement. I can only say to you that we are not all like what you fear. Many - most - of us are here to protect life and property. I hate to use the "us vs. them" mentality as an excuse, because it's been used so much. The unfortunate thing is, thugh, that it's often the truth. People rarely if ever call the police to share good news or good times. We get treated with contempt and hatred and hostility from 99% of the people we deal with. I have discovered that many Americans have a hard time accepting the fact that there are some people out there who are bad, and exist for no other reason then to be bad. Years of encounters with these people leads to a general resentment of the population, and officers must be aware that such resentment is a possibility, and they must dedicate equal and more resources to combating it. Officers must remember that we exist as part of the community, not seperate from it.
Again, I'm sorry for the encounters that you have had that have left such a negative view of police in your heart and mind. We police need people like you, working with us, if we ever stand a chance of reducing the violent crimes that make you see a mugging as a more honest relationship.
I've asked Stewart if we can get enamel pins made with the Oath Keeper image and rocker. That is an item we police can wear on our uniforms.
Dont give up on your police. Keep the faith and try to take what comfort you can in knowing that most police officers are decent and honest citizens.
Thank you Chicago Police Officer for joining Oath Keepers! I've had two very good encounters with Chicago Police at Tax Day Demonstrations:
On 4/15/08, I was at the Chicago Post Office passing out Aaron Russo's documentary "America - Freedom to Fascism" and two police officers asked me what it was about. When I told them it's about how our free society is becoming a police state, they replied, very seriously, "we know all about that", and then requested a couple copies of the DVD. On 4/15/09 at Federal Plaza for the Tea Party, I asked three officers if they'd ever heard of Oath Keepers. They said "No" and asked what it was. They were very respectful and interested.
I and my fellow Chicago Ron Paul Meetup members made "Oath Keepers" flyers and are organizing events to pass them out to CPD and recruiting centers. Also, we are working on having Sheriff Richard Mack come and speak to CPD.
I am honored to be associated with Oath Keepers. This is an association that truly unites the citizenry with our public servants.
I was off the day of the Tea Party, which was convenient as a I attended as a supporter.
The funny thing about the CPD - most have a pretty consistent mistrust and/or outright dislike for politicians. We've been repeatedly stiffed and left to twist in the wind by the local polictical machine. As those who are from the Chicago area may know, the CPD contract expired some time ago. Recently our fair mayor pulled the pay raises off the table. The result was several thousand CPD officers themselves marching on City Hall.
So when you're talking to CPD about the failure of politicians to live up to an ideal - you're talking to a receptive crowd.
I'm glad your experiences with us have been positive.
CityOfChicago............
Thank you for writing your post........ I to am a Chicago Police Officer, out on disability with a broken back.
I agree with you 100%. We do have discretion............And that to me meant locking up the bad guys and not punishing the good guys. Thank you for showing another side of the Chicago Police Department.
I took my oath back in 1982 for NYPD, and again in 1995 for The Chicago Police Department. I am proud to have worn both of those uniforms. It was an honor to serve the great citizens of both cities.
Stay safe out there brother in blue! And may God keep a watchful eye over you as you do battle with evil and fight the good fight.
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