Submitted by: Robert Bowen
An Open Letter To My Friends In Law Enforcement
by Chuck Baldwin
When
I was a youngster, my dad told me, "Son, a policeman is your friend."
Through his jail and prison ministry, Dad became a personal friend of
our county sheriff (two of them, as a matter of fact)--as well as scores
of deputies and city police officers. For all of my life, I have taken
Dad's maxim to heart. In fact, for all of my teen years, law enforcement
was my chosen profession. I wanted to go into law enforcement real bad.
It took a divine call to Gospel ministry to change my plans.
Throughout
my adult life, I have enjoyed the friendship of many peace officers.
The county sheriff where I lived in Florida made me an honorary deputy
sheriff. I still have the credentials to prove it. I count scores (and
maybe hundreds) of law enforcement officers around the country as
friends. In fact, there are scores of peace officers across the country
that financially support my work. I have had kinfolk serve in various
positions of law enforcement. Anyone who knows anything about me knows I
have been a law and order guy all of my life.
I
am as much of a red-blooded American patriot as one will find in this
country. I believe in God, the Bible, the Declaration of Independence,
the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I believe in liberty,
justice, and independence. I am a Christian and a pastor. Through my
radio talk show and syndicated column, I have helped to elect many
liberty-minded candidates to municipal, county, State, and federal
offices. And, like Mike Huckabee who is a former pastor, I, too, ran for
the office of President of the United States.
With
the above said, it is extremely important that this letter be written,
because so many honorable American traditions and customs are being
radically and rapidly changed--including the philosophies, standard
operating procedures, and rules of engagement of law enforcement. And
the change is not for the better.
Let
me just be blunt: ever since Ronald Reagan left office, both Republican
and Democrat presidential administrations--along with both Republican
and Democrat congresses--in Washington, D.C., are turning the United
States of America into a giant Police State. And that means that our
local and State police agencies are being transformed before our very
eyes into the enforcement arm of this burgeoning Police State. And one
of the biggest reasons for this growing threat to our liberties is that
it seems that you--our local and State police officers and sheriff's
deputies--do not understand that you are the ones that are being used to
create this nefarious Police State.
I
am talking about otherwise honest and honorable men and women. I am
talking about the friendly policeman, sheriff's deputy, or State highway
patrolman who lives across the street from us. I'm talking about the
fellow Christian police officer we go to church with. It seems that the
vast majority of you men and women in blue do not comprehend the way you
are being used to create a Police State in our country. And until you
awaken to this reality, nothing is going to be done to stop it.
The
totalitarian regimes of history could not have succeeded in
implementing their enslavements over the people without the submission
and cooperation of the citizen-policemen within their countries. Nor can
a Police State be constructed in America without your submission and
cooperation. My concern is, the Police State is already being
constructed in this country and most of you don't seem to even realize
it--or don't want to realize it. In fact, some of you become angry with
people like me when we try to warn the American people about it. This
shows that you have already become acclimated and accepting of it.
Here
is the problem: in today's America, virtually every police agency and
sheriff's office is being dictated to, intimidated by, and bribed by the
federal government. Much of the policies you operate under--and
training you receive--comes straight out of the Department of Homeland
Security and U.S. Justice Department. If you are a police officer in a
State or city that does not recognize the right of the people to keep
and bear arms, you are already the enforcement arm of draconian,
dictatorial government. You routinely put people in jail or prison for
merely exercising the fundamental, God-given right to keep and BEAR
arms. How can you live with yourself?
The
concern that you, our friends and neighbors in law enforcement, are
being turned into agents of oppression is very justified. The warning
signs are ubiquitous.
I
was told by a Marine Corps officer, who was there, that last year
Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, were asked in a survey if they
were ordered to turn their weapons on the American citizenry for the
purpose of gun confiscation, would they comply with the order. Sixty-six
percent of them said yes, they would. Two-thirds! When this same
question was asked of Marines at Twentynine Palms back in the 90s, 26%
of the Marines said yes. This is a very disturbing trend.
How
many of you men and women of law enforcement would respond similarly?
Again, in states such as California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut--and
in cities such as New York and Chicago--this is already standard
operating procedure. People are routinely arrested for merely possessing
a firearm, with no harm being inflicted or even threatened. Plus, all
it takes is for some kind of riot or "national emergency," and the rest
of the Bill of Rights immediately go out the window.
Look
at Boston after the marathon bombing. The city was turned instantly
into a Nazi-style Police State. People's homes were invaded without
warrant; people were manhandled; police dogs were turned loose on people
without cause; guns by the hundreds were pointed at the people of
Boston by police. No occupying military force in the world was any more
efficient at locking down a large city as were the police agencies of
the city of Boston and the State of Massachusetts.
Look
what happened in Ferguson, Missouri. Regardless of whether the shooting
of the young man was justified or not (along with everyone else, I am
waiting for a proper and thorough investigation to provide an honest
answer), the way police reacted to, what was at first, lawful protests,
was unconscionable. Policemen training their firearms on innocent
American citizens, including journalists, and threatening to blow their
brains out is NOT acceptable behavior in a free society. Police
agencies using military vehicles and military attack aircraft against
American citizens is NOT acceptable behavior in a free society.
Police-state tactics only served to exacerbate and inflame the situation
in Ferguson, not alleviate it.
I
lived on the Gulf Coast when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
Police officers went door-to-door confiscating the firearms of
law-abiding, innocent citizens in the aftermath of that storm. This was
done while lawless gangs were allowed to freely roam the streets of the
city inflicting merciless atrocities on vulnerable residents. And the
State of Louisiana is one of our more gun-friendly states.
Look
at what happens more and more frequently at routine traffic stops. My
mother-in-law (who is in her eighties) was recently pulled over for a
routine traffic stop here in Montana. (She must have been pulled over
for driving too SLOW.) Two officers came out of the police car, and one
of them was actually pointing his pistol at her head. Her vehicle was
not suspected of having been part of a felony. They ran her plates. They
knew who she was. To point a gun at a harmless, innocent senior
citizen--who is suspected of no violent crime--is the mark of a
burgeoning Police State.
Policemen
training their weapons on the public has become almost routine
nowadays. Even many minor incidents will often result in SWAT teams
being deployed. In fact, Eastern Kentucky University professor Peter
Kraska documents research showing, "There has been more than a 1,400%
increase in the total number of police paramilitary deployments, or
callouts, between 1980 and 2000. Today, an estimated 45,000 SWAT-team
deployments are conducted yearly among those departments surveyed; in
the early 1980s there was an average of about 3,000."
See Kraska's report here:
Has
violent crime increased 1,400 percent during that time? Not at all. In
fact, for the last several years, violent crime has been decreasing to
the point that currently it is at record lows. So, how can the need for
SWAT teams increase by 1,400 percent? It is the result of Washington,
D.C., deliberately militarizing our police agencies. Give them military
equipment, weapons, training, etc., and they will start acting like
soldiers not policemen.
It
all begins with philosophy. The philosophy being drilled into police
officers today is that of an "us versus them" mentality. In the eyes of a
Police State, we are not citizens to be protected; we are enemy targets
who are guilty until proven innocent. Plus, the phrase that we hear
constantly repeated today by law enforcement personnel and spokesmen is
"the safety of the officer."
Wait
a minute! The sworn duty of a police officer is to obey the
Constitution (including the Bill of Rights), which is designed to
protect the rights, liberties, and safely of the American people. The
role of the police officer is to protect the safety of the public. Any
man or woman who volunteers to put on a badge should be consciously
willing to put his or her life on the line to protect the public. That's
what their job is all about. And no one forces them to take this risk;
they take it of their own volition. Of course you men and women of law
enforcement want to go home at the end of your shift. But so do the
people of your community.
Policemen
are not the only ones who face hostility and threats of violence. I
have had my life threatened too many times to count. I have been shot
at. (I've talked with several retired police officers who have told me
that they never had to pull their gun during their entire career, nor
were they ever fired at.) I have had my family threatened. And none of
us wear Kevlar vests and helmets and can call backup with the push of a
button (calling 911 is not the same as a policeman calling for back
up--not even close).
If
the safety of the officer is the primary duty of policemen, they should
just shoot suspects on sight and eliminate the threat before it exists.
And that is pretty much what they do in totalitarian countries. But
this is America where the rule of law and the rights of the individual
reign supreme. In a free country, people are judged to be innocent until
proven guilty. Plus, the only lawful reason a police officer has to
fire his weapon at someone is for the same reason that the rest of us
can do so: for self-defense against an imminent threat to their (our)
lives.
Over
5,000 American citizens have been shot and killed by police since
09/11/01. Based on official statistical data, we are eight times more
likely to be killed by a police officer than we are by a terrorist.
Currently, somewhere between 500-1,000 Americans are killed each year by
policemen. By comparison, during 2012, 120 officers were killed in the
line of duty.
"Despite
far fewer officers dying in the line of duty compared with American
citizens, police departments are not only increasing their use of
protective and highly volatile gear, but are increasingly setting aside a
portion of their budget to invest in new technology such as drones,
night vision goggles, remote robots, surveillance cameras, license plate
readers and armored vehicles that amount to unarmed tanks."
See the report here:
Sadly,
police agencies and county attorney's offices have a dismal record of
thoroughly investigating police shootings (or even police brutality
charges). Mostly, the word of the officer is accepted almost without
question. Plus, it is common knowledge that many officers carry "throw
down" weapons to alleviate incrimination. Furthermore, police officers
are seldom willing to testify against a fellow officer--even when they
know the officer has committed a crime.
It
is past time that independent, citizen review boards with full
investigative capability and with authority to begin disciplinary
measures are required for all police shootings. I further recommend that
every citizen install surveillance cameras inside their vehicles. Any
government that thinks it needs to closely monitor our every move should
be closely monitored by us.
A
recent example of excessive use of force and the police-state mentality
was prominently displayed in Boynton Beach, Florida. After questioning
why the officers were ordering them around and starting to video-record
the officers during a traffic stop, the policemen became enraged, began
physically assaulting the young men, and one officer pointed his pistol
at them threatening to immediately shoot them. Granted, the young men
acted rudely and disrespectfully. But since when in America is cockiness
and rudeness a potential death sentence?
But
the worst part of the story came afterward when the chief of police
issued a statement defending the conduct of the officers. Chief Jeffrey
Katz viewed the video tape (recorded by a passenger in the car) and said
the following: "When I watch this video, I don't see a car full of
young men who are behaving in a manner consistent with FEAR OF THE
POLICE." (Emphasis added)
See the report here:
Ladies
and gentlemen, that is not the statement of an American peace officer;
that is the statement of a Nazi Brown Shirt. This is what happens when
Washington, D.C., turns our local and State law enforcement officers
into quasi-military units from a national police force. The police chief
and his officers were angry that the young men didn't FEAR the police
enough.
So,
that's it. We are supposed to FEAR the police? Really? Then, pray tell,
who are the police supposed to fear? My father didn't teach me to fear
the police. He taught me to respect the police. And he taught me that
the police were my friends. He did not teach me that I had to fear for
my rights and my very life every time I'm pulled over for a traffic
stop. And that's not the way that Sheriff Cliff Arnold's deputies
behaved while I was growing up.
The
Department of Homeland Security and Defense Department are all but
forcing local and State police agencies to accept military equipment,
tanks, attack helicopters, machine guns, and more. Last year alone, the
Pentagon gave half a billion dollars of military gear to local police
agencies. They are supplying suggested training procedures, complete
with lists of the people whom they (Washington, D.C.) considers
"dangerous."
Most
of the intelligence that police agencies receive comes from the
DHS-Fusion centers. Reading these memos is like reading the propaganda
being spewed out by the radical, ultra-left wing Southern Poverty Law
Center (SPLC). And in truth, much of the information that the Fusion
centers distribute are carbon copies of SPLC propaganda.
For
example, when I first moved to Montana four years ago, a local police
lieutenant sent a memo to the city's police officers warning them about
me. The memo accused me of things like being part of potentially
dangerous militia groups, etc. He took words from off of my website and
said they showed that I was an "extremist." What words, you ask? Words
like: Liberty Fellowship, Black Regiment Pastors, Patriot Businesses,
etc. Where did the lieutenant get that idea? He didn't know me from
Job's turkey. He got it through a DHS Fusion center memo.
I
later had a lunch meeting with the police lieutenant in the presence of
a retired police officer and tried to assure him as to my character and
integrity. I even showed him my honorary sheriff's deputy credentials.
He admitted that he had not even read the content of my website and was
merely going by the titles, which leads me to believe he may not have
even logged onto the website at all but was merely taking the Fusion
center report as "gospel." And, no, as far as I know, he did not send
out a retraction to his officers. Thankfully, I have had several
policemen and sheriff's deputies tell me personally how disgusted they
were at the lieutenant's unfounded character assassination against me
and that they appreciate the work I am doing.
In
fact, I have had countless police officers and sheriff's deputies
around the country write and tell me about similar memos they have
received from DHS. I have even had deputies drive up to me and show me
the memos they had received on the computers in their squad cars with
the same kind of propaganda.
My
friends in law enforcement, can you not see what is happening? Can you
not see that you are being brainwashed into a police-state mentality
where constitutional rights are seldom considered, especially in
emergencies? All the feds must do is create some sort of national or
local emergency and, presto, you become instruments of a Police State.
Do you not see the trend?
By
an overwhelming majority, your fellow citizens are NOT your enemies. We
are your neighbors, fellow church members, etc. Are you going to let
the machinations of would-be tyrants in Washington, D.C., and even in
your own State and community, turn the honorable profession of peace
officer into an "us versus them" Gestapo-like Police State?
True
story: here in Montana, a small town police officer, who is assigned to
the traffic division, was asked to speak to a church group. Mostly, he
gives out traffic citations for minor violations. As he began his
remarks, he said, "I am a cop; I work every day among the dregs of
society." Really? People who get parking tickets and speeding tickets
are the "dregs" of society? That, my friends, is the mark of an
unfolding police-state mentality. And, remember, this is from the heart
and lips of a professing Christian.
As
honest and honorable as most of you men and women of law enforcement
are, it is time that you come to grips with the fact that the current
system emanating from Washington, D.C., controlling the attitudes,
training, and tactics of police agencies is practically a carbon copy of
history's most notorious totalitarian regimes. And if the Nuremberg
trials proved anything, they proved that "I was just following orders"
is never justification for ignoring the greater moral laws of God and
Nature.
My
dad told me that the policeman is my friend. I would still like to
believe that; but it behooves my friends in law enforcement to prove it
to me by personally making up your minds to vehemently resist the
current trend of militarizing your profession and of turning our
once-free republic into a Police State. After all, you want us to be
your friends, too, right?
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