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Every Police Officer Is At Risk Of Going To Prison Unless...

The law enforcement profession has changed more since May 25, 2020 then it has in multiple generations. Over 30 states passed 140 reforms and oversight laws that saw, in part, the banning of constitutionally approved police practices such as “no-knock” warrants and “stop and frisk.” Some agencies stopped enforcing traffic violations and street crime units were banned from enforcing and arresting some of the most violent criminals in our communities. The IACP and other so called police organizations restricted the use of Vascular Neck Restraints to deadly force only and most agencies followed, even though there has not been any documented serious injuries or deaths since its inception 50 years ago.

“Defund the Police” became a slogan and reality in many jurisdictions. Qualified immunity came under attack and several states gutted Supreme Court case ‘Graham v. Connor’ by removing the long standing “reasonableness” test on use of force.

COPS and LIVE PD were both removed from television and even PAW Patrol was affected when it was temporary removed from television. A John Wayne Exhibit was removed from USC and Fortnite removed police cars from their game…And there is much, much more.

The result has been devastating.

The majority of agencies report a recruiting crisis and many have reduced services to their community while lowering entry level standards and more cops are leaving the profession today than anytime in history. The homicide rate rose 30% in 2020, the largest increase in a century, that affected African Americans at a much larger rate. Traffic fatalities rose 23% with research indicating that 2020 was the largest disparity in African American traffic deaths in history with thousands killed and the largest overall death rate in 80 years.

It wasn’t just the law enforcement profession that changed radically. The death of George Floyd touched and altered every single organization on the planet. Terms such as DEI became a household name and the word “equity” has appeared in thousands of proposed bills since that fateful day over three years ago.

Black Lives Matter became a powerhouse in the real estate industry, raising 90 million dollars in one year. Riots ravaged the world, critical race theory became main stream and confederate statutes and flags were swiftly torn down or altered. After 131 years, Aunt Jemima’s image, who honored former slave Nancy Green that pioneered the American Pancake, was taken off of pancake and syrup mixes and Oregon even passed a law getting rid of math, reading and writing requirements in high school because they were deemed racist.

You could say that some of those changes were good for America and I think there is some validity in that.

But what if I told you that all of it was built on a lie?

What if I told you that it was not only built on a lie but one of the biggest conspiracies in our lifetime?

What if I told you that everything you were told about May 25, 2020 was a lie.

Everything!

I don’t have to prove that to you and I certainly don’t have to argue with you.

One journalist in the entire world decided to actually look into that fateful day and tell the actual truth…one.

Her book, “They’re Lying: The Media, The Left, and the Death of George Floyd” was released a year ago and it was lights out for the liars. The book is not opinionated but simply tells the ugly truth that was hidden from the world. But like a child tucking their head in the sand, it was ignored by the mainstream media.

They just acted like it didn’t exist.

But the recent release of the documentary, “The Fall of Minneapolis”, by Liz Collin and Dr. Jay Chaix cannot be ignored and it hasn’t.

I won’t go into the details of the documentary because you need to watch it but I will say this.

• It is not political

• It is not opinion

• It is simply factual

The documentary is nothing short of a video affidavit for numerous crimes against numerous individuals and they aren’t cops (with the exception of those committing perjury).

If watching the documentary makes you sick to your stomach and you have trouble sleeping afterwards, that is a good thing.

It means that you still care but leaders should do more than care.

Leaders must ensure that this atrocity never happens again.

Two days after the viral video of the incident, the IACP President said this:

“…No single incident should define an agency or the profession. As police leaders, we must be willing to question and denounce actions that are wrong so to continue to build trust within our communities. Only by working together in partnership can we build understanding, prevent future incidents, and build safer communities for all.”

The full letter by the IACP did show some restraint but a week later, the Major Cities Chiefs Association went all in on the lie.

As you would expect, like sheep, the vast majority of police leaders followed their lead.

To be clear, these leaders are not unique and it would take years and unlimited server space to gather the thousands of public statements made within the law enforcement ranks alone.

In a sense, I do have some grace because they were lied to but this is where leadership matters.

Red Flags

It should have not been a surprise that the official narrative on May 25, 2020 wasn’t exactly what they told us. All of the statements above and everywhere else were made based on the viewing of a viral video, the very thing we hate when it is done to us.

When Minneapolis PD refused to release the body camera, no one questioned it.

When days later, the autopsy showed lethal amounts of fentanyl in Floyd’s system, no one cared.

When the agency policy and associated training on MRT (watch the documentary) showed that the officers, working together, were performing that tactic just as they were taught, no one said a word. The policy, training, and autopsy report were published six days after the event.

There was certainly enough oddities early on that should have caused any leader to hold judgement for additional information. After all, that is what leadership should be about.

But that didn’t happen then and it certainly isn’t happening now and that is a real problem within the profession.

Truth Exposing Cowards

Today, thanks to Liz Collin, Dr. Chaix, and many of the participants of the documentary, this is not a debate and this is not a question.

Four cops are sitting in prison for following their policy and their training and leaders across the law enforcement profession have condoned it.

That may sound harsh but have you heard any major police organization say anything?

Have any of the law enforcement leaders that so quickly made comments about a viral video been just as passionate about cops sitting in prison for following policy and training?

So much for “demanding justice?”

You could say you didn’t like the policy or training but we cannot live in a world where cops go to prison for FOLLOWING the rules given to them.

Elephant In The Room

While the profession will remain divided to those that refuse to see the truth because their worldview would explode and those that understand the we were all played and the world changed forever for it, we won’t get sanity back. The lie has created a “new normal” where ransacking stores is common place and agencies simply work with less but there is a more pressing issue for the profession.

What if you work for a leader that condones throwing cops in jail for following policy and training?

Maybe that sounds harsh or unrealistic but think about it.

If your chief or sheriff blasted those cops that didn’t even work at your agency and they had very little to lose by simply waiting for additional information, what will they do to you?

Now that the truth is out and your chief or sheriff knows that cops are in prison for following policy and training and they have remained silent, will they speak up for you?

Do you think that Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao thought that when they went to work on May 25, 2020, and followed their policy and training that their lives and the lives of their families would be destroyed?

They believed what you believe today.

It’s what we are told from day one in the academy.

“Follow your policy and training and you will be just fine.”

You better find out if your leaders believe the same thing because if you think this playbook is over, you haven’t been paying attention.

Redemption

I do believe in redemption (I need it daily) and there are many that need it with their current silence. Leadership, in part, is ensuring that we do not repeat mistakes from the past and if a leader bought the lie then, they should make that purchase right immediately.

There are innocent cops in jail right now for following policy and training and if you wondered why recruitment and retention have been destroyed, look no further than this.

No one will work for anyone, anywhere, if they believe that doing their job within the confines of their training and policy will get them cancelled, fired, or thrown in prison.

No one!

I implore every leader to stand up and tell your personnel that if they do their job the way they were trained, you will do anything to support them and telling isn’t enough. We need them to be just as public and just as passionate as many were three years ago.

Will that happen?

It will if you work for a true leader.

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Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.