Wanted! Brave Hearts
To protect our police & the American citizenry
You can read an abbreviated version of this topic here.
It takes a special brand of inner strength to fight tyrants. Knowingly facing an enemy that has the potential to crush you in unspeakable ways, takes a level of courage most of us will thankfully never have to test.
This is precisely the resolve we’ve seen from the Ukrainian people the past few days.
Hearts of Courage
The Marine who sacrificed his own life to blow up a bridge so Russian armed forces couldn’t pass through. The border guards stationed at Snake Island who, when told to surrender by Russian military, instead replied with a “go f–k yourself”. And President Zelensky -who, along with his family, is a top Russian target- refused assistance from the U.S. to be moved to safety, instead opting to fight with his people.
As Zelensky said in his speech,
“…And we are not afraid of anything. We are not afraid to defend our state. We are not afraid of Russia. We are not afraid to talk to Russia. We are not afraid to say everything about security guarantees for our state. We are not afraid to talk about neutral status.”
This is how real leaders act. They don’t hide at the first hint of trouble. They put the needs of their people ahead of their own career ambitions or desire to be liked. They have the courage of their convictions.
Courage Is Desperately Needed to Protect Police & the Public
Leaders tasked with protecting the American public -officer safety and well-being is an integral part of this equation- have, in my experience, largely been MIA.
For example,
Few in the U.S. House or Senate are fighting for law enforcement in meaningful ways. The Protect and Serve Act (S.774 / H.R. 3079), which is the one piece of federal legislation that would impose penalties for deliberately targeting police officers currently has just 67 co-sponsors in the House (just one in my state of Wisconsin!)
Where are the other 368 representatives - especially those who claim to be law & order politicians? Why won’t they co-author a bill that could potentially save officer lives and strengthen the institution of law enforcement?
When I approach my state senators about creating legislation similar to Florida’s law & order act, they’re mum. Some show interest, but then the conversation goes nowhere.
Pushing for bail reform is a good thing (though this should have been addressed years ago, not just as the result of a high-profile incident) but it’s only one part of the equation; we need to protect cops from increasing violence. If our barrier against anarchy is weakened, so are we all.
When police critics make unfounded claims, why do so many police chiefs grovel? They apologize when they have nothing to apologize for. They ban the use of the thin blue line flag in their departments, then mistakenly place the blame on a subordinate for leaking an email. They kneel. Or they tell their officers to stand down as cities are destroyed.
With the exception of organizations like FOP and NY PBA, police unions miss opportunities to push back when their members are attacked or unfairly indicted.
When I’ve approached national police organizations asking them to take a public stand for cops under fire (as well as offering my time to help) they say things like We think speaking up will hurt cops more than help. Their strategy, sorry to say, hasn’t worked. Cops are demoralized and are experiencing violence in greater numbers. Police staffing shortages across the country are a very real public safety threat.
Why is this so difficult?
The Cowardly Police Leader
In the case of police leadership, this phenomenon, says Travis Yates, author of "The Courageous Police Leader” is driven by fear; and fear originates from lack of self confidence, lack of competence, and lack of care for subordinates.
The result, in part, he says, is a “yielding to political bullies who want to take a pound of flesh from cops.”
Question: Why are people who lack courage under fire put into police leadership positions? Perhaps police commissions should read Travis’s book before making any hiring decisions.
Travis sent me a complimentary copy of his book. Can’t wait to tell you all about it!
We, the People, Have an Important Role to Play, Too
If you’re a citizen who cares about cops and public safety, please consider using your voice to stand up for law enforcement.
Consider lobbying your U.S. representative urging them to help save police officer lives, or creating meaningful change for police in your state. I also have some tips on how to argue effectively for law enforcement that have worked well for me.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing additional proven strategies for how you can support law enforcement. Your voice is more powerful than you may think!
We’re not asking our leaders to sacrifice their lives fighting the Kremlin here - but is it too much to ask for those tasked with protecting the public to do the right thing? Ukraine may be fighting for its sovereignty and its very soul, but what we’re trying to protect here in the U.S. is also important. In fact, it’s critical to our very survival.