Due to recent events and the tragic loss of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos and Tarpon Springs Police Officer Charles Charlie K Kondek, Sheriff Mike Scott issued the following letter to the members of the Lee County Sheriffs Office: To my brave brothers and sisters: In the wake of NYPD Officers and a Florida Officer being murdered over the last couple of days alone; I note the absence of riots, looting, 24/7 media sensationalism, or reactions anywhere near the like of what occurred mere moments after the incident in Ferguson, Missouri. President Obama broke from his 17 day vacation in Hawaii to issue an obligatory condolence to the NYPD; much as he did when he announced (before immediately returning to a round of golf) that an American had been beheaded by ISIS Terrorists who recorded the slaughter for all to see. I doubt he will attempt to personalize these most recent police deaths on national television as he did in the matter of Trayvon Martin…proclaiming that if he had a son “he’d look like Trayvon.” In fact, below is a reminder link that our leader has a history of denouncing law enforcement when it fits with an agenda. The same agenda that NFL thugs promoted by taking the field with their hands up and the same agenda that radical, race baiters like Al Sharpton espouse so predictably. Heck, even New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio is at odds with the NYPD who has asked that he not attend their funerals after weeks of him throwing the police under the bus. DO NOT compromise officer safety over the ginned up controversy of current events; controversy that has led some to suggest that Law Enforcement Officers are the problem in our country rather than the solution. You are part of a noble and very difficult profession…a profession that poses life or death decisions in split seconds; perhaps more so now than ever. A profession that becomes far more difficult when hypocrites like those mentioned above refuse to recognize and promote the inconvenient but irrefutable facts. Facts like murder being the leading cause of death for black males age 15-34; wherein 93% of those murders involve a black perpetrator. No riots, no looting, and no public outrage…just an accepted fact in cities across our nation that is virtually ignored by critics who suggest that cops are the problem and therefore need to be retrained. Imagine for a moment that the decedent in Ferguson was white or the Police Officer black and then give yourself an honest answer to the question of whether or not that town and the other towns that mimicked it would have erupted as they did. The sad reality is that these very same critics and protesters can’t even name the most recent murder victims in their own streets but the decedent in the Ferguson incident is a household name across the country and beyond. The saddest reality is that the single biggest threat to the lives of young, black males is other black males….not Law Enforcement Officers. The critics referenced above and others like them are planning Christmas Dinner while law enforcement families are planning funerals. You are well trained and well equipped, and my message to you is stay safe. Stay safe despite idiots that suggest we look down the barrel of a gun and determine if it is real or a toy, loaded or empty. Stay safe despite media types who prefer to rerun old photos of a thug in his cap and gown instead of the most recent photos of him robbing a store. The same media types that have capitalized for years on the deep interest and fascination our society has always had with cops; hence the plethora of cop television shows and movies. Stay safe despite a handful of elected leaders and activists who ignite and fan the flames of racism by picking and choosing which lives really matter to them depending on ethnicity alone. Stay safe despite any and all added pressures that some among us would impose or suggest that further complicate the dangerous arenas we enter where no others dare. When folks dial 911, we simply ask “What is your emergency?” We don’t ask whether they are black or white, short or tall, etc. and we respond with professionalism and pride that deserves far more respect than a vocal minority is willing or able to appreciate. These are increasingly difficult times to be a law enforcement officer; however, I am convinced that a vast majority of citizens across the U.S. recognize and appreciate the fact that we are the last line of defense between good and evil. Stay safe and always review your training. Stay safe and always revert to your training. Stay safe and never hesitate to do that which is necessary to reduce the chances of another name being added to the ever growing list of cops killed in the line-of-duty. Mike
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:49:20 +0000
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