Banksy

I was reading the newspaper today and I was struck by an English graffiti artist named "Banksy". His real identity is know only to a few and he still goes out to commit his public/illicit art. His works are now being sold in galleries for hundreds of thousands of dollars. I have viewed a number of his works and I really like what he does.

I was struck by two things. First there still is a mechanism in society in which someone by their own hand can propel themselves into success. Second that few people appreciate how the police tend to get pulled into the middle and blamed by both sides of an issue. I was struck by the comments of those who supported Banksy's artistic vision in that they decried police involvement in removing and investigating his graffiti and a group against his public vandalism complaining against the police because they are not enforcing the laws that are already on the books.

Look if you support an issue and it is against the law-get the law changed. We (the PO) can not enforce something that is not there. Second if you do not think we are doing enough about another issue then come to your local station and ask how you can help. What I see is two groups of people on either side of an issue sitting on their pimply backsides doing nothing but complaining. And we the police, who are doing something, interesting for both groups, is main entity being blamed, not the artist, not the building owners, not the gallery owners etc.

In support of doing something about what you believe in I am formally inviting Banksy to come to my house in Chicago and paint whatever strikes him on my detached garage. E-mail me Bansky ummmmmm remember I do have little children.

God's Hand

I have asked and have heard many others ask when events or personal situations take a downturn, "Where is God's Hand in this? Why do I not see him moving?"

The world is an incredibly interconnected place. The idea that when a butterfly flaps it wings in Mexico creates a chain of events that eventually lead to a typhoon in Singapore is true. I have a hard time understanding and recognizing the fulfillment of Gods plan because I can only envision cause and effect as separate incidents and God being Omnipresent and Omnipotent can see then all at the same time and secondly, Gods does not have to take huge macro-steps to get things done. So take hart God is making the tiniest of changes that will great the greatest effect for you and me.

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

As a case in point here is a Article from John Kass that brought this thought into my head:
Daley up to his gills in diplomatic mess
John Kass
November 28, 2007

Because of a humble gift given to him by the Daleys of Chicago almost 50 years ago, Emperor Akihito of Japan was recently forced to apologize to his nation in an embarrassing loss of face.

The gift?

A couple of lowly bluegills -- Illinois' official state fish -- from the Shedd Aquarium, given to then-Crown Prince Akihito by Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1960.


The tasty Chicago bluegills escaped into Japanese lakes and rivers, making more bluegills, ravaging the ecosystem, steadily destroying the native species and the fish harvests.

That's why, a few days ago, in what The New York Times called "a rare expression of contrition," Emperor Akihito was compelled to humble himself. That's unheard of in Japan, a country where honor is paramount. It's also unheard of for the mayor of Chicago to apologize for anything. If you don't believe me, just take a ride on the public transportation system.

"I brought bluegill back from the United States nearly 50 years ago and donated them to a research institute of the Fisheries Agency," the embarrassed emperor was quoted as saying in a wire report.

"Its cultivation started as there were great expectations of raising them for food in those days," said the emperor, an ichthyologist (fish expert). "My heart aches to see it has turned out like this."

My heart aches, too. But not for the emperor. It aches for Mayor Richard M. Daley's pinkie.

The only thing to do, it seems, is for the son of the great fish giver, our current mayor, to act honorably in recompense for this diplomatic disaster.

His father, Chicago's fish giver -- the late Richard J. -- often fondly dreamed of Chicagoans and that noblest of creatures, the fish.

"People from the Loop could catch fish in the Chicago River and barbecue them on lower Wacker Drive," he was known to say, when he dreamed such dreams, even though to most people, eating fish from the Chicago River would be a nightmare.

But the Daley clan's fish dreams have become a catastrophe for the people of Japan. This is an international incident. An emperor has been humbled. And now Chicago's emperor must pay.

FCPO

I was able to attend a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Police Officers meeting over the weekend at Judsen University in Elgin Illinois. I was revivified to see other dedicated Christian men in the policing field. They ranged from Chiefs to patrolmen. I was once again reminded that my struggles and concerns are not unique to my personal experience but rather the price of being a Christian in a fallen world. In this position we as PO's have so many opportunities to be a positive influence in a another's life and especially with marginalize people that no one else is able to connect with, that seeing a room full of people dedicated to this idea is very heartening. Below is the link to their website. If you are considering it, I would recommend joining it.

www.fcpo.org

Where the Rubber Meets…

I responded to a Home Invasion in progress that required the entire shift to respond. We were dispatched to a home in the north part of town. The homeowner had informed the 911 operator that she was currently hiding in her bathroom behind a locked door with the telephone in fear for her life. A large young female had pushed her way into the caller’s home and was currently stealing money and refusing to leave. The six squads quickly reached the house. I parked my squad, jumped out and ran to the incident location. I quickly observed a stout female standing on the grass right outside the front door wearing a nursing uniform, looking impatient. I walked up to her and she immediately said, “Thank God you are here; that woman is impossible and I did not know what else to do.” At this statement the stereotype personified for all little old ladies everywhere stepped to the screen door and quickly locked it from the inside. The little old lady looked out at me and disgustedly stated, “About time you got here. I did not know how much longer I was going to have to spend trapped in my house with this intruder. She has been here all day and I shudder when I think of all the things she has stolen and given to her fellow criminals.” I turned toward the lady waiting patiently next to me and noticed for the first time that she had a label nametag and a stethoscope dangling from around her neck. I asked for her nursing identification and she provided it for me. I verified her identity through our computer database and called her employer to further confirm that the little old lady was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and the in-house-nurse had been hired by the little old lady’s son. As, I walked over to the screen door to speak to the homeowner, she immediately said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Arrest her!” I asked to be let inside so that I could speak to her about this matter but she refused. I told her that it would not be a good idea to speak to her through the screen door because the nurse (home invader) could hear our conversation. She shook her head no, and told me that if she opened the door the burglar would get back into her home. I had to promise her that I would stop any attempt by the nurse/burglar to reenter the house. She reluctantly and dramatically unlocked the door and let me into the house. I made several attempts to explain to her that the burglar was really a nurse who was in the house to look after her well-being. She refused to even consider the possibility. Faced with this failure to communicate I went out and found my Sergeant and he attempted to convince the ill woman to allow the nurse to come back into her home. He was not in any way more successful than I had been. The nurse was able to provide me with the telephone number for the homeowner’s son and I called him at work. The ill lady was handed the telephone and she spoke to her son for a while but still would not allow the nurse to come into the home. She even told me, between screaming at us to arrest the nurse, that the person who she had spoken with on the telephone could not possibly have been her son because he would never take the burglar’s side and as such had to be an imposter. We concluded the incident through the use of a ruse by convincing the little old lady to check on her paperwork in her bedroom, which allowed the nurse to sneak back into the home. The second that the little old lady saw the nurse, she began to scream, “Get her out! Get her out!” We tried to calm her down but she would only say over and over, “Why are the Police helping someone steal. Where is the justice? I need help! You need to help me!” My fellow Officers and I could only walk out of the front door and back to our squads with her shrieks following after us.
I was very troubled by this call for a number of reasons. Apart from my frustration due to my inability to help her, I was troubled by her situation. I understood her perspective; she truly believed that a criminal had broken into her home and had reached out to the Police to save her. Instead, in a way similar to the Twilight Zone-esk way the Police not only do not help her; they enable the criminal to stay in her home. The issues raised were all due to her horrible debilitating disease. She truly believed that she was being held captive in her home. Further, all involved were similarly affected by this delusion. The nurse had to continue to treat her patient, even though the patient believed that she was there to hurt her. The nurse asked me if I had any idea how hard it is to give someone their medication when they were convinced that you are trying to poison them. The son was attempting to honor his mother’s wishes for her to stay in her home for as long as was possible because she dreaded (rightly so) being sent to a nursing home and yet his mother would curse at him for allowing others to enter her home. The Police responded to this home at least a dozen more times for 911 calls but found they were powerless to do anything constructive for this stricken woman. A true nightmare for this woman and her family to be trapped in that would only be solved (With today’s medical knowledge) with her eventual death.
I have learned to value these types of calls. This is the place where I am tested and find if I truly have a strong faith in God. If you can enter this house and return still firm in your faith of a good and faithful God, you have met the challenge and prevailed. I have seen many types of living horrors from the mundane to the grotesque and as a result have found my walk with Jesus strengthened (Some took longer for me to understand God’s holiness than others). People in most other professions find their belief challenged only when they are affected by personal tragedy. As a Christian Police Officer you have your job to supply you with a seemingly endless series of tests and trials. If you want to know where you are strong and where you are weak with your walk with Jesus you will find it here. Psalm 26:2 states: 2Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. Romans 5:3 states: 3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 1 Peter 1:7 states: 7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 4:13 states: 13Instead, be very glad--because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world. Psalm 66:10 states: 10You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver melted in a crucible. . If you can pass these tests you will be a stronger Christian from the experience.

Mercy Me

My wife and I in the company of two of our friends went up into Wisconsin on Saturday to attend the Mercy Me concert. What a great experience. I was very pleased that Mercy Me sounds live just like they sound on their CDs, a rear feat these days.
How refreshing and battery recharging to go to a social activity in a Christian environment. I would recommend a Mercy Me concert to anyone.

The Christian life is not simply an exercise in worship on a Sunday or simply an accuse to separate oneself from all of life's tasks. Rather it is the ultimate joining of the four tasks of life (Worship, Work, Leisure and Family) for a higher purpose. It's sad that I have to remind myself now and again that leisure is an integral part because of my over focus on the other three.

So go out there and have fun.

John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus is the ultimate friend among many many other things. How much more important is your Godly interactions with your other friends knowing that Jesus is part of that group.

Doug Parker Where are you.

I find it strange that you can loose friends and acquaintances in this day and age of electronic communication. Or maybe they want to be lost, I never know. The ease of communication at times makes it easier to maintain surface relationships rather than be challenged to have deep and lasting friendships. Anyway there are a couple of people that have slipped by me that I would like to reconnect with.

So I am going to see how true the six degrees of the Kevin Bacon game really is.

If you know a Doug Parker who attended the Illinois Police State Academy from Jan-May 1997, then worked as a conservation officer in either Lake or McHenry Counties (I can not remember which) then went to Georgia to be a a conservation officer there and then, I believe, went to Atlanta PD. Then have him contact me here at the blog or leave a way to get a hold of him (I assume E-mail).
Look out Chris Wood you are next.

Beer

I did not really have anything that struck me today so...since I am drinking a beer I will provide my top five favorite beers topped with a bit of guilty or guzzling feelings.

1. Shiner Blonde (Larger)from Spoetzl Brewing Co Gambrinus Company San Antonio, Texas Year opened 1909

2. Blue Moon (Belgian white ale) from Coors

3. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale-Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Chico, CA United States
Year opened 1979

4. Bass (Pale Ale) Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire United Kingdom Year opened 1777

5. Pacificio Cerveza-The Pacifico Brewery is located in beautiful Mazatlan, Mexico. The brewery was founded in 1900 by German settlers.


1 Samuel 1:15
"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Proverbs 31:4
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel— not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,"

Proverbs 31:6
Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;

Nothing in isolation

Well after three false starts I finally have my modem and I can get back to blogging. You gotta love At&t, they can mess even the simplest things up.

Anyway, I was reading in the Chicago Tribune about the growing scandal concerning Oral Robert's University and the suspected pilfering by his son and daughter-in-law (Richard and Lindsey Roberts) (article link in sidebar). This controversy again reminded me that sin is not a personal act but rather an action that has a corporate affect.

When you take a personal, moral and ethical stand as a follower of Christ you are being watched to see if what you profess matches what you do. I wonder how many will use the failure of the Roberts family as an excuse to reject the message they professed.

No one is prefect and Christ is needed for everyone due to that fact. However nothing goes unseen and sin has a wave of effect that radiates out from the sinner and makes it to all the edges of the pond. I wonder if we take into account the ramifications not only to ourselves but the affect on others would we still commit that sinful act of pleasure.

A convicted moral stand begets responsibility beyond who you directly affect.


Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

Fun with Norris

I still do not have my new modem.

Here is the link to Chuck Norris Facts. http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com (Cut and paste it into your web browser). Humor is a necessary key to life.

Ecclesiastes 3:3-5

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

Here are my two, Chuck Norris doesn't need a gun, he just spits the bullets out. Chuck Norris does not get parking tickets, cities pay Chuck to park.

For a short time

I have lost my DSL modem and am waiting for a new one through the mail. Probably by the end of the week I will go back to posting every other day.

What I aspire too

My DSL modem crashed so sorry about the late post.

The following verse is the attitude/action/emotions/understanding/faith that I am striving to emulate. I seem to be able to treat the initial blow as I should, however after the incident I find my self muttering the mantra "Not fair" over and over again. I hope that one day I will find myself with the same level of faith and joy that these men of God demonstrated. Until then and it will be until I kneel at his thrown, a work in progress.

This is the verse that I use as my goal.

The verse: Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

The verse in context: Acts 5:40-42 40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Someone who "gets it".

Every so often I encounter someone who, for the lack of a better term, "gets it" about our walk with Christ. He or she presents a concept that produces a "eureka" moment for me. It is always a concept that I am either first encountering, forgotten or (wrongly) not practicing. The means in which I discovered these religious nuggets are varied and rarely predictable. In this particular case I had my inspiration in the book written by Henry Rider Haggard called, Alan's Wife(1889).

First, about Haggard (From Wikipedia): Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (June 22, 1856 – May 14, 1925), born in Norfolk, England, was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations.

Secondly there is some controversy about Haggard and for that I point to the last page of his Alan Quartermain book: Maiwa's Revenge: or, The War of the Little Hand as proof that the controversy is essentially wrong.

Rather then continue to explain what I found I will simply present the passage from the book Alan's Wife (1889)that made me say that Haggard's got it. The Holy Spirit was with him. Excert from Project Gutenberg: It is in the Character's Alan Quartermain's voice.

Well, we reached the kraals safely enough, seeing nothing more of
Hendrika, and, were this a story, doubtless I should end it here
with--"and lived happily ever after." But alas! it is not so. How am I
to write it?

My dearest wife's vital energy seemed completely to fail her now that
the danger was past, and within twelve hours of our return I saw that
her state was such as to necessitate the abandonment of any idea of
leaving Babyan Kraals at present. The bodily exertion, the anguish of
mind, and the terror which she had endured during that dreadful night,
combined with her delicate state of health, had completely broken her
down. To make matters worse, also, she was taken with an attack of
fever, contracted no doubt in the unhealthy atmosphere of that accursed
valley. In time she shook the fever off, but it left her dreadfully
weak, and quite unfit to face the trial before her.

I think she knew that she was going to die; she always spoke of my
future, never of _our_ future. It is impossible for me to tell how sweet
she was; how gentle, how patient and resigned. Nor, indeed, do I wish
to tell it, it is too sad. But this I will say, I believe that if ever
a woman drew near to perfection while yet living on the earth, Stella
Quatermain did so.

The fatal hour drew on. My boy Harry was born, and his mother lived
to kiss and bless him. Then she sank. We did what we could, but we had
little skill, and might not hold her back from death. All through one
weary night I watched her with a breaking heart.

The dawn came, the sun rose in the east. His rays falling on the peak
behind were reflected in glory upon the bosom of the western sky. Stella
awoke from her swoon and saw the light. She whispered to me to open the
door of the hut. I did so, and she fixed her dying eyes on the splendour
of the morning sky. She looked on me and smiled as an angel might
smile. Then with a last effort she lifted her hand, and, pointing to the
radiant heavens, whispered:

"_There, Allan, there!_"

It was done, and I was broken-hearted, and broken-hearted I must wander
to the end. Those who have endured my loss will know my sorrow; it
cannot be written. In such peace and at such an hour may I also die!

Yes, it is a sad story, but wander where we will about the world we can
never go beyond the sound of the passing bell. For me, as for my father
before me, and for the millions who have been and who shall be, there is
but one word of comfort. "The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken
away." Let us, then, bow our heads in hope, and add with a humble heart,
"Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Someone you Should know-Irena Sendler

I was reading in the paper today about the heroine Irena Sendler. In WWII she was a Roman Catholic social worker in Poland that was allowed to enter the Warsaw ghetto by the Nazi's. Irena then saved approximately 2500 Jewish children by adopting them out of the ghetto to non-Jewish foster families. She keep the children's real parental records in jars buried behind her home. The following is an excerpt from her web site http://www.irenasendler.org

They found that Irena Sendler, as a non-Jewish social worker, had gone into the Warsaw Ghetto, talked Jewish parents and grandparents out of their children, rightly saying that all were going to die in the Ghetto or in death camps, taking the children past the Nazi guards (in body bags, saying they were ill, or using one of the many means of escape from the Ghetto-the old courthouse for example), and then adopting them into the homes of Polish families or hiding them in convents and orphanages. She made lists of the children's real names and put the lists in jars, then buried the jars in a garden, so that someday she could dig up the jars and find the children to tell them of their true identity.

The Nazis captured her and she was beaten severely, but the Polish underground bribed a guard to release her, and she entered into hiding.

That she was almost unknown until four rural Kansas students got a school assignment, again from the web site: In the fall of 1999, Mr. Conard encouraged four students to work on a year long National History Day project which would among other things; extend the boundaries of the classroom to families in the community, contribute to history learning, teach respect and tolerance, and meet our classroom motto, “He who changes one person, changes the world entire."

Three ninth grade girls, Megan Stewart, Elizabeth Cambers, and Jessica Shelton, and an eleventh grade girl, Sabrina Coons, accepted the challenge and decided to enter their project in the National History Day program. Mr. Conard showed them a short clipping from a March 1994 issue of News and World Report, which said, 'Irena Sendler saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942-43'. He told the girls the article might be a typographical error, since he had not heard of this woman or story. The students began their research and looked for primary and secondary sources throughout the year.

God selects his heroes from all walks of life, with all different forms of abilities, to carry out his great and holy plan. Heroes are not made; they're are people placed into unique circumstances that made the choice to act in accordance with God's will and teachings. The Bible is full of unlikely (David), unwilling (Jonah) and ungifted (Moses), right place right time (Ester), heroes.

Every day we should go out into our worlds and try to find the places where we are called to be a hero like Irena Sendler.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Exodus 3:10-12

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [a] will worship God on this mountain."

Methamphetamine and Children

I have posted part of a paper that I wrote for one of my master's classes. I attended a Methamphetamine lab detection class hosted by another department recently and this reminded me of this paper and the horrors inflicted on children by the manufacture and abuse of this drug. An interesting side note is that they believe that the lack of penetration into the Urban areas, which runs counter to previous predictions, is due to the fact that street gangs are too lazy to be part of the manufacturing process and they would rather sell crack for less of a profit then deal with acquiring the ingredients and participate in the manufacturing process.

Here is a few sections of the paper:

Family Destruction
Methamphetamine use is particularly concerning as it pertains to the family unit in which the child resides. There is a perceptible increase in cases involving methamphetamine use by a child’s guardian that necessitates the removal of the child from the home and placed into a safer environment. This action is always a last resort for the welfare agency involved and a sign of the destruction of a family that use of this illicit drug can cause. “Overall, 37 percent of the increase in out of home placements nationwide was attributable to methamphetamine, according to the NaCO survey. With counties with populations above 500,000, the increase was 54 percent reflecting the fact that methamphetamine is no longer mainly a rural problem, but an urban one as well. More than 300 countries in 13 states participated in the survey” (Mothers addicted to meth face losing their children, 2005, p. 2).
The long term prognosis for families affected by methamphetamine is extremely poor. Unlike most issues that cause child welfare services to become involved, mothers that use methamphetamine have an extremely high rate of permanent removal of their children from their care. Methamphetamine use by mothers, in which law enforcement and child welfare agencies become involved, tend to cause permanent dissolution of the families. “The reality…is that in 48 percent of these counties there are more families that cannot be reunified, 56 percent say the families take much longer to reunify than in the past, and in 27 percent of the counties, officials say recidivism is so great with meth users that the reunification of these families does not last” (Mothers addicted to meth face losing their children, 2005, p. 2).
Law Enforcement Concerns
The destruction to families and the increase in violent criminal acts that methamphetamine use is known to cause, has now become a major concern to law enforcement. “…NaCO also released a survey of law enforcement, in which 58 percent of the counties said methamphetamine was their largest drug problem. Next were cocaine (19 percent of the counties said this was the biggest problem), marijuana (17 percent), and heroin (3 percent)” (Mothers addicted to meth face losing their children, 2005, p. 3).
When law enforcement officers encounter a methamphetamine production lab in a home containing children there should be immediate thought given to obtaining medical treatment and protection to these children. “The danger to children becomes obvious when a methamphetamine lab explodes, killing or injuring them, or when authorities discover neglected children as a result of their parent’s methamphetamine use” (Manning, 1999, p. 2). Law enforcement officers should not stop at the obvious injuries to the child since even an apparently healthy looking child made be suffering from aliments that have not fully presented themselves. “…authorities have found babies crawling on carpets where toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine have spilled. They have seen children cooking their own meals in the same microwave ovens that their parents used to produce methamphetamine. Also, they have discovered chemicals used in methamphetamine production stored in open or improperly sealed containers in areas where children played” (Manning, 1999, p. 2). A child found in these conditions should necessitate companion charges of child abuse and or child endangerment and child welfare groups need to be brought into the investigation to intervene on the child’s behalf.
Child Protection Strategy for Those Victimized by Methamphetamine
The first priority in protecting children victimized by parents making and using methamphetamine, is to increase the legal penalties for parents who perform either of these two acts around their children. For example California strengthened their laws, “…defendants found guilty of manufacturing methamphetamine in the presence of children under 16 face a 2-year prison enhancement. The methamphetamine producer can expect an additional 5-year penalty enhancement when a child is injured as a result of the methamphetamine production process” (Manning, 1999, p. 2).
The second step to decrease methamphetamine’s impact on children of producers and users is to create a program that unites the offices of law enforcement, district attorneys and social service providers. The goal of the program would be to cross-train these three agencies so that they may provide a unified response to incidents of methamphetamine production and use around children. A model program of this approach can be found in the San Diego County’s program call The Drug Endangered Children Program (DEC). “Besides enforcement, DEC studies and documents the environmental hazards that children are exposed to in these methamphetamine “kitchens of death.” Health care workers establish the medical procedures and document the testing of these children. Prosecutors then use this information to add child endangerment charges and new penalty enhancements targeting methamphetamine manufacturers” (Manning, 1999, p. 3).
This model program could easily be implemented in Illinois and more importantly locally in Cook County so that it can be in place to handle the increasing number of methamphetamine related incidents. The existence of successful multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency programs in Illinois such as: NEMERT, ALTERTS, MCAT and HIDA, demonstrate the viability of a program such as DEC that can be created in this state.

Mission Field

I attended a conference hosted by my church with my father-in-law who is a long time veteran in Law Enforcement. The guest pastor was making a case to all of the men gathered there, to go out into the world and commit acts of charity, mercy and witness. The bulk of his message and the follow up small group discussion was how to budget the time needed to fulfill this mission and examples of organizations or areas in which one could serve the Lord. I realized that the premise to this entire weekend was that for most people their job does not meet their obligations to love your neighbor and serve the Lord. Leviticus 19:18 states: 18Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. In other words, if your only task is to make more and more money for your company you need to go out and serve the Lord on your off time. I leaned over to my father-in-law and said, “Is it not great that we get paid to be in our mission field.” Our work as Policemen and Policewomen places us directly on the front lines in the business of saving people’s souls and performing Christian acts of charity. There are very few professions that involve this as a direct consequence of its duties and responsibilities. Titus 3:14 states: 14For our people should not have unproductive lives. They must learn to do good by helping others who have urgent needs. When I was in the private sector I had to find ways and times in which I could help others and witness; while in Police work the next call received is the next opportunity to demonstrate the love you have received from Jesus. I, however, took this ideal to an illogical end when I concluded that my job allowed me to meet all of my perceived service obligations to the Lord, and I did not need to serve in any other capacity, which contributed to a lazy Christian attitude. I however, have since learned that to be a fully rounded person you need to serve other people in a different environment other than Police work so that you do not think that every one in need is a person who has or is about to commit a criminal act.
I was in our booking room, with my street gang crime specialist partner, talking to another one of our chronically criminally misguided youths. We had just arrested him for running out of his apartment with a baseball bat after receiving a cell call informing him that a rival street gang was in a four by four driving around the streets by his home. Besides the foolishness of bringing a baseball bat to a potential gunfight, he had not checked to see if there were any Police Officers around his apartment. If he had, he would have seen the two of us in our bicycle patrol gear right outside his apartment’s front door. We suspected this teenager of involvement in illicit drugs sales, robbery, batteries and assorted other local unsolved crimes.
We had come to the end of our interview and were just about to release our wayward youth to his mother with a local ordinance ticket, when my partner, who is not a Christian, asked him to sit back down for a minute. My fellow Officer and I had spoken about this gang member in the recent past and we thought that if we could some how reach him, he had the potential of rising above his family and environment and becoming a successful human being. My partner spoke to this kid about the evils of using illicit drugs, alcohol use, bad grades, negative influences (Other gang members, wrong kind of friends, violence) and a prediction of what his future would hold if he should continue on his current path. Just when I thought that my partner was finished, he shocked me as he stated, pointing his finger at the young offender, “You know what you need? You need to find God. He is the only one that can make your life right.” My fellow Officer looked over at me and asked if there was any way that I could arrange for this kid to attend services at my church. I am a member of an excellent, large congregation church, and later made arrangements for our church bus to pick him up in order for him to attend services through our Spanish ministry, a service that unfortunately he never availed himself (Yes I attend an excellent very large congregation church). When we had given back the misguided youth to his mother and they were safely away, to their home, I asked my partner where the idea to set the gang member up with church had come from. He told me that he had heard me say this to a number of people and the only time he has seen anyone straighten out their life was when they “found God”. He went on to say that he knew that I would not attend a sub par church and thus that same church would be good for the kid. I asked him if he would want to go to a service with his family and mine and we set up a time and date. (Unfortunately, due to cancellations, conflicts and excuses, I am still trying to persuade my partner and his family to attend).
When I look back on that day, it is with the conclusion that this is Police work in the heart of the mission field. Here, I see God’s hand acting both on the criminals and my co-workers due to my presence as a Christian. That is certainly not to say that God needs me in any way to enact his plan, but I am just happy that he makes me a part of it. I did nothing other than perform my work functions but because of the very nature of the service that Officers are involved in, God is there with us acting in a real and tangible way. Philippians 2:13 states: 13For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. Christian Policemen and Policewomen are front line personnel in the mission field in the communities for which we serve.

Stylish new uniform for Liverpool police station

Architectural lighting company i-Vision has completed a stunning lighting design and supplied all necessary instruments and fixtures for the permanent illumination of Merseyside Police Authority's (MPA) headquarters in central Liverpool.

What a cool cost effective measure to up-date a govermental building without any type of construction.

When the Sheepdog kills the Sheep

Tyler Peterson the Sheriff's deputy who killed six and then himself in a rampage. This poses a question, what do you do when a Sheepdog kills his sheep? Tyler was a sworn officer that had promised to protect the innocent and by most accounts had performed that act adequately and now seven lives have been taken by his hand.

An officer that joins a police department must be ready, willing and able to take anothers or his own life should the circumstances call for it. The officer is provided with a multitude of devices whose sole purpose is to take anothers life away from him/her. That officer is trained on the proper methods and tactics to best take that life with the least amount of collateral damage. Then the officer is sent into the field and required to evaluate each and every incident to see if this ultimate course of action is necessary.

The unique and disturbing element of Tyler's actions is not that he killed or the method he used to take those seven lives but rather the circumstances of the incident in which the lives were taken. Tyler would be a hero if these lives belonged to terrorists or cult members in the midst of committing a terrorist act. Rather he is a monster because these six people were engaged in a party.

You can not ask the sheep to guard themselves because they quickly would fall pray to the predators. Nor can you make the sheepdog fang-less because then he/she would have nothing in which to guard the sheep. So the best you can hope for is to screen for the best sheepdogs and watch him/her to see if they grow rabid. We missed this rabid sheepdog and as a consequence some sheep died.

In the end the best that we can do is to remember all the sheepdogs that go about their business with honor and compassion when guarding the sheep and removing the predators. We must trust that the Shepperd knows the best way and will lead us from the fields to our pen.

Psalm 43:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

To just throw it all away? -The source of bad ideas-

One of the strengths that an officer has is his/her ability to focus on the here and now and to not allow long term consequences affect their actions or duties. However this skill is a major detriment in your personal life. The following is a list of officers that have thrown it all away by not considering the greater consequences of their acts. Remember the average pension of an officer that has twenty years of service and has reached fifty years of age will be over 1,000,000 during his/her life time.

1) Jul. 4, 2007--FORT WORTH -- A Fort Worth police officer has been fired after officials say he used police resources to find the address of a romantic rival whose pickup was later struck by gunfire outside his home, according to a disciplinary letter filed Monday with the Civil Service Commission. Police officials suspect that officer Jesse Banda, who joined the department in December 1999, was involved in or had knowledge about the shooting, according to the letter signed by Police Chief Ralph Mendoza.

2)Police officer fired for bounced check
Decision in Duxbury follows suspension and 'last warning'
By Robert Knox, Globe Correspondent | August 23, 2007 Officer Dale Parks has been fired by the Duxbury Police Department for writing a bad check and failing to make due on $2,000 owed to a local car dealership, said Town Manager Richard MacDonald .
But Parks's lawyer called the incident "a simple misunderstanding" between the officer and the business. Parks has appealed his firing to the state Civil Service Commission, which hears appeals by public employees who fall under the protection of the civil service laws. "It doesn't rise to the level of an offense that justifies termination," said Bradford Louison, of the Boston law firm Merrick, Louison & Costello. MacDonald said Parks's actions warranted termination as "conduct unbecoming a police officer." Parks was also suspended for six months two years ago for similar problems and had agreed to avoid violating department regulations.

3) CHATTANOOGA — A Chattanooga Police Department K-9 officer was fired and two others were suspended after an internal affairs probe concluded they falsified police dogs' certifications. The investigation involved two drug-sniffing Belgian Malinois dogs, Casper and Viper, purchased last year for $7,000 apiece in South Carolina. Officer Iran Meadows, the department's head trainer and a 12-year veteran, was fired Thursday for submitting false documents, untruthfulness during an internal affairs investigation, neglect of duty and conduct unbecoming an officer, department officials said Friday.

4) Cop fired after asking for date. Dismissed patrolman had asked woman for date
The Arizona Republic Sept. 21, 2006 12:00 AM
A Chandler police officer has been fired after he pulled over a woman under the guise of a traffic stop but instead asked her out on a date. Following an internal investigation, Officer Nathan Dixon, 37, was dismissed in late August - the second Chandler officer to be fired this year. The woman called the Professional Standards Section of the Chandler Police Department on July 12 and told them she was pulled over at 2:15 a.m. on July 8 by an officer in a marked patrol car who asked her out on a date, according to a dismissal letter to Dixon from Chandler police Chief Sherry Kiyler.

5) Details in the case of a police officer fired after he allegedly sent electronic messages to a 16-year-old girl are being aired at a hearing in Regina this week. Roberto Armando Siguenza, 30, lost his job last summer after police said he tried to start a relationship with the teenager. He's appealing the firing. Siguenza had arrested the now 17-year-old girl for shoplifting in May 2006 and learned she had a profile on a social networking website, the appeal hearing heard Monday. The officer allegedly sent the girl three brief e-mails that were not sexually explicit but were inappropriate, in the police service's view. She didn't answer them, but reported what had happened. The department's head of internal affairs at the time, Staff Sgt. Lauri Morin, decided the police would go online, posing as the girl herself, to see what would happen. Morin said Siguenza participated in a 60-minute chat that often included sexual references.

6) Sheriff's officer fired after probe
by Michaelangelo Conte Thursday August 16, 2007, 7:12 PM
A Hudson County sheriff's officer has been fired following an investigation triggered by the arrest of a man in her car, where police say they found drugs and a loaded gun, officials said. Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy said Officer Jennifer Ocasio was fired Tuesday, based on an administrative investigation following the arrest of Travis Lee Bruce, 24, of Rahway, on Beacon Avenue at Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City on June 10. Officials said Ocasio, who was still in her first-year probationary period as an officer, was fired for giving conflicting statements in her explanation of events leading to the arrest in her car. She told officers she did not know Bruce had her car, but a security camera at the Sheriffs Office captured images of her handing him the keys, an official said. On June 10 plainclothes officers were at a gas station when they saw Bruce rolling a marijuana cigarette in the driver's seat of Ocasio's car, reports said. The cops took Bruce out of the car, and they found a bag containing smaller bags of marijuana in the car, reports said. Bruce was taken into custody and the officers then learned the car belonged to Ocasio, reports said. While one of the cops was driving the car to the police station, he found a loaded .38 caliber handgun under the driver's seat, reports said. Ocasio was issued a ticket for allowing an unlicensed driver to use her car, reports said. Cassidy said it was not Ocasio's gun, and said he did not know the relationship between Bruce and Ocasio. Ocasio remained on duty until her termination.

7) Police Officer Fired for Smoking by Chris Arnold. All Things Considered, July 1, 2003 · Wayne Jeffrey was fired from his job as a police officer for smoking tobacco off-duty. Not only that, but the action was based on an anonymous letter. It sounds ridiculous, but Jeffrey, like other Massachusetts police officers and firefighters hired since 1988, signed a pledge not to smoke. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

8)LENOIR CITY, Tennessee: A part-time police officer was fired and another resigned after a video of an officer's night shift activities titled "Memoirs of a Lonely Policeman" surfaced online. In one scene filmed inside a gas station, the video contained a caption that read "Me sooo horny" while officer Marc Grossbard was talking to a female clerk. Grossbard, who fills in on the midnight shift, appears in the eight-minute clip on duty and in uniform driving his patrol car and talking with other officers, according to a posting of the video by WBIR-TV. Grossbard was fired Wednesday for violation of several city policies, said Don White, police chief in Lenoir City. Another part-time officer, Kevin Walker, resigned Tuesday, citing personal matters, White said. "I feel like our citizens know that we have a professional police department," White told The Knoxville News Sentinel on Thursday. "This is not a reflection of the whole department, just a reflection of two part-time police officers."

9) Female Police Officer Fired For Appearing In Girls Gone Wild Video-Officer shown on Girls Gone Wild video

A female police officer in Florida was fired recently after it was discovered that she had appeared in a Girls Gone Wild video, a video series notorious for showing partying girls performing lewd, sexual acts for the camera. She showed the tape, which displayed her dancing and touching herself at the Fantasy Fest celebration in Key West in 2001 to a co-worker, supposedly inside a police car in Punta Gorda, Florida. "Her termination was for violating department procedures," said Butch Arenal of the Punta Gorda Police Department. The female officer says that the department knew of the video when they hired her. Can you imagine the moment when she pulls over a guy that has seen her "work" on the Girls Gone Wild video? Now that would be an interesting ticket... I guess it will never happen now though, now that she's been fired.

10) MARTINSVILLE, Ind. -- The Martinsville Police Department has fired a reserve police officer accused of firing a bullet toward the sky during a recent party, 6News' Ben Morriston reported. Police said they believe Reserve Officer David Ferris was intoxicated and pointed his department-issued handgun at his head during a party in a Martinsville-area subdivision. "The information was that he supposedly held it to his head and made statements saying, 'You think I won't? You think I won't?'" Martinsville Police Chief Frans Hollanders said.Authorities said friends tried to talk Ferris into putting down the gun. "While they were doing that, he took the weapon away from his head, pointed it up in the sky and fired a round," Morgan County sheriff's Sgt. Mark Wilson said. No one was hurt. Partygoers took the gun from Ferris and called 911, police said. Police said Ferris pulled the gun after believing that his 17-year-old son flashed a gang sign.

First you want them fired for bringing shame on our profession. Second you want better selection process so that they do not make it in the first place. But you have to acknowledge that the ability of an officer not to let the potential of death and injury to haunt them and diminish their productivity is the same source that produces these problems.

Psalm 116:5-7 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society



5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

My son's letter to the troops-school assignment

Dear my solider friend,


My name is Ross. I am eight years old. My school is Messiah Lutheran School, which is in Chicago, Illinois. I am on a baseball team and play soccer at Merrimack Park and play baseball at Oriole Park. I have fun. My favorite book is the Hardy Boys. They are boys who solve cases. My favorite Hardy book is The Mystery of the Chinese Junk.
Thank you for fighting for us. I know that you are in the army to keep us safe and free. Where are you right now and what do you like to do? If you have a picture of you that you could send me I will take it to school and put it on a bulletin board so we can all pray for you.



Thanks again for serving,


Rosario


I will post the reply, if any, he gets back.

Unexpected Sacrifices

I was thinking about the two Boston fire fighters that perished in the Tai Ho restaurant fire today. Paul J. Cahill had a blood alochol level of .27 BAC (.08 BAC considered DUI) and Warren J. Payne was found to have cocaine in his system. I then discovered the newspaper article about Wheaton Illinois Officer Thomas M. Wilson (35yoa) who was arrested because he shoved $85 worth of DVD's into his pants and then left a Costco Store.

I began thinking about the sacrifices we give up to be men and women police officers and fire fighters. These sacrifices are not always readily evident nor easily understood by those who partake of our services but are nevertheless outside our chosen fields.

The particular sacrifice I am alluding to is the ability to make personal mistakes and commit actions that lead to self-inflicted wounds. For most people in most professions substance abuse and mental illness damage only themselves with a little collateral damage to the families of those involved in personal destruction. The risk of showing up to work drunk is really about the DUI getting to work and the treat of loosing your job. However PO's and FF's metal and physical relate directly to the welfare of our co-workers and the citizens who we are trying to aid. We do not have the option to be a "functional alcoholic" or mildly psychotic. Simple put we have a lot less room to mess our lives up then the general public.

This may seem like an obvious point but we do not get second chances at life and remain in this profession. Further we do not have the luxury to temporally fall from grace then decide to pick ourselves up. Rather, we fall and then we have to flee.

In law enforcement addiction is three times the average, suicide twice the average and mental illness more than double the national average. I wonder if the added stress of wondering, while you are going through a dark time, if this personal trial will cost you your job. Quite an additional stress to an already stressful situation. While it is best poor personal decisions are never made. nevertheless they are indeed made all the time with terrible consequences. I wonder if I understood when I joined the force that along with many other sacrifices I would be giving up my life "mulligans"?

PO's and FF's sacrifice their ability to make mistakes in their personal lives in order to be there to bail out the public when they suffer the consequences of their personal destructions.