A Discussion of Criminal Justice Issues and Other Things

Saturday, April 10, 2010

WHAT???

I was reading through a bunch of Facebook entries today and came across this one:
“It’s hard for me to understand how you don’t understand.”
I thought about the statement for a while and pondered if it might be more profound than one might consider at first glance.

In a business where frustration is often the rule of the day, is part of the challenge to understand is the simple fact that we often don't understand others? We each come to this point in time from our own frame of reference: our own life experiences and we often are confounded when others don't get what we are saying or communicating to them.

The challenge for us is to first seek to understand others so we can then better empathize with their situation. Much of our strength as law enforcement officers is derived from our ability to seek first to understand others. It is a gift that most folks will never truly......understand.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Intersting Blog Posting

A friend of mine sent this link to me today.  It is from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  There has been discussions for years about how education or the lack of it impacts police officers' conduct and how they go about doing their jobs.

The ability of obtaining an education  in and of itself will not cure all the ills facing the law enforcement community, but it is part of an overall process to address issues of what makes good officers dating all the way back to Woodrow Wilson.

What the article doesn't state; however is most Minnesota law enforcement agencies' starting salaries for police officers is in excess of $50,000 per year; the pension plan is fully vested in 3 years and individuals can retire before they are 60.    There are  generally educational incentives and the POST board in Minnesota is proactive in the ability to provide law enforcement administrators the information necessary on potential candidates and their histories.

The combination of all these factors provides the opportunity for hiring quality officers.  The bottom line; however, still revolves around the community's willingness to invest the dollars necessary to hire and retain quality police officers.  This means good equipment, support by elected officials, the ability of elected officials to stay out of the  law enforcement aspects of the job and to make sure that city administrators and managers  allow police administrators to do their jobs.

There are success stories in other states and communities.  Each community  receives the type of policing they will tolerate or the type they demand of their police agency. A community that promotes integrity through actions and accountability sets the  groundwork to such  an environment in a police agency to happen.  Communities that  want special favors, try to  interfere with the just administration of the law create corrupt environments.

Bottom  line, there is no "silver bullet" for good  cops or police agencies.  It takes a community effort to make this happen and a financial commitment to ensure the long-term success.

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Interesting Post

Thought some of you might be interested in viewing this web site.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Lady Hornets on their national championship basketball win last night. The details are right here.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Tornado Season Is Here Again

This the season,  at least  throughout the Midwest part of the
United States to be ready for tornado season.  I know
that with snow on the ground in some parts of
the place it's hard to think about it but you should
have your emergency plan in place and know
what to do and where to go in the event of severe
weather.  Be prepared!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

You Know You Are From Kansas IF:.....

1. You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.

2. You have never met any celebrities. (Bob Dole isn't a celebrity; he's your neighbor.)

3. You know the meaning of Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

4. Your closest neighbor is more than a mile away and you can still see him from your front porch.

5. You can properly pronounce Salina, Basehor, Cimarron, Schoenchen, Kechi, Olathe and Osawatomie.

6. Going on vacation means going to Hutch to the fair or to Abilene to Ike's museum.

7. A traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.

8. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F150 4x4 is. (Except in Johnson County)

9. You discover that in July it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.

10. The terms Sooners and Huskers cause hairs on the back of your neck to stand up straight and your blood pressure to rise.

11. You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.

12. You think people who complain about the wind and weather in their states are SISSIES!

13. You are not surprised to find movie rentals, ammunition and bait all in the same store.

14. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door but by the availability of shade.

15. You have been asked, "Where is Toto" more than once.

16. You had at least one summer job that was bucking bales or custom cutting.

17. More than once you've made a beer run to another state.

18. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned to multiply.

19. Your school classes have been canceled because of the cold.

20. You know in your heart that KU or K-State can beat Oklahoma in football.

21. Traffic congestion is ten cars waiting to pass a combine on the highway.

22. You have had to switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

23. You know everything goes better with Ranch.

24. Your school classes have been canceled because of the heat.

25. You have ridden the school bus for more than an hour each way.

26. In August, you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:00 a.m.

27. You instantly know someone is from Johnson County when they call everything west of Topeka "Western" Kansas.

28. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.

29. You know the real way to pronounce the name of Clinton's state and the river. ar-KAN-saw (former) & arKANSAS (latter)

30. You think the opening day of pheasant season is a national holiday.

31. "Vacation" means going to Kansas City or Wichita for the weekend.

32. You measure distance in hours.

33. You know several people who have hit more than one deer.

34. You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.

35. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

36. You think of the major food groups as beer, beef and beans.

37. You carry jumper cables in your car and make sure your better half knows how to use them.

38. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

39. You know the 4 seasons as: summer, road construction, still summer, winter.

40. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you're in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

41. You lock the doors to your truck but leave the windows rolled down.

42. You call sodas just plain ol' "Pop"!!

43. You feel safe leaving you truck running while you go in the gas station.

44. You had at least one field trip in grade school that went to a dairy farm or one room school house.

45. FINALLY..... you are 100% Kansan if........... You actually understand these jokes and invite all your friends to this group.
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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Best Cop Movies of all Time

This link will take you to a connection that lists the best cop movies of all time. It's an enjoyable look back.

Press here for the link

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Trivia



Recognize this picture? I'm curious if you recognize the company and the year. Let me know.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Attention all Minnesota and Wisconsin Residents

I know that this time of year there will be lots of Minnesota and Wisconsin folk headed south for the holidays. I'd like to suggest that when you plan your stop after 8 hours of driving, you consider staying in Emporia, Kansas.

As a former Minnesota resident, I can tell you that prior to moving to Emporia, we stopped here often for the night because of the easy on and off interstate access on our way to visit family in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Emporia is also the junction of I-35 and I-335 so it's a great place to stop and get ready for the rest of your trip to South Texas and points beyond.

In addition to the hotels and chain restaurants along the "I," you will find the best barbecue, Asian cuisine as well as home-grown Mexican food all within a mile of your hotel location. There are also specialty shops as well as historical venues to visit while you are here. Emporia is considered the gateway to the Flint Hills. You may want to spend an extra day here to explore the history of the city who founded Veteran's Day, visit the National Teacher's Hall of Fame or tour the home of William Allen White. Also you may want to drive out to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Feel free to visit the Chamber web site for more information. Empoia is only 90 miles west of Kansas City on I-35, 50 miles south of Topeka on I-335 and 70 miles north of Wichita on I-35.



Emporia is a great place to visit and stay. I hope you will consider visiting us the next time you head south.

Leadership Emporia

I was fortunate to be invited to be one of the day chairs for Leadership Emporia last Thursday. Representative Peggy Mast was kind enough to invite me to assist her with the instruction of the day that centered on students learning how to advocate for their ideas or new concepts.

It was an enjoyable day.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Teddy Says

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.


Theodore Roosevelt

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Murrow Says.....

Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.
Edward R. Murrow

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Carry On

I was reading a posting from Joel Osteen today.

"In the Bible, David had all kinds of challenges. People lied about him, accused him, and tried to kill him."

In Psalm 59 he says, "My enemies are coming against me like vicious dogs trying to destroy me. But as for me, what am I going to do? I will sing about Your power. And I will shout for joy for You are my refuge, my place of safety in my day of distress."

Despite the best effort of my enemies, I will overcome because of the power and joy provided by God.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Lost Child Found.

This link takes you to a Fox News article about an abducted child at age 11 who was found 18 years later living in a storage shed in the back yard of the couple who apparently abducted here. And the crux of the situation is the man involved is a life-time convicted sex offender.

This story just underscores the need to better track and deal with sex offenders.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Driving While Texting Will Kill You

Here's a great video from the UK posted on Youtube.

Please Don't drive distracted especially with a handy aka cell phone.