inSCIghts

The Thin Blue Line Gets a Little Thicker

May 22nd, 2012 | Author: Dr. Ross Riggs

As the National Law Enforcement Memorial Week has drawn to a close both on the Mall in Washington DC and elsewhere; another 300 plus names are on the forever engraved on the wall.  We realize that many of those were not shot or injured in the last calendar year, but were from previous times and their information has now been updated enough for them to be included. However, over one –third were alive and well this time last year. What about those alive and working today? Will their name be one added next year? If you were able to ask any of those whose name was just added for this past year, one year ago if they imagined  where they would be; if  they had any fore-knowledge or suspicion, perhaps a premonition; most likely the answer would be ‘no.’

The Thin Blue Line

But, ladies and gentlemen of law enforcement does it take adding over 300 names to our memorial wall to remind us that each and every day, we are at war? War… not a career. We are as a country, a people, as our military and as law enforcement as the thin blue line of defense in America, some describe it as the thin blue line between civilization and anarchy. The truth of the matter is: we are at war. War brings death. War brings pain and suffering, injuries and disabilities. War brings separation from loved ones. War, someone once said, is hell. ‘Capt. Hawkeye Pierce’ of M*A*S*H fame said once that ‘war is war and hell is hell.’ That hell has no innocent bystanders.

When you go to your shift, whatever precinct, borough, county, city, small town or village; whether patrol, DB, homicide, vice, even attached to a Homeland Security task force, do you feel like you are going to war, to battle? My suspicion is that you do not. You read someone like me, who is writing about your role in this war against terrorists and you think I am blowing smoke. So, back to your coffee break, maybe signal out at the hospital where that cute new nurse is on duty, don’t worry about anything like terrorism happening in your little neck of the woods. That is for the big boys; the feds or anyone other than you.

November 28, 2011

“Local police bust a phone hacking ring that is sending money to terrorists. Investigators then uncovered a paper trail that proved the funds were going to al Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).”

Sept 28 2007 Local police arrested Houssein Zorkot, “who is of Lebanese dsecent, after he was spotted walking around a park wielding an AK-47 assault rifle, wearing camouflage makeup and dark clothes. Zorkot’s website includes praise for Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah.” It also links to Al-Manar, a satellite television controlled by Hizballah and contains statements such as: “Hezbollah protects Lebanon” and “Hezbollah is a national resistance organization.” Location: Wayne State University. He was a medical student there.

“In July of 2005, officers from (Torrance CA) police department arrested two suspects for robbing a local gas station. As the investigation continued to unfold, the officers came face-to-face with a direct act of domestic terrorism. An Islamic extremist group based …in California and known as “Assembly of Authentic Islam” (JIS) was uncovered. This group, operating primarily in state prisons without apparent connections or direction from outside the United States, committed several armed robberies throughout Southern California, including the one in Torrance. The robberies were committed with the goal of financing attacks against the enemies of Islam, including the United States government and supporters of Israel.” (Torrance CA has a population of about 147,000 people.)

These are just the first three examples from the first investigative website I pulled up to show you what I am talking about and yes these are a few years old, but you get my point, I hope.  You can rest assured that you are not alone in this fight however.

The retired and off-duty cops across this country have been arming themselves well based on the federal, Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. Carrying for officers who are retired, still qualifying and capable is becoming more common place and the number of times is increasing in which retired officers are stepping in to assist an officer who is injured or happen to be in the right place at the right time as some recent church shooting crimes have gone down and these armed officers made a difference. Yes, I agree with you; there are some retired cops that should not be out there wielding a badge and a gun. The LEOSA takes care of that in the annual qualification process where they must meet the same standards as the current on-duty cops.

I urge you, cops of all agencies, specialties, patrol assignments, administrative responsibilities; remember, we, the United States of America (our people not our government) is at war with a radical bunch of people who have threatened to kill every last one of us. Start acting like you know you are at war. Teach your citizens how to protect themselves. Serve them with the professional courtesy they deserve. Be aggressive in your learning and in enhancing your skill set. Always watch your partner’s back and make certain he or she is watching yours. Go home safe at the end of your shift. Rest up and come back to the fight willing to give it everything you have. You are the thin blue line. In some places it is a little thicker than others but it is what it is and you are crucial to keeping it. God bless you, your families and may God bless America.

[Dr. Ross L. Riggs, Director Security Consulting Investigations, LLC, parent company to GSC21 –Global Security Consulting for the 21^st Century www.security-consulting.us    www.globalsecurityconsulting.us]