7/28/2019 Blue Wall of Silence, Police Unions, Oversight and the Black Community

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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

POLICE

By DAMON K. JONES

As a Law Erce-e ofcer r 23 ears ad 13 ears asa u Delegae, ihave asssed he

g sae legsla r rghsbees Crrec ofcers. saed earler wrgs, law rcee s pla a dsc he prec labr rghsbees r ales ’s

bers agas he eress  e ha epl hse ebers.

Whe labr rghs are sed asver r blaa cral acs  as cvl ad csal

s czes b law erce- here ca be prbles whhere cc eress.

e wll arge ’s sll he’s eres ac was hahe eplee scceed. oherssa ha cverg r pssblees ad csal vlaslael re dereal r ebers he lg r wh egr, respec ad cp- wh hse he have swrrec.

i he hghl pblczed new k C maral race, Decra-

ddaes are beg crczed b ce us r prpsg leg- r a ispecr Geeral.ecr Geeral perr ves-

s help esre ha agecesllwg he law; de e, rad, ad abse; d de-ces ageces’ prgras ha he abl acheve her; reced crrecve

; ad esre apprpraesparec ad versgh.

Accrdg he  Amsterdamws , here have bee, “224 peple

d b plce new yrk scekllg Aad Dall”, wh

klled b 41-blles, red b dercver nyPD fcers

9. i 2012 ale, nyPD klledeple, averagg earl w kll-a h. Te sae sas shw earl 90 perce hse

d were Black r Hspac. new k has a hsr, dag back 1940’s, ha Black fcers

clhes r -d have beea, sh, r klled b her whe

cerpars. Tere have bee 27cdes new yrk lke hs hahave accred ad nEVER happe he reverse.

 Wescheser C has bee e hese pes -cdeces. Te kllg DeecveChrspher Rdle p he sp-lgh he eed r beer plcerag, versgh ad ebeddedracal sses wh a plcedepares ad ces  clr Wescheser C. A-er he Rdle cde, here wasqesable plce shg adcdc he cases wh vcslke; DJ Her, nyPD Sg. Ksse-

d, ad rered Crrec ofcerKeeh Chaberla Sr. i he DJHer case, he ederal deps m Pleasa Plce Che Ls Alag ad L. Faell hasexpsed he “mds oprad”  he plce depares cvergp deahs black e. Accrdg he Federal Depss, hesesw law ercee fcals l geeraed alse reprs bPlce Che Alag ade alsesaees he press ccerghe acal cdes ha led heshg DJ Her.

Fales law ercee,

lke reglar cvla ales whselved es are sh, sh a, rklled are sbjeced he Plceu rherc blag he vc-. Weeks aer he kllg DJHer, Pleasavlle Plce De-pare ad s Plce BeevleAssca gave he sher, of-cer Ar Hess, he “ofcer he

 year Award”. Wha acs kdessad gdess was ced herha he klled a g black a

 wh he crcsaces are sll dspe? Wha essage des hssed he wder c, he

black c ad he a-l ha s grevg? Aer lls dllars legal ees, jdgesad selees, e law e-rcee has e er a pracve sl hw we casp hs epdec, eve whe e her w have bee klled.

i exag Chrspher D-ers as “maes” brgsback chllg eres whaa gd fcers have wessed

b are arad repr. A gdfcer reprg plce cres adabse beces a arge ad cas.i a cases, plce aageead eleced fcals cver a dr deeds a ew bad apples b gg aer he fcer ha repredhe dr secre r wha he callhe “leak”. i a cases se arecas r red. ma black fcershave aced he “Der Scear” r

 js sadg p r wha’s rgh her depare ad her c-es. i’s a shae ha eve afcer sadg p r jsce s la-beled “A- Cp” ad hs s wh a fcers, bh black ad whe

sa sle da.i hs 2005 bk “BreakgRak: A tp Cp’s Expsé heDark Sde Aerca Plcg”,rer Seale Plce Che nrSaper explas he plchreas ha ake he Ble Walls sccessl: “y have rel

 r ellw fcers back . Acp wh a repa as a sch se vlerable plce fcer, lkel  d hs peers slw respd reqess r backp— he shw p a all. A sch s sbjec scalsbbg r alcs sche, rsabage. Te peer pressre s chld-

sh ad chrlsh, b ’s real. Few cps ca sad p .”

 Te mlle Css re-pred 1994, ha nyPD de-pare’s leadershp ad ieralAars Brea were d belkg he her wa whle heplce rafcked weaps ad sldprec drg dealers. Tecss’s ceral receda- was ha he c creae a srgdepede bd r heplce reas, as releva da, as was drg ha scadal earl 20

 ears ag.

 Te mlle Css Re-pr als ed, “Plce sad raeral rgazas ca dch crease pressals r plce fcers. urael,based her bservas ad ra receved r prs-ecrs, crrp vesgars,ad hgh-rakg plce fcals,plce s sees el heslar ha characerzes plceclre.” Te ccls he

mlle Css was ha herepr deed a cc er-es r he s, whch preche eress dvdal fcersad pre he larger eress  her ebers, dg ha. ir-call, “the PBA does a great disservice to the vast majority of its members who would be happy to see corrupt cops prosecuted for their crimes and re-moved from their jobs.” 

ma fcers beleve eg-r he law ad he prec  

he c g her ahlar chaghe dvdal ebedded ble wdsegraed hparec ad ercee fc ha

Damon K. Jones resentative of Blament of America.

lue Wall of Silence, Police Unions, Oversight and the Black Com

GOLF . DINING . PARTIE

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