It is disheartening to see the phenomenon of hate embraced by so many people who don't understand the origin, meaning, or impact. To grasp the significance, you must first understand what it means. It is an intense, deep-seated emotional response of strong dislike,...
MAJOR BEN’S ARTICLES
Below is a list of articles by Major Ben Brooks that have appeared in the Times Herald.
Daddy, What Time Will You Be Home Tonight?
Every family member asks this question daily. I wonder how many leaders realize the gravity of that question for their officers. When they get up in the morning, they have quiet time with their family before embarking on, hopefully, another routine day at the office....
Leaks
A leak is an unintended hole, crack, or fault that allows a substance- such as a liquid, gas, or light- to escape or enter a container or system. As a child growing up in the rural South, I watched my father build his own home. At that time, he installed a tin roof....
Bias Understood
As an international speaker, trainer, and consultant, I have been intrigued by the lack of understanding of various terms, with people using them without knowing their meanings or applications. At one of my National Speakers Association conferences, a presenter shared...
Fear and Bias as a Law Enforcement Blind Spot
Fear – an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger real or imagined. Origin - past experiences (0-6) History - nomadic days (fight or flight) Survival function - to protect us, triggered by a significant event, i.e., hot, cold, wet, trauma Source: New...
DEI America’s Biggest Blind Spot
In 2016, I took a course with AARP in defensive driving. Having been driving since I was sixteen, I was curious about what the instructor could teach me. I signed up for the course to get a discount on my car insurance. As the instructor went through his orientation,...
DEI, The Latest Bogeyman
DEI is the latest catchphrase that is the catalyst for the present state of the divided states of America. We raise and salute the flag as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America. As patriotic as that sounds, it is far from our day-to-day...
The Reality of Community Policing
Many police executives approached community-oriented policing with a great deal of skepticism because they didn’t realize the critical role that the community plays in their success. Many felt they could do it on their own. Dr. Lee Brown, a former police commissioner...
A Practical Approach to Addressing School Shootings
After Columbine, over four hundred school shootings were reported in America. Every citizen should be outraged that our society has allowed that to happen. Schools should be the safest place in our community for our students, staff, and teachers. It is challenging to...
A Nation Of Cowards
Former Atty. Gen. Eric Holder once said that America is a nation of cowards and he received a great deal of pushback for his statement. As I listened to his pronouncement, I wondered what was the concern about his statement. America has always had an issue with...
Masks and Officer Safety
By Major Ben Brooks
As a career law enforcement officer, I am perplexed by the recent debate over officers wearing masks. Everything I learned about law enforcement involved honesty, integrity, and, most of all, transparency. The federal government has a duty to present law enforcement officers professionally, thereby enhancing officer safety.
The latest move of having law officers appear in the community to confront citizens while wearing a mask is laughable. The weak excuse is to protect the officer’s safety. The practice makes no sense, particularly when professional law enforcement officers are struggling to connect with the community they serve. There have been years of building relationships with the community to address crime effectively in our neighborhoods.
The federal government files lawsuits against municipalities that feel a need to protect their citizens from vigilante and hooliganism. As one of the first African-Americans to enlist in the Pennsylvania State police, I can imagine the public outcry if I showed up to answer the complaint wearing a mask. The most important thing the government can do is ensure that officers are unmasked and able to treat people with dignity, respect, and self-worth. Having faith in those who enforce the law will ensure greater cooperation and more effective performance of their duties.
One of the rationales the government put forth was protecting officers’ personal identities is particularly important during the high-risk enforcement operations involving individuals with violent criminal history, gang affiliations, transnational criminal organizations, and known or suspected terrorists. That is a PLE (perfectly logical excuse): professional law enforcement does not resort to hooliganism. The public should not be bamboozled by these unacceptable tactics. Traditional law enforcement performs these duties every day, unmasked.
It is time for law enforcement officials to chime in to address this perilous method of operation within the community. We know that the community needs to police, and the police need the community to perform their duties effectively. In the community, where law enforcement officials hide their identities, cooperation with them is greatly impacted.