The False Narrative of Racism: Not all social media sources are bad, just like not all police officers are bad. There are always the good eggs… and then the not so good eggs. Do not be misled. Know the facts.
Law enforcement has not had a good relationship with the public for a long time now. Especially this year in 2020. But even though we had seen some hard and devastating things occur this year, there have also been police officers who are saving lives and helping children and families.
There is always a good and bad side to everything. But the most important thing to remember is not to get misled and know the facts. There are positive stories for every negative one. When law enforcement is called upon when there is an issue, we expect them to perform. Each interaction is different. Here are some positive outcomes.
A Baby saved in the middle of a protest
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shared a video this week of a California sheriff’s deputy, who was monitoring a protest last month, jumping into action to save an 11-month-old baby.
footage shows two women running into a parking lot after the baby boy stopped breathing during a demonstration at a park in Palmdale, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles, on May 31, after he swallowed a coin.
The baby’s mother stopped to pat his back and the other woman flagged down Deputy Cameron Kinsey, who was monitoring the protest. Two officers arrived Monday morning to a man–sitting on the edge of the Roberto Clemente Bridge–who told officers he was going to hurt himself by jumping on the 10th street bypass.
When officers were close enough, they grabbed him from behind and took him to Western Psych where he will receive help.
Operation Bedtime
The Vernon Hills Police Department has decided to give back to the community amid fears surrounding the new coronavirus outbreak by launching “Operation Bedtime Stories.”
Police officers from the agency will be reading bedtime stories each night, which will be posted on the department’s Facebook page. The first bedtime story, Little Blue Truck, was read by Officer Lindsay Laas on March 24. On Friday, Sgt. Mike Katzenstein shared one of his favorites, which he “read to his boys when they were little,” The Napping House, by Audrey Wood.
Operation Bedtime Stories is the brainchild of Officer Laas. The stories are meant to help officers connect with families as police have had to put off community presentations, station tours, and its majority of day-to-day contacts, according to authorities.
“The hope behind this read-along project is to give parents a little break and give the kids something to look forward to each night,” Laas said. The bedtime stories are posted on the Vernon Hills Police Department Facebook page at 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday
“With normal routines disrupted we felt it was a way to put something positive out for the kids and we hope to continue this program as long as the quarantine is in place,” said Jeff Hemesath, Vernon Hills Police Department crime prevention officer.
Children rescued from gunpoint at their lemonade stand
Two Illinois teenagers who were running a lemonade stand were robbed at gunpoint, and local police stepped in to replenish the stolen funds.
Earlier this month Jude Peterson and his friend Tristan Charbonnel, both 13, set up a lemonade stand in Peterson’s Peoria neighborhood when police said two people, one of which had a gun, robbed the stand and the incident was reportedly caught by a neighbor’s surveillance camera.
Charbonnel told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that “last week two boys came up with a gun and took all the money.”
“It was really surprising, but there wasn’t really time to be scared,” he continued. Peterson and Charbonnel were not injured and the thieves took off with the cash box, which contained about $30, the Peoria Journal-Star reported.
Peterson’s father Nathan told the news outlet that Peoria police officers who showed up to the scene “were buying $20 lemonades, which was really kind of them.”
“They were super-gentle with the kids and really seemed to care,” he added.
When people in the neighborhood learned of what had happened, they reportedly stopped by the lemonade stand to donate money and items, including candy and potato chips, to sell.
Chief Loren Marion with the Peoria Police Department told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that the community policing sergeant with his department “came up with the idea after the incident happened to do a fund-raiser for the kids.”
Marion said he sent out an email to the department and said, “‘Hey, we would like to try to replace the money with these kids and encourage them.’ And it took off from there.”
“There were so many people helping us out,” Charbonnel said on Sunday. Marion said on Sunday that detectives assigned to the case are “making progress”. He believes they will make an arrest.
The dangers of social media for law enforcement
In many ways, social media and the police go together. Police departments, which already generate high levels of both emotion and controversy, are particularly susceptible to social media misfires. That’s because, while most businesses and brands have a solid grasp on what you should and shouldn’t do on social media in a professional context. The do’s and don’ts in the context of law enforcement are less established.
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), founded over 100 years ago in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is also the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country.
Additionally, the Illinois FOP is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing over 33,000 active duty and retired police officers – more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide.