Behind the Badge                       “Life after the squad”

By Joseph Pangaro

Every year thousands of police officers reach retirement age. Many of them go on to second careers in industry, sales, retail, or private security. Donna Roman Hernandez took a different road.

Donna is a retired police captain from Caldwell NJ. Having spent 28 years on the job she retired and began following her heart. She began making movies, documentaries and other short films. Donna started her own film production company “Blue Force Films”.

Using real life stories of police officers and the things that happened to them during their careers she began telling their stories. Her films have won numerous film festival awards, accolades and contests all across the country.

One of the many hero’s she featured includes Sgt. Ken Hogan, who survived a deadly shooting incident while on duty in north Jersey. Titled “A Call for Valor” it’s a film that gives you the sergeants point of view as the incident unfolded and is a primer for all police officers on being prepared, mental attitude and the will to survive. Another award winner was the “Newark Street Preachers” A true tale of the men from Newark NJ inspired by the message of Dr. Martin Luther King, they use non-violence to deal with many of societies toughest problems.

In 2010 Donna created a web TV series called “Crossing Blood Lines”. This project won the NY film festival for best new web series. It’s the fictional tale of a fictional northern Jersey town. The main characters and plot lines follow a group of police officers and some of their relatives who are involved in the world of organized crime. The action is gritty, the emotion real, and the stories and characters grab you and hold your attention. Donna is currently trying to move the web series forward and turn Crossing Blood Lines (CBL) into a feature length movie.

Of all the work she has done and all the awards she has received the most powerful story she tells is her own. Donna is the survivor of domestic violence. Her movie “ The Ultimate Betrayal: A Survivors Journey” is the story of her own family and their battle to survive her fathers attacks on Donna and her mother.  The film doesn’t hold anything back. As the writer, director and subject matter, she revealed everything about those harrowing times and the situations that threatened not only her family but her very life. Once you see the film you will be amazed at Donnas strength, resilience and ability to survive such intense violence. To know her makes her even more amazing. She has a love of life and people that is overwhelming in its scope. Knowing where she has come from and what she lived through should provide hope for anyone in a similar situation as well as the rest of us as we celebrate her life and the spirit of hope the films leaves you with.

Some other films include “Fallen Blue Heroes” a tribute to the officers who have paid the ultimate price, and “Closure” an award winning short film about 9/11 and the effects of that day.  

Those achievements alone would be enough for most ordinary people, but not for Donna Roman Hernandez. She also writes a monthly column for the NJ Cops magazine, a magazine for police officers published by the NJ State PBA. Donna also hosts her own weekly Internet radio show, “The Jersey Beat”, where she discusses topics of interest to police officers and civilians alike. She is a one woman army.

On any  given night Donna can be found talking to women’s groups, survivors groups, shooting footage for her next film or helping a friend in need. Her life story is awesome, her energy is infectious and her optimism is a beacon for all who know her. She is one to watch in the future and you can say you heard about her here first. I am proud to call her my friend and inspiration. I am not ready to retire just yet, but I know when I do make that move there will be plenty to keep me busy if I want to follow Donnas lead.

If you would like to learn more about Donna and Blue Force Films or see her movies go to www.blueforcefilms.com   You can also see her web series by going to www.kickstarter.com and look up Crossing Blood Lines. You too will be inspired by a truly unique person and police officer, Donna Roman Hernandez.

Other places

“Behind the Badge”                            Other places

By Joseph Pangaro

Having spent my entire law enforcement career here in New Jersey I always assumed that police work was the same everywhere. I recently went to the state of Florida for a short period of rest and relaxation. I had the opportunity to meet officers from Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa, Orlando, Cape Canaveral and the Highway Patrol.

We talked about their daily work and how they handled things down in paradise. As I thought, most of their job was the same as the work for any officer here in New Jersey. They handle traffic, drunk drivers, domestic violence incidents, robberies, drugs, and all the other aspects of crime in a modern society.

It was inevitable that the topic of citizen’s rights  and other constitutional issues came up. As a resident and police officer in the north east I am accustomed to the thinking that if someone robs you, give them your wallet. If they want your car, give them the keys. What I heard from the officers and residents in Florida was a bit different.

I also spoke to other people that live in various parts of the state about citizens rights, and their attitudes about crime and the ability to protect oneself. I was really surprised by the general atmosphere around the topic. Now to be sure, taking any high profile cases that might be in the news out of the equation, that is not a topic I want to comment on until all the facts are in so let’s not go there.

What I did find was the fact that since the year 2000, there have been over 880,000 concealed carry permits issued by the state of Florida to its residents.  And since that time only 162 of them have been revoked because the person with the permit was involved in some type of criminal action, not necessarily a gun crime.  That’s pretty astounding. When I asked about the process to get a concealed carry permit I was told “It’s simple” you go to a gun range, fill out some forms, test for proficiency on the weapon and if you can handle the gun, you get the permit. That’s it.

I was talking to a young woman, 26 years old who works in a doctors office in Jacksonville. She told me she had a carry permit and showed me the 9mm handgun she had in a holster. I asked her why she thought she needed to carry a gun, had she been the victim of a crime?  “No” she said she had never been victimized “but”, she added “why should I be, with this I can protect myself”.  

Over and over again, from cops to citizens the one common thread in most of their comments was the same; We carry guns because we can and we protect ourselves and our families because we should”. This is very different from the way we do business up here. As a police officer I don’t know how I feel about that, the idea of everyone running around with guns is one I am not accustomed to. As a citizen of the United States I have a deep and abiding love of and dedication to the Constitution and the second amendment, but it just seems like everyone having guns would just mean more gun fights.

When I asked the local cops they said the number of gun fights is very low, while the number of people who protect themselves with their legal guns is very high. The officers said they definitely go to calls for service and other police responses more cautiously knowing that anyone involved in the call could be armed, but since its part of the culture they don’t worry about the good guys with guns. As one officer put it “Down here you have to be careful who you rob, the victim might have a gun and not want to be robbed. That doesn’t usually work out for the robber”.  And in that statement the general attitude was summed up. It seems the populace would prefer the criminals worry about what the good guys might do to them more than what they will do to the good guys.

By the time I was heading home it was clear, people are people everywhere and crime is crime. Cops everywhere face the same enemy; people who what to do bad things to other people. That’s one thing that the same up here in Jersey, and it’s our job everywhere as police officers to protect the innocent, stand up for the weak and do what’s right every time, every day.

Let me know what you think.  Email me at jpanagro194@yahoo.com and read my blog at www.jpangaro.blogspot.com         

Hidden Tragedy

“Behind the Badge”                Hidden Tragedy

By Joseph Pangaro

The room was dark. The sound of pumps and meters and all kinds of medical equipment hummed and clicked in the background. In the hallways the sound of muffled voices mixed with sounding alarms and the occasional crash of a dropped tray added to the overall feel of confusion.

The pain raced through her, overwhelming her. The shaking and the tremors came without warning. A wave of heat washed over her from head to toe, her stomach turned. Crying without end until she fell asleep, only to dream of more pain, alone and scared.  

Occasionally, usually after she finally managed to drift off for a few minutes, a nurse would come in and check her over again. The feeling of being too hot was replaced with intense freezing, then the heat would come again. The sick stomach never went away.

Her arms and legs contracted on their own timetable, often twitching uncontrollably. The medicine was forced into her mouth and down her throat, she gagged and did not like the taste. She had no understanding or comprehension of any of this or the endless pain that never let up.

Innocent, racked with pain, an angel living through hell. Lost in her own world of agony she is alone and scared in her hospital bed, but across the country this 3 day old infant is one of thousands of babies born, suffering, and addicted to illicit and prescription drugs.

The picture of this tiny child clinging to life as she goes through withdrawal is heartbreaking and one that is almost too hard to bear. Knowing children like the one in this column are actually going through this horror at all of our hospitals, even now as you read this is enough to shake me to my core.

We all know that people make bad choices and many suffer the consequences of those decisions, sometimes for a very long time. It is one thing to feel sorry for a young person that knowingly gets themselves involved in drugs and the lifestyle of drug use and finds themselves in very bad shape. Common decency demands that we, as good people, try to find some compassion for these misguided kids.

Finding that compassion is no easy task when these misguided kids start stealing, robbing, and destroying everything around them because of their addictions. But somehow we know we must be ready to reach out and help them whenever the moment of clarity comes and the chance to save them presents itself. This is the burden of good people. To do otherwise is to throw away our humanity as they have thrown their lives away. To anyone who knows a young person that has become addicted, you know you pray everyday for a chance to help them. Unfortunately that chance doesn’t always come and all too often you are left with broken hearts and an emptiness that cannot be filled; this is the suffering of the family and friends of the addicted. In time there is a numbness that overtakes them, it’s a survival mechanism. It’s acceptance.    

It’s another thing altogether to see these most innocent of all God’s creatures, fighting for their lives from the addiction passed onto them by their mothers who are addicted to drugs. We cannot accept the suffering of babies who had no choice in their misery. They may be someone else’s baby, but they are all our children. 

In a recent study the number of babies born addicted to heroin, prescription opiates, cocaine and other habit forming drugs has tripled! Babies are being treated with methadone, the withdrawal drug used for adult addicts. Their withdrawal is just as physically terrible as it is for an adult, but a baby cannot comprehend why there is such pain. Nor can I.

If you know someone who is addicted to drugs, try to get them to seek help, especially if they are pregnant. If you are pregnant and addicted act for the babies sake and get help.

Leading the Modern Police Force

“Leading the Modern Police Force”

  by Lt. Joseph Pangaro                                                           1711 words

  What does it mean to lead a police force? That question seems like a simple one. In the world of law enforcement we have some rock solid principles and some bedrock purposes. We are tasked by our various communities with “Protecting and serving”, if we combine those principles and purposes with the goal of protecting our residents and serving those who need our help, the outcome should be easy to predict. Our officers would go out into the streets and do what is necessary to get the job done.  If it were only that easy.

The modern police force is very different from the police forces of days gone by. That is not to say that our current mission is vastly different from the police mission of the past. People are people and the needs of society change slowly, over very long periods of time. The basic functions of police work are static. There will always be predators that will look for any opportunity to take advantage of innocence. Human nature being what it is we know that there will always be a percentage of our population that will rob and rape if they can. Unethical people will lie and cheat the elderly out of their retirement funds if the opportunity presents itself. Children will continue to be a target for the perverted and twisted minds of the pedophile. Our homes and property will always be fair game for the burglar and other various types of thieves. The scourge of drug abuse will drive otherwise normal people to acts of criminality. That being said I could fill many pages with the types of crimes that have always been with us and will always be with us. That is the human condition, and the world in which we, as law enforcement professionals, operate.

My focus here; understanding the changing requirements and responsibilities associated with leading the men and women of the modern era of police work. An analysis will reveal that the truth of the matter is that the changes in the world of law enforcement are not changes in the work we do, but the changing people on the job that do the work.

P1

Police work is a people business. Most of us who have been on the job for any period of time, know that reality. Arrests, tickets, raids and investigations are all elements of the work, but the real work is human relationships. People to people, person to person.

As any officer serving anywhere in the United States, and at any rank, can tell you the people who are coming on the job today are different than in the past. That is not a bad thing, but it is something that must be understood and managed for the betterment of all involved.

Today’s recruits grew up in a world that viewed the idea of simply doing what you’re told without question, as not valid. Many were taught to question authority at every level. If someone tells you what to do, ask them why you should do it that way. If someone tells you why you should do it a certain way; ask them if there is a better way to do it. I call this group of young people the “Millenials”, taken from the on going generational categorization’s such as; the baby boomers, the Gen X’ers, Generation Y and so forth. I can’t take credit for it, but I like it and I use it.    

Many of the new officers are motivated by different things then those of us in previous generations. I loved overtime; it helped to keep me and my family above water as I moved through the various pay scales and ranks. I loved being at work, doing the work. Today money is not the greatest motivator. I see a trend with many new people in that they are more concerned with their time off, and what other lifestyle perks are available. They are hard workers, and they have tremendous skill sets to offer, but they see things differently. That must be taken into account. Demanding they act and appreciate what past generations saw as important is a futile exercise. They must be seen and valued for what they have to offer and their needs and concerns must be figured into the equations. That is our responsibility as leaders.                   

P2

With that understanding of the people will now lead we must look at our organizations and our selves much closer.

As a practical matter we are quasi military organizations with ranks, rules, regulations, policy and written directives. That is the functional part of our business. They set the internal boundaries in our departments and the basic parameters of how to deal with the public out in the street. Technology moves at lightning speed, doubling capacity every 18 months. We file papers and push out new policy and new directives in record time, all good stuff. Unfortunately what get’s lost in that shuffle is our people, our cops, especially the young people of the modern work force.  

How we deal with our people is lagging behind all the other types of change that have come down the pike. We are, in many instances, clinging to old ways and practices that do nothing to move us forward and help us to lead our people in the most appropriate way. It is time for those of us in leadership positions today to do a top down review of how we run our organizations, starting with our own actions, styles and practices. Just because “That’s the way we have always done it” doesn’t mean we have to continue with those models. We must ask ourselves; are we doing things the best way possible, regardless of our own personal preferences and desires. If we are not then we should change the way we do things.

This concept could easily be regarded as a back hand shot at the current leadership in any organization today. That is not the point, and it should not be looked at that way. It is a call to all members of our profession who are responsible for leading our people, to look beyond ourselves. To pick our heads up, look around and see what’s going on out in the world and see what we can do to better serve those we lead. If we can not look forward at what could be, compare it to the lessons of the past, then think of ways to do things better based on the combined experience of all involved, then we are never going to improve in any meaningful way. As leaders we must evolve.

My years of experience, both in law enforcement and more importantly in my life as a member of our society, have revealed what I believe are some important lessons in regard to leading effectively.

P3

I start with defining the basic premise of leadership. What are the goals and most importantly, the responsibilities of being a leader? Does being in charge make one a leader? The answer, I think, is, sometimes. Obviously if you are the chief executive of any organization by virtue of your position, you are a leader.

The better question is; does simply being “In charge” make you a good leader? The answer here is clearly, no. We can all think of people in leadership positions who are not very adept at being good leaders. They can give orders, make rules, issue edicts and puff themselves up and demand everyone fall in line, but they do nothing to better their people or their organization. This type of leader harkens to a different time. In police work most of us can all conjure stories of old time chiefs who ruled with an iron hand, or were the type of leader that was locked away in his office. You never saw the guy, but when you did he was an almost mythical figure. It was “My way or the highway”. This example may be a stretch, but not too much of a stretch. The dinosaurs like that are mostly gone from the scene at this point, but they were the model for many of us up to this point. I am suggesting that we learn from the past, take what was good from that style of leadership, and then move on. Its time for a paradigm shift in leadership practices.

So if simply being in charge does not make you a good leader, what does?  

I believe that being a good leader requires changing the way we view the art of leading. There will always be a time for the autocratic leader. On many occasions our business demands immediate, forceful and decisive action on the part of those in charge. We must be able to give direct orders and have them followed without hesitation. Lives sometimes depend on it. That being said I don’t believe that those are the best examples of where leadership takes place. It is more than that, more than just driving the tank into battle.  

P4

The next question to ask then is” what can aid the leaders of tomorrow to be the best they can be”. It is in this context that I suggest we can begin by adopting several concepts:

One; Being a good leader is a choice. Like anything else we want to do and do well, we must make choices. This is where separating ourselves from the seductive perks of leadership must take place. The term “because I said so”, has to be replaced with “What is best for my people, not necessarily good for me”. This is where the hard work takes place. Many people have worked an entire career to be in charge. When they get there they lose perspective on what their main goal and focus must be; their people, not their own career track. 

Two; Owning the principle of “Servant leadership”. The higher up the chain you go, the more you owe to those in positions below you. Doing what needs to be done to make their jobs easier is the key obligation of this principle. You must work tirelessly to assist them in anyway you can; guiding, counseling, positive critiques, listening not just hearing them, appreciating them and working for their career goals. Selflessness is incumbent to this type of thinking.

The choice here is to choose forgoing the belief that since you have obtained a leadership position, whatever you think has to be right and best and everyone should do what you want simply because you are in charge. This is a morale killer and displays very poor leadership qualities. People don’t follow poor leaders, they tolerate them. As leaders our goal should be to make our people better, not exist to be tolerated. You must take an active role in their work lives. You should always be available. We teach best by allowing others to try using their own skills. If there are two ways to do something and the immediate outcome is not critical, let your people choose their own path to the objective. The experience they gain in the effort and the trust and confidence they receive from you is the greatest reward.      

P5

Three; Loyalty is a two way street, but it starts with the leader. The leader must be the first to show unconditional loyalty to their people, standing up for them in every instance. Looking out for their needs; both personal and professional. In the old paradigm the leader demanded loyalty. In return goodies were doled out to the loyal. This style prostitutes the concept. The leader receives loyalty only on the basis of material things, better assignments, promotions, and the like. The depth of that loyalty is shallow indeed and non existent when the treasure runs out. On the other hand loyalty based on how the leader looks out for their subordinates is almost bottomless and is constantly refilled.

When our people believe we are there for them and the organization and not just for our own needs, they respond in kind. It creates credibility. 

Four; Succession planning. This should be paramount to any leader. Instead of concern with ones legacy as to ones own achievements, the good leader is concerned with preparing his people to assume his position, to take over. As a leader I feel no greater satisfaction than to have my people take what I have to teach and rise to their potential. My goal does not end there; my mission is to assist my people to eclipse my record. My legacy is not borne on my achievements but on the achievements of those I have taught. It is through their success that my journey as a leader is completed and my career justified. I want them to surpass me. 

These servant leadership principles require sacrifice on the leader’s part. They are not always easy to live. They are a process and a belief system that puts leadership on a new path. For many people these concepts will seem strange and unconventional. They are, but I believe our profession is at a point that we, as leaders, must assume a new role, accept new responsibilities, and understand the changes in culture and the people that are coming into our profession. We must lead with a dedication to our core principles, purposes and our people first.

Let me know what you think.

Spring Time Safety

“Behind the Badge”               Summer time troubles

By Joseph Pangaro

Once again the terrible cloak of winter has been lifted, for the most part. With the Spring comes the flowers, leaves on the trees, warm breezes, bar-b-ques and the driveway scammers, fake home repair scams, door to door sales scams and a host of others.

Yup, this time of year we can expect all of that. The flowers and leaves are not too much of a problem, it’s the scammers we have to watch out for, especially for our older population.

Over the years the scams change a little here and there in the way they are employed, but for the most part they are constant.

#1 The driveway sealer scam;  “Hi we are doing a job up the street and we have some left over driveway sealer.  We can give you a great deal”.  That’s usually how the pitch goes. Then the scammer will ask the potential victim if they can pay for the job or at least give them a good portion of the money and they will be back to do the job as soon as they finish with the other job. The price is usually set to be a great value so many people will take advantage of a bargain and give up the money. The scammers leave and do not return with driveway sealer or your money.

There are variations on this scam, sometimes they will offer to do the job right then and there. You pay them and they seal your driveway, only instead of a high quality driveway sealer, they use old motor oil, some kerosene or some other substance. Either way it’s a rip off.

#2  The door to door salesman routine is a distraction job. Someone may knock on your door and offer to sell you some product or other. Their job is distract you and get you away from the main part of the house so their partner can sneak in a steal whatever isn’t nailed down.

# 3 is the fake home repair scam. This is similar to the door to door salesman routine. At times after a summer storm when the trees are knocked down, you might get a visit form a nice fella in a truck. He will knock on your door or talk to you in the street about your broken tree branches or shrubbery and offer to clean then up. Some of these guys are really just hard working people looking to make an honest living, others not so much. The scammers will start the job and then tell you they see some shingles have come off your roof and need to be repaired, or they see a potential leak area that needs some attention. Many people will panic when they hear this and go along with the scammer. He will offer some price to go up on the roof and fix it. Many people are cheated this way every year. They might climb on the roof and nail up a shingle or two, or just bang some nails into your roof or tell you about a bigger problem requiring more money. These thieves tend to target our older neighbors because they don’t think they can get up on the roof to check.

In any event we must be vigilant to these types of rip offs. If someone knocks at your door and you decide to hear them out, ask for a name and phone number. Most people have cell phones, even the bad guys. If they give you a cell number, call it and see if their phone rings. Take down their license plate number. Even better yet ask them if they mind if you call your local police and see if they ever heard of them. Real people seeking to do honest work will have no problem with your requests. Scammers will usually make some excuse and leave.

If you have older friends, neighbors or relatives, tell them to call you before they agree to have anyone do work on or in their home. This can help protect them from being victimized.

Next up, are the car burglars. These are the people that walk our neighborhoods during the night time hours and steal whatever they can get from our vehicles. The best way to combat these guys is to always lock your car doors, every day. Take all your valuables out of the car or at least out of view and put them into the trunk. While locking your car is no guarantee that the really aggressive car burglar will not smash your car window, your chances of being a victim go down if the car is locked. Most car burglars walk up and down the street pulling on door handles. The ones that open, they enter. When they find a locked one, they keep going.

 And last but never least is the house burglar. Warmer weather leads to open windows. Burglars look for open windows. Many house burglaries take place during the day light hours when many people are out for the day. A common way they operate is to knock on your door. If no one answers they go around and enter through an open window. If there is no open window they may pop a window and get in.  A good strategy to help prevent this is to use window stops, little gadgets that allow your windows to open but only 6 or 7 inches. Enough for a cool breeze to get in but not a burglar. Leave a radio on in your house while you’re out. Burglars do not want to confront anyone at home. If they hear a radio, they may think someone is home and move on.

Another good thing to do is get a Crime Prevention Survey conducted at your home. These involve a crime prevention expert coming out and looking over your home and property. They make suggestions on ways to safe guard your home and prevent burglaries. Some insurance companies offer discounts on your homeowners policy if you get a crime prevention survey.

So there we have it our Spring time primmer on not being victimized.  It’s a beautiful time of year, enjoy it. A few simple safety thoughts can go a long way. If you want more information on Crime Prevention Surveys send me an email and I’ll point you in the right direction. 

Let me know what you think.

Self Defense in the modern world

Date Line- Sanford Florida.

The news has been covering the story of a young man shot and killed by a local resident of this Florida town. The shooter killed the young man under the cover of the florida law of self defense known as the "Stand your Ground" Law.

The concept is easy enough. When you are in your home, your "Castle" and someone breaks in you have every right to defend yourself and your family from harm. You have a right  to stand your ground and do what you need to do to protect yourself. This is an idea that is time honored, even here in NJ where our laws tend towards a more liberal bent.

Outside the home on the other hand the idea of standing your ground has been abandon. Right to carry (Concealed weapons) laws are very restrictive and almost impossible to obtain in NJ. The idea of fighting back against a robber or assailant is acceptable as long as that fighting back does not result in a serious injury or death of your attacker. This concept owes itself to many, ever changing and evolving social norms in our society. As we get farther and farther away from our founding ideas and we become a much more progressive society the rule of thumb is "Dont fight back".

In states like Florida and other southern states, the older traditions, beliefs and thinking about self defense allows the average citizen more leeway in thier personal defense and in some areas to the defense of their property.

Floridas decision to send a message to the crimnal element: If you attack someone they can and will strike back with force and possibly with deadly force. This is a belief that harkens back to another era, one of self reliance.   A belief that each person as a citizen is entitled and empowered to protect themselves.

In the Saford Florida case, what seemed on its inital report as a situation where a man was protecting himself and killed his assailant, has morphed inot something else. The facts as they are now being revealed paint a different picture than I think the law was intended to address. I dont know the actual "Facts on the ground" I only know the stories being reported. Based on the new information it is beginning to feel like this was not a justified use of dealdy force. In any event a young man is dead and his family is left to suffer that pain. Hopefully all the facts will come out and justice will be done, which ever way the facts dictate.  If the man appropriately used force to protect himself then the lesson of the Florida law and the message the larger Florida residents are sending will be loud and clear: Attack someone and you can die. If the man was wrong in his actions then that lesson must be heralded as well: use deadly force inappropriately and you will suffer the consequences.

Weilding force in the name of self protection is a complicated legal question. In reality it is much simpler. If someone is trying to hurt you, you have every right to stop them from doing so. The problem is how do you stop it. A robber in a parking lot with a knife is a formidable problem to a person with only a wallet or cell phone to use in thier defense.
The concern we all have in rectifiying that balance by allowing people to carry concealed guns for their protection are the people that will use guns and dealy force in situations where it is not warranted. Shooting a neighbor after an argument over a fence, or after too many beers and a simple shoving match turns deadly. To avoid this we prevent everyone from possessing guns and going with the odds that only a few innocent, unarmed victims might be killed by criminals, as opposed to scores of improper shootings over less than life threatening situations.  This is fine as long as you or someone you love is not one of the sacrificial lambs. 

The other problem that looms in the background, as it does in the Florida case, is the question of race in these sitautions. This is the topic that we can not seem to come to grips with. It is so potentially dangerous and frought with difficulties, that we ignore it and can not bring our selves to have an open and honest discussion about it.

Those who see racism in every situation will point to any incidents involving people of different races involved in any type of situation and attribute the actions to racism, regardless of the facts.  Many other people will ignore racism when it is real and present in a situation so they can bolster their beliefs and make the facts fit. Either way we do not move ahead asa society, we become stuck in the mire. The only winnners here are the criminals. 

All of us want to be safe. All of us want to live a life of peaceful existence, to pursue our hopes and dreams with out being molested by crime. How we get there is a problem for all good and decent people. Unfortunately as we debate the most appropriate response to crime adn how to be just  and fair and not react more than is right, we put ourselves at the mercy of the criminals who give no thought to righteousness, justice, decency or respect for others.

More to come on this topic........ Let me know what you think.

     

   

Hyperdrive Narcotics Investigation Training March 2012

March 15, 2012

One of the courses I teach is a drug investigation program called "Hyperdrive". The course is named for the speed at which narcotics investigation cases sometimes take place. A standard definition also includes" A state of constant action or ultimate speed".

Drug investigations are one of the hardest types of cases to work, there are lots of moving parts and the ever present danger of dealing with people involved in this lifestyle.

The class we ran this week at the Monmouth County Police Academy started on Monday and ended today. The course is built on teh premise of a real investigation. The morings are classroom session where we discuss the various aspects of a drug investigation. The second session of the day consists of the officer students using whhat they learned in the morning in practical exercises in the afternoon.

We learn about using informants, innterview techniques and types of investigations. The we bring in a role player to be interviewed and "vetted" by the class for credibility.

As the week progresses we cover all the parts of a case, buying drugs, conducting surveillance, writing search warrants and on the last day we conduct actual role player based raids on a location.
 
The course takes an officer from start to finish in a drug case and prepares them to run their own investigations. It is a fun class and from teh reviews it seems to be valuable to the officers too.
The group the we graduated today hailed from all over Monmouth, Middlesx and Union counties. I love teaching it and I really enjoyed meeting the cops who took the course.

These men and women are the future of police work. If I can do anything to prepare them and make them better cops then I am justified in my career.

If you want to see some video and photos from the course you can go to my business facebook page at Pangaro Training and Management or on You Tube looking for Pangaro Training.