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Watch Your Six - May 2017

Steve Gordon
Director

Body

Accountability 101

The incident you are about to read is something I felt compelled to write due to the position I hold as a League Director. To not mention it would mirror the nepotism and cronyism that has driven morale down to the record depth that we have today. To let something “slide” because of someone’s rank or who someone is “connected to” would be a betrayal of the trust of my peers. There will be no favoritism here.

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Recently, Jamie McBride and I were at the Police Commission meeting, and we had to leave a few minutes early. To say “Thank God we weren’t there” is an understatement. The thought of McBride and I in the same booking photo did enter my mind later. I’m not aware of a charge for “being a jerk during a moment of silence,” but I’m darn sure “sustained actions could have been different” would have been our reward from IA, being we receive those for almost everything these days. What happened during those few minutes, while we were most likely waiting for the elevator to go to the 10th floor, may go down in Police Commission history, as described by some as “lack of judgment.” Others have had a different definition for it, but I’m a nice guy. One of our Police Commissioners asked for a “moment of silence for the victims of recent LAPD shootings.”

Yes, you read that right. Go ahead and start from the top of the prior paragraph to make sure you haven’t lost your mind. To say I was upset about this fits into what I mentioned earlier, “Thank God I wasn’t there.” I’m sure Internal Affairs would have added a “5150 hold.” I believe my exact quote was, “I think I’m going to be sick.” This was an obvious display of bias and was obviously done to play to the crowd in attendance. I imagine she wouldn’t ask for the same thing at a Hollenbeck Area roll call.

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These “victims” are no angels randomly chosen from a shelter feeding the homeless. Some are gangsters, some are criminals, and some are drug-fueled suicidal subjects attempting to harm officers or innocent civilians. These “victims” were preying on society and someone called the police. I’m happy my peers are alive and well. If someone pulls a gun on my peers, I hope they respond accordingly, meaning, they completed a “tac-reload” when there was a C-4. If a suspect is armed with a deadly weapon, I can only pray that my peers have the time and resources to make a sound decision to protect themselves and others. The only silence I want is the silence of my bedroom when I lay my head down to sleep with a clear mind and conscience, knowing my peers have survived yet again.

I have no doubt the Commissioner in question has a big heart and most likely feels grief and pain like anyone else. In fact, she has a history of displaying kindness and sympathy for those she feels close to. She may also be an “angel in disguise” based on what I have read about her. I still don’t see a problem with that.

Deep breath, my friends. We live in “reality,” and those who judge do not live in reality. But we are in the lifesaving, property protecting, child mentoring and, now, the education business. We have never been in the judge and jury business; we just arrange the meetings. I’m sure I have demonstrated how upset I was realizing that one of our bosses would do such a thing; that our bosses do not live in the same reality that we inhabit. But I’m also not into the spiteful, vindictive, retaliatory action business. I will leave that to some folks in our upper management. As for Shane Murphy Goldsmith, she is a civilian who was appointed to her position by the Mayor. Why? That’s for the Mayor to answer. All I can do is help educate and watch the circus
from the back row, eat some trail mix while praying we will win the next OIS, and only hope my peers will be judged fairly and not politically.

Shane Murphy Goldsmith made a mistake, and she quickly fell on her sword and acknowledged it. She apologized for her mistake and admitted she probably should have done something different. She could have easily, with steadfast arrogance, waived us off like a queen of some foreign country and paid no attention to those below her. She is being held accountable. One of my peers asked if she would consider resigning, another asked for a public apology. I received her apology, but also requested that she take some “ridealongs” with some of you. Yes, we are now in the education business, and I feel the need to have some people educated by you! And I don’t mean to browse a few shiny robots at the Bomb Squad, then have some captain kiss her backside—as most VIPs, along with receiving a T-shirt and a Challenge Coin. She needs some reality as it pertains to police work. She needs to see the world as we see it. We have all made mistakes, but should we hold her to the standard that we are being held to? Or should we treat her like we would like to be treated? The spirit of the law may be dead, due to body cameras and recap, but is the letter of the law something we should also consider?

I have spoken to Murphy Goldsmith. It was my chance to vividly describe to her something I’ve only told BSS and a few others. She deserved that opportunity, and she took it like a champ. That was a whole lot more than others have done for us. Will it sink in? Will she learn from her mistake? Will she easily write it off as “I misspoke?” Will she embrace this as a learning experience and consider it a pretty good slap on the wrist by those she judges? I hope she does. Because cops are forgiving. We have more important issues to worry about than the words of those who don’t know us or haven’t walked in our boots. We are not fazed by the opinions of sheep. We are the “sheepdogs.” The silent majority supports us. We know this. They call 911, they whisper through a gap in a fence and tell us they love us. Notes are left on our police cars, and sometimes our meals are paid for. They don’t attend Police Commission meetings. Why would they? Who in their right mind would do that to themselves? We will just take it as another “slap in the face” to the sacrifice we make, and we will get over the sting, but if we get slapped again, our response may not be so gracious.

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Shane Murphy Goldsmith, we are in this together. You have your position, we have ours. A mutual respect of each other is all we ask. It is very difficult to have civilians completely understand what we go through. It’s difficult to even describe it to each other because every single “call for service” is completely different. It is why we have the saying, “I wasn’t there.” We are humans just like you, and we make mistakes. Usually our mistakes are within the 2.5 seconds of time that we must make a decision. We also realize that a mistake that we make could light the city on fire. Luckily, your mistake just had you named in the Thin Blue Line. We wish we had it that easy.

Allegation: Conduct unbecoming
Disposition: Sustained/Actions could have been different
Penalty: Admonishment/Training

By the time you have read this article, Goldsmith fulfilled her promise to me and did in fact do a ride-along.

If you have questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].

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