MISC. PANDEMIC NOTES OF THE WEEK
(an update for my descendants)
NYPD Removes Plain Clothes Unit
It was Dan Bongino who explained what a plain clothes unit is and/or what it does. Below is a Wikipedia definition.
Plainclothes assignments can mean a variety of duties to many agencies but the agency with the most variety is undoubtedly my former agency, the NYPD.While the NYPD clearly delineates between plainclothes assignments, investigative assignments and undercover assignments, many other agencies do not. That is based, mostly, on the fact that the NYPD is an enormous police agency and there is so much specialization of assignments.
This is mostly due to the increasingly loud command that police departments be "defunded". The removal of over 600 plains clothes cops is not defunding. It IS, however, the these cops back into uniform and the stopping of New York's infamous "stop and frisk" policy.
The media plays it up as being a partial defunding of the New York police department. Bongino explained that plains clothes cops on the street catch more crime than a whole force of cops wearing uniforms.
Which makes sense. One is less likely to commit a crime in front of a uniformed cop than in the presence of normally clothed people not suspected of being a cop.
We shall see how high New York's crime rate climbs with this change, yon decendants.
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MAJOR POLITICAL EVENT OF THE WEEK
(another update)
To yon descendants, it's a bit boring and really does not contain any major surprises. It's the executive branch's rules to control the police problem as it rages and roils in this era, yon descendants. I copy and paste that descendants will know that it is part of history everyone keeps trying to erase.
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By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. As Americans, we believe that all persons are created equal and endowed with the inalienable rights to life and liberty. A fundamental purpose of government is to secure these inalienable rights. Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers place their lives at risk every day to ensure that these rights are preserved.
Law enforcement officers provide the essential protection that all Americans require to raise their families and lead productive lives. The relationship between our fellow citizens and law enforcement officers is an important element in their ability to provide that protection. By working directly with their communities, law enforcement officers can help foster a safe environment where we all can prosper.
Unfortunately, there have been instances in which some officers have misused their authority, challenging the trust of the American people, with tragic consequences for individual victims, their communities, and our Nation. All Americans are entitled to live with the confidence that the law enforcement officers and agencies in their communities will live up to our Nation’s founding ideals and will protect the rights of all persons. Particularly in African-American communities, we must redouble our efforts as a Nation to swiftly address instances of misconduct.
The Constitution declares in its preamble that one of its primary purposes was to establish Justice. Generations of Americans have marched, fought, bled, and died to safeguard the promise of our founding document and protect our shared inalienable rights. Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial leaders must act in furtherance of that legacy.
Sec. 2. Certification and Credentialing.
(a) State and local law enforcement agencies must constantly assess and improve their practices and policies to ensure transparent, safe, and accountable delivery of law enforcement services to their communities. Independent credentialing bodies can accelerate these assessments, enhance citizen confidence in law enforcement practices, and allow for the identification and correction of internal deficiencies before those deficiencies result in injury to the public or to law enforcement officers.
(b) The Attorney General shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, allocate Department of Justice discretionary grant funding only to those State and local law enforcement agencies that have sought or are in the process of seeking appropriate credentials from a reputable independent credentialing body certified by the Attorney General.
(c) The Attorney General shall certify independent credentialing bodies that meet standards to be set by the Attorney General. Reputable, independent credentialing bodies, eligible for certification by the Attorney General, should address certain topics in their reviews, such as policies and training regarding use–of-force and de-escalation techniques; performance management tools, such as early warning systems that help to identify officers who may require intervention; and best practices regarding community engagement. The Attorney General’s standards for certification shall require independent credentialing bodies to, at a minimum, confirm that:
(i) the State or local law enforcement agency’s use-of-force policies adhere to all applicable Federal, State, and local laws; and
(ii) the State or local law enforcement agency’s use-of-force policies prohibit the use of chokeholds — a physical maneuver that restricts an individual’s ability to breathe for the purposes of incapacitation — except in those situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law.
(d) The Attorney General shall engage with existing and prospective independent credentialing bodies to encourage them to offer a cost-effective, targeted credentialing process regarding appropriate use-of-force policies that law enforcement agencies of all sizes in urban and rural jurisdictions may access.
Sec. 3. Information Sharing.
(a) The Attorney General shall create a database to coordinate the sharing of information between and among Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies concerning instances of excessive use of force related to law enforcement matters, accounting for applicable privacy and due process rights.
(b) The database described in subsection (a) of this section shall include a mechanism to track, as permissible, terminations or de-certifications of law enforcement officers, criminal convictions of law enforcement officers for on-duty conduct, and civil judgments against law enforcement officers for improper use of force. The database described in subsection (a) of this section shall account for instances where a law enforcement officer resigns or retires while under active investigation related to the use of force. The Attorney General shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the information in the database consists only of instances in which law enforcement officers were afforded fair process.
(c) The Attorney General shall regularly and periodically make available to the public aggregated and anonymized data from the database described in subsection (a) of this section, as consistent with applicable law.
(d) The Attorney General shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, allocate Department of Justice discretionary grant funding only to those law enforcement agencies that submit the information described in subsection (b) of this section.
Sec. 4. Mental Health, Homelessness, and Addiction.
(a) Since the mid-twentieth century, America has witnessed a reduction in targeted mental health treatment. Ineffective policies have left more individuals with mental health needs on our Nation’s streets, which has expanded the responsibilities of law enforcement officers. As a society, we must take steps to safely and humanely care for those who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse in a manner that addresses such individuals’ needs and the needs of their communities. It is the policy of the United States to promote the use of appropriate social services as the primary response to individuals who suffer from impaired mental health, homelessness, and addiction, recognizing that, because law enforcement officers often encounter such individuals suffering from these conditions in the course of their duties, all officers should be properly trained for such encounters.
(b) The Attorney General shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services as appropriate, identify and develop opportunities to train law enforcement officers with respect to encounters with individuals suffering from impaired mental health, homelessness, and addiction; to increase the capacity of social workers working directly with law enforcement agencies; and to provide guidance regarding the development and implementation of co-responder programs, which involve social workers or other mental health professionals working alongside law enforcement officers so that they arrive and address situations together. The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall prioritize resources, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to support such opportunities.
(c) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall survey community-support models addressing mental health, homelessness, and addiction. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall summarize the results of this survey in a report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, which shall include specific recommendations regarding how appropriated funds can be reallocated to support widespread adoption of successful models and recommendations for additional funding, if needed.
(d) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, in coordination with the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, prioritize resources, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to implement community-support models as recommended in the
report described in subsection (c) of this section.
Sec. 5. Legislation and Grant Programs.
(a) The Attorney General, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall develop and propose new legislation to the Congress that could be enacted to enhance the tools and resources available to improve law enforcement practices and build community engagement.
(b) The legislation described in subsection (a) of this section shall include recommendations to enhance current grant programs to improve law enforcement practices and build community engagement, including through:
(i) assisting State and local law enforcement agencies with implementing the credentialing process described in section 2 of this order, the reporting described in section 3 of this order, and the co responder and community-support models described in section 4 of this order;
(ii) training and technical assistance required to
adopt and implement improved use–of-force policies and procedures, including scenario-driven de-escalation techniques;
(iii) retention of high-performing law enforcement officers and recruitment of law enforcement officers who are likely to be high-performing;
(iv) confidential access to mental health services for law enforcement officers; and
(v) programs aimed at developing or improving relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, including through community outreach and listening sessions, and supporting non profit organizations that focus on improving stressed relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.
Sec. 6. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 16, 2020.
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MAJOR CULTURE EVENT OF THE WEEK
(one more update)
Getting Rid of History
It's all the latest rage yon descendants, this removal of historical statues. I cannot copy all the statues and memorials that the nuts known now as ANTIFA and BLM are tearing down for, mostly, owning slaves back in the day when it was legal to own slaves. But there have been many.AND CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS???
What on earth did he do to offend anyone, yon descendants?
Just know that there were lots of historical statues all about that you might never see.
But know, yon descendants, you can't erase history. It's done and set, excuse the pun, in stone.
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OVER THE INTERNET
(social media explains so much)
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REVIEWS TV SHOWS
(since I watch so much TV, not for my descendants)
Couple of Cooking Shows
I do quite enjoy cooking shows, yon descendants, and I hope to someday to cook for some of you should I still be around.
But I am not, sad to admit, such a good cook and so I watch cooking shows to learn how to carefully cook mushrooms and how to properly bread friend chicken.
Further, I cannot stand kitchen appliances all over the place, to include a blender, food processor and big mixer. A slow cooker, a mixer that does its job on a stick type thing and can whip and mix foods while still in a pot, are more my kitchen speed.
And so I watch various cooking shows and sometimes I learn some things.
Above left is Rachel Ray. Ray is a good cook and she also markets pet food, yon descendants. You all might be feeding your own pets with her food. Don't tell anybody, but my cats don't like her cat food. My dog? Well my dog will eat anything.
Rachel tends to put everything in her recipes. I'd estimate that she adds around 25 ingredients to anything she cooks, which includes about 5 spices, various garnishes, and plenty of whatever else is around. I'd for sure eat some of her recipes, yon descendants, but believe that I will never cook anything that complicated.
The fellow on the right is Alton Brown. Alton has a great TV personality and is a great cook as well.
But Alton tends to make his recipes very complicated, so much so that my eyes glaze over. It isn't unusual for Alton to pull 10 ingredients out of his refrigerator to prepare a meal, ingredients that he'd PRE-prepared the prior day. Yon descendants, I have no desire to take two to three days to prepare a meal.
Brown is also very scientific with his recipes, often explaining in detail how ice melts and onions sweat in the pan, including the chemical formulas for a lot of foods.
But as I said, yon descendants, Alton Brown is a very good entertainer and provides intriguing commentary. He's fun to watch is what I'm saying here.
I think I'd prefer Rachel Ray's food, however.
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EDITORIAL
(My opinion for my descendants)
I Have the Solution for Subduing the Bad Guys
Allow me, yon descendants, to state right up front that I consider the deaths of two black men, Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, Ga. and George Floyd in Minnesota, to be....well death they didn't deserve.
Now I know both of them were up to bad public behavior, oddly in both cases a nasty case of drunkenness. So far as I know drunkenness is not normally given the death penalty.
And so after days of thinking about it, taking into account that police officers are so often put in a position where persons guilty of these "crimes" are a danger to the police. Rayshard Brooks sleeping in the pick up lane of Wendy's is no danger to me, nor to most people in the line. But he became, quickly enough, a danger to the cops called to deal with him.
So you hear the caterwauling about cops being in danger and how they have to defend themselves and I suppose there's some truth to that. George Floyd was not a danger to anyone except he resisted arrest for passing a fake $20 bill. Also not a death penalty crime.
And so I realize yon descendants that the bigger problem through all the yelling these past weeks is because too often the only way a responding cop can defend his or her self is by killing he who swiped a taser or he who won't lay still when commanded by a cop.
I was speaking to a friend about this and my friend, with a good heart but little knowledge of cop danger, shouted "THEY SHOULD SHOOT THEM IN THE LEGS IF THEY HAVE TO SHOOT THEM!!"
Be aware, yon descendants, that I too am no expert on this sort of thing but I do know it's not so easy in the heat of the run, the adrenaline rush, the effort of assessing where the danger is, where the perp of the danger is.....as it all happens within a few seconds. Thus for a cop chasing a suspect who grabbed his taser and is running away leaving his car in the Wendy's drive-through to be pulling out gun and aiming at a leg in the heat of all....well it's not practical.
Although as I thought it through later, good advice.
I don't think a cop one across the fruity plains wants to kill a perp running away, or fighting handcuffs or doing something they shouldn't do but not worth the death penalty. Such as it too often becomes.
So here's my idea.
Invent a gun that shoots another human being ONLY to where it is programmed to shoot on the human body. You got a guy up in a balcony shooting innocent civilians down below, you pull out the gun and shout "HEART". The gun automatically programs to aim at the heart of the person in the gun sight. Same thing, carrying on the same theme, shout "LEG" and the gun programs itself to send the bullet only through the perp's leg.
Now I can hear the laughing out there to those reading, except for my descendants who might well be living in a world where such programmable guns are common place.
Did anyone ever think the day would come when we would have the ability to call anyone on the planet and have a phone conversation with them? How about pulling out that little rectangle we all carry with us and asking a question about anything, all stored on Google? Or we can take pictures and movies with it, just press a button and later, boom, send through the airways to family or to our own home computer? We talk into and send written messages, we can hit "translate" if needed, we can have group meetings from wherever we are, God bless Zoom.
Did we ever think we'd be able to hold a small gun-shaped device up to foreheads and within seconds ascertain the body temperature of the forehead's owner?
Now I don't know if the human leg, for example, has a special kind of DNA that a programmable gun could use to locate. But that's kind of my plan.
Or perhaps some sort of dart that will bring a person down without killing them?
The point here is that the idea is to stop a fleeing suspect without killing the guy. Something I don't think even the nastiest of cops really intends or wants to do.
Please don't say it's impossible. I once had a job as Quality Control inspector for the curl in the telephone cords. Now I carry that miracle of a cell phone in my pocket and ....well who knows, maybe we can program our cell phones to shoot bullets.
Don't say it can't be done.
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TIME FOR A SMILE
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