Rod Bernsen's Street Stories

Monday, December 29, 2014

RANT: In the main stream media reporting on the NYPD officers turning their backs on Mayor Bill deBlasio speaking at the funeral for Officer Ramos, reporter(s) wrote: “…the officers disrespected the mayor.”

No, the officers were showing their disapproval for the mayor. This is not a disrespectful demonstration, rather the NYPD Officers joined by Officers from though out the United States and Canada were exercising their First Amendment right of free speech; a graphic, powerful view for those who support law enforcement.

The liberals howl, the MSM only seem to be upset when one of their liberal princes is targeted for protest. Sorry, my liberal friends, protests work for all, not just the Looney Left.

A common (false) belief was that I was pro-police and could not be objective in my reporting.

Some of the first stories I did as a new reporter were on bad cops and the extraordinary effort police departments used to ferret out the men and women who tarnished the badge.

I covered dozens of police pursuits from my chopper: SKYFOX. At the end of the pursuit, some coppers lost it and they began kicking and punching the suspects, sometimes after the suspects were handcuffed. I had no trouble reporting these officers were in trouble, for not only use of force policy violations, but also possibly facing assault under the color of authority prosecution.

Fact: Law Enforcement often screws up dealing with the MSM.

Compare the August 2014 Ferguson news coverage after the shooting with the news coverage after the grand jury decision.

In the summer, the MSM coverage showed the coppers arresting reporters, camera operators and photographers. After the grand jury verdict the reporting was on the rioting because the police were not arresting MSM people. Having the press at any police incident is always an advantage—independent wits often with videotape.

Reporters, camera operators and photogs are not a threat to officer safety. Granted, everyone today has a camera phone and many claim to be reporters, but all lack police approved credentials. When officers encounter MSM who are not interfering, just ignore them.

In California, state law specifically exempts credentialed media from exclusion into closed areas. Former LAPD Chief Edward Davis once quipped, “In California, members of the news media have a constitutional right to get killed—and we are long overdue.”

At the breakout of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, a high ranking LAPD command staff officer ordered all the television stations in the Emergency Operations Center turned off, complaining they were distracting. This (boob of a) command officer did not care about 13-helicopters showing live video from the various locations were there was rioting; stupid decision then and remains so to this day. This fall, law enforcement was trying to get a Temporary Flight Restriction over Ferguson to prevent live news chopper video. Didn’t happened based on the theory of prior restraint, there for unconstitutional. So viewers nationwide saw live pictures of rioting, looters—some accompanied with their children ripping off stores. The audience saw from the air the widespread destruction and lawlessness the Law Enforcement and National Guard were trying to cope with.

In both cases, in my experience in all cases, law enforcement is worried the MSM will show coppers screwing up or will make the department look bad. This some times happens, but rarely compared to the tremendous benefit of having real time intelligence and independent witnesses with videotape evidence of what happened.

Monday, December 22, 2014

THE TIME IS NOW TO CHOOSE SIDES

By Rod Bernsen

One of the most powerful pieces of videotape I have ever seen is the NYPD Officers turning their backs on Mayor Bill De Blasio, aka, Hizzoner, and the Department brass in a Brooklyn hospital hallway— a clear vote of no confidence and dramatic expression by the officer’s true feelings. Would you turn your back?

Already, the vocal critics of the police are calling this demonstration: A union “ordered” stunt; insubordination; an embarrassment, et al. Of course, these critics of the police are the same who organize marches calling for the death of police officers; for justice, i.e. conviction without trial of police officers involved in use of force. With whom would you stand?

Retired NYPD officers, bulletproof from retaliation, are calling for their ranks and all retired police officers, to protest by blocking Mayor DeBlasio’s motorcade should he try to attend the funerals for the two murdered NYPD coppers. These retired cops point out, correctly, Hizzoner supports the (illegal) demonstrations that block traffic, disrupt business and generally make it even a bigger pain in the ass to live or work in the city by protesters. Would you join the retired coppers to prevent the man who claims the police are racists—always were, to attend slain officers funerals?

Now, the race hustlers are worried, concerned the brutal, unprovoked, cowardly murder of these officers, “might impact the momentum of the protests.” One of the most visible despots, I refuse to use his name, was asked to comment on the copper’s murder. He claims to want non-violent protest but quickly pointed out that he has received a death threat, making this tragedy about him.

Critics of the police, in this case Hizzoner and the president of the New York city council are typical of liberal politicians—they believe the facts are what they say they are; truth is what we say it is. The liberal/leftists are now on the attack. They scream, trying to discredit those who say: You are entitled to your opinion, but not entitled to make up the facts or lies. Whom do you support?

Already there are unconfirmed reports on social media circulating, claiming the NYPD officer’s union is warning that at least four officers respond to every call, including burglar alarms (99% false), noise complaints, regardless of the nature of the call all for the assurance of officer safety. Further, the police officer’s union is also allegedly calling on their members to make arrests or write summons only if necessary. If true, the net effect—crime will skyrocket in the Big Apple and it will rot from the core out. Think of all police officers as pesticide.

This not just a New York problem, police officers throughout our Republic are facing the same criticism. Truth: The best defense is a good offence. Police officers everywhere have or certainly will pull back, respond to calls for service—that is all. No more observational police work, i.e. see a known gang member(s) but not stop to investigate. Coppers will stop writing traffic tickets. Before you cheer, think about all the horrible fatal accidents that might include you or a member of your family because drivers know they can ignore traffic laws. Where do you stand?

The transformation of New York’s times square in the 1960’s to 1970’s from a neighborhood of prostitutes—sorry, sex workers, pimps, drug dealers and porno movie houses to today’s tourist must see and to shop at the Gap and Disney stores wasn’t just luck. Mayor Rudy Giuliani and (then) Police Commissioner Bill Bratton embraced the “Broken Windows” theory of police work. NYPD officers no longer ignored minor violations of the law; they rigorously enforced all the laws. They arrested the panhandlers, wrote summons for minor building code violations, stopped and questioned suspects they knew from experience were up to no good. As a result, the bad guys went elsewhere. Now Disney runs Times Square, not the dregs of society.

Hizzoner campaigned against the Broken Windows policing, calling for its end. Hizzoner and his supporters completely ignore the decades of success, crime reduction just to make the truth and facts what they say they are. Where do you stand?

RANT: In my last Blog, I wrote about what the media does not report or show being dangerous to our Republic.

I am outraged that Fox News Channel did not show on Sunday, the video of the officers turning their backs on DeBlasio—reported it, but did not show the video! In television, pictures (video) drive the story—pictures are indeed worth a thousand words, but you have to see them to know.

Monday, December 15, 2014

This week's offering.

Please consider "following me" on my Blog.

OUR COUNTRY IS IN DANGER; THE MAIN STEAM MEDIA SHARE PART OF THE BLAME

By now you have to know the legacy big city newspapers, ABC, CBS, NBC and their JV cable stations have a liberal bias in their presentation of the news. The real danger to our Republic is what the MSM is not reporting.

MSM reports on a Staten Island, New York man who was (illegally) selling individual cigarettes when police put him in a chokehold, took the suspect to the ground killing the man.

The videotape shown clearly shows the man verbally and physically resisting the officers, but both broadcast and print MSM are not reporting these critical facts.

When the opportunity arose on Fox 11 News or Good Day L.A., I challenged the audience to an experiment: Ask their child to not let mommy or daddy to put the hands behind their back; then try. Adults quickly learned what every copper knows; handcuffing a person who is resisting is not easy. The MSM reporters, editors and broadcast producers don’t know this fact and most troubling of all, if they did know how difficult it was to handcuff a resisting suspect, I doubt they would report it… dangerous to the Republic.

Dangerous because the public thinks they know about police work, their sources, the bias and self-censored MSM and Hollywood’s make believe.

When I first started as a reporter at Fox 11 News, there were those producers and some reporters who were very suspicious of me; indeed, they did not want a police plant inside the newsroom. Interestingly, these same “journalists” had police brutality lawyers on their phone’s speed dial, and I suspected one of dating a well know lawyer-critic of the Los Angeles Police Department. I confronted her about this and the predictable response was, “…this is different and doesn’t affect my objectivity.” I am not making this up.

Here is a question.

Where did all the 1960 radicals go? Answer: They chose education, news media, unions and government jobs as their profession(s).

Education: Are the today’s children really learning what we did as children? I believe there is a deliberate and concerted effort to not only dumb down our children, but also radicalize them as well by-- leftist union-- teacher’s.

News media: I always said that you do not have to be smart to be on television news, pretty yes, but smart, no. Today, television news will hire anyone willing to work for union scale, education or experience be damned. Dangerous to the Republic because when you combine uneducated, little experience with a liberal anti police bias, you have today’s broadcast news. Please read Sheryl Atkinson’s “Stonewalled.” Ms. Atkinson scares the hell out of me and the same will happen to you.

Unions: Joe and Jane Sixpack figured out long ago, that unions did little if anything for them; hence, the huge drop in union membership in the private sector.

However, unions began to target government employees vigorously in the 1960’s; quite successfully and to our Republic’s disadvantage. Think some public union pensions; think lazy employees who do not do their job and firing them are a near impossible task.

Will the day come when American’s will get, dare I say “fair and balanced,” objective reporting—without critical facts self-censored? I, we can only pray.

Are we screwed? Nah, American’s are a tough lot, especially those who don’t believe the liberal bias and self-censored MSM; citizens who take time to learn what critical information that is not being reported and know that Hollywood really is -- make believe.

As for coppers, our Republic is in danger. These are the men and woman who, hopefully after the beating they are getting in the MSM, will keep watch over us, keep us safe by confronting the law breakers… even if it is a stupid law of selling loose cigarettes because the politicians insist on outrageous taxes.

Warning: Our police officers are human beings and might choose to only do the bare minimum required of them including using their discretion to ignore minor infractions of the law… when this happens our Republic really is in danger.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Return to Blogging

I've returned to blogging.

For some of you this will be insightful, to others just another pain in the butt. To all, I look forward to bringing a LAPD Sergeant's and Fox News reporter's perspective on current events.

Tell your friends, tell your enemies.

Regards,

Rod

This is an Op-Ed piece that was published in our Colorado Springs Gazette last summer. I've included the comments for entertainment sake.

Optics is a word you hear a lot these days. One could say, "looks like," but that would not sound nearly as cool as optics.

Consider the optics of law enforcement looking like our armed forces; so-called militarization of our police. This is getting a lot of attention because of the breathless news coverage of the protests and rioting in Missouri.

Let us start with the protective Kevlar military-style helmet officers are wearing. Yes, these are bullet-resistant, which comes in handy when people shoot at the police. These helmets work well against urine-filled bottles thrown at officers. Most officers wear a full-face shield to protect their face from missiles.

There is a lot of hollering about camouflage uniforms many officers are wearing. These wash-and-wear utility uniforms are both comfortable and give officers more pockets to carry essential equipment. However - for optics' sake - Poof! . the cammies are now black or dark blue.

Does anyone really believe this would make a difference?

The bullet-resistant tactical vests are the same as our military troops wear in Afghanistan; again, handy to have when someone is shooting at the police. Some of these vests are camouflage, others are black or blue. To the officer wearing tactical vests, they must take a trade-off: Being extremely uncomfortable wearing this hot, heavy gear because they have a better chance of surviving if they are shot. Certainly, the last thing these officers are thinking about is the optics of their life-saving equipment.

Next, we have officers carrying the most repulsive equipment of all, guns! Some officers are carrying strangely colored shotguns. These weapons are loaded with the "less-lethal" ammunition; rubber or hard foam bullets. When an officer asks or tells a citizen to do something and the citizen complies with the officer, the likelihood of being struck with a rubber bullet diminishes greatly.

Officers in riotous situations also breakout the Urban Police Rifle, otherwise know as an AR-15. This is the same semi-automatic rifle owned by tens of thousands of Americans, including me. Only the military uses fully automatic (capable) M-16 rifles. This firearm is sometimes called the "black rifle," because of its color. Again, Poof! . coppers are carrying the very same AR-15, but now it has the "Hello Kitty" pink coloring. Hardly makes a difference.

During coverage of the violence, looting and assaults in Ferguson, Mo., CNN reporter-anchor Jake Tapper lost his sober manner and broke down like a hysterical preteen at a Justin Bieber concert. "These are armed police, with - not machine guns - semi-automatic rifles, with batons, with shields, many of them dressed for combat. Now why they doing this? I don't know."

I do Mr. Tapper.

Simply put, unlike you, officers have no idea what they will face in doing their job. The police officers face a 12-hour shift not knowing if they would make it home because they were, shot, stabbed, beaten, knifed, hit by a car, spit on and insulted from the beginning of their watch until they were relieved.

And, Mr. Tapper, we demand and expect our officers not lose their tempers or composure like you did, along with far too many of my former colleagues who don't have a clue what it is like on a skirmish line facing off some very angry people, including thugs who just want to hit the liquor store on the way to looting the custom auto rims shop.

Police work is never pretty; the optics will always be ugly. At very least we must allow our police officers protective equipment for their safety, regardless of its style or color and to carry firearms, that they too pray, they will not have to use.

Retired Sgt. Rod Bernsen of Monument  served with the Los Angeles Police Department  and is an Emmy Award-winning former Los Angeles television reporter.

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