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.