Why Would Anyone Want to be a Police Officer?

I posed the question to a police officer this week and he could not give me a good answer. Morale among officers is the lowest he has ever seen. He is not alone in his thinking as I have received similar answers from other officers. The job is difficult, dangerous and increasingly thankless. For these reasons many officers are considering leaving the profession and there is a fear that the quality of future officers may be on the decline. Excellent candidates may choose other careers.

In California recent law changes have made it easy on criminals and hard on everyone else. A state ballot proposition passed in 2014 converted many felonies into misdemeanors and made many crimes the equivalent of a parking ticket. Repeat offenders who used to get jail time are now given nothing more than a citation and sent on their way. The inability to remove many lawbreakers from the streets has been demoralizing to officers who want to protect society.

Recent events have highlighted the dangers that officers face on a daily basis. While shootings such as the one in Dallas get national coverage the dangers of the job are not limited to firearms. Police officers often find themselves attempting to detain uncooperative suspects who are bigger and stronger than they are. A police officer patient of mine recently related a terrifying story of fighting for his life. He was in a five-minute fight with a suspect in the midst of a hostile crowd. Punches were thrown, bodies were slammed into cars and weapons were drawn. It never made the news but it left him seriously shaken.

This officer and others like him have told me that they often worry about being killed or injured. They all relate the same primary goal. They want to go home alive at the end of the day. Many have told me of fearful spouses who have difficulty sleeping while their loved one is at work. Stress levels are incredibly high and depression and anxiety are common.

For men and women in a career filled with danger and stress attacks on the profession wage a heavy toll. When protestors march and chant about harming cops and when racism is assumed in every interracial interaction officers are on edge. Their work has become so highly politicized they fear that every interaction carries the risk of criticism and disciplinary action. One officer I know discharged his weapon at a suspect who was reaching for a gun while holding a hostage. Even though he missed and no one was harmed he was subjected to a grueling and demeaning performance review that lasted for over a year.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that many officers are not paid well. Starting salaries in the United States are as low as $26,000 a year, about $12.50 an hour. Patrol officers make on average less than $40,000 a year in 11 states and less than $50,000 a year in over half of the states. We cannot expect the best and brightest of our citizens to put their lives on the line when we do not pay them well or appreciate them enough.

Recent police shootings illustrate another seldom discussed reality of police work. Even well-trained, educated and experienced officers can sometimes struggle to perform in high stress situations. It is one thing to know what to do and to be trained on what to do. Doing it in a life or death situation is a different story all together. I have seen this in my own profession. I have observed firsthand as experienced doctors who had passed all the tests and completed all of the training melted down in a life or death situation. They had good intentions and wanted to do well but they did not have the psychological make up to perform under intense pressure. Regardless of training, we cannot escape the reality that we are all human.

I wonder if this is not a major factor in many police shootings. As I watch the videos from Minnesota and Louisiana I wonder if panic and fear were the primary factors leading to poor decisions and actions by the officers involved. From what I know of police officers, and about people in general, this is far more likely than racism to be the root cause of the tragedy.

If we want to minimize police errors and mistakes we will have to create an environment in which the best and brightest among us pursue careers in law enforcement. If we continue to attack and question the motives of police officers, if we paint with a broad brush and accuse them of racism or other ill motives, if we continue to pay them poorly and treat them poorly, the best and the brightest will turn to other careers. All of us will suffer as a result.

Bart

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When Schools Can't Be Trusted

The words on the page took us by surprise. The graphic description of the rape of a young boy was not something we expected to find in required reading for our 15 year-old daughter. We did not expect the faculty of a public school to go out of their way to encourage morality or protect the innocence of students but we did not expect that vulgar material would be chosen and assigned.

I arranged a meeting with the teacher and the principal to bring my concerns to their attention and see if there was a possible remedy. My concerns were summarily dismissed. While I expected my concerns to be ignored the reason given for the choice of reading material was not expected at all. One of the teachers said, “It is our job to expose children to mature content.”

I did not hide my anger well when I replied, “No, it is your job to teach them how to read and write. It is the parent’s job to decide what children should be exposed to.” The reality that teachers and administrators believed it was their responsibility to determine when and how children should be exposed to sexual content was deeply disturbing to me. The belief seemed to be that it was up to parents to simply shut up and go along, to allow the “experts” to teach morality to their children.

I had two goals in meeting with the principal and teachers. The first was to get an alternative assignment for my daughter. The second was to get them to reconsider their policy on assigned reading. While I was able to get an alternative assignment for my daughter, I eventually gave up the second  fight, convinced that there was nothing I could do to change the minds of the faculty and administrators.  For the remainder of her years in school I did my best to teach Biblical values to my daughter and to teach her how to determine right and wrong. There were a number of times when that meant correcting things her teachers said but I did not make any further formal protests. She graduated from high school a few years ago and the issue faded from my mind.

The issue returned to my mind this week. Recent developments in the state of Washington reveal that the sentiments expressed by my daughter’s teachers are not isolated. It seems that the belief that public schools are responsible for determining when and how children should be exposed to sexual concepts is widespread.

The State of Washington’s recently released K-12 learning standards include a section of “core ideas” to be a part of the sexual health portion of the health and safety education of elementary age students. It is suggested that kindergarteners “understand that there are many ways to express gender” and that by second grade children should “understand there is a range of gender roles and expression” and that by grade 4 children should be able to “define sexual orientation.” In the eyes of educators, hand washing, tooth brushing and basic nutrition are no longer enough. 5 year-olds need to be introduced to the concepts of gender identity.

The presumption that all children need to learn these concepts at such a young age is absurd. There are many families who try to protect the innocence of their children. I did not know where babies came from until I was 11 years old. My son was 10 when we had “the talk” and he was clearly overwhelmed with the concept. I did not think he was emotionally ready at that age but was compelled by the reality that his elementary school was going to have a class on the topic the following month. I had to change my parenting plans because of a school program.

Parents who wish to defer exposing their children to sexual concepts are going to find themselves increasingly at odds with their school districts. According to the state of Washington, almost all children as young as 9 are all old enough and mature enough to be able to understand sexual orientation. The fact that a significant percentage of families of faith do not believe that all sexual orientations should be expressed and acted upon seems to be irrelevant. It is the responsibility of the public system to teach morality. 

I am left wondering how it is that our society has evolved to this point. Public schools across the nation are failing in their essential responsibilities to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic, but they are deciding to take on the additional responsibility of teaching young children about sexuality. More remarkably, parents are allowing it.

It is clear that concerned parents need to be increasingly involved in the education of their children. Parental responsibility extends far beyond simply making sure students get their homework done and have good attendance. Parents need to know exactly what their children are being taught and be willing to stand up for their innocence. It is likely no one else will.

Bart

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reference: http://www.k12.wa.us/HealthFitness/Standards/HPE-Standards.pdf 

Christian Universities in the Crosshairs

Politicians lie. I have known this for years but the breadth and depth of political falsehood continues to amaze me. Politicians lie about their experiences, their agendas and even their beliefs. One of the common lies is about the purpose or impact of legislation. A current law being considered in California, SB 1146, is a law based on a lie.

SB 1146 is a law that has as its stated intent the elimination of discrimination against individuals who are LGBT which is currently a popular issue among progressive politicians. While this is the stated goal of the legislation its actual goal is more sinister. It is a major step in what appears to be a goal of crippling Christian Universities.

Many of the most prestigious universities in America began as religious institutions. When Harvard was founded in 1636 it trained Puritan clergy. Yale was founded in 1701 to educate ministers in the Congregationalist faint. Princeton was also a school for minsters when it was founded in 1746. Jonathan Edwards, the preacher whose ministry launched the religious revival known as the Great Awakening, was at one time the president of Princeton. Over the years these great universities have become increasingly secular, so much so that most Americans are not even aware of their religious heritage.

While religious training, in the classical, biblical sense ceased to be important to these institutions it continues to be valued by many Americans. A large number of private Christian Universities have come into being with the goal of providing young Christians with a university education in the context of a Christian worldview.

These colleges do not limit their education to merely religious instruction. While all include courses in the bible, they offer degrees in a wide variety of disciplines, including degrees in the biological and physical sciences, engineering, computer science and the humanities.

Students are attracted to these private universities for many reasons, both faith based and practical. Students are drawn to campuses that align with their personal values and beliefs. Codes of conduct and morality which discourage sex outside of marriage, alcohol use and other behaviors are attractive to parents.

It is these codes of conduct and morality that have drawn the ire of legislators in California. Schools that adhere to traditional Christian teachings will by definition be opposed to LGBT lifestyles. The obvious solution to this dilemma would be for those individuals who are of the LGBT persuasion to not enroll at a Christian university. This solution is obvious but completely unacceptable to California legislators. They are determined to force Christian universities to change their approach.

The proposed law would require all Christian universities not directly owned and operated by an established church, and whose students receive any form of governmental assistance, grant or scholarship, to notify all current and prospective students that they do not comply with federal anti-discrimination law under Title IX. This notification must be included in all handbooks, policies and recruitment packets sent to students. Failure to appropriately notify students is grounds for civil action.

It does not take a law degree to understand the ramifications of such a law. Individuals who disagree with a university’s moral stance will apply for admittance and sue if any mistakes are made. The same tactics that have been used against Christian baker’s and florists who declined to participate in same sex weddings will be wielded against the schools. The cost of litigating the inevitable lawsuits will be a significant strain on university budgets.

The only way a Christian institution can absolutely protected from such actions would be to end participation in government financial aid programs. As a large proportion ofstudents are dependent on these programs, the loss of this source of financial support would make Christian schools unaffordable and enrollment would decline. Christian universities are left with no viable options. They can deny their faith and their teachings or they can face financial distress and potential ruin.

California legislators have been fully educated on the ramifications of SB 1146. As a result no one can claim that the harm to Christian schools is an unintended consequence of well-intentioned legislation. The intention of the progressive legislators in California is clear. They want to punish those who do not share their worldview. Anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.

Bart

Thanks for reading. If you share my concerns about the impact of SB 1146, please share this post with others and consider contacting your state representative. 

When Every Day is Memorial Day

When I saw that she had “liked” a post on my office Facebook page I clicked on her name. I was taken to her Facebook page where I saw an amazing picture. It was of her, embracing the marker on her father’s grave. She had never mentioned him, perhaps because he had died when she was a little girl.

The grave marker read “Leonard G. Svitenko, Captain USAF”. Curious, I Googled his name. I learned that he died in the service of our country, the lone fatality in one of the most significant events of the Cold War. He was 27 years old.

In the early 1960’s the Cold War was at its peak. American leaders viewed the Soviet Union as a constant threat and the fear of nuclear attack was constant and real. The United States had an Air Force Base in Greenland that was tasked with monitoring radar for Soviet missle launches. In order to be able to rapidly respond to a nuclear attack, US bombers equipped with nuclear weapons were continually in flight over Greenland. Captain Svitenko was the copilot of such a flight in January 1968.

Prior to take off a member of the flight crew stored some seat cushions under a seat in the back of the plane, seemingly unaware that they were in close proximity to a heater vent. During the course of the flight the plane's heater was malfunctioned. Halfway through the scheduled flight Captain Svitenko was relieved to take his schedule rest break. As the temperature in the plane continued to drop, the officer in the co-pilot’s chair opened an engine valve to allow for heat to enter the cabin.

Another malfunction allowed the air flow from the engine to enter the cabin unfiltered and extremely hot. The stored seat cushions caught fire. By the time the fire was discovered it had progressed to the point where it could not be suppressed with the onboard fire extinguishers. As the cabin filled with smoke the decision was made to evacuate the aircraft.

The crewmen who were in seats ejected safely. Captain Svitenko, who had given up his seat, attempted to exit through a bottom hatch. He didn’t make it. He suffered fatal head injuries as he tried to leave the plane.

The plane crashed. Although the nuclear weapons did not detonate, their payload dispersed in the crash and contaminated the area, resulting in an international incident. The radioactivity and policy of continuous flight received a lot of attention in the following months but the incident ultimately faded out of the national consciousness.

The nation may not remember the death of Captain Svitenko, but his family does. His daughter grew up without her father. She is one of the millions of Americans throughout our history who have experienced first hand the high price of military service. Although Captain Svitenko was not a combatant in a war and did not die in direct engagement with an enemy, he nonetheless died in defense of our nation, doing his part to keep his country safe.

On Memorial Day, may we all take the time to honor the sacrifices of servicemen and women like Captain Svitenko, those who believed in service, in freedom, and in duty and who proved their commitment with their lives. My we also pray for their families, those who remember the sacrifices every day of their lives.

- Bart

You will Never be Cool. Deal with it.

“You are my son. You will never be cool. Deal with it.”

I said these words to my son when he was 9 years old. He was showing me the new school clothes he had just bought with his mom. Included in the new wardrobe was a pair of extremely baggy jeans, the kind intended to be worn well below the waistline. His mother had told him she did not think they were appropriate and would likely be rejected in the court of dad but he was determined to make an appeal to the judge. The pants were “cool” and he wanted them. Unfortunately for the future lawyer, in the court of dad any objection based on coolness was always overruled.

He was disappointed and not too happy about my verdict. What was the harm in wearing baggy pants? I explained to him that like it or not people judge other people based on appearance, that what we wear sends a message about us. Being cool was not important, but being godly and excellent was. While there may not be any harm in wearing edgy clothes, there is a higher objective.

I also considered a secondary long term goal in rendering my decision. The desire to be accepted, to fit it and be loved, is incredibly powerful and often increases over time. I knew that if I was going to raise a child who was driven by values that I would need to encourage values-driven thought at an early age. One of the most important values is that right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, are not determined by culture but by God. Following God inevitably leads to conflict with the culture. I could not expect him to stand up for his values in the future if I did not train him to do so in the present. Standing against the crowd is almost never cool or popular.

This is a crucial matter for people of faith. Christian beliefs are often at odds with the values of the society in which we live. Simply stating one's beliefs can lead to significant cultural backlash, to accusations of bigotry and hate. People who have not been taught from a young age how to stand up for and defend their faith, people who do not value faith over cultural acceptance, are unlikely to be able withstand the pressure. They may cave.

A few months ago my son interviewed for a position with an attorney’s office in Southern California. During the interview he was asked about his upbringing and values. He told them that as a child his father taught him to do the right thing no matter what. He told them that he learned that doing right was more important than being popular or cool. He shared what he had been told as a little boy, that he was my son and therefore would never be “cool”. The interviewers laughed at the story but were also impressed. They realized that before them was a young man of character.

My son learned the lesson. He also got the job.

- bart