A recent article, intended as light humor with a serious training message about RODs — officers who are “retired on duty” — received numerous comments that gave me pause.
Some officers reasonably argued that becoming a ROD is a legitimate career survival option in today’s challenging environment.
The ROD philosophy follows this rule: “Few arrests, few problems; big arrests, big problems; no arrests, no problems.” While RODs may succeed in avoiding trouble by keeping a low profile, sooner or later, trouble finds every ROD. And when it does, chances are the ROD won’t see it coming.
This approach not only fails victims but is also dangerous for officers. If you’re considering becoming a ROD, then it’s time to snap out of it!
Being the best of the best
Policies in some jurisdictions, driven by misguided politicians, prosecutors and judges, have created environments where crime thrives. Law enforcement officers have been forced to endure rising crime, public scrutiny, defamation and defunding efforts — understandably affecting morale.
While officers have been hurt, as the old coach would say, “Rub some dirt on it and get back in the game!”
A vocal pro-criminal minority exists, but polls indicate that approximately 75 percent of Americans support law enforcement. Though often quieter, these supporters are calling out for you.
Consider their pleas:
- They cry for you as they cower behind checkout counters, helpless as masked thieves ransack their stores.
- They cry for you as they’re torn from their cars at gunpoint, their babies screaming in car seats.
- They cry for you from within crumpled vehicles, in pain after a drunk driver has fled the scene.
- They cry for you as they’re attacked by mentally unstable offenders with nowhere to turn.
- They cry for you with their last breaths, lives cut short by repeat offenders released on signature bonds.
Now is not the time, as some would suggest, to “re-imagine policing.” Now is the time to reinvigorate the police as they were originally envisioned.
America’s streets, roads and highways need police officers who know that crime is the problem and that they are the solution. You are the last, best hope for every potential victim.
Reactive vs. proactive
When police officers are reactive, they allow criminals to shape their communities. Conversely, proactive policing means the community is shaped by law enforcement, not criminals.
The proactive officer prevents victimization by stopping the suspicious person at 3 a.m., finding the crowbar in their possession and charging them with possession of burglary tools. The result? A business or homeowner avoids the pain of seeing their property ransacked.
The proactive officer stops the car swerving over the centerline, arrests the intoxicated driver and potentially saves lives — sparing a family from burying loved ones.
The proactive officer catches a vehicle with broken tail lights, discovers 133 pounds of fentanyl hidden inside and prevents countless overdoses.
The proactive school resource officer acts on a rumor of a potential school shooting, pursues leads, obtains a search warrant, and finds weapons and evidence, saving lives.
This troubled world doesn’t need RODs. It needs what Charles Remsberg called “5 percenters” in “Tactics for Criminal Patrol.”
A 5 percenter is an “exceptional minority committed to outstanding performance on patrol.” As Remsberg noted, “While you respect legal restraints, you’re more interested in maximizing what you can legally do than in being paralyzed by what you can’t.”
Five percenters understand that every legal stop is an opportunity to make a difference.
Fixing the broken criminal justice system
In many jurisdictions, the criminal justice system has been deliberately weakened. Officers can help fix this by becoming a force of 5 percenters who make thousands of lawful, self-initiated arrests. Even if ineffective judges and prosecutors release these offenders quickly, arrest them again and again.
Eventually, the public, who are voters, will bring an end to this cycle, and dangerous repeat offenders will be returned to where they belong: behind bars.
Your generation has faced challenges like no other, but how about being the one that makes proactive policing the standard? Be the generation that turns 5 percenters into 95 percenters.
By doing so, you’d drive criminals back into the shadows. Storekeepers could finally unlock their merchandise, homeowners could remove bars from their windows and couples could stroll through parks without fear.
This isn’t a dream; it’s the way it should be. You, as police officers, can make it happen. I urge you to go for it, but as Sgt. Esterhaus would say, “Be careful out there!”
