Since 2015, Secure 1776 founder Thomas Lemmer has encouraged others in the public safety profession to ask themselves a core question. “Which is more important, perception or reality?” Determining the answer requires critical thinking. That truth alone points the way toward the answer, as critical thinking is an increasingly discouraged activity. Why? Because when we think critically, we are less vulnerable to nonsense and deliberate propaganda. Providing some context to the core question may help identify the answer. So, in the perception versus reality dynamic, which has more impact on public safety? Perception or reality? We ask you to think critically about this issue a moment or two.
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The Chicago City Council has an interesting history. Since at least the days of King Richard I, a.k.a. Mayor Richard J. Daley, most often Chicago’s mayor, whoever the mayor is, exercises more authority than the city’s charter might suggest. In theory, the 50-member city council has the upper political hand, and the authority to direct city policy. In truth, the council rarely actually leads the way on important issues of local governance. In the discussion of Chicago’s public safety and the vaccine mandate ordered by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as of this posting 13 members of the Chicago City Council have suggested that the council has a voice. Here is another “Cops Ask Questions” question. Will 13 more council members sign on to an interesting city ordinance proposal?
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Yesterday we at Secure 1776 posted on the risk to public safety that is intertwined with Chicago’s vaccine mandate for city employees. In “Cops Ask Questions, Pandemic Politics,” we pointed out that of course, cops are among those that are asking questions. We strongly recommend reading that post and watching the associated videos. Chicago is among those places where the implementation of forced vaccination approaches raises grave concerns. Here we provide a reminder about the tie between public safety and the Constitution of the United States of America. A leaked telephone conversation involving a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney provides another reason why cops ask questions.
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In a simple one-word association, a citadel is a fortress. A fortress provides a physical defense from an invading force. The invading force could be a foreign army or even bandits, burglars, cutthroats, highwaymen, or mobs. In more theoretical terms, the invading force could be financial collapse. Last week, local billionaire Ken Griffin told other business leaders that the status of the Citadel Chicago headquarters of his investment firm was in jeopardy. Why? Because the response to violence and crime from the other citadel Chicago is failing. Quoting Griffin: “Chicago is like Afghanistan on a good day. And that’s a problem.”
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This week U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke about a driving experience on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. We will come back to “Lake Shore Drive” in our analysis. Durbin was traveling with his wife and another couple, as the four were returning home following dinner downtown. Quoting the Senator: “It was stunning. I heard the popping sounds and I wasn’t sure what happened.” As reported by FOX32, the incident happened around 10 p.m. on Saturday, 25 September 2021. He described seeing gunfire from the car next to them. “A driver was leaning out the window and shooting a gun in the air! He could’ve just as easily been shooting the gun at us. Sadly, that’s what happens way too often … my wife and I and the other couple, we were lucky.” Such is yet one more story in Chicago’s “Groundhog Day in Hadleyville” saga.
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In the “Men in Black” film series secret agents use a device to erase memories. Those agents sought to conceal the activities of extraterrestrials. In New York, it is not secret agents telling the police to “forget about it,” and the “it” is criminal activity. A ruling by New York Judge Lyle Frank has, in a sense, at least for now, memory holed about half of the arrest records of the New York Police Department (NYPD). As reported by US News & World Report, the issue centers around the sealing of arrest records when the arrest does not end in a conviction. That’s good right? Well, like so much, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” What we can say with certainty, victim’s don’t so easily get to just forget about it. Here we present a “Quick Read” update on our August post entitled, “Crime Victims Are Not the Priority.”
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When the police are used as the face and muscle of pandemic restrictions enforcement, the police-community relationship is placed a risk. Relative to policing, even vocal critics of the police speak of “police legitimacy.” Jonathan Blanks is an ardent police reform advocate. While Blanks seems to lay the burden of maintaining legitimacy on the police alone, he has identified legitimacy as the “most valuable” police department resource. When severe Covid restrictions are viewed by a substantial portion of the community as violating the rights of free citizens, community assessments of police legitimacy are diminished. With a damaged police-community relationship, and weakened assessments of legitimacy, overall public safety is placed in jeopardy. Here we present a “Quick Read” and video update regarding pandemic restrictions enforcement in Australia.
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When it comes to crime, most Americans traditionally looked to the criminal justice system to impose consequences. But, here is a key truth. When the system does not do so, consequences still occur. That which is not addressed in the courthouse, often plays out in the streets. A second truth: Last year, America’s urban areas became more vulnerable to unaddressed lawlessness. In that wake, deadly violence dramatically increased, a truly stark consequence. The 2020 increase in America’s national murder rate was about 30 percent. That is indeed a deadly truth and consequences lesson. In our society, truth and consequences can be deliberately obfuscated concepts. Too often we are told to ignore the truth. Relative to the fragility of public safety, 2020 provided a harsh reality check.
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The news items we present on Secure 1776 are selected because they highlight major issues relating to policing. Because we believe the events presented matter longer than a moment, we continue to monitor these news items. With this post we provide updates on three recent posts focused on tragedy, service and public safety. The tragic grief of parents seeking justice for their murdered child. The actions of a police dispatcher during the moments of ultimate sacrifice and service. Confusion on how best to prioritize the overall public safety mission of the police.
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