Roy Frusha - Commentary: In police work, common sense goes a long way
By Roy Frusha, news@theadvertiser.com,
All police officers should have knowledge of constitutional law, weapons, arrest techniques, report writing and handcuffing. Intangibles that cannot be taught are also valuable. An old trooper once told me that police work was mostly common sense and good judgment.
Louisiana State Police narcotics agents used to meet annually with Mississippi agents to coordinate efforts at locating marijuana fields along the Mississippi River and to establish contacts for future investigations that crossed state lines. We flew light planes and helicopters. Once, after flying all day, there were seven of us in a Natchez motel room establishing relationships when the telephone rang. A Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics pilot answered and told the other party he had the wrong number. After heated conversation he said, "This is room 148, not 248. If you don't like it, come down here, and I'll kick your tail to Vicksburg." Although he spoke with purpose, he weighed about 125 pounds. About 15 minutes later, a guy who looked like Andre the Giant let himself into the room without invitation. He was not intimidated by a room full of cops. "Which one of you midgets said he was going to whip me?" he said. Six of us pointed at the little pilot. Good judgment. The pilot, with his north Mississippi drawl, stated: "Now, if I had known you were that big, I wouldn't have talked to you that way." The pilot was a quick thinker. The big man couldn't help but laugh, and all of us were relieved. There are other judgment issues that are not as humorous.
I've known police officers who lost careers for having affairs with informants, using drugs, stealing seized drug money, abusing the public, using their badges for personal gain, protecting drug dealers and even spying on subordinates.
I've witnessed cronyism at its worst. More than once, I saw a trooper go from governor's driver to the top levels of state police. One even bragged he never took a promotional exam.
Political tinkering and power brokering is a formula for disaster. The best system for promotion is a merit-based appointment system that puts qualifications ahead of political connections and friendships.
The result is always the same; political cronyism corrodes the integrity of the system and diminishes the organization - and the community suffers.
A little common sense and good judgment go a long way.
Roy Frusha is a former commander of the Louisiana State Police Narcotics Division.
Retrieved December 23, 2006 from http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/OPINION/612220320
All police officers should have knowledge of constitutional law, weapons, arrest techniques, report writing and handcuffing. Intangibles that cannot be taught are also valuable. An old trooper once told me that police work was mostly common sense and good judgment.
Louisiana State Police narcotics agents used to meet annually with Mississippi agents to coordinate efforts at locating marijuana fields along the Mississippi River and to establish contacts for future investigations that crossed state lines. We flew light planes and helicopters. Once, after flying all day, there were seven of us in a Natchez motel room establishing relationships when the telephone rang. A Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics pilot answered and told the other party he had the wrong number. After heated conversation he said, "This is room 148, not 248. If you don't like it, come down here, and I'll kick your tail to Vicksburg." Although he spoke with purpose, he weighed about 125 pounds. About 15 minutes later, a guy who looked like Andre the Giant let himself into the room without invitation. He was not intimidated by a room full of cops. "Which one of you midgets said he was going to whip me?" he said. Six of us pointed at the little pilot. Good judgment. The pilot, with his north Mississippi drawl, stated: "Now, if I had known you were that big, I wouldn't have talked to you that way." The pilot was a quick thinker. The big man couldn't help but laugh, and all of us were relieved. There are other judgment issues that are not as humorous.
I've known police officers who lost careers for having affairs with informants, using drugs, stealing seized drug money, abusing the public, using their badges for personal gain, protecting drug dealers and even spying on subordinates.
I've witnessed cronyism at its worst. More than once, I saw a trooper go from governor's driver to the top levels of state police. One even bragged he never took a promotional exam.
Political tinkering and power brokering is a formula for disaster. The best system for promotion is a merit-based appointment system that puts qualifications ahead of political connections and friendships.
The result is always the same; political cronyism corrodes the integrity of the system and diminishes the organization - and the community suffers.
A little common sense and good judgment go a long way.
Roy Frusha is a former commander of the Louisiana State Police Narcotics Division.
Retrieved December 23, 2006 from http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/OPINION/612220320