When I was told that the Fraternal Order of Police had a response to column, I was prepared to read a rigorous defense to my criticisms of the FOP and its divisive role in community-police relations. I was eager to engage in a fact-based debate in the public arena that would either sharpen or deflate the issues of police abuse of authority in the African-American community.
Instead, it appears that I got a PR-washed and lawyer-screened statement from Kevin Ahlbrand. Ahlbrand is an influential voice in police matters. A long-time lawman, Ahlbrand is president of the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police and a detective sergeant in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
In the days after Mike Brown’s killing by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson, most people probably don’t remember Governor Jay Nixon stiffening up his spine and demanding a “vigorous prosecution” of the incident. In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, the governor forcefully made a call for justice for Mike’s family.
Ahlbrand’s immediate response to this statement was “justice goes both ways,” which carried little meaning and no leadership in one of the region’s most volatile police situations in modern times. He is now a member of the Ferguson Commission, which is responsible for making changes to the state’s racist and broken justice system.
In the FOP leader’s response to my concerns, Ahlbrand chose to make corrections on my understanding of the Blue Alert law and chastised me for not including all of the FOP’s mission statement when comparing its priorities with that of the National Black Police Association. I had not included all of the NBPA’s mission statement either.
Ahlbrand never addressed the main issues of my column and that is when and how it holds its officers accountable for its criminal, unethical and immoral assaults on the black community and the refusal to rid departments of rogue cops. My readers would have appreciated some examples of how police unions and associations were working to uphold professional standards when it comes to how police operate in black neighborhoods.
We keep hearing that police are human beings too; they must make split-second decisions in the face of “threats.” What that means is that police can over-react in situations, that they are capable of lying, stealing and killing. Police are susceptible to the same racial, class and homophobic biases as the general population. However, these behaviors are more ominous when the person has a gun on his hip and the state authority to use it with impunity.
Ahlbrand claims that my charge of the FOP condoning illegal or unprofessional behavior by cops is unsubstantiated. “Nothing,” Ahlbrand said, “could be farther from the truth.” Here is where he could have have made his case stronger with examples of how these law enforcement groups fought for due process for anyone other than police officers. He did not.
Neither did Ahlbrand give examples of condemning police behaviors. He would have got my attention had he cited a police group’s response to the Abner Louima case in New York or why 137 bullets had to be fired into a car with two black bodies by Cleveland Officer Michael Brelo.
Since Ahlbrand’s response was published, the world has seen a McKinney, Texas cop sitting on a black, female child crying out for her mama. This is the kind of policing that goes on daily in black neighborhoods. I’m still waiting for a police group to expose this incident as an example of inappropriate policing.
I’m still waiting for a local police group to speak to the kiddie porn charges of longtime St. Louis cop and former president of the local police association. I’ve had my own unpleasant encounters with retired police lieutenant Ronald Oldani over the years regarding police brutality. Oldani’s admission to downloading more than 100 files to his computer has led to multiple state and federal charges.
My strong recommendation to Kevin Ahlbrand is to stop issuing meaningless statements that don’t get to the roots of police abuse and the subsequent distrust and disrespect of police. I urge him and other heads of police groups to get their own house in order.
