*”At the end of 14 weeks, the recruit becomes an officer and is released to solo patrol, but the training doesn’t stop there. Each and every year any officer who wears our badge, has to attend hundreds of hours of training to maintain their proficiency in driving, shooting, defensive tactics, CPR and First Aid, legal aspects and how to professionally interact with the people they are charged to protect.” — Per http://www.cityoforlando.n et/police/training/
Friends:
Frederick Rolle Jr., an Orlando police officer with a troubled work history was arrested Wednesday on charges related to a fiery hit-and-run on State Road 408 in November.
OPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant on charges of :
1) leaving the scene of an accident with injuries
2) leaving the scene of an accident with property damage
3) driving under the influence with property damage
4) driving under the influence
Rolle turned himself in and has been placed off duty with pay.
Now, I am sending a copy of this email to Shawn Dunlap, the local president of the FOP, Fraternal Order of Police, Orlando Lodge # 25. In good conscience, I wonder what his position is on this case. I wonder what he thinks the resolution should be.
When you consider the objective reporting by Krista Torralva below, one can clearly see pattern of red flags concerning the alleged behavior of OPD Officer Frederick Rolle Jr. —– for years. At minimal, he clearly has a driving problem.
And this is precisely where I am going with this; OPD does not have a history where the Chief of Police has been publicly pro-active in the psychological help for officers with substance abuse issues. Nor has OPD leadership been on the ball in having officers regularly go through re-training.
Oohs! I found something on OPD traing at http://www.cityoforlando.ne t/police/training/
A well-trained police officer is a critical part of the City of Orlando’s commitment to reduce crime and maintain livable neighborhoods. Chief of Police John Mina is fully committed to making sure those officers who wear the badge of the Orlando Police Department are the best trained in the country. The Training Unit is responsible to the chief for making this happen.
At the very start of each police career the Training Unit is involved. An experienced and highly qualified Orlando police officer is assigned to the Police Academy at the Valencia College Criminal Justice Institute as a coordinator. During the 700 hours of training, the coordinator makes certain each police recruit is given the attention they need and that they are fully committed to achieving and maintaining the highest level of performance demanded by this agency.
Each officer must pass a comprehensive test required by the State of Florida to be a certified police officer. Once certified, they come to our agency and spend four weeks in orientation and 14 weeks in the Field Training Officer (FTO) Program. Orientation exposes each recruit to the specific culture of our agency through training in our policies, defensive tactics, driving, shooting and computer processes. The FTO Program requires each recruit to operate as a police officer on the streets of Orlando under the observation of our highly-trained Field Training Officers. They are exposed to real-life policing; everything from responding to in-progress crimes to giving directions to lost citizens. At the end of 14 weeks, the recruit becomes an officer and is released to solo patrol, but the training doesn’t stop there. Each and every year any officer who wears our badge, has to attend hundreds of hours of training to maintain their proficiency in driving, shooting, defensive tactics, CPR and First Aid, legal aspects and how to professionally interact with the people they are charged to protect.
The motto of the Orlando Police Department’s Training Unit is “Train Today/Win Tomorrow,” and they are dedicated to making sure that each officer that leaves their loved ones and comes to work returns at the end of their shifts…no exceptions.
Well, that was very interesting. But not for a moment do I believe collectively that OPD officers are receiving adequate re-training in their various proficiencies as claimed:
Each and every year any officer who wears our badge, has to attend hundreds of hours of training to maintain their proficiency in driving, shooting, defensive tactics, CPR and First Aid, legal aspects and how to professionally interact with the people they are charged to protect.
Some of you may disagree with my opinion and observation. I respect that. But I do not speak as a layperson on issues related to law enforcement. I am a former police officer. And for the past 21 years, I have volunteered my time and resources as director of Floridians Monitoring Law Enforcement (FMLE). Yes! I have kept 21 years of paperwork to prove that. But this email is NOT about me. It is about how do you prevent the alleged behavior of OPD Frederick Rolle Jr. It is also about preventing the death of officers like Lt. Debra Clayton, who last week posthumously received the Purple Heart Award and Award of Valor from the Orlando Police Department.
Lt. Debra Clayton was posthumously commended with the Purple Heart Award and the Award of Valor — the highest honor bestowed upon an Orlando Police officer. Her widower, Seth, accepted the decoration on her behalf.
She was shot while trying to arrest a murder suspect. Markeith Loyd was apprehended after a massive manhunt and faces murder charges in the deaths of Clayton and his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon.
Source: http://www.orlandosent inel.com/news/breaking-news/ os-opd-ceremony-debra-clayton- 1207-story.html
Friends, again, I am not alluding to my suspicion that OPD officers are NOT receiving adequate retraining, I am telling you that they are NOT receiving the re-training that they need to survive in life and death situations. Their is no room for error. There is often no second chances in lapse of judgments or by not following proper police protocol; SOPs, standard operating procedures.
Here are my suggestions in re-training:
1) Educate and train officers to deal with the politics of being police officers. Police officers must not be afraid to be ‘politically incorrect.’ Most of OPD officers problems are not with their job assignments/communities as it is with the Courts, State Attorney’s Office, City Hall, Internal Affairs, and OPD Upper Echelon.
2) Educate and train officer to deal with the dynamics of substance abuse issues, self-medicating. Even the use of HGH (Human Growth Hormones), and steroids have a dramatic effect on behavior, aggressiveness. Too many of our officers drink and rely on alcohol. I personally attend NA and AA meetings which have had a dramatic impact on my life in understanding substance abuse, namely, that Alcohol Is a Drug. The pervasiveness of the abuse of alcoholic beverages in our society is worst than crack cocaine or any other drug next to nicotine.
When individual police officers can’t see that their drinking as a problem, and it doesn’t have to be excessive, their ability to police objectively is dramatically impacted. OPD Officer Frederick Rolle Jr’s history as a police officer is a perfect example. With no disrespect, the definitions are explained below because at times I get the meaning of objective and subjective mixed up.
Objectively means: adverb
in a way that is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions.
“events should be reported objectively”
synonyms:
impartially, without bias, without prejudice, evenhandedly, dispa ssionately, detachedly, equita bly, fairly, justly, open-mind edly, with an open mind”encourage people to look at the information objectively and see how it will affect them”
in a way that is not dependent on the mind for existence; actually.
“the physical world we think of as objectively true”
Subjectively means: adverb
in a way that is based on personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
“artistic creation is judged subjectively”
in a way that is dependent on the mind for existence.
“the natural tendency we have to impute subjectively perceived qualities to objects”
3) Educate and train officers not to be feel inadequate or feel impacted by departmental or societal pressures or judgments. Police women across the country often feel that they have to go beyond the ‘call of duty’ to be accepted by the male officers and those in society. Think for a moment of the courageous actions of Lt. Debra Clayton on January 9, 2017, in trying to apprehend murder suspect Markeith Loyd. But even when the adrenaline is flowing, police officers must always maintain their ability to think clearly.
So our police officers need to be educated and trained in deep breathing exercises before they react–getting more oxygen to the brain.
Furthermore, police officers can ask themselves:
a) Should I call and wait for back-up?
b) Have I consider who the suspect has already killed or suspected of killing? In the Markeith Loyd case, he was suspected of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, 24-year-old Sade Dixon on December 13, 2016. Therefore, he wouldn’t think twice about killing a police woman after allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend and ‘his’ unborn baby.
c) Other questions and factors: “If I commit to apprehending a armed murder suspect, what if I fail, my life, family, partner, everything flashes before one’s face”.
And yes, there are others questions that run through the minds of our police officers. But the law enforcement official should never get into a pattern of second guessing him or herself.
Friends, remember two dedicated police officers died on January 9, 2017. Norman Lewis, a 35-year-old Orange County deputy first class, was killed in a traffic crash in Pine Hills while helping search for a man suspected of shooting to death Orlando police officer Lt. Debra Clayton.
Lewis, who had been with the Sheriff’s Office since March 2005, was a member of the motors/DUI unit.
4) Education and train and re-train OPD officers in split-second, life and death, situations. I am offering the suggestion that since the Pulse Night Club Massacre on June 12, 2016, and the shooting death of OPD Lt. Debra Clayton, the city of Orlando in conjunction with the Orange County Government should consider constructing an advance hi-tech training center for Central Florida police officers. please refe to the article below for more detail. Please view the news video on the hi-tech training center being used in London, Ohio.
Inside training center that gives police officers new help in making split-second decisions
LONDON, Ohio– Police officers on your streets now have new help in making split-second decisions that could mean the difference between life and death.
The first phase of a hi-tech training center for officers has just been constructed at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, Ohio.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the decision to create the training village was made following a recommendation from an advisory group on law enforcement training.
DeWine formed the group in 2014 after several police-involved shootings, including the Cleveland police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
“This is a direct result of some of those tragedies,” DeWine told Fox 8. “It’s hard to imagine a job tougher than being an Ohio peace officer. We want to give officers the best training that we can. ”
Source: http://fox8.com/2017/05/09/ins ide-training-center-that-gives -police-officers-new-help-in- making-split-second-decisions/
5) Consider implementing the Blue Courage Training Program for OPD officers if the department hasn’t already done so. https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=aAL4ryVsj6c
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6a3vGIOjGiQ
6) Recognizing and promoting more females within OPD while they are alive and can appreciate it.
I personally want to thank OPD Detective Teresa Sprague for assisting the families of murder victims Gino Nicolas and Ms. Tanya Skeen every step of the way. Det. Sprague was in the courtroom when the guilty verdicts were read. She embraced the victims family members.
I had an opportunity to meet with Det. Sprague at OPD Headquarters early on in the investigation. I personally learned about the first week that she didn’t get any sleep working these homicide cases. She immediately gained my admiration and respect. Her selfless dedication to see justice for the death of my godson Gino Nicolas was totally genuine. And if I had it my way, I’d make her the next Chief of Police for the city of Orlando. But I realize that she needs to be promoted to one of those Deputy Chief of Police positions.
I am asking city official and OPD Chief John Mina to see that a promotion is in order for Det. Teresa Sprague. She went far beyond the call of duty to seeing that this case which was based upon circumstantial evidence———-concluded with a murder conviction. This conviction would not have happen without her endless hours and dedication to solve these two homicides. As humbly as she is, Det. Sprague just does a damn good job without tooting her horn.
Friends, we are living in critical times where people are disrespecting the American flag, making sexual harassment allegations for political reasons, and just plain disrespecting authority. But the sad thing I see more of is that so many of our young people are lost and without hope. And they are confused because men in society have be eunuchs, geldings, and spineless.
And to prove my point, I’ll make this challenge: How many of you think that OPD Officer Frederick Rolle Jr. is worthy to keep his law enforcement certification? How about you Shawn Dunlap? I can’t hear you!
That’s what I thought. I’ve proven my point loud and clear.
Thank you for your time.
Always Respecting the American Flag,
