No New Ways to Get in Trouble

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. And Today’s Tip deals with law enforcement personnel getting into trouble.

There truly are no new ways to get in trouble. Avoid these issues to stay out of trouble.

If you’ve ever heard any of my live performances, then I’m sure you’ve heard me say, “There are no new ways to get in trouble.”  This fact was driven home recently. I was reading a book and came across this description of a Metro DC Police Officer, “Throughout his employment,  one distinguishing trait has been an ability to manufacture controversy.  He has been disciplined for, among other things, swearing at a grocer, swearing at a supervising officer, insulting a woman who had requested police protection and being drunk and disorderly in a house of prostitution…he appeared before the police board…for sleeping on duty. Ninety days after that, another police board: this time for using profane language to a private citizen.”

Now don’t think I’m picking on Metro DC police here. While this may sound like a recent media report about a problem officer, it is actually a quote from Martin Dugard and Bill O’Reilly’s book “Killing Lincoln” about the Metro DC officer who was assigned to protect President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater that fateful night.

As I’ve said, there are no new ways to get in trouble.  Sub in “strip club” for “house of prostitution” and I’m sure that we can think of officers, deputies, troopers who have got in trouble for the exact same things.  Excessive drinking, sleeping on duty, foul language, insubordination, rude conduct toward members of the opposite sex. There truly are no new ways to get in trouble. Avoid these issues to stay out of trouble.

And that is Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Gordon Graham signing off. 

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