NYPD Heartbreak: Compassion, Healing, Unity

Just hours after NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos was murdered while protecting the people of New York, his son Jaden did what countless teens do every day—spend time on Facebook.

But unlike the sentiments of other teens, the post of 13-year-old Jaden Ramos crystallized the heartbreak of a boy who just lost his beloved father.

“Today is the worst day of my life. Today, I had to say bye to my father. He was there for me every day of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It’s horrible that someone gets shot dead for being a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people they call for help.”

These words from a boy who loved his dad call us to compassion, healing, and unity.

NYPD: A Tragic Day

Officer Rafael Ramos, 40, and his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, 32, were both killed as they sat inside their police cruiser in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20.

As expressed by Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, “Today, two of New York’s Finest were shot and killed, with no warning, no provocation. They were, quite simply, assassinated—targeted for their uniform, and for the responsibility they embraced to keep the people of this city safe.”

NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos

Just this month, Ramos celebrated his 40th birthday. He was previously a school security officer and lived with his wife and family in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, the neighborhood he grew up in.

On the day of his death, Ramos was just one hour away from graduating from a volunteer chaplain program after 10 weeks of study.

His aunt, Lucy Ramos, addressed the media on Dec. 22: “I would like to thank all those who have shared their sympathy and support for our beloved family member Raphael Ramos who will always be loved and missed by many. I hope and pray that we can reflect on this tragic loss of lives that [has] occurred so that we can move forward and find an amicable path to peaceful coexistence. We would also like to extend our condolences to the Liu family.”

NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu

Officer Wenjian Liu was a seven-year veteran of the department and was married just two months prior to being killed. He lived in Gravesend, Brooklyn, and has family in Taishan, Guangdong Province, China.

When Officer Liu was married, over 300 people attended his reception at Super Lucky Seafood Restaurant on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn. The place was filled-to-capacity with family and friends.

Officer Liu’s widow, Pei Xia Chen spoke after his death, “The Liu family would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the police department, our neighbors, the entire New York City community. … We would like to express our condolences to the Officer Ramos family. This is a difficult time for both of our families, but we will stand together and get through this together.”

Once, Officer Liu told a neighbor, “I know being a cop is dangerous but I must do it. If I don’t do it and you don’t do it, then who is going to do it?”

Liu’s family also released a statement expressing “Liu came to America when he was just 12 years old to seek the American dream … to seek a better life for the family.”

Final Reflections

America must pause to honor these NYPD officers. Officer Ramos and Officer Liu represent the heart of all that is great about our country, love for family, selfless service to community, and diversity.

Along with the families and friends who mourn the loss of these officers, the 84th Precinct Station House in Brooklyn, where both were assigned is heartbroken. The entire NYPD is also heartbroken as well as police officers and law-abiding citizens throughout the nation.

America must pray for the families of these fallen officers. We must also appreciate and support the police who protect and serve our communities.

As these heroes who have offered the ultimate sacrifice are laid to rest, may the reawakening of the nation be inspired in their honor.

Note Well
As published in Vincent's weekly column titled "Reawakening the Nation" in the Dec. 26, 2014 edition of the Epoch Times.


Photos
1. Angelica Tellez, 11, (L) and Angie Moronta, 11, attend a candlelight vigil in front of slain NYPD police officer Rafael Ramos’s childhood home in Brooklyn on Dec. 21, 2014. (Michael Graae/Getty Images)
2. Officer Raphael Ramos (Courtesy NYPD)
3. Officer Wenjian Liu (Courtesy NYPD)
4. Courtesy NYPD

America’s Violence: Stop the Carnage

These are challenging times for police and communities throughout America.

As we celebrate holy days that call for peace on Earth, we continually witness acts of violence.

Headlines bombard us with campus, domestic, school, and workplace violence tragedies as well as acts of terrorism.

Domestic Violence

Just 10 days before Christmas, on Monday, Dec. 15, the nation witnessed a horrific domestic-violence killing spree in the Philadelphia suburbs.

According to the district attorney for Montgomery County, Pa., a suspect allegedly killed his ex-wife and her mother, grandmother, and sister, as well as the sister’s husband and their 14-year-old daughter. The sister’s 17-year-old son was also wounded in the carnage.

This kind of senseless tragedy—killing of numerous family members—is happening all too frequently.

On Christmas Eve 2008, nine people were killed from a combination of gunshot wounds and arson fire in Covina, Calif. The slayings left 15 children without one or both parents. It was committed by a man seeking revenge against his ex-wife and her family after being divorced just a week prior.

In still another domestic violence carnage, a man despondent about losing his job killed his wife and their five children in Los Angeles on Jan. 27, 2009. After killing his entire family, he committed suicide.

School and Campus Violence

Since the Columbine High School tragedy (12 students and 1 teacher killed) on April 20, 1999, school and campus violence has no end in sight.

Additional tragedies include the following:
• Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Oct. 24, 2014. Five people in the school cafeteria are shot with four fatalities.
• Sparks Middle School, Oct. 21, 2013. A 12-year-old shoots and kills a teacher. He also shoots and wounds two other 12-year-olds.
• Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012. Twenty children, ages 6 and 7, and six faculty and staff killed.
• University of Alabama, Feb. 12, 2010. Three people are killed and three wounded in shootings by a biology professor.
• Discovery Middle School, Feb. 5, 2010. A 14-year-old dies after being shot in the head in a school hallway by a fellow ninth-grader.
• Virginia Tech, April 16, 2007. The deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history with 32 killed and 17 wounded.
• Georgetown Amish School, Oct. 2, 2006. Five girls killed and six wounded
• Episcopal School of Jacksonville, March 6, 2012. A fired Spanish teacher kills the principal with an AK-47 assault rifle.
• Santa Monica College, June 7, 2013. Six people are killed by a gunman after a shooting spree.
• Florida State University, Nov. 20, 2014. Three students are shot by a gunman who was an alumnus of the university.

Workplace Violence

Some of America’s most notorious workplace violence tragedies include the following:
• The Washington Navy Yard killings of Sept. 16, 2013, that took the lives of 12 and injured eight others.
• A former postal worker killed a previous neighbor before driving to the Goleta, Calif., post office where she shot and killed six workers before committing suicide in 2006.
• A day trader killed his wife and two children before killing six others at two workplaces in 1999.

Terrorism

Although Sept. 11, 2001, is the pivotal point of American history related to terror, other cases include the following:
• The hatchet attack against a group of NYPD officers in 2014 by a self-radicalized extremist.
• The 2013 sentencing in the plot to bomb the Federal Reserve.
• The jihadi-planned attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2012.
• Shooting of an officer at the Holocaust Museum by a white supremacist on June 10, 2009.
• The plan to attack soldiers at Fort Dix Army Base in 2007.

Final Reflection

Police who dedicate themselves to protect and serve cannot stop the carnage alone. We must ignite the principle that “the police are the public and the public are the police.”

When this police-public collaboration is forged, America will begin to realize the reawakening of the nation.

Note Well
As published in Vincent's weekly column "Reawakening the Nation" in the Dec. 19, 2014 edition of the Epoch Times.

Photo's
1. Two sailors salute as taps is played during a memorial service at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., Sept. 22, 2013. (Photo Courtesy Department of Defense by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo)
2. FBI Evidence Response Team at the Holocaust Museum, June, 2009 (Photo Courtesy FBI)
3. Bullet holes in glass door at the Holocaust Museum after the June 10, 2009 shooting (Photo Courtesy FBI)

NYPD Mission: Terminate, Train, Transform

Commissioner Bill Bratton was crystal clear to over 800 NYPD executives that abusive cops are "poisoning the well" during a one-day retreat on Oct. 2 in Queens.

These remarks were shared with the NYPD leadership before they were shown a disturbing video montage of violence by cops against suspects and innocent community members.

In one part of the video titled "What Would You Do?", an officer is observed brutalizing a handcuffed shoplifting suspect inside a Target store's holding area. The suspect does nothing but back helplessly into a wall.

In another portion, a plainclothes narcotics officer stomps on a suspects head while other officers pin him to the floor. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Joseph Reznick stated, "I am particularly ashamed of that one."

One of the most infamous part of the video depicts a uniformed officer knocking an innocent bicyclist down with a barbaric body-check.

Bratton stated there are "some officers in the department, unfortunately, who should not be here." He demanded zero tolerance for those who dishonor the NYPD badge through stark words of "brutality, corruption, racism and incompetence."

NYPD: Rise to the Occasion

The eyes of America and the entire world are focused on police-community issues. Recent tragedies in Ferguson, Cleveland and Staten Island demand moral leadership and medicinal collaboration.

Police officers who maintain polished shields by dedication as ethical protectors deserve honor. They must be supported by weeding out those who dishonor their noble profession.

Officers who live lives of character, ethics and leadership deserve the admiration of society and the respect of community, colleagues and political leaders.

The NYPD must rise to the occasion and work collaboratively with full force resolve to execute the vision of their commissioner.
Bratton must also have cooperation from the community and all elected and appointed officials. His words are a clarion call for renewal, "There are some in this organization who shouldn't be here. They're not the right fit [for] the NYPD of 2014. There are a few, very few, in a large organization who just don't get it, we will separate them out."

Bratton stated that 99% were doing the job the right way. Officers in the NYPD that do not belong must be terminated. This will give the NYPD credibility and protect the communities violated by "brutality, corruption, racism and incompetence."

NYPD Deserves World Class Training

Officers who honor the NYPD badge deserve respect and world-class training. As a response to recent concerns, the NYPD will institute a 3-day training program for 22,000 field officers.

As a community policing advocate with 20 years of experience on a national level, I applaud the NYPD's dedication to training. This training must be a model for police departments throughout America.

In my opinion, the training must demands experts from numerous disciplines aside form law enforcement and modules including:

•Community Policing
•Cultural Awareness / Diversity
•Character, Ethics, Leadership
•Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution
•De-Escalation Tactics
•Proper Use of Force
•Problem Solving
•Constitutional Policing
•Communication Skills
•Violence Prevention

Critical to the training must be a capstone project follow-up for each officer that leads to certification as well as accreditation of individuals, units and precincts. Initiatives should also include training for the highest level of the NYPD who must lead by example. There must also be related training opportunities for community members.

Transforming the NYPD

Police-Community cooperation is impossible without trust built on character, ethics and leadership. These qualities are critical not only to the NYPD but to police departments all over America.

The NYPD must be a catalyst for transformation and play a critical role in reawakening the nation by enhancing police-community cooperation.

Change will happen when toxic police officers are terminated, world-class training initiated and courtesy, professionalism and respect are truly the heartbeat of the NYPD.

Note Well
As originally published in Vincent's weekly "Reawakening the Nation" column for the Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 edition of the Epoch Times.

Photos
1. Police Commissioner Bratton, Mayor de Blasio and other officials at Dec. 4, 2014 NYPD training rollout. (Photo courtesy NYPD News)
2. NYPD Officers during the Veterans Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, Nov. 11, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)
3. NYPD cruiser at Columbus Circle, Nov. 28, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)
4. NYPD on post at Rockefeller Center, Dec. 5, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)

Building Police-Community Trust: Wake Up, America

America, we have a problem based on mistrust between the police and the people. It needs transparent honesty, moral reconciliation, and a transformative leadership at every level of the government and among every member of the community.

Realistically, unfolding events may get worse before they get better. The escalation of tensions includes continual reaction to the Ferguson tragedy and the response to the grand jury decision on the Garner death involving the NYPD.

The mistrust is deeply ingrained and counterproductive to the dynamics of effective policing as defined in the time-tested essence of police–community collaboration defined by Sir Robert Peel, the father of policing.

These two principles are the heart of Peel’s philosophy and critical to building trust, cooperation, and respect between the police and the people:

•Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be insufficient.
•Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police.

Renewing Community Policing

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, community policing is defined as “developing partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve so they can work collaboratively to solve problems.”

For 20 years, I have been an advocate of the benefits of community policing as critical to the heart of police–community trust.

Initiatives that I have been privileged to participate include the following:

•Authoring over 90 articles and this Epoch Times column along with over 480 blog entries and my newest book that highlights the necessity of community policing
•Presentations throughout America to police, educators, government leaders, students, and community members on community policing as the heart of leadership, violence prevention, and crisis planning
•Serving as a primary instructor for a U.S. Department of Justice program that certified police rank and file and community members as community policing practitioners
•Serving the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association with monthly remarks for 12 years. Police chiefs from over 70 jurisdictions as well as FBI, NYPD, and other county, state, and federal agencies attend the meetings along with community associate members
•Organizing and serving as a speaker at hundreds of conferences, seminars, symposiums and professional development events to cultivate community policing

White House Concerns

Community policing has now entered front and center at the White House due to the need to build police–community trust.

The president has called for “sustained conversation” that enhances police–community accountability, transparency, and trust.

The president’s plan to strengthen community policing entails:

•Reforming the way the federal government equips law enforcement, particularly with military-style equipment
•Investing in the use of body-worn cameras and promoting proven community policing initiatives
•Engaging law enforcement and community leaders to devise new ways to reduce crime while building public trust

Steps to complement this plan include:

•Creating a task force to promote and expand community-oriented policing
•Expanding training for law enforcement agencies
•Adding more resources for police department reforms

Final Reflections

The events in Ferguson, New York City, and around the country have crystallized police–community trust as critical to a nation.

The nation and the world are watching. America must rise to the occasion and enhance police–community trust, collaboration, and leadership. This will only be possible when respect, diversity, and reconciliation are cultivated.

Community policing must be central to reawakening the nation. It deserves full dedication from every member of law enforcement (not just selected members assigned to a community policing unit) and from all members of every community.

Endless rhetoric, political appointees, and self-serving commissions will only be a waste of time.

America deserves action, leaders of character, and police–community cohesiveness so we may live the legacy of justice destined for our nation.

Note Well
As originally published in Vincent's weekly column titled "Reawakening the Nation" for the Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 edition of the Epoch Times.


Photos
1. NYPD officer on post at Fifth Avenue and 41st Street during the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)
2. NYPD at Rockefeller Center on Oct. 10, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)
3. New York State Troopers marching along Fifth Avenue during the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11, 2014. (Vincent J. Bove)