So When Did Chiefs Become Politicians???

By Safe Call Now

So when exactly was it when Chiefs (Police, Fire, Corrections, EMS, etc.) became politicians?  When did the crossover occur?  I’ve often wondered about this as I watch many events unfold around the country and I see firsthand our 1stresponders being sacrificed due to political reasons to appease others that are within local, state and federal government.  I’m not seeing these leaders step up for their personnel because it’s the “right thing” to do.  Not all of them but I get it under this current climate which still doesn’t make it right.

If you’re pressured as a Chief to fire someone, bring undue punishment on them and those orders are coming from above, you’re going to do it, whether it’s wrong or not.  You have three daughters in college, a mortgage, a car payment…  You’re not going to throw that away to stand up for your personnel and do the right thing.  The day that local, state and federal administrations made the Chiefs part of the decision making process, they essentially became politicians.  You had no choice.  Funny thing about politics is that it is (as my dear friend Charlie Fuller says) a “Befriend and Betray” system.

You pretend that everyone are “brothers and sisters” within the thin blue line, you reinforce it, you have their backs…  Then you have to make a political decision and sacrifice the 1stresponder even though you know it’s wrong.  Befriend and betray… and we wonder why we’re in the situation we’re in.  The day that Chiefs became politicians is the day you lost control of your department.

When I first started in law enforcement in 1987, Chiefs were Chiefs.  They lead and motivated others.  They made decisions and when you were wrong, you were going to know about it, get the appropriate discipline and move forward.  Loyalty, it was there.  No more.  As those of you on the frontline day in and day out do the right thing and protect us, remember you will not necessarily be protected by your own leaders.  The political ones anyways.

Become a great self-leader and always remember that politics is a “Befriend and Betray” system that can only bring you grief.  Stay safe out there, look out for each other and remember…  We need you!!!