Letter from a California Cop
Hey Colin.
As a 26 year Bay Area cop, I must say you are so spot on about how bogus implicit bias and de escalation “training” is. The anti bias training is gaslighting and the de escalation training is just part of the fantasy.
It is a tool used against cops when they defend themselves from assault, like with most crimes, it is the victim’s fault, he or she should have ‘de escalated’ the situation. If they didn’t or couldn’t; they deserved it…
As a big sports fan, I ride BART to A’s, Raiders and Warriors games. You are also right on in your understanding of how BART is.
Maybe you know this but just in case, I’ll explain why Police Chiefs in California talk the way they do. Cops’ jobs are protected by civil service rules and it is hard to fire them. But, CA Chiefs are ‘at will’.
In CA labor law this means they can be fired without the protections of civil service procedure. In other words, if their style does not match their boss’, city council or city manager, they can be terminated. Therefore, they are always one press release away from unemployment.
Meanwhile, in CA county, sheriffs are elected. They can only be removed by being voted out of office. They really report to no one. They are on equal rank with the county board of supervisors. Therefore sheriffs tend to still talk like cops and say what is on their mind.
I just bought another one of your books from amazon too, the Knockout one. I’ll read it soon.
Keep up the good work.
