(Originally published in Front Page Magazine.)
Why do police officers leave their job?
A few years prior, it could have been for a number of smaller reasons. Retirement was a big reason, though a certain few probably feel as if the job isn’t for them anymore.
But those reasons sure have escalated over the past few years. Thanks to the “defund the police” movement that thousands of rioters and politicians have followed, police officers have started to feel some major burnout. Between the lack of mental health support, overtime hours that continued to build to no end, and unappreciative administrators positioned above them, they felt as if they didn’t belong anymore.
This has led to thousands of officers leaving their positions – not to mention a few suicides, like what occurred over the past year in Chicago. But it’s when you lose that certain someone that understood what police work is all about…that is what hurts the most.
And that’s DC police chief Robert J. Contee III. He has been proudly serving in the area for years, but this past week, he announced his retirement in favor of a job as assistant director of the FBI. I wish him all the luck in the world.
But what prompted him to leave? I’ll be frank here – DC’s poor treatment of police.
Things weren’t bad enough with the “defund the police” rioters running rampant, not to mention an increase in crime and a lack of support from the city. But then came that dreaded police reform bill that, for some time, really took it to police officers.
Not only did it limit what sort of gear they could use in heated situations (such as tear gas or riot gear), but it also put them on full display. This meant releasing their bodycam footage to the public, as well as any records regarding certain cases. The city no doubt looked at this as a way to defend themselves, but come on. We’re talking about men and women who stand firmly behind their badge and defend this country with their lives. And DC just put them on display, basically going, “Look what they did!” instead of having one of their own take any reasonable blame.
No wonder Conlee was tired of it. And even with our fine Republicans finally overturning this dreaded police reform bill (while the Democrats, surprise, complain that it’s a bad move),he just felt like it wasn’t his place anymore.
It’s a sad thing to see, but look at the numbers. Over the past two years, we’ve seen more than 200 killings within the DC district. For that matter, homicides are up 17 percent, and violent crime has seen a bump up by eight percent.
Conlee actually took it upon himself to try and exploit the weaknesses seen with the overhaul of the DC criminal code. But with that reform bill in place – and the Democrats working to back it to the bone – it never took effect. He also tried to restore the school resource officer program to help fight back against crime, but the higher-ups at the D.C. Council decided to block that as well.
He made it clear that officers weren’t feeling valued or respected in the least – and I have a feeling it got that way with him as well. “We have to demonstrate ourselves as being a city that’s supportive of police officers – period,” he noted in a previous statement.
Bravo. That’s exactly what needs to happen here. Not the hatred that drives our officers into unemployment (or worse, death), and not the disrespect by our government offices that would rather condemn them than give them the tools they need.
I hope Conlee’s departure – along with the others that have left in the recent weeks – serve as a wake-up call for Mayor Muriel Bowser and company. No more excuses, no more “reform laws” that slap our officers around like fresh meat. I’m talking taking care of your officers, period. The proper gear. The proper treatment. The proper pay.
Because, without that, there are going to be less and less that stick around. And without them, just how much DC criminal activity will you be able to control?
Michael Letts is the Founder, President, and CEO of InVest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. He also has over 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt, hence his pro-police stance for his brothers and sisters in blue.
