Ed. Note: Greg Prickett is a former police officer and supervisor who went to law school, hung out a shingle, and now practices criminal defense and family law in Fort Worth, Texas. While he was a police officer, he was a police firearms instructor, and routinely taught armed tactics to other officers.
This post is based off of a series of tweets that I made in response to a comment about the impeachment trial. That comment stated that Trump did not incite the insurrection at the Capitol, at least not under the standards alleged. My response followed:
It’s absolutely incitement. The mob did exactly what [Trump] wanted them to do. One police officer lost his life, two others were so traumatized that they took theirs, one lost an eye and is now blinded, another lost three fingers. Smashed spinal disks, cracked ribs, an officer stabbed, traumatic brain injuries that may leave officers permanently brain damaged. An officer forced to shoot an insurrectionist.
These officers are going to have to live with the memories of this for the rest of their lives. I know what they are going through because I’ve been there, though nowhere near the degree that they are. I’ve been shot at, I’ve been in riots, I’ve had bottles and rocks thrown at me and my fellow officers . . . and I’ve had the nightmares, the sudden fear when something triggers the memory, and so on.
Thankfully, I’m out of that business and the problems have eased, but they never go away.
They are never going to go away for the officers at the Capitol, and Trump incited that.
Now is the time for him to be held accountable.
Maybe I’m too focused on this. Maybe I’m too biased against Donald Trump. Lord knows, I’ve never been a fan or a supporter of his since the 1990s. So in my view, the case is clear-cut, but that’s not what this is really about.
I spent over 20 years on the street, worked in a major city’s housing projects, at an airport, and in a university environment. I had some rough times, as I noted above, but thankfully went through less than one-tenth of what these officers went through. Even so, I had issues until I left police work. I occasionally still have issues, but only in a more limited way now, mostly insomnia or minor bad dreams. I still carry a gun every day, and I always sit facing the door, because I’m aware of the bad things that can happen without notice.
The Capitol and Metro Police officers went through much worse, and they are likely feeling betrayed by their leadership right now. It’s come out that the leaders had warning but did not adequately prepare. The Capitol Police union is furious enough that they are preparing to vote “no confidence” in the police leadership.
Of course, the officers have no confidence. The leadership was a joke. How is the officer supposed to view his leadership after he was pulled out of the doorway by Jeffrey Sabol, who held him down with a baton while Peter Stager beat the officer with a flagpole, American flag proudly attached? Both Sabol and Stager could legally have been shot by other officers, but is that wise when you’re outnumbered 10 or 20 to 1? The leadership had knowledge of the threat, yet did nothing?
When you look at the mugshot of Sabol, what’s your view of his attitude? I think that he’s lost it. Reportedly after trying to flee the country to Switzerland, he attempted suicide and was hospitalized before he was arrested and denied bond. He’s now being held without bond, as is Stager, who was caught in Arkansas. They are likely to be held accountable, but does it look like he’s concerned? Not really.
If you want to know why police develop an “us vs. them” attitude, you need look no further than this insurrection and the response of the leadership and the public. These officers were hung out to dry, yet they still fought back, for hours, without much hope of help. They didn’t break and run, and some did incredibly brave things. Another officer, a police lieutenant, had to shoot an insurrectionist in order to protect the Representatives who were still trying to get out of the area.
I wrote about that incident, and why I thought that the shooting was justified, but you’ve got people claiming that the insurrectionist was a “patriot” who was doing what she thought was right—which is crap, but how do you think that affects the officer who pulled the trigger? I never had to pull the trigger, fortunately, but I’ve known numerous officers who have done so. Each and every one of them was affected by the fact that they had to take a life. All suffered because of their actions to protect themselves and the public.
The Capitol Police leadership say that counseling is “available” for any officer that wants it—which is a cop-out because few if any officers are going to seek counseling. In police culture, it’s a sign of weakness, a sign that you can’t hold it together. What the Capitol Police need to do is make counselling mandatory, to bring in counselors and staff to help the officers deal with the psychological trauma from the event and the fact that one section of the country doesn’t care about accountability or what happened to these officers on January 6, 2021.
What’s worse is that is the segment that claims to be in support of law and order, but instead is dismissive of what happened at the Capitol. How are the officers supposed to feel?
More importantly, how do we make sure that the officers get the support and help that they will need to move forward?
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“but how do you think that affects the officer who pulled the trigger?”
Ashli Babbitt was unavailable for comment.
A tragedy. We can mourn for Ms. Babbitt and recognize that her lack of judgment put her in the assault vanguard.
It was all online fun and political camaraderie on The Mall until she breached the last barrier defending our elected representatives engaged in constitutional duties.
Eternal damnation to those who misled her to that moment, and prayers for her and the officer.
Babbitt was trained in the Air Force to do exactly what the USCP Lieutenant did, to protect priority resources of the United States. She was part of a mob that was yelling to hang the Vice President, and to get the Speaker of the House. I’m not concerned with what she thought, I’m more concerned with what she did to the officer.
Well, sympathy to Ms. Babbitt and her family, but she was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. And participating in a riot. You do that and you’re generating risk.
Besides which, I think Mr. Prickett is making the point that the cop that shot here wishes she was still here as well, because he’s suffering from guilt from having reacted in a situation that she created.
Not a lot of winners here.
^^^This^^^
De-fund em or Love em. Out of curiosity how long can they keep his identity secret?
“Use their weapons? They signed up to use their weapons, most of them, but they watch enough TV so they know they have to weep. There is no one more full of shit than a cop, except for a cop on TV”- Billy Costigan (The Departed)
And the two who committed suicide? I suspect they may have played a part in the insurrection and feared the outcome of the investigation would show it.
And the two who committed suicide? I suspect they may have played a part in the insurrection and feared the outcome of the investigation would show it.
Not to go all Sgt. Schultz here, but Greg busted his ass to put out a post about a very touchy, complicated subject and you reward him with this sub-Reddit-level bullshit.
Go a little Sgt. Schultz. I figured Greg would rip him a new asshole for baselessly speaking ill of the dead, so I hung back, but somebody had to.
You did good, kid.
Thanks David.
Mike, that is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in response to one of my post.
As the press articles have presented it, those controlling the Capitol police force decided to sack the leaders who unsuccessfully requested assistance half a dozen times, then replaced them with the person who personally mismanaged the deployment on January 6. Basically, a scapegoat was thrown under the bus, and the leadership issues were otherwise left unaddressed. How can the officers possibly have any confidence in this folderol? Meanwhile, the continuing military occupation of the Capitol reflects the administration’s own view that the Capitol Police as currently operating can’t be relied on.
Does this mean it was also insurrection in portland and MN this year? And that politicians who encouraged violence, rash action without evidence and unrest are as guilty as the former President?
Police chiefs and staffs resigned for police shootings or actions that were completely justified, will that standard hold when the shoe is on the other foot?
Those are the questions I have heard discussed more than anything in the weeks since the impeachment started.
Full disclosure I’m against riots no matter where they take place and more than a little against politicians that incite them no matter what side they are on.
One of the problems is having is common definitions of actions and the outright hypocrisy on display.
Im all for holding politicians accountable for their words but I like at least half the population dont want accountability to be a one sided action. That made me for a compromise that didnt come up. Impeach the former President for his wink and nudge along with every politician who said similar things over the summer. One side would get the Orange man they hate the other would get an end to the summer’s hypocrisy and a return to the thought that police are good and riots bad. No matter the side.
The differences between the riots and January 6th is obvious to anyone not blinded by their beliefs. And this has nothing to do with the post, but with your being just as much of a blind ideological fool as the worst SJW. You have TDS just as they do.
I believe you’re missing the point. Besides the post being about how do we support the rank and file officers and hold their leaders (whether in their force or the union) responsible.
Comparing the BLM protests and what happened on Jan. 6th is apples and oranges. Trump was ready and willing to send in the national guard when people were spray painting, breaking windows, and otherwise defacing federal buildings in Portland yet didn’t seem to feel they were needed when his followers stormed the Capitol, broke in, and threatened the vice president and congress members. One is not like the other.
Anyone who can’t figure this out for himself either chooses to be ideologically blind or doesn’t belong here. It’s really not my goal to make SJ a “safe space” for people who need logical fallacies explained to them in small words.
I am sorry for the deaths of the policemen involved and I hope the survivors get the help they need. The failure of the Capital Police leadership is appalling.