PAX Centurion - January / February 2015

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • January/February 2015 • Page 33 enough. The Israeli Battle Dressings are available from various online sites for under $10 and are small enough to carry in a pocket. Staying sterile and available for a very long time. However the MOST important aspect for your survival is proper mental conditioning and the survival mindset. Prepare yourself for the worse. Don’t let it consume you, but be ready for it. Plan your if/then scenarios in your mind before you encounter a threat. Like all actions, they must become second nature so as to occur without conscious thought. This can only happen with training and practice. Practice, not to the point that you get it right, but to the point that you can not do it wrong. They are planning right now, planning against us. We should be setting our minds right to do the same. 281 Neponset Ave. Dorchester 617-265-2665 Full Day Preschool – $40.00 Secure Play Area 4,000 sq. ft. 3 Classrooms 2 yrs. 9 mo. to 6 yrs. Massachusetts Early Education License #291031 • Daughter of a BPPA Retiree Neponset Preschool www.NeponsetPreschool.com Look at the entire fact pattern and not solely what is in the complaint -- even though you are there to address the issues in the complaint, it is not uncommon to have all of your actions examined. The Legal Advisor’s Office may look at issues the investigator is not focusing on. For instance, in a complaint alleging disrespectful treatment or excessive force, be prepared to justify why you got into the encounter to begin with. Officers have been exonerated for the rules violations they were accused of, but then have had other rules violations foisted on them. The Department can say that you were not rude to a citizen, but then suspend you for not calling off on the radio when you began that interaction. They can say that you did not use excessive force, but then say you had no valid legal reason to pursue the suspect in the first place and therefore made a false arrest. Be aware that all of your actions are being scrutinized. Keep it formal -- refer to your interviewer as “Sergeant Detec- tive” or “Lieutenant Detective” and not by their first name, even if they are an academy classmate or they are your best friend. Very frequently, the department is subjected to lawsuits for not conducting thorough investigations. If it appears that you are given special treat- ment by the interviewer, not asked difficult questions, or appear to be acting too friendly with the investigating officer, this can not only hurt the department but can also hurt you. Create a record that someone can read and understand later – In normal conversations we nod our heads, point to things, make motions, and demonstrate things that a tape recorder can’t pick up. Make sure things are described in a manner that someone reading the transcript a year later will know what was said. A transcript that says “I chased the suspect this direction, then he went that way, then he went behind that house, then he came out and pulled out a knife that was ‘this big’ and swung it like that” does not help anyone trying to figure out what happened. As you all know, the climate out there is not good, and I am not talking about the weather. A lot of the problems I have seen over the years are ones that are self-inflicted. Be prepared. Protect yourself. Take pride in your reputation. As history shows us, you can quickly go from being a hero to being a zero. Do not let that happen to you. Stay safe out there. Protecting yourself from both the ignorant masses and your own police department From Protecting Yourself on page 26 Power of Attorney Health Care Proxy Protect yourself and your family by being prepared for life’s surprises Call us today to find out how these two legal documents available for less than $400 can work for you Don Green Law Office of Donald E. Green (A full service law firm) 2235 Washington Street Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 442-0050 • toll free (877) DON-GREEN As we have over the past 30 years, we offer a discounted fee to police officers Don Green Annette Hill Green