One night last week, my wife & I were driving home on a surface street when a police cruiser flew past us going well above 50, in a 35 mind you (I have been ticketed for this), and no lights or sirens on.
Prompted by recent events, something rose up inside of me, and I called 911 to report it.
To my great surprise, the 911 operator was immediately apologetic, and without hesitation assured me that she was looking into it immediately. She even reported the identification number of the vehicle, informed me that the officer was responding to a stolen car alert nearby, and explained that they sometimes avoid sirens/lights when responding to reports of crime.
I thanked her, and am still pleasantly shocked by her reaction (I was expecting defensiveness and/or disregard) as well as how much information she openly shared with me.
Civilian oversight is one of our most powerful assets as citizens!
Thanks for writing this. Some of these terms were eye-opening and enraging. I discovered you through a Substack search for “voting,” and I look forward to more from you! You are inspiring me to start my own newsletter for Phoenix AZ.
Hi, Jeremy. Thanks for commenting, and for letting me know how you came across this newsletter. While there is a lot of Miami-specific information, many of these systemic issues apply to communities across the United States. For example, your state, Arizona, also has a LEOBOR law on the books. LEOBOR laws can sometimes make civilian oversight more difficult, as they do in Florida.
I'd love to see the newsletter you start for your community if you decide to do it!
Civilian oversight is far under-leveraged.
One night last week, my wife & I were driving home on a surface street when a police cruiser flew past us going well above 50, in a 35 mind you (I have been ticketed for this), and no lights or sirens on.
Prompted by recent events, something rose up inside of me, and I called 911 to report it.
To my great surprise, the 911 operator was immediately apologetic, and without hesitation assured me that she was looking into it immediately. She even reported the identification number of the vehicle, informed me that the officer was responding to a stolen car alert nearby, and explained that they sometimes avoid sirens/lights when responding to reports of crime.
I thanked her, and am still pleasantly shocked by her reaction (I was expecting defensiveness and/or disregard) as well as how much information she openly shared with me.
Civilian oversight is one of our most powerful assets as citizens!
Thanks for writing this. Some of these terms were eye-opening and enraging. I discovered you through a Substack search for “voting,” and I look forward to more from you! You are inspiring me to start my own newsletter for Phoenix AZ.
Hi, Jeremy. Thanks for commenting, and for letting me know how you came across this newsletter. While there is a lot of Miami-specific information, many of these systemic issues apply to communities across the United States. For example, your state, Arizona, also has a LEOBOR law on the books. LEOBOR laws can sometimes make civilian oversight more difficult, as they do in Florida.
I'd love to see the newsletter you start for your community if you decide to do it!
This is excellent Leah sincere thanks for sharing the knowledge in such a clear and substantial way.
Thanks, Pete! I'm glad you found it useful.