Rogue EX-Cop On The Run

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES – Police said a former Los Angeles cop accused of killing a college basketball coach and her fiancé is also suspected of ambushing two officers overnight, killing one of them.  Police are on a manhunt Thursday morning for murder suspect Christopher Dorner, who is accused of shooting 28-year-old Monica Quan and 27-year-old Keith Lawrence to death in their car on Sunday.

Riverside Lt. Guy Toussaint said officers were stopped at a red light while on routine patrol at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday when someone shot them. One of the officers was killed while the other was critically wounded.

Toussaint said investigators believe Dorner to be the shooter in Thursday’s ambush. Police don’t know where Dorner is but think he left the area. Police said Dorner implicated himself in the killings in a multi-page “manifesto” that included threats against several people, including members of the LAPD.

Dorner was fired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2009 for making a false statement against another officer. LAPD Capt. William Hayes told The Associated Press that the victim’s father, Randal Quan, represented Dorner in front of the Board of Rights, a tribunal that ruled against Dorner at the time of his dismissal. Randal Quan was a former LAPD captain who became a lawyer in retirement. 

Being a police officer for over 28 years it saddens me deeply when one of our own goes bad as with the ex LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, it happens and you have to deal with it.  That said, I hope they catch the “scumbag” sooner than later. I hope that he is dealt with in the manner which will bring swift and final judgement, he deserves nothing less than what he dealt to his victims.  In my personal opinion, he will attempt to go out in a blaze of glory. I just hope and pray that the officers find him first.

I have of been a supporter of my brothers in blue as long as I can remember, and when something like this happens you try to understand the “why” it’s painful to say the least.  I can not put my hands around the “why” a Police Officer goes bad, I wish I could understand, but I can’t.   Being a Police Officer is a challenging but rewarding career if you do it for the right reasons.  I loved every day and I looked forward to going to work.

When Police Officers goes bad, it is magnified and blown up, maybe not so much for the crime, but for who he or she is, a Police Officer.  The Officer who is charged in keeping the peace, the Police Officer who we teach our children from a very young age that you can trust. Wearing the badge comes with a very great responsibility a responsibility that you must learn to handle.

A Police Officer has a lot power that is entrusted to him or her when they are sworn in and given their oath of office.  The responsibility and powers given a Police Officer is vast. and should not be taken lightly nor for granted.  At some point the responsibility can become a burden for those few who do not know how to handle the added weight places placed on their shoulders by their oath.

For those few who fail to recognize their shortcomings, they must understand that they have arrived at the crossroad of “Right or Wrong”,  which is when, in my opinion “The Few” make the wrong decision.

A Police Officer is a Chameleon he/she becomes a a lawyer, a doctor, a pastor, a priest and physiologist, a counselor and many other professions when he is “behind the badge”,  under it all he/she is a living breathing person.

A Police Officer is held to a higher standard, as it should be; They MUST be the example and not the exception.  Sometimes however, it is more than some Police Officers can handle and they make wrong choices, for whatever the reason might be.  So again I implore, do not judge the other officers by the actions of the few who go bad.  There are many hero’s out their who deserve our respect, they have the certainly earned it in my estimation.

You do not take your oath it lightly, it is a life time oath, at least it was for me, an oath that I will abide by for the rest of the time I have remaining. 

On my honor,
I will never betray my badge¹,
my integrity, my character,
or the public trust.
I will always have
the courage to hold myself
and others accountable for our actions.
I will always uphold the constitution²
my community³ and the agency I serve.

Again I ask you do not judge all officers by the actions of so few, the numbers of officers that go bad pale in comparison to the ones who remain faithful to their oath and to their commitment  “To Protect & Serve”.  A motto coincidentally coined by LAPD Officer Joseph S. Dorobek in 1955, and has been used since by almost every police department at one time or another.  

Stay safe my brothers and may God Bless You