If you've ever wanted to get inside the mind of a police officer, then this candid book written by a former Chicago cop will take you there. Terrence Howard, who retired from the force after twenty-four years, recalls an adventurous career that includes the good, bad, and ugly sides of law enforcement. Whether you are considering becoming a police officer or just curious about how they think, Howard offers answers. This Gun's for Hire identifies the three models of police officers; examines the forty golden rules of police survival; and provides advice on how to work with police so you can steer clear of trouble. When encountering a police officer, it's important to know the difference between the laws of the courts and the laws of the streets. Figure out how police officers really think, and take the necessary steps to ensure a more positive experience the next time you meet one.

THIS GUN'S FOR HIRE

A Look inside the Mind of a Street CopBy Terrence Howard

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Terrence Howard
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-2852-5

Contents

Dedication...................................................................................viiAcknowledgments..............................................................................ixIntroduction.................................................................................xiDisclaimer...................................................................................xvChapter 1 The Forty Commandments.............................................................1Chapter 2 The Model Police Officer...........................................................5Chapter 3 Five People........................................................................15Chapter 4 Don't Say It And Don't Ask.........................................................23Chapter 5 The Traffic Ticket.................................................................31Chapter 6 The Department.....................................................................35Chapter 7 The Media..........................................................................43Chapter 8 Does Racism Still Exist In Law Enforcement?........................................57Chapter 9 The Transformation From Civilian To Police Officer (21 Essays).....................65

Chapter One

The Forty Commandments

The Bible tells the story of the Ten Commandments. A police officer must battle gangs, handguns, assault weapons, murderers, armed violence, rapist, crack heads, heroin addicts, politicians seeking re-election, public opinion, civil litigation, community activist, the Internal Affairs Division, the Police Review Board and the video camera. Moses only had to fight Pharaoh. Who did Moses call when he needed back up? God. Moses couldn't lose. When you have more opponents, you'll need more commandments.

Police work is just like anything else you learn in life. Start with the basics and learn as you go. Certain tactics an officer will learn from the veterans that train him and others he will learn through personal experience. Shit happens fast on the streets. A police officer needs to have a game plan drawn up ahead of time. This ain't no dress rehearsal. This is real life.

These Forty Commandments are the "golden rules" for the police officer. The officer on the street needs to learn them all by memory. Learn them all and he might win the game. Ignore them and he's on his own. Good luck.

1. Nobody(I do mean nobody!!) wants a police officer around them until they need a police officer around them.

2. On the streets, he must always know his location. If he doesn't know where he's at, how can he get help to arrive if he needs help?

3. The police radio is what makes a police officer "The Police." Not his badge, his uniform or his gun.

4. Wherever he takes his gun, take his baton too. It's better to have it and don't need it than to need it and don't have it. He can't beat everybody with his fist and he can't shoot everybody with his gun.

5. Drive slow and think fast. Hurry up and slow down.

6. The public doesn't have a problem with gambling as long as they are gambling with someone else's life. Your life, officer.

7. When he checks prisoners for weapons, check for all their weapons.

8. Take his job serious. Don't take it personal.

9. If he stops drivers for traffic violations, he should give them a ticket or a lecture. Don't give both. If he does, he might hear this: "Officer, just write me my ticket and shut the fuck up!"

10. The public must take all of the police service or they shouldn't take any of it. If they don't want the police to write them tickets, they shouldn't call 911 when someone is stealing their car.

11. Stay alert and he'll stay alive.

12. The risk he takes should never outweigh the reward.

13. Be a hero. But, only by accident.

14. When a police officer checks off at the end of his tour of duty, check off with his life. The hell with how many tickets he wrote.

15. There's a difference between what he thinks, what he knows, and what he can prove. If he can't prove it, forget it. Leave it alone.

16. The police department is not a family. It's a business. An officer is welcome only as long as he proves to be an asset to the company. When he becomes a liability, he has to go.

17. Listen to what the public tells him. Then, try to figure out what it is they're not telling him. Trust me, that's what he really wants to know.

18. An officer doesn't get paid on commission. Write ten tickets or get shot two times. He still gets the same pay.

19. Come to work to make money, not to make friends.

20. An understanding last longer than fear.

21. Just because "it" ain't happened in the last 10 years doesn't mean "it" won't happen in the next 10 minutes. What is "it?" He never knows.

22. A policeman can not be friends with people he has to "police."

23. The right tools make his job easy. Use them. Police officers don't search abandoned buildings. Police canine units do.

24. He should look before he leaps.

25. It's better to be judged by 12 than carried to his grave by 6.

26. When off-duty, avoid the on-duty police. When on-duty, avoid the off-duty police. Off-duty police officers will make him want to kill them.

27. If he doesn't know what he's doing, ask someone that does know. There is no shame in asking for help. (Note: On the CPD, ask Officer Virginia Johnston.)

28. Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die.

29. If the public wants him to make them a hamburger, they shouldn't complain about how he treats the cow.

30. He should forget about Rodney King. He didn't beat him up.

31. His job title is Policeman. Not Superman, Spider Man or Aqua Man. He's not faster than a speeding bullet nor is he able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He can't spin a web any size, catching thieves just like flies. And, he don't get wet.

32. Beware of what he writes on police reports, what he says on police audio tapes and what he does on police video tapes. Once he writes it, says it, or gets caught on tape doing it, he can't undo it.

33. Always think like a police officer because he will be tried and convicted as a police officer in a court of law.

34. A police officer can do whatever he wants to do. Until he gets caught.

35. Try to hurt him and he's gonna do whatever he has to do to stop you. He won't care what it looks like on the 6 o'clock news.

36. He will never walk into a fighting crowd of people. He can't see in front of him and behind him at the same time.

37. Women carry weapons too. Keep his eyes on her hands, not her ass.

38. He doesn't win a street fight on the street. He wins it in the gym. Same with a shoot-out. He wins it at the gun range.

39. People will gladly accept their rewards in life, but not their punishment.

40. There can never (I do mean never!!) be too many police officers at the scene of anything. There can be too few.

Chapter Two

The Model Police Officer

There are three models. They are assembled in the police academy. After the recruits are trained and sworn in, they leave the academy and are assigned to a district or precinct where more modifications are made. The community they train in and the veterans that train them will become the recruit's foundation. Kind of like the caterpillar stage in a butterfly's development. What develops when the rookies comes out of the cocoon...