Acevdo, Stop Using Dead Cops as a Platform for Your Political Views
Remember Sgt Brewster foremost
Foremost, I want to pay homage to Sgt Christopher Brewster of the Houston Police Department. Sgt Brewster was assassinated when a suspect shot him as he exited his patrol car. Sgt Brewster was responding to a call of a woman being beaten by a man who was armed with two handguns. We will not list the suspect's name because he does not deserve to have his name mentioned. Sgt Brewster is a hero for defending our freedoms. To his family and to his co-workers, I am sorry for your loss. You are in our prayers every day.
Chief Acevedo Uses Dead Cops to Further his Platform
Houston's chief of police, Art Acevedo, is a staunch anti gunner. He cut his teeth in the California Highway Patrol and rose to the rank of Chief there. He left the CHP to be the chief of Austin and then the Chief of Houston. Since his time in Austin, Chief Acevedo has been very vocal about his love for gun control.
We all have opinions and this is America, so his right to speak freely is protected. However, there is a time and a place. Using your dead officer to further your platform is just unnecessary. So what did Chief Acevedo say yesterday at a press conference? Here's some highlights:
“We’ve got to get the Violence Against Women Act acted upon,” he said. “We’ve got to get in a room. I don’t want to hear about how much they support law enforcement, how much they care about lives and the sanctity of lives. And yet we all know in law enforcement that this is one of the biggest reasons that the Senate and Mitch McConnell, and John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and others are not getting into a room and having a conference committee with the House, and getting the Violence Against Women Act, is because the NRA doesn’t like the fact that we want to take firearms out of the hands of boyfriends that abuse their girlfriends.”
“And who killed our sergeant?” Acevedo asked. “A boyfriend abusing his girlfriend. So you’re either here for women and children and our daughters and our sisters and our aunts, or you’re here for the NRA. So I don’t want to see their little smug faces about how much they care about law enforcement when I’m burying a sergeant because they don’t want to piss off the NRA.
The Chief's comments were made as HPD was about to transport Sgt Brewster to a funeral home. This is hardly the time to bring up your pet project.
Violence Against Women's Act
The Chief advocated for the passing of the Violence Against Women's Act. But, don't be fooled, this is just what he wanted to bring up today. Tomorrow it will be something else. Violence Against Women's Act has been around since 1994 when it was enacted under President Bill Clinton. The act prohibited certain persons convicted of Domestic Violence from possessing or owning firearms. The Act is waiting for the Senate to act on a new amendment for re-authorization.
However, the amendment has some loose definitions that need to be cleaned up. The democrat controlled House easily passed the amendment while leaving some people open for abuse from the Judicial System.
Now, I don't have the specifics about Sgt Brewster's case, but good street cops have seen a majority of DV suspects use guns obtained outside of this act. We don't know if the suspect obtained these guns illegally.
Chief Acevedo is Putting All Cops in Danger With His Rhetoric
Any law, like "Red Flag" laws, which take away guns from citizens is a divisive topic. Those of us that have been in law enforcement for any length of time know that these type of laws are ripe for abuse. A good example is one that cops have seen more than once. A domestic partner (male or female) claims domestic violence to get the other person arrested knowing there was no violence. In some states, that is enough to seize guns.
Chief Acevedo, by using his bully pulpit in a vulnerable time, put more officers at risk by proclaiming he wants to seize more guns. His words are putting a target on the back of cops and puts us at risk when responding to calls. It wasn't just his words, but the voiceful adjectives he used while demeaning our leaders is unbecoming of a person holding the office of Chief of Police. He needs to check himself before more of us get hurt unnecessarily.
Do Cops Agree With the Chief
It would appear not. I've trained cops all over the United States. I know that they are pro 2nd Amendment. So, today I set up a poll asking cops what they think of the 2nd amendment. So far, I have over 200 responses from cops, all supporting the 2A. Chief, it looks like you are not only alone on this, but you are doing it at the wrong time. I'll put out more information on that poll when we are done collecting information.
Do HPD Officers Get to Exercise Their 1st Amendment Rights?
I am a staunchly pro Second Amendment. I was not allowed, as a sergeant, to express my opinion without consequences. I was a police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area and would have been fired for expressing my views. However, I am now retired and need not write under a fake name anymore.
Now that Chief Acevedo is making it a habit of advocating for anti-gun legislation, can his officers do the same? What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Sometimes it's good for Chief's to act like they expect their officers to act.