PAX Centurion - November / December 2015

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • November/December 2015 • Page 13 To the men and women of the BPD and BEMS, It was, and is, a great pleasure to raise awareness, on your behalf, of the annual scholarship by securing advertisers to offer their services to you, the members of the BPPA, in 2015, 2016 and beyond. It is most important to keep in mind that many of these advertisers are happy to support our cause just because they are appreciative of your efforts, but many, while appreciative, need to drive additional sales as well. Please try to keep this in mind as you shop for groceries, fill prescriptions, buy cars, dine in restaurants or when you might be in need of any services you see advertised within the pages of this, or past and future issues of the Pax. Also, as always, as you go about your daily routines, if you see or hear of a potential candidate for advertising, I can be reached at 617-989-2772 (office) or my cell 617-529- 9288. Thank you in advance and thank you for the opportunity to represent you in this endeavor. Sincerely, Mike Joyce Advertisers in this issue of the Pax Centurion : AAA Police Supply / Blauer, Inc. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts The John Birch Society Boston Firefighters Credit Union Boston Red Sox Foundation Burke Distributors Byrne & Anderson, LLP, Attorneys at Law City of Boston Credit Union Eire Pub The Embroidery Clinic Law Firm of Scott D. Goldberg, P.C. Law Offices of Donald E. Green Guaranteed Rate Mortgage Carole Lund R.E. Neponset Preschool New England Benefits Connect New York Life/Kevin J. Pishkin Valvoline Instant Oil Change Venezia Restaurant officers report that getting a requested day-off, even in late October or November on a Tuesday or a Sunday, are being denied by the administration. The result is a marked increase in sick-time use, when the use of accrued time-owed is routinely denied. Police officers, too, are human beings (geez, what a revelation?) and have a basic need for rest, relaxation and family time. We sometimes wonder if Marie Antoinette herself has not taken up residence at Schroeder Plaza. Is anyone listening? Additionally, it should not be a secret that Boston Police Patrol Of- ficers DO NOT have Tasers or long rifles available to them for use in emergencies such as just occurred in San Bernardino. (Not that Tas- ers would have been any good in San Bernardino, but in other situ- ations, perhaps so.) We have a very few, select units equipped with heavy weapons to confront those who usedAR-15’s in recent terrorist assaults. The patrol force is, of course, happy to have our special-op’s units out in the field to respond to calls when needed. But, as the old saying goes, “when seconds count, the police are sometimes minutes away.” (The San Bernardino savages spent only about five minutes on the scene of their massacre of innocent civilians. It was only by the grace of God and good fortune that an “active-shooter’ training program was, in fact, in session a few miles away that so many police officers were quickly available to respond.) That is true for our own spec-op’s units, too, as they will all readily admit. The department is often more concerned with overtime expenditures than with basic officer safety. Long-rifles should be available to patrol force members – after full and complete training – as needed and safely secured in the cruiser for quick availability. If the touchy-feely politicians are more concerned about appearances than with effectiveness, then they can go to hell: we think that even liberals, when confronted with the desperate choice, would rather see a police officer with an automatic rifle or shotgun than a terrorist with anAR-15. Tasers, too, should be made available to all patrol force members for quick use as an alternative to the use of deadly force. About 99% of incidents involving the need/use for Tasers have been successfully concluded without the need for additional force, according to avail- able statistics. The fact that some members of the public, the media or the political establishment are squeamish about the use of electronic de-mobilization devices should be quickly countermanded by inci- dents such as those which occurred in Chicago. We are indeed lucky in Boston, so far; but luck, like everything else, soon runs out…. We are severely outgunned and outmanned in the event of a simi- lar attack here in Boston. The BPD brass should not be shocked or feel insulted by the revelation of this information on the pages of the Pax Centurion . It has already been publicly discussed – and unfortu- nately dismissed – by the media and the political class as the unnec- essary desires of gun-happy, right-wing nuts (That would be us). It is better that we said it now in the hopes of addressing the situation than to wish we had said it later after a terrorist attack. The only thing that beats a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a better gun. We are the good guys. Please give us the better guns and the appropri- ate training before San Bernardino or Paris happens again. As we all know, the savages are probably already here and simply waiting for the right time. Let us, at least, be ready….