Posted on 07/13/2012 9:04:20 PM PDT by forty_years
The National Border Patrol Council Local 2544 in Tucson, Ariz., is just a little angry. Local 2544, which is the largest Border Patrol union local with over 3,300 dues-paying members, tags itself as "the real border security experts". What are they angry about? Apparently, the current administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) senior officials have created what agents call "virtual brainwashing videos". Their website states that Border Patrol agents have been forced to take a virtual learning course on "active shooters" where the bottom line is that if they encounter an active shooter, as in Fort Hood, the Giffords shooting, or Columbine, they — as law enforcement officers — are to "run away" and "hide".
The site goes on, "If we are cornered by such a shooter we are to (only as a last resort) become 'aggressive' and 'throw things' at him or her." As if the Border Patrol is not law enforcement, they are then advised to "call law enforcement and wait for their arrival …. Multiple quizzes throughout the course and a final test ensure repeatedly that we know that we only have three options … 1. Run away; 2. Hide; and 3. Only put up a fight as a last resort by acting aggressively and throwing things at the shooter. Not one mention anywhere of 'if you are carrying a gun and you have the opportunity take the shooter out'."
The union local's website statement ends like this:
It is always comforting to know that for those of us who carry a weapon when we are off-duty, if we should encounter such a situation, stop a shooter and save countless lives, we can look forward to being disciplined or fired by the Border Patrol because we should have run away to hide and then maybe thrown objects at the killer instead of taking action and stopping him with a firearm. ...
Welcome to the New Patrol.
With these complaints public, DHS is now trying to reverse itself and says it will "revise and clarify this training" shortly. Local 2544 put up a statement saying they "look forward to seeing the new training".
I spoke at length to a long-time, well-respected senior member of the border enforcement community yesterday and he rolled his eyes when I mentioned the video. All immigration law enforcement has been required to watch the video, he said. He described the idea that law enforcement officers are not to do their job in clear and dangerous situations as "simply ridiculous and insulting".
This verification of the Tucson local's commentary from a senior official whom I trust made me wonder about the competency and true intent of DHS officials — who, to date, have been nothing short of brazen in rolling back immigration enforcement across the board. This training is being forced on law enforcement officers without caveats or exceptions to the "active shooter" rule in either the literature or virtual learning videos. What conclusion is any reasonable immigration law enforcement officer supposed to draw other than "hide" or "throw things" in such a situation? If a choice is made to stop a shooting rampage, the outcome could be a serious reprimand, even if lives are saved.
Does the Obama administration not mind a scenario where chaos multiplies because they do not want guns used? Can they not see the possibility of another Fort Hood massacre? This is the same administration that actively supported "Fast and Furious", a gun-walking operation that resulted in hundreds killed in Mexico and at least one border agent in the United States. The hypocrisy is blatant. Nothing new, I know. Yet it remains hard to sit by and watch hard-working immigration law enforcement officers demeaned and repeatedly told not to perform their sworn duties.
Police officers don’t run and hid. Against their very nature, not to mention their training.
Everyone of these guys should resign en masse. Then all go on a camping trip down to the border with their privately owned weapons.
I guess these guys are supposed to take their boots off and throw them. My wife said “We might as well put a sign at the border saying ‘Come on In’.”
If the policy is for the paid, professional, armed law enforcement officers to run and hide, where does that leave the citizens depending on them to deal with an active armed attack? The rest of us need to be armed and the policy pantywaists need to be terminated. They are a waste of our money.
Great points. Any your wife has it right.
Real trining would be - Recieve fire, Return massive fire.
Brian Terry was killed firing beanbags at fully-armed Mexican drug cartel soldiers. Hard to tell who the bigger son-of-a-bitch was: the cartelistas or Janet Napolitano. Holder was the biggest.
Policies like these were likely responsible for the two border agent’s deaths. Just like our military is forced to fight with one hand tied behind their backs; our border agents are given bean bags to use against assault rifles. What is going on? Is this their way of making law enforcement more hospitable to the perverts?
As a retired police officer, I feel the same. And no self respecting police officer would run and hid, otherwise they should choose another profession.
H.M. Government Public Service Films - No. 42 How Not To Be Seen.
Obama wants to get in as many new voters for the Democratic Party as he can. He’s assuming that all (mostly Latino) immigrants will vote Democratic, and many probably will. But there are plenty of Hispanics in CA, AZ, NM, TX, FL, etc. who don’t want to see the U.S. destroyed as Obama does.
Dept of Homeland Insecurity, Jan “The Man” Nappie’s Agency? That bunch of Fast Food Industry Rejects?
So - what is surprising?
I had an opportunity to talk to a border patrol officer that patrols the border for about 30 minutes. I won't go into every detail but he said it is triage. If they come across someone that they determine is not a threat, they let them go. He said he checks their hands. He saw and old guy whose hands were like cracked leather. A poor old farmer looking for a better life than the hard miserable one he had. He let him continue.
As he put it, if I take him in, the whole process will take six hours and in that time really bad people will have gotten through.
Then he talked about being out there at night alone and tracking people for two hours. Every once in a while he would get close enough to hear their voices. All he could do was track them until back up could get there. He got the word there was no back up that could get there. He knew they were bad people but nothing he could do.
He said they catch the same people multiple times. He said one guy with really bad luck they had caught six times.
That is just a snippet.
If the Tucson local really wants to help themselves they will complain about the Tucson sector policy of shooting non-lethal rounds.
Homeland Secrity: "Approach, and repeat ultimatum in an even firmer tone of voice. Add the words, "or else"."
Scheming thug obama and the democrats must not win in November!
Sounds as though O’Bummer’s Afghanistan rules of engagement for our military are now being adopted by DHS!!!!
This is absolute CRAZINESS!!! Run away and hide??? Seriously? I can’t even believe they would JOKE about this reaction, much less put it into a real-world procedural instruction for our border guards! Imagine - in all the invasions throughout history what would’ve happened if those being invaded had “run away and hidden”!
I think the real reason for these ROEs on the border is because Obama is afraid of the Sinaloa Cartel members carrying the weapons HE sold them because part of the deal was probably freedom from harm during passage across the border. It’s not like Obama and his administration doesn’t have a history of making empty promises, if not outright lying. (I still think the person who shot at the WH some months back WASN’T with “occupy”, but rather was sending a warning from the Cartel - it’s definitely their “style” to make someone on their list realize they can get to you ANYWHERE.)
Can they not see the possibility of another Fort Hood massacre?
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Of course they see it-—They applaud it.
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