From Police Officer to Protester

America’s cops must take a stand for democracy, now.

Credit: The Author

By Staff Inspector Thomas J. Cowper, New York State Police (Ret.)

I’m a retired cop. And now I’m an active protester. It has been a long and difficult transformation from one to the other. But extraordinarily dangerous times demand extraordinary actions. And when cops, or in my case retired cops, return to the streets, not holding the line against protesters, but standing with them, it’s a sign that the times have gotten truly dangerous.

This has been a long transition for me and the journey is an important one to understand, both for cops and the civilians I once policed. It’s important because under normal conditions, police officers in a democracy should never overtly align themselves with one political party against the other. Leaving aside the overt partisan endorsements made by police unions, which I have always found abhorrent, active-duty police officers should never openly take sides in political debates, arguments, disputes or confrontations while on-duty. To do so creates the impression, or confirms it, that those with the power to physically arrest citizens, up to and including the use of deadly force, are predisposed to use that power against the side they oppose.

Of course, police have strayed terribly from this ideal since the beginning of organized law enforcement, and the abuses throughout history are well known. But even the routine practice of having uniformed officers standing on stage with politicians for purely political events, clapping in apparent agreement with overtly partisan rhetoric, undermines the principle that I learned in the State Police Academy in 1983: In a democracy the police should always strive to do their job in accordance with the law, peacefully if at all possible, and without bias, political or otherwise. Even the mere appearance of bias on the part of those within society responsible for exercising lawful force against citizens undermines public trust and the rule of law.

My 33-year law enforcement career began after five years on active duty as a Marine Corps infantry officer. After graduating from the State Police Academy in Albany, NY, I spent a decade on road patrol as a trooper and as a sergeant. I was a SWAT team member, a sniper, a firearms instructor, and a defensive tactics instructor before subsequent promotions brought me back to various assignments in Albany and State Police HQ, including eight years assigned to Internal Affairs, which is responsible for holding state troopers accountable.

I participated in my share of crowd control operations during those years. Some of these events were less peaceful than others. But in all the disturbances, riots, and demonstrations I helped police, my fellow police officers and I made every effort to enforce the law and maintain the peace in accordance with the law, regardless of our political affiliations, which vary wildly from trooper to trooper.

Politics was never a consideration in how we did the job. Political bias or party affiliation did not affect how we responded or who got arrested. Mistakes were made, of course. When human beings are involved, they always happen. But none of us wore masks and we were always identifiable. In fact, during my 33-year career I never wore a mask and I never saw another cop wear a mask while performing his or her duties. It just isn’t done in a free society where trust between cops and the people they serve is a bedrock principle of a functioning democracy. If you have to wear a mask or remove your name tag while on duty, you are doing something wrong.

Today, federal law enforcement has strayed so far over that line that the difference between untrained neo-fascist militia groups and ICE agents is nearly indistinguishable. Public trust in the feds is gone and is taking democracy with it. Our last officially sanctioned line of defense are America’s 150,000 local and state police officers. They are a new kind of thin blue line. Each of us swore an oath to defend the constitutions of our nation and our respective states. And our job is, and always has been, to protect and serve our communities so that they continue to be places of peace and security for all people.

During my 33-year career I never wore a mask, and I never saw another cop wear a mask. If you have to wear a mask, you are doing something wrong.

So, to those of you still on the job, from patrol officers to chiefs: Do your duty. Understand the oaths you swore to uphold, and don’t do anything to compromise your integrity or the rule of law. Have the moral courage to take a stand against tyranny by resisting federal overreach and abuse whenever possible. Do not go along with those willing to trash the Constitution and the rights of the people.

To those of you I’ve seen in Washington, DC and Albany, where I have protested many times this year: Thank you for doing the job, for being courteous and professional and helpful to those of us who are trying our best to be peaceful in the face of federal abuses on our streets.

Most especially, to police leaders: Hold yourself and your people to the highest standards of professionalism and true patriotism. Don’t put your cops in positions where their values may be compromised and their ideals tarnished. And hold your officers and yourselves to the highest standards of decency and democracy.

To those retired cops in America who still love this country and the concepts of freedom and liberty we have always stood for: It’s time to take a stand. It is hard to take that first step and cross the line from cop to protester. But we are no longer constrained by the duty of impartiality. We are civilians, and even though we will always be members of the thin blue line, we need to step to the other side; not to oppose our sisters and brothers in blue, but to oppose those who claim to support them while flagrantly and smugly violating the rights and principles that are the bedrock of our nation.

Our vows to uphold freedom and democracy were for life, and to remain on the sidelines today is to give tacit support to those destroying them. Our silence is deafening. The people we spent our careers defending see our lack of action and believe we are on the wrong side of history. You don’t have to be a Democrat to oppose fascism and defend freedom. Just be a patriotic American who refuses to stop defending our way of life, regardless of the party in power.

And lastly, to the citizens holding the line against this fascist regime: Please remember that police officers are human beings doing a difficult job under extremely chaotic and confusing circumstances. I am not here to defend every action by every cop; only to say that most are very good people trying to do the right thing. Please be peaceful. Don’t make their jobs even more difficult. Don’t blame them for things they have no control over. Cops are trained for the job of maintaining public order, not to oppose one another. We are not programmed to dispute or resist our federal partners when those “partners” have turned into thugs, and it may take them some time to figure out the right way forward.

It is not easy to actively oppose fascism while still wearing the uniform. Many police officers are on our side today, and still working out the right way to proceed. Do not mistake their professionalism and stoic demeanor as opposition to us or what we are trying to achieve. Many of them are in transition. They know what’s right and are grappling internally with their training and experience, having conflicting thoughts, emotions, and feelings as they transform from stoic guardians of the public peace to guardians of democracy. A well placed “thank you for your service” to those on the other side of the line will go a long way toward saving this nation.

Save your peaceful rage for ICE, Border Patrol, and those who actively support this fascist regime trying to end democracy in America.

Staff Inspector Thomas J. Cowper (Ret.) is a former New York State Police officer. He spent 33 years in law enforcement, including as a trooper, SWAT team member, sniper, and firearms and defensive tactics instructor. He also served in the United States Marine Corps.