1 | P a g e

Tasers, Abortions and Parenting: Behind the Curtain of Policing America Special Publisher’s Advanced Edition

By Dr. Richard Weinblatt and Jon Hansen

2 | P a g e

Initial Review of Tasers, Abortion and Parenting: Behind the Curtain of Policing America by bestselling author Larry Winget: “What a fascinating read. It’s going to rile folks up as well as having many people yell “Amen!” It will also, probably for the first time, give people an understanding about the direction our society is heading and give them some idea how we got to where we are now. Plus, your chapter on parenting is dead on and will hopefully cause folks to become more active in the lives of their children!” Larry Winget, Television personality and five times New York Times/Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “Your Kids Are Your Own Fault” and “The Idiot Factor”

3 | P a g e

Preface to Tasers, Abortion and Parenting: Behind the Curtain of Policing America Like the proverbial tip of the iceberg, crime and policing in America usually flash across our collective consciousness in a burst of sensational headlines and polarizing events. From incendiary stories such as the accidental shooting of a young girl by a police officer during a raid in Detroit or the arrest of a respected black Harvard Professor for "acting like a rich white man," to the purported use of unnecessary force in the Taser death of a foreigner in a Vancouver airport we are at once captivated and ultimately opinionated in terms of our initial, gut level reaction. However, rarely if ever, do we actually look beyond the immediate headlines for the greater understanding of the how and why. In fact truth be known, we often are exalted to pay little if any attention to the man, woman or issues, behind the curtain that tug at law enforcers, and ultimately, our world. One of my favorite programs on television is Mayday, in which National Transportation Safety Board "NTSB" investigators attempt to unravel the mystery behind an airline disaster through a re-creation of the chain of events that led to a crash. What is compelling is that there is never one single catastrophic event or occurrence that causes a plane to go down but, and as repeatedly pointed out by investigators, are instead the result of a series of smaller incidences that culminate in the tragedy we see on the six o'clock news. Through what is at times a painstakingly long exercise, investigators persevere to discover the truth, and in process learn how to prevent a similar accident from happening again in the future. This of course makes air travel that much safer. From the minor infractions of speeding to serious violent felonies like armed robbery and murder, there are also a series of life events and individual choices over the long term that work or perhaps even conspire together that converge into a temporally brief confrontation between individuals and law enforcement . . . and sometimes with deadly consequences. In much the same way that an NTSB investigator works to understand the sequence of events that lead to a tragedy, the purpose of this book is to examine the chain of circumstances that ultimately find their way into a detached and for many, mind numbing array of statistical references such as the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. In essence it is our objective to create a contextual reference that you can equate with your everyday life experiences, and hopefully in the process give meaning and even closure for some to the unthinkable and inexplicable actions of our fellow human beings. It is therefore our hope that this unique lens through which we will review the issues behind the headlines that buffet and create challenges for those men and women who are policing in a democratic society, will in some small way inform you and, ultimately help you to find a safer place both in your mind and in the world around you.

4 | P a g e

Chapter 9 – Lord of the Flies: A Metaphor for Schoolyard Justice? “Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British schoolboys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999.” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia During a 2010 interview, Larry Winget, television personality and five time New York Times/Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “Your Kids Are Your Own Fault” and “The Idiot Factor” made the comment that children establishing a pecking order in the schoolyards of America is as natural as Mom’s Apple Pie. Well maybe he didn’t use the exact term Mom’s Apple Pie, but his point was pretty clear . . . kids, for lack of better reference will be kids. Studies and polls such as a “U.S. 2004 poll of children, would tend to support Larry’s position. With 86% of more than 1,200 9- to 13-year-old boys and girls polled saying that they’ve seen someone else being bullied, with 48% indicating that they’ve been bullied, and 42% admitted to bullying other kids at least once in a while,” one might even argue that it is a childhood rite of passage. What is interesting is that bullying has just recently been recognized and recorded as a distinct criminal offence, which is a departure from the light-hearted view of college hi-jinx hazing portrayed in movies such as Animal House or a “boys will be boys” mentality that associates aggressive behavior with being a normal part of the adolescent experience represented by the character Flick in the Holiday favorite “A Christmas Story.” The data in terms of criminalizing bullying would seem to support the elevation of consequences from a teachers reprimand to possible prosecution under the law. To start, research shows that those who do the bullying are the ones who ultimately pay the greatest price in that “one out of four elementary school bullies have a criminal record by the time they’re 30.” As these children grow into adulthood, their prospects for success in later life are significantly diminished with many failing in school and ultimately never enjoying the career or relationship success that other people enjoy. In terms of a broader societal impact a 2008 paper that was prepared by Deborah Doherty and Dorothy Berglund titled “Psychological Abuse – A Discussion Paper,” made the following observations:

5 | P a g e

Cost of inter-generational transmission of abuse. Dealing with the aftermath of individuals who learn and model disrespectful and domineering behavior to gain control over others creates significant costs for society. For one, schools must cope with the behavior problems of children emotionally traumatized by intimate partner violence as well as respond to the bullying tactics that these children may use on the playground. In the long term, these controlling tactics impact negatively in our workplaces, homes and communities. Governments must address the range of factors that contribute to the inter-generational transmission of abusive behaviors by allocating significant resources in school settings for early intervention, anti-bullying and healthy relationship programs. In fact so disconcerting is the growing problem of bullying in America, a U.S. Secret Service report went so far as to suggest that bullying had played a part in many school shootings, and then went on to emphasize that efforts should be made to “eliminate bullying behavior.” The real question these reports raise is where do you draw the line between what we had earlier referred to as a childhood rite of passage and the destructive actions in which the impact overflows or extends into the fabric of American society as a whole? Perhaps the best place to start is to first understand or define that which can actually be called bullying. After all, the more common scenarios by which we define the term bully, such as at the school level, is not a new phenomenon in that it has been part of the human condition from the beginning of time. Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus defined bullying as being when a person is “exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more persons.” According to Olweus “negative actions” include a pattern of behavior in which a person “intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways.” In other words, bullying can take on many forms including physical, emotional and verbal elements where there is a real or perceived “imbalance of power with the more powerful individual or group,” abusing those who are “less powerful.” Interestingly enough, this can occur at multiple levels of societal interaction including the home, work or within entire neighbourhoods. It even occurs on an international or global level. For example, when one country exercises undue power or influence over another it is referred to as Jingoism. So now that we know what bullying is, at least as defined by the experts, how do we establish a range of tolerance or acceptability?

6 | P a g e

Where do we establish the line, in which an individual’s or group’s actions go beyond the realms of a boys-will-be boys or girls-will-be girls shrug, to one that can be perceived as a bonafide threat either in the imminent future or somewhere down the road? When do we in our reactions to a bullying situation depart from a sticks and stones attitude of a measured and practical response, to being one of the paper machè wimps to which Winget often refers - the kind that would put a cast on a hangnail? An even more challenging question is how you establish a standard that makes sense across the board in which individual circumstances that would present mitigating factors risk being ignored. At this point, the Casey Heynes story immediately comes to mind. For those who may have like the Geico commercial suggests, been living under a rock or, were away from the planet for a short time in March and April 2011, the video of a rotund boy finally standing up to one of his tormentors went viral on YouTube. Casey Heynes of course was the somewhat overweight lad in Australia who while being filmed took a few shots to the face by the much smaller but more aggressive bully. Having been on the receiving end of both physical and mental abuse over several years, Casey finally stood up for himself and literally picked-up the bully and body slammed him to the ground. Viewing this incident in isolation one might be inclined to suggest that both boys warrant disciplinary action from the school including a possible suspension. But here’s the thing, the torment to which Casey was exposed on a daily basis, and which actually hit the critical point of tolerance when he told his sister that he was contemplating suicide, was being filmed. If Casey had not made the choice to stand up for himself, while still being able to demonstrate tremendous restraint by walking away after the bully miscreant was disengaged by way of the pavement, the group of troublemakers would have posted a different kind of video to YouTube. Would the humiliation from a prime time clip on the chubby kid clip have been enough to have pushed Casey over the edge re his contemplating suicide? While we will likely never know the answer to this question, one thing is certain, the universal support for Casey reflected in the millions of people who viewed both the original video, as well as subsequent interviews speaks to the global interest and reach of the bullying question. The Heynes case also highlighted the fact that generally speaking parents seem to have for the most part been asleep at the wheel in terms of instructing their children on proper conduct towards others, and in the process have abdicated their responsibilities for disciplining their children when they do cross the line from normal childhood discourse into destructive behaviour.

7 | P a g e

The schools of course are not equipped to deal with the growing problem, at least not on a case-by-case basis, but instead deferring to a zero tolerance policy that holds everyone – even the child being bullied accountable. Once again we turn to the Casey Heynes case as a means of illustrating just how ineffective the school system can be in terms of dispensing discipline. Casey, who has previously stated, had been the target of abuse over an extended period of time to the point that he like so many other children who face tormentors on a daily basis contemplated taking his own life, showed amazing restraint when he finally decided that enough was enough. The bully, who was playing for the camera of his friend, taunted and then punched Casey in the face at least 3 times, before the gentle giant as some have called him picked him up and threw him to the ground. At that moment one might have reasonably expected the pent up anger and hurt that had been building in Casey as a result of enduring the verbal and physical abuse over a period of years would have seen him then pummel the bully. Instead, Casey turned and walked away. The school’s responses . . . suspend both Casey and the bully. What kind of message does this send? What caused even greater consternation was an interview that was given by the bully’s mother who while admitting that her son was wrong in what he did, went on to say that he is really a good boy and that she hoped that he would apologize to Casey. Hoped?! In this word and corresponding sentiment we find the perfect example of an absence of parental intervention. Back in the day, if a child had pulled a stunt like that there would not be a question as to whether or not the aggressor would have to apologize, as most parents would have assisted their wayward offspring to the front door of the kid that had been tormented and ensured that an apology would have been forthcoming. This of course leads to an even more controversial question which is when, if at all, should a parent be held responsible for the actions of their child? Earlier in this book we had talked about the “Susan and Anthony Provenzino case, in which the couple was ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 plus court costs for their purported failure to in effect properly parent their son, which violated a city ordinance that “parents must exercise reasonable control over children under 18.” The son, who abused marijuana, had a long history of committing burglaries in an effort to support his habit.

8 | P a g e

Holding parents accountable is based on a growing and strong belief which questions why society as a whole is made to pay for the poor parenting skills of those adults (emphasis on adults), who fail to provide the needed direction, care and love to their children. After all, it is in most instances the parents who are ultimately to blame for their children’s’ behavior, and therefore should bear the greater if not full burden for the consequences of this absence of interest and involvement. This is particularly true when it comes to the issue of bullying, as many experts believe that the origins of the problem can be linked to a troubled home life. Perhaps, and similar to the Provenzino case, if parents are forced to pay restitution either financially or through their child’s removal from a school bus or the school itself, or even restricting Internet access in the home, maybe just maybe the needed changes will take place. In the case of Massachusetts 15 year old Pheobe Prince, who’s suicide has directly led to felony charges being laid against 2 boys and 4 girls aged between 16 to 18 years, the relentless taunting she suffered during the preceding 3 month period in which there was no intervention from the school, should serve as a warning to us all both now and in the future. As discussed earlier in this chapter, with 25 percent of elementary school bullies having a criminal record by the time they’re 30” if the problem of bullying is not addressed in the school yard, it will expand to our society as whole where the damage is calculably greater in areas such as a clogged judicial system and lost work hours. In a May 23rd, 2011 New York Times article, it was reported that conditions in California’s “overcrowded prisons are so bad that they violate the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.” As a result, and in a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court ordered the state to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates. Operating at 137.5 percent of the prison system’s capacity, the article indicates that the current total inmate population is more than 140,000. The 30,000 figure represents just fewer than 22 percent, so it is easy to imagine what the impact of effective preventative measures might be in terms of addressing school yard bullies while they are still at a young and presumably influential age. Or as one grandmother used to say, little kids – little problems, big kids – big problems. In terms of the workplace, and according to a July 2009 study, the impact of bullies in our day-to-day business life contributes to an estimated $180 million in lost time and productivity each year.

9 | P a g e

The study titled “The Cost of Workplace Bullying: How much is your corporate bully costing you?” by Catherine Michael Mattice, M.A. also referenced the Workplace Bullying Institute estimate that between “turnover and lost productivity a bully could cost a Fortune 500 company an astounding $24,000,000,” plus an added “$1.4 million for litigation and settlement costs.” What is simultaneously interesting and disturbing is that the problems associated with bullying in the workplace have become so prevalent in American business that it has actually led to the creation of a method for calculating the tangible financial loss directly related to the disruption caused by a bully. Regarding top-line considerations, GreatPlaceJobs conducted a study and found that companies who have been recognized as being a great place to work have on average generated revenues that were 30 percent higher than companies who were not identified as providing their employees with a healthy and happy work environment. Even Wall Street recognizes the importance that workplace morale plays in a company’s success, as the same study found that stock prices were 10 percent higher for companies who have received awards as being great places to work, as opposed to those that have not. So what is the next step in addressing the problems of bullying? Perhaps this is another instance in which the Broken Windows theory championed by James Q. Wilson and George S. Kelling, who advocate fixing problems proactively when they are small (like children) would also make sense, as petty crimes and low-level anti-social behavior seems to have been deterred by their approach, coupled with an expectation that there will be a corresponding reduction in major crime down the road. The problem of course with the concept of policing the school yards of America is that logistics of doing so, as well as the likely response from both parents and school administrators. Allowing the police to intervene and possibly lay charges might very well be viewed as turning our education systems into a police state. Similar to those situations where the police are called in to investigate the on-field or on-ice actions of professional athletes, such as in the case of Zdeno Chara’s recent hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty, or the notorious mugging of the Colorado Avalanche’s Steve Moore by Todd Bertuzzi, who sucker punched the player from behind and then landed on him causing a concussion, several broken vertebrae and facial lacerations.

10 | P a g e

Although Bertuzzi was sued by Moore in both Colorado and British Columbia, he was conditionally discharged by a British Columbia court. The absence of a conviction in which the incident was compellingly witnessed by millions of television viewers as well as those in the arena’s stands speaks to the complexity and problems of police involvement in the more ambiguous realms of schoolyard violence. This is especially true when minors are involved. So if law enforcement is not the most effective means by which to address the issue of bullying, and the school’s ability to properly respond are muted by bureaucratic conflicts and political expediency, the onus must once again fall on the parents. This brings us back to the question of holding disinterested parents accountable in a similar manner to those whose children commit criminal acts through the issuance of a parental order, which would seem to be the logical first step in reversing the bullying trend. While highly controversial and likely to cause considerable uproar with some parents who lament that they are doing the best they can, Winget’s book (and books like it) should serve as the guidebook for defining parental responsibility in that it leaves no doubt as to who is responsible for doing what and when starting with accessibility. Based on the 2004 poll, in terms of the differences between boys and girls, the results indicated that boys were “more likely to say they would fight back than girls (53% of boys vs. 38% of girls), whereas girls were more likely to say they would talk to an adult than boys (32% of girls vs. 19% of boys).” This latter point about talking with an adult is a critical first step towards dealing with the problem, as open and meaningful communication with an adult should lead to a more level headed response either through direct parental advice or parental engagement with the school itself. The key is that the child whether it be a boy or a girl, has to feel that their parents are in fact there for them with an attentive ear. Something that doesn’t seem to be happening in America given Winget’s reference to another study which found that on average parents spend less than 3 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. Unless American parents wake up and face up to the fact that caring for their children goes far beyond putting a roof over their heads and buying them the latest electronics gizmo, the increase in incidents of bullying will likely continue to rise, and with it a further deterioration of our society as a whole. In the case of bullying, it all truly starts and ends in the home.

11 | P a g e

About Dr. Richard Weinblatt: Dr. Richard Weinblatt, former police chief, is a police expert who has served as a criminal justice professor and police academy director/instructor. He has worked in several regions of the country in reserve and full-time sworn positions ranging from auxiliary police lieutenant in New Jersey to patrol division deputy sherriff in New Mexico to Police Chief in North Carolina. Dr. Weinblatt has written extensively on law enforcement topics since 1989. He has provided media commentary on police matters for local and national media including AP, CBS, CNN, HLN, MSNBC, and The Washington Post. He is also the host of “The Cop Doc Radio Show” which airs LIVE from Orlando, Florida, Tuesday & Thursday nights from 10:00 pm-11:00 pm (EST) across the Blog Talk Radio Network. About Jon Hansen: As the lead writer for the PI Social Media Network's Procurement Insights and PI Window on Business Blog's since their introduction in May 2007 and June 2009 respectively, syndicated monthly readership has grown to more than 1.2 million worldwide. Collectively, Jon has written 1,300 articles and papers on subjects as diverse as supply chain practice, public sector policy, emerging business trends as well as social media. Jon is also the host of the highly acclaimed PI Window on Business Show on Blog Talk Radio (BTR). As a BTR Network featured host, Jon has welcomed leaders and bestselling authors from the world of business discussing both timely and thought provoking topics. The PI Window on Business Show airs throughout the week between 12:30 and 1:30 PM EST and 9:00 to 10:00 PM EST On November 2, 2009 Jon's critically acclaimed first book, "Your Show Will Go Live in 5 Seconds" was released. This represented the first instalment in what will become the Personal Branding in Social Media Series. In "Your Show Will Go Live" Jon shared his experiences and insights in helping individuals and organizations to create and host a show that informs, empowers and enriches your audience, your guests and yes, even yourself. His second book, "The Unsociable Business of Social Networking And Why The So Act Social Network Will Change The World" was released in February 2010. Both books are available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble bookstores. His collaboration with Dr. Weinblatt on Tasers, Abortions and Parenting: Behind the Curtain of Policing America his Jon’s third book

12 | P a g e