FW: Commend your team

[Thanks? I guess?]

I was a little confused when I got this e-mail that went out to police sworn earlier this month. I had not heard about or watched the video the writer referenced. I had never even heard of the person that sent the original message. I don't know who he is or why the police chief would send it to everyone.

I won't re-post the entire e-mail, but the basic message to me was this. The police are bad in general, I expected to see white officers beating black people, but they didn't....this time. It was really a pretty back handed compliment, like she has a pretty face for a fat girl...gee thanks.

I think the Diversity and Equity Manager needs a lesson in diversity, here are some highlights from his resume I found on-line:

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) of Saint Petersburg - 2015 - Role Model Award - this is a small portion of from the "about us" section I located about the organization itself, " The very beginnings of the SCLC can be traced back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began on December 5, 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus."

Check of the SCLC Pinellas chapter Facebook page, not real big police fans, yikes.

University of South Florida African-America Advisory Board - 2010: I couldn't find an Internet site for exactly what this board is set up to do.

Florida A&M University - 1993-1997: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M University or FAMU, is a public, historically black university in Tallahassee, Florida

I am no longer one person; a man, a husband, a son, a brother, or a father. I am part of a faceless mass referred by the original author as, "United States Police force."

Lucky me...

[Unregistered]

It was sad to see the Diversity Manager inject race into an arrest situation as officers arrested "a group of individuals who did not look like them". Those officers make those arrests and handle the situation the same way regardless of race. To quote Diversity Manager LaShante Keys, "As you know we are in a day and age where too many bad cops are the becoming the face of the United States Police force". I'm not sure what percentage of the 900,000+ U.S. Law Enforcement officers she is referring to as "too many bad cops"? I'd say that the 99.99% of the great American men and women who choose to risk their lives everyday for others are the face of the "United States Police force". Get a clue LaShante Keys. It's also a damn shame that staff was blind to this improperly worded "compliment" and chose to forward it to the entire department. Very embarrassing.

[Unregistered]

What's truly sad is that you cannot accept a compliment and would rather take the time to find a problem. Why is it a problem he attended an HBCU? Why is it a problem he addresses the fact the media makes all interactions with minorities look bad? Maybe he spoke on race because it was a factor. But you're right. It IS a shame a letter like this was written. ...because it's a shame such professional interactions are rarely seen.

What you should try doing is getting over yourselves stopping your whining. Try that.

[Joe Blow]

Based upon your ignorance of the content I can tell you don't work here and you didn't read it, so zip it.