TWF 270: Condolences to the De La Cruz Family.

Freeporters,

There are no words which can do this tragedy justice, but after heavy consideration I feel like it is a story I have to write.  Today, or perhaps more appropriately last night, Freeport Police officer Sandy De La Cruz took her own life.  She served both New York City and our community for eleven years.  She served with honor.  She served with a husband and two children.  Last night, at the most difficult part of the year, her watch ended in the most rueful way.

I cannot pretend I knew her.  I cannot pretend, despite whatever I've experienced in my own life, that I understand what ultimately killed her.  I do know, however, that suicide is a fatal symptom of a deeper disconnect that, without a much greater context, must not be viewed solely from the perspective of the outsider.  It's natural for us to speculate on what caused her death in that terrible moment, but out of respect for her family we must demonstrate our strength by simply standing beside them, lending them our warmth and allowing the illumination of time to give them an understanding of her last days and moments.  It is a painful undertaking, aching in ways I cannot imagine.

We must do this in order to better prepare ourselves to help others who struggle with self-destruction.  I can only speak from personal experience, but if we honor the memory of those who have passed by treating each other with kindness and Humanity we will absolutely better help those who struggle with these beasts.

I am far from the best and only person to speak on this, but let us honor her life, and may she find her peace in the afterlife.  If I can do anything for the family, simply reach out to me and it will be done.

I beg anyone who struggles with these issues - be it depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation - to seek help immediately.  You are not alone.  You are not too far gone to be helped.  People do care, and they will help you get through it.  The National Suicide Hotline phone number is 1-800-273-8255.  Call, please.  It gets better.

TWF 263: Kudos To Freeport PD For Wearing Body Cameras!

Greetings!

I know that this article is extraordinarily overdue, at least with respect to my original desire to get this done.  My apologies for that.  This article got its genesis in a video clip I saw in an emergency room waiting area, as well as in the recent national crisis - I think it's a crisis, anyway! - over police brutality.  In a gesture which bolstered my faith in our own Freeport Police Department even more, and as first reported by other news sources such as this CBS Article, Freeport PD has launched a program to outfit all of its officers with body cameras!

Freeport Police

Cue an article that'll be relatively short and full of praise!

Why Body Cameras Matter

It's midnight.  Our fictional officer John Simmons pulls over a speeding car with one tail light.  His body camera is on.  He pulls over a perpetrator who recognizes that Simmons has a cold.  He's not too sick to work, but he's sick enough that the perp thinks he's got a shot.  He takes a swing.  In the resulting scuffle, the perp suffers a broken nose.  He sues for police brutality, and unfortunately the dashboard camera doesn't capture what happens while he is being handcuffed very well.

The good news is, Simmons has on a body camera, and can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he didn't, as the perp claims, get in a couple of cheap shots.

Back to reality:  We know that the current police brutality issue is primarily a case of crooked cops abusing their power by, say, shooting Black men in the back and planting tasers.  We know that this particular case, involving Michael Slager from South Carolina, only came to light because of a third party recording his murder-apparent.  If not for the footage in question, odds are it never would have come to light.

This is why I'm so thrilled that Freeport PD is going to wear these cameras.  I have no doubt that Freeport PD is a solid group!  However, by demonstrating that these cameras are not the nightmarish, over-arching burden for our law officers that so many claim they are, Freeport PD will be a small but important part of an experiment that will, hopefully revolutionize law enforcement at a time when overall faith in our government is pretty low.

So...What else is there to say?  I'm certainly a happy guy, today!


Jesse Pohlman is a freelance writer from Freeport, New York.  His website is www.jessepohlman.com, where you can check out other articles he's written.  He also publishes science fiction novels at Amazon!