What's In A Name, It's the Mission That Matters

We have become a society of nicknames, mantras, isms, and catch phrases. It is not so much the person or the cause, it is all about the marketing. Every pro athlete, politician, you name it, is known by about everything you can imagine except for who or what they really are. Seriously, "Ocho Cinco." Are you kidding me? But, as long as we continue to buy every trinket known to man with one stupid moniker after another emblazoned on them, we are guaranteeing ourselves that we will see many more; each more ridiculous than the last. <br /> <br /> My profession is not much better. We now come up with a nickname or an acronym for every specialized division in law enforcement. Think about it, we have SWAT, COPS, STAR, CSI, SVU and on and on. It's to the point that you have to be a scholar of linguistics to know which unit you should be calling. But, the nicknamed group that has been in the news the most is the infamous Red Dog Unit. Now, this unit is not to be confused with their rivals, the Black Cat Unit. They are involved in basically the same stuff, but it is the Red Dogs who are under the microscope at this time. It's West Side Story, with badges, all over again.<br /> <br /> For those unfamiliar with Red Dog, they were a specialized tactical unit; yes I said were, of officers with the Atlanta Police Department. Their original formation was based on an attempt to curtail criminal activity, particularly in high crime areas, dealing with mainly drugs and drug intervention. They also dealt with other issues, but drugs were their thing. Somewhere along the way, Red Dog was involved in several incidents that led to an outpouring of citizen complaints, a few indicted officers, and in two high profile cases; the death of a senior citizen who was killed in a botched search warrant, and the raid of a gay bar in Atlanta resulting in a major law suit against the department and the city. The unit had become incapable of citizen trust and support and the handwriting was on the wall. While the city denied any direct connection to the unit's reputation, they disbanded the unit on February 7, 2011. The unit will be replaced by another unit with a broader scope and by officers who have no record of abusive complaints from citizens. They have not yet named this unit.<br /> <br /> If I may be so bold, please allow my nomination to this unit's name. Why don't we call them the POLICE. It's easy to remember. When you shout it out most everyone knows who you are and responds accordingly, and it does not call for special patches to be sewn on a uniform. They are simply the Police with a specific goal in mind; fighting crime and arresting those who commit them. It's not catchy, it's not sexy, and no one is legally allowed to display this moniker but the Police. However, it is really effective when those wearing this name do their jobs in accordance with the law. Throw in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a few comments about Miranda, Search and Seizure, probable cause, and then you have a first class group out there protecting all of us. Police, one word says it all. What better PR could you ask for?<br /> <br /> Marketing is a great thing. It works great for Coke, it works for Ford and Chevy, and it works very well for some of my favorite pizza places. But, law enforcement should not resort to catchy phrases. The word Police is the personification of a logo that has been around for a very long time and is known in every nook and cranny on the globe. Everyone knows who the Police are. I suspect that they are not so sure about who the other various and cleverly coined groups might be. I mean, certainly the name Police cannot compare with something as prolific and catchy as "The Situation" but it really is all that is needed. It is what it is and they are what they are. And, when we make it that simple, everyone understands the deal. Maybe it's time that we removed police officers from glossy calendars, mirrored sunglasses, special uniforms and some sense of celebrity that someone thought was a good idea but simply is not needed. Let's just be the Police. Leave all that other stuff to people like Prince, also known as the artist formerly known as Prince, also know as some unintelligible symbol, who is now back to the original name of Prince. As if life is not already complicated enough. One word says it all, Police.<br /> <br /> The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not those of the Gwinnett District Attorney's Office.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/2/236233