Ron Martinelli, Ph.D., BCFT, CFA, CLS

Copyright June, 23, 2015

“Hands up, don’t shoot!” “Police Shoot Unarmed Man”

“Police Racism Prevails” “The police were acting stupidly.”

As a police practices and forensic criminologist, I have heard it all during my 26 years in private practice. Before that as a police officer and detective for over 20 years, I heard similar themes expressed by uninformed, misinformed and/or biased individuals, activists, politicians and media talking heads. As a police officer, I never paid it much mind because it’s very hard to change the minds of people whose minds are already made up. I had an important job to do and all of that rhetoric was simply a distraction. However, later I have learned that unfair, biased and uninformed, emotional criticisms and false narratives are like a festering wound. If it’s not treated by intervention, the wound can become infected to the point where the host patient dies. That medical opinion is analogous to what’s currently happening within the law enforcement community; only society either completely ignores this dynamic, doesn’t see it, or doesn’t want to acknowledge that the dynamic exists. This must change and we have the power to change it.

Ultimately, a community, a society and a nation gets the law enforcement it creates. As observed so recently in Baltimore, MD, you can only push, criticize, chastise, and demonize police officers so far before their desire to run towards the danger wanes, they circle the wagons and begin thinking more about protecting themselves, than protecting us. As I previously wrote, after the rioting, the looting, the violence and the overt and dangerous public harassment following the death of suspect Freddie Gray, police officers essentially stopped most all of their proactive crime suppression activity. The communities of Baltimore that historically have experienced significant high crime rates soon began to auger in due to a lack of police presence. Then they complained again. This time because a lack of police presence. Well, make up your minds, people because the way that things are going presently, this cannot end well for you. This dynamic is happening all over America.

As a current or retired First Responder, law enforcement officer, Homeland Security professional, forensic specialist; or a family member of these brave individuals, are you frustrated with this paradigm shift towards increased anti-law enforcement rhetoric, resistance and violence towards police? Are you tired of the constant criticism, the misinformation and the unending forwarding of false narratives regarding police actions and uses of force? If you are you are certainly not alone.

Do you sit at home watching the nightly news and feel like throwing something at the TV each time some know-nothing, self-described “expert”, political activist, politician or media talking head opines about a police action they know nothing about? Have you said you yourself and your friends and colleagues, “This is just wrong. Who the ‘H’ speaks for us?” 

Well here is your opportunity to have someone speak for you; to listen to your views and to present them in a professional, articulate manner in a national media forum. I have been provided with a unique opportunity to do just that for all of us. As a law enforcement and forensic professional, now frequently called upon by national media news and documentary outlets such as FOX News, CNN, One America News Network, USA TODAY, the Discovery, Investigations Discovery, History, Investigations America channels and scores of national TV and radio news stations, I can now able to forward your voice and concerns to the local and national conversations and debates regarding breaking news stories involving the high-profile events that affect the law enforcement, First Responder and forensic communities. But I need your help.

We have just launched the http://www.drronmartinelli.com social media platform intended to provide both a sounding board and a forum for our joint issues, interests and concerns about those stories that affect the law enforcement, First Responder and forensic communities. If you have just subscribed to this FREE site, you have taken the important first step in supporting this forum and having your voice heard. However, I need to you take the next steps to move us all forward. I want you to contact all of your family members, friends, professional colleagues and share this website with them too. If you are a first time visitor, I want you to hit the “FOLLOW” icon and type in your email address so you can receive automatic updates from this site. By doing so, you will receive for FREE all of my commentaries, forensic articles, research; as well as links to all of my TV, documentary and radio appearances where I discuss the important issues that affect us all.

This site allows you an opportunity to write to me about your questions and concerns and to provide me with topics and leads on current and future news stories that affects our professional communities.

This is an important time for all of us. Let’s not squander it. Let’s start an Internet “virus” together that seeks to search for and forward the truth through the national media forum. Together, we will prevail and move us all towards safer and more responsible communities. Thanks to all of you and be safe out there.