New Post as Dean of Schools of Public and Social Services & Education at Ivy Tech Community College

A MESSAGE FROM DR. RICHARD WEINBLATT, THE COP DOC:

Here is the big announcement...

The Weinblatt family is off to new adventures as I have been offered and have accepted a terrific new opportunity that allows me to serve students and faculty in the vital community college arena while still preserving my existing business of The Cop Doc LLC.

I was called while I was giving a keynote speech to a police conference in the Boston area and told that, following interviews, presentations, and screenings, I was selected as the top candidate for the position of Dean of the School of Public and Social Services and the School of Education for Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana in Indianapolis, IN.

This followed several hurdles including an all day marathon of meetings I had in Indianapolis at Ivy Tech Community College with different stakeholders including a formal open forum presentation to the college on my vision for the dean's post if I were selected, as well as separate interviews with the program chairs that report to this dean position, other deans, the incumbent dean (twice), the vice chancellor of academic affairs (twice), and the chancellor (who used to be the chief academic officer at the very respected Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL).

Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana is one of the largest, respected, and well-known community colleges in the country with approx. 35,000 students.

The Dean of the School of Public and Social Services and the School of Education oversees program chairs, faculty, and staff (as well as dean's office administrative staff) in the following areas:

School of Public and Social Services- Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Hospitality Administration, Human Services, Library Technical Assistant, Mortuary Science, Paralegal Studies, and Public Safety Technology.

School of Education- Early Childhood Education and Education.

The Dean reports to the chief academic officer who in turn reports to the college's chief executive.

After subsequent reference and background checks, I have since been formally offered this really terrific opportunity and I told them that I am honored to accept. The even better news is that (as is customary in colleges) I will be able to keep my The Cop Doc LLC business operating albeit with some time constraints. If anything, as one person pointed out to me early on, the Dean position gives my expertise an enhanced level of credibility.

Here is the announcement that was just put out by the vice chancellor of academic affairs who is the chief academic officer:

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Dr. Richard Weinblatt to the position of Dean of the School of Public and Social Services & Education. Dr. Weinblatt earned his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership – Higher Education Administration from Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida. Most recently he has served as Director of the Public Safety Institute at Central Ohio Technical College and prior to that as Program Manager and Professor for the Criminal Justice Institute at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida. He has been active in criminal justice classrooms since 1997. He also is the principal consultant for The COP DOC, LLC, a consulting service in the area of law Enforcement.

I am sure that you will all join me in welcoming Dr. Weinblatt to the College.

This is just a fantastic opportunity to serve! We (Anne, Michael, and I) have been scrambling on housing, movers, etc. and expect to drive out to Indianpolis on Friday, December 9, 2011. The other good news is that Anne's company recognizes her value and loyalty and has graciously allowed her to telecommute from Indianapolis. It's just a win-win for everyone and we are very lucky with the way it has all turned out.

This is just a terrific opportunity to make a difference within a large, nationally respected community college arena and it is a natural career progression.

Thank you again to all of our friends, clients, and colleagues in Orlando and elsewhere. We appreciate your continued support as the Ivy Tech Community College Dean adventure begins and The Cop Doc LLC business continues on.

Casey Anthony Trial Costs: Police Expert News Interview

As the Casey Anthony trial gets underway here in Central Florida, I did yet another news interview in my role as a police expert. I've done another of other Anthony case media interviews. This one was on the high bill in costs to taxpayers for the trial concerning the death of little Caylee Anthony. I told WOFL Fox 35 News at 10's Shannon Butler, who is a terrific reporter and a real pleasure to work with on stories, that quite a bit of the costs that are going to come in the form of security and law enforcement. Mostly borne by the Ornage County Sheriff's Office, the impact will also be absorbed by the Orlando Police Department.

As I explained to Shannon Butler, there will be a lot of behind the scenes issues that Sheriff Jerry Demings' folks are going to have to contend with. Traffic, parking, and front door security is but the tip of the iceberg. It will involve more than just the deputy sheriffs manning the metal detectors at the courthouse entrance. The agency will also have to do its share of threat analysis in response to the messages coming from the many not so stable folks fixated on the trial's participants. I covered this quite a bit in another blog post: Chaos or Order: Police Expert View on Casey Anthony Trial Security.

The news interview with Fox 35's Shannon Butler is below. What do you think?

WORLD PREMIERE of new The Cop Doc Radio Show Promo Video

Here is the WORLD PREMIERE of the new The Cop Doc Radio Show promo video. The video highlights the arresting topics such as Officer Down!, Policing Japan's Crisis, Cops and Crazies, and Domestic Violence. There are many more topics that have been covered on the show encompassing Police, Crime, and Safety. The show is geared for law enforcement and non-law enforcement listeners as part of The Cop Doc's mission to explain complex justice topics in understandable terms.





The Cop Doc radio show has had numerous guest experts on the program and the promo video featured radio show guests Criminal Profiler Pat Brown, Dave "Buck Savage" Smith, and police guru Roy Bedard. A complete lists of guests and topics can be viewed at www.TheCopDoc.com.

This is fast paced, rocking beat video that showcases the police, crime and safety topics show. The show was recently moved to it's new time of 7:00 pm EDT on Blogtalkradio to make it more available for guests and listeners.


In addition to the live show that can be listened to via the Internet on Blogtalkradio.com or on the telephone, listeners can also enjoy the archived version via many application platforms including Apple iTunes, Windows Media Player, AppleCoreMedia, GoogleListen, and PodTrapper.

Check out the video below. And listen to The Cop Doc radio show in the Blogtalkradio player at the bottom. Or you can click on the link to go to the Blogtalk radio show page: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-cop-doc

Listen to internet radio with Dr Weinblatt on Blog Talk Radio

Times Square Bomb & Arizona Immigration: Balancing Policing in A Democratic Society

Many Americans woke up this morning (Sunday) to the news that a bombing situation had been thwarted in a high profile hub of our nation: New York City's Times Square. They also awoke to see pictures of hundreds of thousands of people participating in rallies protesting the Immigration law (and it's slightly altered current incarnation) in Arizona. As a former deputy sheriff who worked on the border (as pictured above) and a former police chief, I see that both deal with ideas that go the very heart of who we are as a people and what ideals our country stands for.

DICTATORSHIP POLICING EASY

It is easy to police in a dictatorship. Sadam Hussein was able to keep murderous, warring factions of Iraq in check by being more murderous than those groups. At the other end of the spectrum, The anarchy that is Somalia has no central government or ability to speak of to keep the various local warlords in check.

The United States has long struggled with governmental control and it's most visible component is that of law enforcement. Policing in a democratic society is hard as is evidenced by the events of the past few days in Times Square and in Arizona.

In general, I do not believe that we should sacrifice our ideals in order to be safer. In the words of U2 lead singer Bono (I know he is not the biggest philosopher around, but his thought here is true): "We do not need to become a monster, in order to defeat a monster."

ALERTNESS

What saved the day in New York City was the vigilance of a civilian street vendor. This veteran took a moment to notice an unusual situation and reported to a mounted New York City Police officer. The officer in turned notified his chain of command and the NYPD Bomb Squad and NYC FBI field office bomb techs responded. The system worked there thanks to the alert observation and good law enforcement response.

In Arizona, police intervention could go too far in a situation which is really larger and more political in nature (My earlier blog post on Blogger and my interview with Alternet.org goes into more detail). If the police go with the Arizona scenario, we have started to move down the slippery slope that personified our country's treatment of the Japanese during World War II., as well as the Nazis. The solution needs to come from Washington, DC, so as to preserve our localized, democratic style of policing.

Having the police pull double-duty stretches already thin resources, opens fiscally-strapped local governments up to lawsuits whether they enforce the new law or not, and will propel crimes towards non-illegals as Hispanic victims and witnesses will be intimidated and not help the police stop predators. Those predators will also victimize non-illegals. The predator illegals that are here will not be scared by this; only the non-violent illegal aliens will be wary of the law and police.

Other states, such as Ohio, are thinking about copying the Arizona law. As I told the Ohio News Network (ONN), that would be a mistake. In both cases, what we need is alert people that will bring law enforcement into the picture when violence (or the potential such as bomb) enters the scene. The collection of intelligence has stopped some threats from coming to fruition and the same could be used more effectively to combat illegal immigration.


In this country, many officers have observed that people always want the laws enforced- as long as it is not against them. For example, all across the country, officers have agreed with my own experience having run radar in residential subdivisions in response to community outcry. The biggest offenders end up being the residents themselves and then they are not so happy to have that enforcement presence. Officers reading this can relate to it in their own policing experiences.

Even has a member of the police community, I have always been a staunch defender of the protections, rights, and even technicalities of our society. As I have said before, "It is those rights that protect you, me, my wife, and my son." I want a government that is strong enough to protect us, but not strong enough to move away from its democratic principles.

Much like the scales of justice, we must balance police and the power of the government enforcers in the middle. To much movement in either direction turns into the dictatorship of old Iraq or the anarchy of Somalia. We don't want to be either country. We are the United States of America and all the ideals that it stands for.

Arizona Illegal Immigrant Law Bad Policing

In the furor that has followed the signing of the Arizona illegal immigrant law by Governor Jan Brewer and supported by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (creator of the famed tent city jail and the self-proclaimed "Toughest Sheriff in America"), few have stopped to look at the effect it has on policing. In a word it is bad.

I come at this perspective after having served as a deputy sheriff in a border state - New Mexico (I am in the picture above as a patrol deputy sheriff in rural New Mexico).

First I was in Dona Ana County (a 4,000 square mile county with 50 miles along the Mexican border) and then as a Patrol Division deputy sheriff II. with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office (a 2,500 square mile state capital county). I also served as a police chief in North Carolina and as an educator of law enforcers. I have worked for many years providing police services for legal and illegal immigrant populations.


Above: With fellow deputy sheriff in New Mexico.

And that's the key here, folks. The police provide police services. And we provide it to all. And we do it in a challenging economic, fiscally austerity-laden governmental structure. The Arizona law sets policing back many years.

BAD COMMUNITY RELATIONS

First off, the police rely on information. If you mandate that they investigate and arrest a very vulnerable population, those folks won't come forward with information. I would have thought that in policing a democratic society, we moved beyond intimidating the victim. We want to encourage victims to come forward with information.

As a police chief in North Carolina, I had a program where I spoke in uniform at churches all around the city in an effort to reach out to the community. I stopped my unmarked Ford Crown Victoria one day at a church that served Hispanics. They scattered afraid that I would try to deport them (under the Arizona law, deportation would happen only after a possible jail sentence and fine). I convinced the pastor that I wanted to reach out to their community and that they were deserving of the police's protective service also.



I spoke that Friday night (speaking some Spanish and some translated) and started to get more and more information from the good folks in that church. First it was little nuggets of information to test if I was trustworthy. Little by little the information got bigger. It crossed into items that effected the immigrants' legal neighbors. So the issues touched all and their information helped the entire community.

If nothing else, it is important to understand that easy victims are the first step for predators. They then become emboldened to prey on the legal residents of our nation. Crime and quality of life concerns do not know borders within our communities.

RACIAL PROFILING

I respectfully disagree with Sheriff Arpaio's interpretation of the mandate to investigate and detain upon a finding of reasonable suspicion concerning legal resident status. Sheriff Arpaio says that it is not racial profiling. I disagree. Having had to compile reasonable suspicion while investigating crimes, I can see how police officers and deputy sheriffs would have no choice. Any person who appears to be of darker color with an accent would have to have those facts as part of the reasonable suspicion building blocks.

Given the current scenario, people who have some of the "building blocks" (dark skin, accent) will be stopped repeatedly and questioned. That is more akin to a police state. We should not sacrifice what has made our country great to have an appearance of action.

The reasonable suspicion part of this will be legally challenged and officers will be confused as to how they can investigate without running afoul of legal issues. This is not as simple as the public thinks and officers cannot just move from the police-person consensual encounter to reasonable suspicion on flimsy information.

BURDEN TO SYSTEM

Sheriff Arpaio and others have contended that they run white people as well through the system. I disagree with that position from several angles. We need to have discretion as to who you run through the system to check for warrants and other information.

I know some agencies and officers have departmental or personal policies that call for running every person they come in contact with. That is not always advisable or feasible. Once the arrest warrant comes through, or the officer decides to make a lower priority arrest, he or she is tied up and is unable to handle higher level calls and assist other officers. The officer has no choice and has to follow the court ordered arrest warrant or, as in this case, the mandated detention of the illegal alien. Some agencies are too busy handling 911 calls for police service to be tied up handling smaller warrants or illegal alien investigations.

VICTIMIZING THE VICTIM

Worse yet, making arrests will have a chilling effect on victims. They will be afraid to come forward. This is something that we are already battling against and the law sets us way back.

The most vulnerable of victims, women and children, will suffer the most under this law. Domestic violence investigations is one area that has truly been dealt a blow now. Few victims will have the courage or trust that they need to overcome often brutal psychological, emotional, and physical abuse.

As a uniformed patrol officer in New Mexico, I had to repeatedly assure people that I was not Immigration or the Border Patrol. That I was not interested in their status, but rather in their safety. It was hard to gain their trust. This law shatters that trust for officers with boots in the dirt trying to gain information.

In my own experience as a uniformed peace officer, I often chose not to run someone who came to me as a victim as I knew arresting them would not be in the interest of justice. If I knew of the existence of an arrest warrant, that was different. But I certainly did not go out of my way to traumatize someone who already had come forward to me as a law enforcement officer. Sometimes at great personal peril.

UNFUNDED MANDATE

This is an unfunded mandate to already fiscally strapped counties and municipalities. Arresting, charging, and jailing a person is not cheap. Law enforcement can barely keep up with what they need to do for public safety, let alone this requirement that does not give the needed dollars to make it a realistic financial picture. This law does not just call for the turning over of illegal aliens to the feds for deportation. An entire investigation and prosecution has to take place, along with the expensive jailing of the accused, which has a jail sentence and fine attached to it. Only later does the possibility of deportation come up. And the federal government may nullify this by refusing to take the person.

This law, while an attempt to keep America whole, is blatantly un-American. It undermines many of the principles that we are founded on and places the police and county sheriff's offices in an untenable position. It is at odds with our mission to gain the trust and cooperation of our democratic society. Without that trust, the most vulnerable victims, and our ideals, will suffer.

Orlando Office Building & Ft. Hood Shooter Situation: Excellent Police Response

The recent tragic office building shooting in Orlando, Florida, underscores my quick move to offer kudos to the Orlando Police Department in their quick response. Patrol officers were on scene in approximately one minute. As I explained in three live breaking news MSNBC TV interviews and the MSNBC.com website, as well as for local stations in Orlando, FL, (WESH 2 - NBC - News and Central Florida News 13) and Columbus, OH, (WCMH NBC 4 News), first responding patrol officers moved quickly and may have moved the shooter to leave sooner than he originally intended. They exemplified what we want to see in our law enforcers in times of crisis: brave decisive action backed by training and experience. When others run away, these men and women lived up to their oaths and ran towards the danger zone.


I detailed too quite a few show bookers, producers, news anchors and reporters, law enforcement response to active shooter situations changed historically at the Columbine High School incident in Colorado. As many will recall, that situation saw first responding patrol officers standing by waiting for SWAT team officers. Meanwhile, students were being shot and the gunmen moved through the structure unfettered.

Law enforcement trainers took a hard look at response tactics in those situations and a new approach was born that was used in Orlando, as as well in the Ft. Hood shooting in Texas. The idea is to have first responding patrol officers form small, mobile teams to dynamically and aggressively move towards the sound of gunfire or where the perceived threat may be. Along the way, they encounter people who they shoo behind them towards hopefully other arriving teams of officers. I'm not detailing the formations of these teams or other tactical details that could compromise the officers and the public.



I was involved in this training when it started and evolved. I found it to be an effective means to, in our parlance, neutralize the threat. It is training that is grounded in much thought and research. I know this training and I know the law enforcement agencies involved in the Florida response. Since I ran an Orlando-area Police Academy at Seminole Community College, I trained many of the men and women that responded on November 6, 2009.

The Orlando Police Department, as well as the Orange County Sheriff's Office, are known for their unusual proficiency via a bunch of training hours and resources devoted to this method. Jason Rodriguez, the Orlando shooter, picked the right part of the country (from my perspective) as the officers in Central Florida are among the best in the nation at this type of call for police service.




On a related note, for those who think that I am anti-law enforcement in my news interviews, you haven't watched more than a few of my interviews or visited my website (such as www.TheCopDoc.com). My recent stance on the excellent work of the Orlando Police Department certainly underscores that. Many of them are available for viewing on my youtube.com channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/richardweinblatt).

What is interesting is that I have a chorus of folks who feel that I only take the side of the po-po given my background in law enforcement. Both are far from the truth. Sometimes I side against law enforcement's actions in a particular matter. Other times, I defend their actions. And still other incidents I have taken a middle of the road neutral stance given that not enough facts were presented yet.

I let the facts speak for themselves and, coupled with my training, education, and experience, assess and communicate a professional opinion of complex justice issues in terms that are understandable. That has been a central part of my life's mission.

That my mission can help to highlight and explain the laudatory action of law enforcement officers in Orlando and Ft. Hood is particularly satisfying. Some of the TV news interviews are featured below.

Back & Biceps Exercise Video: New Ideas for Law Enforcement & Others

New from The Cop Doc: Shot on location at the Advantage Club in Newark, Ohio (just East of Columbus, Ohio) for law enforcement folks and others looking for new approaches to their back and biceps workouts. I shot the video on Saturday night. I hope it will help people. Changing up your workout and muscle confusion is key to making progress towards your fitness goals. The video has been uploaded here at Blogger, as well on Facebook, MySpace, youtube, DailyMotion.com, Veoh.com, Break.com, PoliceLink.com, and other websites.



In the video, I link the biceps as a followup to fellow "pulling" muscles: the back. I also stress the use of proper form and diet as essential to any workout program. I also touch on the concept of "super-setting" and "negatives" when I suggest doing a couple slow downward movement close grip pull-ups (or chin-ups) between each bicep exercise.




I also throw in some use of elastic bands with the sitting preacher curl. By wrapping the bands from each end of the curl bar to a corresponding dumbbell on the floor, you are able to keep the tension consistent even at the top of the curl motion.

Working out and a healthy lifestyle is vital for those in public safety and even for others in our society. I hope this video motivates and helps people. Let me know how it works for you.

Caylee Anthony Police Expert Analysis on News Interviews

You would have to be under a rock not to notice the large amount of coverage garnered by the Caylee Anthony missing child case. As someone with law enforcement and media interviewing experience, it came as no surprise that I've ended up doing quite a few interviews on the topic. Even more than before, this investigation has lead to an incredible number of people coming up to me seeking answers to their many questions.

As I told WESH2 News (the NBC affiliate) anchor/reporter Gail Paschall-Brown, I fear that this case will have a sad ending. In my experience, the longer a child is missing, the more grim the prospects become.

This is a tragic case for a number of reasons. This missing two-year-old, now turned three-year-old, may have already been located if law enforcement officials were able to get straight answers from the get go. Sadly, As a former police chief who has investigated homicides and missing persons cases as a sworn law enforcer, it does not surprise me that people will use deceptions and omissions when dealing with police investigators seeking to ascertain the well-being of their own family.

I have told many folks that the Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators here in Orlando, FL, handling this case, Sgt. John Allen and Cpl. Yuri Mellich (who just finished two years in OCSO homicide), are not new kids on the block. They know how to investigate these types of cases. They are experienced, diligent and highly trained.

As for the smell of old pizza and the smell of death in the Pontiac. As anyone who has smelled a dead body left for some time, there is no confusing the two. As I pointed out in a Central Florida News 13 in-studio interview I did on 7/24/08 with Anchor Ybeth Bruzual, even Cindy Anthony, the grandmother, stated that in one of the 911 calls she made.

In a video package of a 7/23/08 interview I did with top rated ABC affiliate WFTV Channel 9 Eyewitness News, her statements concerning the pizza and my contradictory statements refuting the chance of confusing the two distinct smells were played together. Experienced law enforcers especially would not be confused by the pizza presence. As I told WFTV reporter Eric Rasmussen, that is not a chance that the two could be interchanged.


If you add on top of that the positive hit indication of two cadaver dog teams, the direction becomes clearer. As I explained on the WOFL Fox 35 Morning News in two live on-set interviews with host Heidi Hatch on 7/23/08 and in a video package with WVEN Univision 26 Noticias (the Spanish language news) News Anchor/Producer Jimena Cortes on 7/24/08, these dogs are highly trained and have a keen sense of smell. They would not be confused by pizza. You could put a ham sandwich next to them and they would not be distracted.

As for their sense of smell, they can detect the smell of decomposition deep underground even with a concrete slab being present. I don't think the human and canine experts could get this wrong.

It does appear that the family is now cooperating a little more with the investigators. They have discussed the issue of the Anthony family shed burglary and gas can theft with them. I figured that it was worth looking at and I told WFTV Channel 9 in another interview on 7/29/08 that investigators would have to look at the gas can shed burglary and theft situation.


That is good that family is now talking with the OCSO investigators. They are the ones with the interviewing expertise. They are the ones with the big picture of all of the tips that have to be logged in and prioritized. Seemingly insignificant information might be relevant when coupled with other information known by investigators.

It takes a lot of experience and training to conduct these investigations and no one should undertake such an endeavor on their own. To do so risks the integrity of the investigation.

I have also been asked why investigators withhold information. As I told reporters and news directors, who understand this as they have covered crime stories for years, information is always held back especially in high profile cases. They do this to be able to test the veracity and credibility of those who might confess or come forward with information. People have been known to do so with false information.

Information is also held back in order to have more material to offer the news media at a later date in an effort to revive the story. As time passes, sometimes people become more comfortable coming forward. Media coverage later helps the investigators to get more tips.

All of this is being combined with the evidence that they have collected and submitted for analysis on several different forays. Such evidence includes the stain, hair, and dirt from the Pontiac's trunk, the shovel borrowed from the neighbor, and the clothes retrieved and cleaned by Cindy Anthony from the Pontiac and later taken by investigators from the Anthony home. As I explained to Central Florida News 13 reporter Stephanie Coueignoux on 8/6/08, the evidence has to be looked at and analyzed. The forensic evidence, combined with their interviews and document collections will help them to piece together what amounts to a giant jigsaw puzzle.

This saga is sure to continue for a little longer. However, unlike the Trenton Duckett missing little boy case, I think this one will be solved. Let's hope so that the Anthony family, friends and the community can get some answers and some closure. Something that I know that countless loved ones of other missing children across Florida and the nation are hoping for in their respective cases.

Below is my Fox 35 Morning News two live in-studio segments from 7/23/08. Other TV news interview clips are on youtube at www.youtube.com/user/richardweinblatt

My Morning with American Idol's Ace Young and July 4th Holiday Travel Safety Tips News Interviews

(Left to right) Fox 35 weatherman Jim Van Fleet, Seminole Community College Criminal Justice's Dr. Richard Weinblatt, and former American Idol contestant Ace Young in the Fox 35 studios.

Yesterday (July 3rd) was a fun day. Early in the morning I went over to the Lake Mary, FL, studios of WOFL Fox 35 to do another law enforcement-related interview for the Fox 35 Morning News. The cast, crew, and executives over the show were as friendly and gracious as they always are. It is really terrific to work with such a professional, reliable, and friendly TV station covering the Orlando TV market.

Both before and after my live on-set interview, I hung out in the studio and caught up with my friends there including the consummate show hosts Tom Johnson, Heidi Hatch, Lauren LaPonzina, and, of course, the weatherman and singer supremo, Jim Van Fleet.

American Idol's Ace Young

A nice bonus was spending some time with former American Idol contestant Ace Young. I've met a lot of celebrities, but Ace ranks as one of the nicest. I found him to be very down to earth. Of course it helped that my pal Jim Van Fleet (a buddy of Ace Young's) gave me an introduction to him that went like this: "Dr. Weinblatt's the man to know... he knows all of the law enforcement people." Thanks, Jim.


Ace and I joked about my business card not being a get out of jail free card. We also decided that a stint in jail would not be fun for either of us. Ace said he'd have to shave his head and bulk up if he went to the big house.

Ace Young has a killer schedule and I admire his work ethic. He had come into Orlando at 3:30 in the morning and was heading to Disney after the Fox 35 Morning News. After that, he said his plan was to get some sleep and then head to to perform at Red, Hot and Boom July 4th celebration in nearby Altamonte Springs, FL, (a bunch of my cop buddies are working this event on a mandatory basis and are going to be worn out themselves). Then it was off to Tennessee. Wow, what a schedule. As I said to Jim Van Fleet, "I guess you have to ride the wave while it lasts."

Ace has got a great memory and is smoother than most young rock stars out there. He told Jim that he had listened to his music on his myspace page. Later, he told me he was going to check out my website (www.policearticles.com). Not only can he sing, he can handle people very well. I was impressed.

Tom Johnson News Interview


Fox 35 Morning News host Tom Johnson (left) interviews Seminole Community College Criminal Justice's Dr. Richard Weinblatt live on the set.

As for my news interview itself, it went well. I had approx. two minutes live on the set with host and super nice guy Tom Johnson. We discussed July 4th holiday travel safety tips.

We covered such tips as: check out your car mechanically, plan your route, let another person know your route and car description (including license plate), and have plenty of food and water. I noted that a recent study found that two thirds of all crashes happen within five miles of the home. The shorter trip venues, caused by the rise in fuel prices, are no haven from crashes and other problems.

Behind the Scenes

For those who ask me what it's like to do these TV interviews, this may be of interest. We used three studio cameras and crew. It's pretty hard to look at the right camera at the right time and also at the host asking the questions. It takes some practice to follow the red lights on top of the camera that indicate they are the one feeding the image at the moment. All the meantime, you have to come with some good ad-lib based on the tips submitted previously. And you have to do this all smoothly without looking like it takes any effort. It is not as easy as it looks.


I've done interviews with both Tom and Heidi Hatch. They are both fun to work with. Tom was especially happy as he had plans this weekend to celebrate his eleventh wedding anniversary. Congratulations, Tom!

Jim Van Fleet's Music CDs and My Wife

I know I made my wife, Anne, happy when I hand delivered to her office three CDs of weatherman and music star Jim Van Fleet's artistry. Anne has met the charismatic Jim before and likes both him and his music. She was thrilled that Jim gave me the CDs for her. You can check out his music at www.jimvanfleet.net or www.myspace.com/jimvanfleet Anne told me that she already played his CDs with my six-year-old son Michael in the car on the way home yesterday.

The interview, as well as another one I did that afternoon at the downtown Orlando studios of Central Florida News 13, is below.

Reflections on SCC Leadership Academy

The above picture of me receiving my Seminole Community College (SCC) Leadership Academy diploma at the April graduation ceremony from Dr. E. Ann McGee, Seminole Community College president, is the culmination of my terrific experience as part of the fantastic bonding and educational vehicle at SCC. The year-long program was the brainchild of Dr. McGee and reflects her commitment to educational excellence. Many college presidents espouse the virtues of of educational excellence, but Dr. McGee, SCC Communications and Marketing guru Michael Garlich, and their team of Leadership Academy alumni proved it by their actions. Like most folks with a criminal justice background, I believe that actions speak louder than words.


I was honestly impressed as Dr. McGee and company brought together a diverse group of men and women from across Seminole Community College's multiple campuses here in Central Florida to learn, laugh, and share about each other, the college, and educational leadership. I found it fascinating and made some great contacts and friends in the process. We even attended an SCC Board meeting and spent some time with the SCC Board of Trustees including Board Chair and Florida State Representative Chris Dorworth.

The highlight of the Seminole Community College Leadership Academy was our two day visit in March 2008 to Tallahassee (Florida's state capitol) hosted by Dr. McGee. In the state capitol, we toured the governmental complexes and learned much of the legislative and budgetary process and how it all ties into the educational picture in our state. We also saw the guenuine respect that educational and political leaders have for Dr. McGee. I have to say I was impressed.




The members of the SCC Leadership Academy also met with a host of dignitaries including SCC board of trustees chairman and state representative Chris Dorworth, Rep. Joe Pickens, Florida State University president Dr. T.K. Wetherell, and Florida Division of Community Colleges chancellor Dr. Willis N. Holcombe. These leaders gave us much advice and candidly discussed pressing issues facing community colleges.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback...Boy, do I get Feedback

With all the videos and articles that I self-produce, as well as local and national TV news interviews I do, and put up on the Internet, you can imagine all of the emails, comments, and messages I get.

While a lot of the feedback I get is the usual "nazi," "facist," "pig," etc. name calling by those that do not want to hear a reasoned and balanced voice on the complicated world of policing in a democratic society, there is quite a bit that is more positive in nature.

With the former, as I've told my wife and others, you just have to have a thick skin and not let their ramblings bother you. As for the latter group, it is nice to have these folks, law enforcement and non-law enforcement, recognize that my aim is to help educate the public as to what the police do and why we do it. It is at that juncture that an educated and informed opinion can be made.

As observed by a few of the police academy students that I was instructing today on traffic stops, it's not as simple as it appears from the outside. After being educated and trying it themselves in a training scenario environment, these aspiring law enforcers realized the myriad of different things they have to be aware of. They saw first-hand how hard it is to see, detect and react appropriately to a red training firearm placed in a subject vehicle. It's not like TV.

Education on law enforcement matters is the key for people to understand what there police do and why they do it. That is why I am driven to spend the time and effort on these endeavors. Here is some of the feedback I've gotten:


On policeone.com website BLUtube.com, remang, a representative of the law enforcement community, wrote the following comment after watching my MSNBC interview on the new Taser study.

The national news interview aired on October 8, 2007 and had me appear with a representative of Amnesty International:

Never seen anyone work so hard to get themselves on TV and the internet as Mr. Weinblatt. That said, he's reasonably articulate and I do appreciate his visibility on behalf of Peace Officers everywhere in America. Thanks.

Facebook.com has been a source of many comments from the non-law enforcement members of our society. Not all of them have been well-reasoned and positive. Here are some of the ones I enjoyed...

Regarding my self-produced video on the University of Florida Andrew Meyer Taser incident:

The thing is I trust him more, since he is certified in alot of uses of force, it listed them. He has a greater span of knowledge on use of force than many general officers. Also he is right the Secret Serveice would have had his ass the first time he stepped out of line. The officers showed alot of restraint.

Richard...A job well done...I find it hard to believe the officer infringed on the college student's rights...It was clearly a cut and dry case...The issue isn't freedom of speech...It's simply the use of force and I find it hard to believe the Taser is HIGH on the use of force continuum, especially above an expandable baton...Once more Kudos Richard.

Definitely. Many kudos to Mr. Weinblatt and the officers involved. The officers did, as Mr. Weinblatt said, show great restraint during the entirety of the situation. It is never clear if someone does, or does NOT have a weapon or bomb on their person. Just as Mr. Weinblatt said, if it was teh Secret Service involved, the moment Mr. Meyer stepped out of line, he would have been tackled and forcefully removed from the building.

From what I have read, Mr. Meyer was placed under arrest before even asking his questions. I cannot officially confirm this. It was Senator Kerry that asked the officers to let him ask his questions. Then, when refusing to conclude his questions, as asked by the forum administrators (or whomever was controlling the questions being asked), they turned off the microphone. This is when Mr. Meyer became unruly.The officers attempted to restrain him, he fought back, was warned multiple times to stop or he would be tased, and eventually was tased.

Everything is, as Kevin said, very "cut and dry." The officers did a great job, and should be commended for their restraint. It is not easy being a police officer, especially in a situation where you are LARGELY out-numbered as they were at this forum.

Thank you for your words of insight, Mr. Weinblatt! Always nice to hear from a truly informed person, as well as one with personal experience in similar, if not identical situations.

Hey Richard,
Sorry I called you a jerk off. I was frustrated with some of the conversation I've been seeing. I wanted to let you that I have respect for police who put their life on the line to help others. I think part of being a cop is to put your own safety at risk to an extent in defense of others. I think some officers get angry or are so overzealous about their own safety that they end up using excessive or even lethal force on innocents, or non-violent perp's. Cops start to see everyone as a threat or a criminal. I think there needs to be more checks and balances on the carte blache checks that we give out to people in power (and that means teachers, cops, the military, and especially politicians). I appreciate your feedback and your service. I've thought about becoming a cop after I graduate-- but what makes me hesitate is the bad image created by so- called bad cops. Dept.'s make it even worse when they consistently side with officers so as to not get sued.

My youtube.com posting of my same University of Florida Taser incident response video garnered around 100 comments. Again, many were just throughtless tirades with blanket condemnations of policing, with no regard for an examination of each individual instance on its own merits. Here are some of the ones that I enjoyed:

Far left kool aid drinkers are the only ones that disagree with what happened here. This man spoke frankly and honestly about how tasers are used and when. As far as freedom of speech is concerned, that goes right out the window when you start to cause a disturbance.

You say that because Mr. Meyer didn't end up having a weapon. The ONE time some jack-ass gets through a crowd WITH a weapon, you and I both know that EVERYONE starts whining "What were the POLICE/SECURITY FORCE doing? Why weren't they doing their JOB?!"

They can't win, because people want to criticize them for making hard decisions that the rest of us take for granted for not usually having to make.

Great video, very informative. I totally agree with your assessment. He was just playing up to the cameras, and is known for posting his "shocking" videos on My Space.

do u people who are "crying facism" see what the fuck is really going on now?? thank u so much for this video people need to stop making shit up about this Meyer thing like he didnt do anything or like he was tortured because he spoke out. i really wish people would actually listen to this, tho i doubt many will

1) once he was told to stop and the mic was cut, he could be considered to be trespassing.
2) once he shakes off the cops attemps to hold his arms they were within rights to treat him as hostile
3) when he fought there attemps to cuff him, he escalated the situation to a point where they were justifed to taze him.

Personally I don't blame him for his opinions on the election,but I think he was playing it up for the camera. he thought the cops were bluffing... and they tazed him.

The police didn't 'keep him from expressing his opinion'--his views were already crystal-clear by the time he was asked to leave.

He wasn't tased for his views; he was tased because he resisted the lawful authorities who were doing their job in asking him to leave.

NEWSFLASH: crime or not, if the organizer of an event wants you gone, it's their RIGHT to have you removed.

If I invite you to my party and you show up and irritate me, I have every right to tell you to leave and have you removed if you don't comply.

His opinions didn't get him ejected; his disruptions did. He wasn't "just asking questions". He didn't care about John Kerry's answers, or he would have LET HIM ANSWER.

Even if you search everyone, someone can still smuggle a weapon before the event and hidden somewhere.

The law is very clear on this issue. "You can not resist an arrest, even if the arrest is unlawful." To quote a friend and Use of Force expert: "In this country we fight cops in court not in the streets. We sue for bad arrests, we do not riot and set cars on fire. This is what makes us different from third world countries."

Great video. People seem to think he was under arrest because of what he was saying, he was not. He was just not going to be allowed to rant any more. When he said blowjob the moderators had enough. The forum was held on a college campus and the officers were campus police. They uphold not only state laws but also the policies, rules, regulations of the college. They had a right to remove the speaker as set forth by the policies set by the organizers of the forum. People just don't understand.

this video is really informative, thank you for taking the time to help clear up the misunderstanding of this giant mess.

Great video and explanation. Seems people still beleive he was tasered because of what he was saying. He was level 4 about 5 min before they even drew the taser.

he had himself tazered for demonstration. this man isnt promoting fascism, hes giving you insight to the officers perception on this case. what youre talking about doing with religous people is completely unlike this situation. they have the right to freedom of speech, its when they overstep their boundary and their right as andrew meyer did, than action must be taken.

This video is fantastic.

What a lot of people don't understand is that freedom of speech does not include the right to ignore the rules of a regulated public forum.

I wonder if all of these outraged people get as angry every weekend that a bouncer kicks someone out of a bar.

Actively resisting authority's attempt to lead you away is just plain stupid in a case like this.

EXCELLENT excellent response! Very well put together and explained. Great job!

My video commenting on Paris Hilton's "I take no responsibility for my opportunity to be a role model and have a legacy to be proud of" appearance on David Letterman got some interesting responses. Here is one from my video's comment area on video sharing website Break.com:

I agree with you, Richard.
She had the opportunity to step up and failed miserably. This tells me that she has no remorse. Her only regret is that she got caught.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. As for the negative "facist" and "nazi" name-calling type postings, you'll just have to go to youtube.com and other places to read those. I won't waste my time on them. The information has been presented to them if they want to have an open enough mind to consider it.

Great Feedback from "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" Appearance

I have gotten great feedback from my appearance on "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" live from FOX Studios in New York City. I've heard from law enforcement and non-law enforcement alike who appreciated the public explanation of the use of Tasers.

That is my aim. I hope that my interviews, etc. help people to understand what law enforcement does and why we do it. Not all law enforcers are good and not all officers are bad. I am the last person to take a hard line view dumping all possibility of the latter or the former.

I want to give the public the tools needed to make informed judgments about the conduct of police officers and deputy sheriffs. That educated perspective will hopefully result in dignified treatment of the police and the public that we serve.

Here is one of the particularly enjoyable emails that I received. The writer even addressed the situation on the University of Florida Taser incident's Andrew Meyer. This one is from a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas:

Chief Weinblatt. Sorry but once a chief, always a chief. This email is
in comment to the Morning Show that I watch today. And as a fellow law
enforcement officer, I was happy to see that a law enforcement officer
was given the opportunity to explain how tasers work on national
television.

Your law enforcement career exceeds mine by 10 years if not more. I
believe your explanation and demonstration of the taser will help people
better understand their use and purpose in the law enforcement world.
Being tased myself I can tell you that it's far better than a bare
knuckle brawl with a 250+ suspect where arms and shoulders are going to
break. Like the guest on the show for example, one lady stated that it was
mistaken identity and she was tased three times. First off why would it
take three times to subdue this woman?

I feel that a portion of society feels that they are above and out of reach of the law. I'm not even going to touch the topic on the Fl kid. He's just lucky that the
secret service or other feds weren't present.

The taser is a highly effective devise. When I was first trained on
one, I thought come on how much can it really hurt. WOW! I'll take
pepper spray any day. I still was a little weary about them and maybe it
was more doubts about the effectiveness of them. I mean the last thing
any officer wanted was to be in the middle of you know what and a taser
takes a crap on you.

The first time I saw one deployed, I was in FTO and got in my first
pursuit. I was the second patrol car in the pursuit. I was so excited,
radioing dispatch of our location, a lot was going through my mind. The
car stopped, and the suspect fled on foot. We were able to catch him
during the foot pursuit. I was so happy that I got him. But I was now on
the ground fighting with this guy. It was the first time anything really
big happened on my first phase of training. All I thought about was,
"I got him, I caught him". But the real fight started. I heard my
FTO behind me and he yelled, "TASER". I just let go of the suspect
and moved away. He took the ride 4 times before compiling with officers.
But after everything was done, I walked over to the car and thanked the
guy. I said, "Thank you so much you are officially my first arrest".
He looked at me and said, "Damn that hurt. Next time I'll take the
ass woopin'".

I've read some of your articles Chief and I'm glad you were given
the opportunity to help people better understand the vital role that
tasers play in law enforcement.

And here was my email back to this Fort Worth police officer:

Thanks for your nice email concerning Tasers and my recent appearance on "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet." I've gotten quite a lot of feedback on the segment.

You are right. The more that the law enforcement community educates and informs the public, the more they will understand what it is we do and why we do it. That is my aim.

It sounds like you care about what you do. That is great. We need more police officers who care about the professionalism and service aspects of the job. Keep up the good work.

Live from New York City... The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet

I have just gotten back from New York City. The national talk show The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet had flown me up to appear on a long segment on Tasers. With me on the show was Tom Smith, the Chairman of Taser International, and Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International.

It was a fun experience and a terrific chance to spread the message from my self-produced video "UF Student Tasered: A Law Enforcement Expert Responds" (that I put up on youtube, myspace, facebook, aol video, etc. - see my previous Blogger post for this video). I want people to understand the the police perspective before they make their final judgment. With Taser, the information has to factor in how the Taser works, the use of force continuum, and the specifics of a case at hand.

The Morning Show gave a national forum to educate the viewers and more closely examine cases such as The University of Florida student Andrew Meyer who was Tasered at the forum featuring Senator John Kerry.

I flew up last night (Tuesday) after a full day wearing a bullet proof vest in the hot sun instructing a Patrol block Simunitions day at the Police Academy I manage. I was a sun burned and tired guy when I got to bed in NYC at around midnight.

This morning (Wednesday), the show sent a car to pick me up a little before 7:00 am. I proceeded to the FOX studios in midtown Manhattan Times Square and met with the producers. They were very nice and I got to speak with some very interesting folks including the hosts Mike and Juliet, as well as Taser's Tom Smith and Amnesty International's Larry Cox.

We did some rehearsals for the show and off we went. The two segments were quite long- around 15 minutes total- by television standards. Here is a link to The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet's site that has the first of the two segments on it:


http://www.mandjshow.com/videos/terrifying-taser-threats/

After I was done with the show, they had another car wisk me to JFK Airport. It was a whirlwind trip and I sure am tired now. But it was absolutely worth the effort. I am pleased with the final product that me and my fellow guests put forth and the show hosts' and staffs' graciousness.

UF Student Tasered: I respond on youtube, my space, etc.

If you haven't heard of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer and the infamous Taser incident involving the UF Police Department at Senator John Kerry's forum, you've probably been under a rock somewhere. While I am heartened that many people have seen the incident for what it really was, some have been misinformed or uneducated as to the role of the Taser and how use of force was used in this incident.

In the wake of all the publicity and millions of views on youtube, my space, and other media outlets, I thought it was time for a responsible voice to put information out so that people could then make an informed and educated judgment as to what transpired.


With the assistance of my wonderful wife, Anne, on this warm Central Florida Saturday night, I made an approximately six minute video giving a law enforcement expert's perspective on the situation. I made my credentials known in the video (I didn't want the viewers to think that my comments were based in fluff). I even included a short clip of me being Tasered in 2004 when I was a police chief as part of training. I was shot in the back and "took the ride" (as the saying goes). I couldn't resist and was able to get up unscathed afterwards. Of course, it helps that I did not ingest copious amounts of cocaine or other drugs prior to be shot with the Taser. That alone shows that the Taser is purely a control device. And that is what law enforcement officers are after: control and compliance to commands.

In the case of Andrew Meyer, as I explained in my video, officers with the University of Florida had every right to be concerned. While I am a staunch defender of freedom of speech, where there are rights, so too are there responsibilities. Mr. Meyer disregarded the rules of the forum and became an unwelcome guest of the organizers.

Lucky for him that this was not the President or some other high profile official under protection of the feds. If the U.S. Secret Service had been present, I feel certain that he would have been pounced on as soon as he barged his 200 pounds up to the front of the line. Especially in this age of heightened terrorist concerns, law enforcers have to be wary of a man that is emotional, moves fast, and may be armed with a bomb, firearm, or knife.

It was only after he rambled, disregarded the University popo, and used a sexual expletive, that the organizers cut his microphone. It was not the police officers that did so; it was the organizers of the forum. I submit that it was Meyer who was violating everyone else's freedom of speech as he was preventing them from having a reasoned and controlled public discourse. Meyer then broke away from the officers.

In the Sunshine State, as elsewhere, we have guidelines for use of force and the use of the Taser. The Taser safely fall under active physical which would include Meyer's actions of pulling away from the officers. Taser is low on what we call the use of force continuum. It certainly more preferable over a dislocated shoulder and broken arm which is what he might have gotten if all of the officers piled on him and used brute strength to force his arms back.

At the time of the repeated verbal commands and later application of the Taser, Meyer did not have the handcuffs on. Unlike on TV, it is very hard for even a group of officers to place handcuffs on a subject that does not want them on. At least not without causing a great deal of injury.

By using the Taser in drive stun mode, the officers used the localized pain compliance by putting the activated Taser against his body. That certainly is more preferable than the old way of breaking bones and bashing skulls with many officers or a solid baton.

If any thing, as I told the Orlando, FL-based Fox 35 10:00 News on Tuesday (9/16/07) on this very incident, the question wasn't whether too much force was used...the issue is that too little was used and further that it was utilized too late.

I explain in my video that the officers should have actually used more force sooner. They should have grounded him, used the Taser, and loud, repetitive verbal commands. They did all this, but dragged it out too long.

I feel for the University of Florida police officers involved in this fracas. I'm sure that they hesitated due to the high profile nature of the event, the cameras present, the Senator in front of them, and the nature of the campus environment that they operate.

While the police officers are on paid administrative leave, I hope that Chief Linda Stump makes sure that the panels being convened to investigate the incident and UF Police use of force and Taser policies are fair and impartial. I also hope that the students and others being selected to serve on the inquiry boards are educated so that they fully understand the complex dynamics involved in the policing in a democratic society. Hopefully, my video will help in that education mission.