{"id":126497,"date":"2019-10-10T11:50:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T16:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/?page_id=126497"},"modified":"2025-01-04T12:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-04T18:25:10","slug":"ask-the-chief-comments-on-current-events-and-questions-to-the-foundation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/?page_id=126497","title":{"rendered":"“Ask the Chief” Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Comments on Current Events and Questions to the Foundation<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Question:\u00a0 “The Dallas Police Chief job is vacant again. Are you interested?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 As I said the last time the DPD job was open, I go through this flirtatious dance with the City of Dallas or the executive search firms they hire about every twenty-seven months, which is the average tenure of a major city police chief.\u00a0 The previous City Manager is now gone and the City has chosen an out of town manager to lead the city with plans to install a “Public Safety Director” between the Police Chief and the City Manager.\u00a0 In my humble opinion, the one thing the City of Dallas does NOT need is another highly paid bureaucratic layer.\u00a0 To answer your question, my leadership philosophy is well known.\u00a0 I have repeatedly maintained that there would be no improvements in the organizational effectiveness of the Dallas Police Department until both the City leadership and the Police command staff learn to “focus on their people.”\u00a0 People do the job.\u00a0 Not systems, not processes, not policies, and not more expensive so-called experts who have no real idea how to implement the practical principles of supervision and command.\u00a0 So, save the millions of taxpayer dollars for more bureaucracy and\u00a0 listen up to the answer for free:\u00a0 “Focus on your people, focus on your people!, focus on your people!!”\u00a0 Say that 1.3 million times and communicate this strategy to the 1.3 million citizens who live and work in Dallas and maybe this novel idea will finally sink in.\u00a0 The bottom line is that no Dallas Police Chief in the past thirty-five years has been able to apply that simple leadership truth.\u00a0 Until Dallas seeks to appoint a Chief who really understands what it\u00a0 takes to lead, inspire, motivate, inform and train the men and women of the Dallas Police Department and has this kind of experience specific to the organization; I will be like Babe Ruth who was waiting on his death bed for the owner of the New York Yankees to call and offer him the team Manager’s job.\u00a0 The telephone for the Babe never rang and it likely won’t ring for me either.\u00a0 Luckily, I’m not on my death bed just yet.<\/p>\n

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Question:\u00a0 “I just saw the story about another mass shooting in America.\u00a0 This time in a city where you were once the chief, Hollywood, Florida.\u00a0 What can we do about all the mass shootings in America?\u00a0 The American public is overwhelmingly demanding action now but the politicians appear powerless to agree on a solution.\u00a0 Statistically, not a day goes by that we do not have another mass shooting in America.\u00a0 We are becoming numb to school shootings and senseless massacres.\u00a0 Individuals on both sides of the gun control debate all agree that the systems, processes and laws we currently have to put the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment into practical application appear to be broken.\u00a0 What needs to be done?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 It seems to me that our political leaders are paralyzed into inaction on this complex issue by their own inability to listen to each other and even the American public.\u00a0 They are stupidly searching for the ONE magic solution that will make everybody, including voters, lobbyists, and donors, happy.\u00a0 Well guess what?\u00a0 It doesn’t exist!<\/p>\n

Below is an essay originally written in April 2021.\u00a0 Like our political leaders, I have pondered and procrastinated on the publication of the essay in the hope that someone a lot smarter than me and with more influence would stumble onto the tenets as a way forward.\u00a0 And, of course, I didn’t want to offend my friends who have strong feelings on both sides of the issue.<\/p>\n

But, as the essay states…”enough is enough.”\u00a0<\/strong> We all need the courage to do something!<\/p>\n

Revising the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0\u00a0April 24, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Constitution of the United States of America 1789 \u2013 Amendment II<\/p>\n

\u201cA well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. The Founding Fathers gave us nothing further in the Constitution to help interpret what these 27 words mean.\u00a0 Historians have postulated that James Madison was the author of this amendment and intended that citizens should be able to protect themselves against a future tyrannical government and any other threat to their wellbeing or personal freedom.\u00a0 No one really knows for sure.\u00a0 All we know is that the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment was ratified in 1791 and Americans have been arguing its intent ever since.<\/p>\n

I am not a lawyer and have never played one on TV.\u00a0 I have spent most of my life implementing the practical applications of our local, state, and federal statutes as a member of law enforcement agencies in three different states.\u00a0 And, when I wasn\u2019t doing that, I was a professional historian with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy.\u00a0 Let me also just say that I have owned firearms all my adult life and have been a competitive and recreational shooter and firearms instructor.\u00a0 So, I hope my credentials and my experiences may provide a unique perspective.<\/p>\n

Most rational pro-gunners (PGs) want more freedom to acquire, carry and openly display weapons.\u00a0 PGs often espouse what they call \u201cConstitutional Carry\u201d, believing the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that right.\u00a0 PGs argue that we should enforce the laws we already have on the books without the necessity of more laws being passed<\/p>\n

Most rational anti-gunners (AGs) want more restrictive laws and the enforcement capability to limit acquisition, carrying, and display of weapons.\u00a0 AGs especially want to ban what they call \u201cAssault Weapons\u201d, believing there is no place in modern society for weapons designed for the military battlefield.<\/p>\n

To my friends who are PGs I say you are right.<\/p>\n

To my friends who are AGs I say you are right.<\/p>\n

Every rational person can agree that whoever wrote the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment intended to give American citizens the right to own a firearm but did the Founding Fathers intend for citizens to also own weapons capable of inflicting mass casualties?\u00a0 During the Revolutionary War, lighted fuse grenades tossed by \u201cgrenadiers\u201d and cannons that fired a projectile weighing up to 18 pounds were in use.<\/p>\n

Does that mean we should be able to go into as hardware store today and buy a modern howitzer?\u00a0 Or can we just step up to the counter and purchase a case of fragmentation grenades like we do a case of bug spray?<\/p>\n

To both my PG and AG friends, I say that you should ponder this statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why you can\u2019t go into a sporting goods store and buy a flamethrower.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No matter what reason you chose in your own mind for this truism, every rational person can agree that even the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment must have limitations and our current laws already include such curbs.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see what history can tell us about our country\u2019s efforts to set logical limits on firearms.\u00a0 In effect, Americans have accepted infringements to the right to \u201ckeep and bear arms\u201d since the ink was dry on the 2nd<\/sup> Amendment.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the best example of how Congress has attempted to set limitations on firearm ownership is the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934.\u00a0 The law has been amended and added to many times over the years.\u00a0 The NFA was passed during the Great Depression in response to gangster\u00a0violence\u00a0of the\u00a0Al Capone era using easily available military weapons from World War One, such as the\u00a0Thompson sub-machine gun and Browning Automatic rifle (BAR).\u00a0 Did you know that prior to the NFA of 1934 machine guns were sold at hardware stores and even your local corner drug store?\u00a0 Did you also know that the original draft of the NFA included the regulation of handguns?<\/p>\n

To both my PG and AG friends, I say that you should ask yourself this question:<\/p>\n

\u201cShould anyone<\/u> be able to buy a machine gun and thousands of rounds of ammunition without any oversight?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you think automatic weapons should be available or not, every rational person can agree that there should be some curbs on who <\/u>can obtain such weapons.<\/p>\n

The NFA and its later amendments actually accomplished a lot of things to the satisfaction of most everyone\u2019s perspective.\u00a0 The NFA defined and classified firearms and destructive devices such as bombs, mines, and grenades.\u00a0 The NFA required licensing of gun manufacturers, importers, and dealers.\u00a0 The NFA defined who could not<\/u> purchase weapons such as felons and the mentally ill.\u00a0 And, ultimately the NFA required background checks of some firearm purchase transactions.\u00a0 All of that sounds like a lot of accepted \u201cinfringement\u201d on the right to keep and bear arms.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s something often overlooked, the NFA does not prohibit a normal American citizen from acquiring and owning a \u201cregulated weapon\u201d such as a machine gun.\u00a0 A person simply has to obtain a permit from the ATF and pay a tax of $200 (which, by the way, has not increased since 1934 and is the equivalent of about $4,500 in today\u2019s money).<\/p>\n

History also notes that every Supreme Court has agreed that requiring a fee for this permit is constitutional under the federal government\u2019s constitutional taxing authority.<\/p>\n

Notice that I keep using the terms \u201crational\u201d and \u201cnormal.\u201d\u00a0 Charles Manson was not rational. Serial killers are not normal. \u00a0Neither are the tens of thousands of felons in America who have been convicted of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and other major criminal offenses.\u00a0 Most PGs and AGs can also agree that terrorists are not normal American citizens.<\/p>\n

Those who want to compare gun control in America to gun control efforts in Australia or other countries are probably not thinking rationally either.\u00a0 For the United States Government to confiscate or even buy the 440 million individual firearms in private hands in America today (more than one firearm for every man, woman, and child in America) and stop manufacturers from making more is simply not going to happen overnight.\u00a0 But at some point, don\u2019t we have to try and stem the proliferation of the types of weapons that are killing us every day?\u00a0 While at the same time, still allowing Americans to own a firearm that is not designed for mass killings?<\/p>\n

To my AG and PG friends, I also want you to also ponder the question of \u201chome rule\u201d in America. When you cross an imaginary geographic line into another city, county, or state all the firearms regulations may be different?\u00a0 How is any normal law-abiding gun owner supposed to know what the firearms law is in Cleveland as compared to back home in Montana?<\/p>\n

We must all keep in mind that the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution states \u201cThe powers\u00a0not delegated\u00a0to the United\u00a0States\u00a0by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the\u00a0States, are reserved to the\u00a0States\u00a0respectively, or to the people.\u201d\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t protections and<\/u> restrictions apply equally from Hawaii to Maine and not subject to modification by the City Council in Des Moines or the state legislature in Rhode Island or even by executive orders of the President?<\/p>\n

My PG friends remind us that firearms usage and availability in the unpopulated areas of Idaho is far different than the concrete canyons of New York City.<\/p>\n

My AG friends agree that no one is hunting elk in Central Park but you still don\u2019t need a bazooka to blast a moose in downtown Pocatello.<\/p>\n

Surely, both the PGs and the AGs are again correct and can see the necessity of a broad national framework that can cover common issues in the entire country regardless of location.<\/p>\n

And what about the issue of mental health as it applies to firearms ownership? Have you ever wondered why in almost every case of mass shootings in America, someone (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, the postman, etc.) of the shooter states something similar afterwards that \u201cYeah, I always knew he was nuts<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0The NFA is silent on this issue but everyone seems to agree that the mental health component factors into just about every mass shooting.<\/p>\n

During my tenure as a Police Chief, we required all the individuals we hired to pass a simple psychological examination administered and analyzed by a licensed psychologist.\u00a0 This policy applied to everyone from police officers, civilian administrative staff, laboratory technicians, and even the Chief.\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t the person who purchases a regulated weapon and thousands of rounds of ammunition, be required to pass the same test to determine a person\u2019s psychological state as the unarmed parking meter checker or the clerk who files reports?<\/p>\n

My PG friends would say that we all have our demons and idiosyncrasies which do not make us \u201cnuts.\u201d\u00a0 The fact that a person may suffer from periodic depression over the stresses of life and seek professional help should not disqualify a person from gun ownership for their lifetime.<\/p>\n

My AG friends say that our efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of the suicidal and\/or mentally ill are clearly not working.\u00a0 Simply signing a form certifying that you have not been involuntarily hospitalized by court order before you buy a semi-automatic weapon is obviously not a deterrent.\u00a0 And, ANYONE can have tens of thousands of rounds of high velocity ammunition shipped right to their door by using the computer and simply clicking on the tab asserting they are 18 years of age or older.<\/p>\n

To my PG and AG friends, I say again you are both right about the mental health component.<\/p>\n

And, the NFA is also silent on the whole competency testing issue.\u00a0 Everyone in America is required to pass a written examination and practical demonstration to get a license to drive a Chevy or a Tesla.\u00a0 And automobile liability insurance is required in every state. \u00a0Is there a reason why firearms owners should not be familiar with the simple safety rules for deadly weapons and maintain a low-cost firearms liability insurance policy as a part of being a responsible gun owner just like the responsibilities we teach our kids when they learn to drive an automobile?<\/p>\n

My PG friends say that we already have many different firearms safety courses and firearms liability insurance policies readily available.<\/p>\n

My AG friends acknowledge the availability of many highly acclaimed firearms safety courses, (including one sponsored by the National Rifle Association) and firearms liability insurance policies, but counter that such courses are not a requirement to obtaining a deadly weapon.<\/p>\n

Once again, the PGs and AGs are both correct on the same issue.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the bottom line:<\/u>\u00a0 We can entrench ourselves in our PG and AG arguments, decry the daily violence on our television screens, lower the flag to half-staff, hold candle light vigils, and send our \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d while we wait for the next massacre\u2026OR\u2026we can use our existing national framework of the NFA to DO SOMETHING!<\/p>\n

So, if most of the PGs and AGs can agree on so many things about firearms why can\u2019t they join together to come up with a framework for a definitive legislative solution?\u00a0 The answer is right in front of our face:\u00a0 The National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934.\u00a0 But it needs a little work.<\/p>\n

The main problem with the NFA is that it has been amended and changed and added to so many times since 1934 that it is hardly recognizable.\u00a0 My AG and PG friends agree that to get the ball rolling for federal legislators to do the work the American public is demanding, someone needs to guide them with some specific \u201crational\u201d suggestions to discuss for inclusion in crafting a \u201cNew NFA.\u201d<\/p>\n

We need to get a small group of bi-partisan federal legislators together, with a professional arbitrator to guide them, and start at the beginning of the NFA and work their way down the document and its amendments, line by line,<\/u> condensing, revising, and compromising<\/u> on issues that are important to both PGs and AGs.<\/p>\n

The caveat of simplicity should be a paramount theme in revising the NFA.\u00a0 The original NFA did not prevent gun violence overnight.\u00a0 And a New NFA will not prevent gun violence overnight either.\u00a0 Whatever the final product the New NFA but it needs to be so simple that everyone in America knows the rules all over the land.<\/p>\n

Here are some suggestions for the New NFA that both PGs and AGs should work on:<\/p>\n

1) Creation of a Federal Firearms Permit (FFP) to acquire and possess a \u201cregulated weapon.\u201d \u00a0<\/u>Acquisition of a FFP could automatically provide enrollment in the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which is a U.S. government program founded in 1903 intended to promote firearm safety training and firearms practice for all citizens.<\/p>\n

Make simple requirements to obtain a FFP to include an agreed upon minimum age, absence of felony convictions or suspected terrorist connections to include being on a national \u201cno fly list\u201d, documentation of citizenship, documentation of completion of a standard NRA-style firearms safety course, documentation of a firearms liability insurance policy, a nationally defined waiting period for permit applicants to allow for adequate vetting and a \u201ccooling off\u201d period, and certification of mental health by a psychologist who has administered and analyzed a standard test such as the MMPI-2 or another testing instrument specifically designed by the National Institute of Heath.\u00a0 The New NFA should also give psychologists\u2019 qualified immunity from civil litigation and a set a standard fee for the service.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 Add \u201csemi-automatic weapons\u201d, \u201cbump stocks\u201d, and \u201cghost guns\u201d into the \u201cregulated weapon\u201d category. Create a simple definition defining a semi-automatic weapon as \u201cany centerfire firearm which is capable of discharging a round by the activation of the trigger only.\u201d\u00a0 This definition eliminates the fundamental flaw in the previous \u201cAssault Weapons Ban\u201d which attempted to list, by manufacturer name and\/or model, of every firearm defined as an \u201cassault weapon\u201d when the law was enacted.\u00a0 Before long, the listed names of weapons like the MAC-10 and other firearms were changed by manufacturers making enforcement almost impossible. And now, PGs and AGs simply can\u2019t agree on what the term \u201cAssault Weapon\u201d means.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 The FFP should require renewal on a periodic basis like a driver\u2019s license such as every 3 years or 5 years or 7 years.\u00a0 Provision should be made for an appeal and when an applicant can reapply after an initial denial to prevent \u201cdoc shopping\u201d and also allow a person whose personal circumstances have changed to obtain and possess a firearm if they qualify under the New NFA later in life.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 Include a national \u201cRed Flag Law\u201d in the New NFA.<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 Make all regulated weapons and ammunition transactions subject to possession of a valid FFP by both the seller and buyer.<\/p>\n

6)\u00a0 Place a large manufacturing (tax) on domestic manufacturers of regulated weapons and regulated weapons parts (and an equally large tariff on imported regulated weapons and regulated weapons parts).<\/p>\n

7)\u00a0 Guarantee of \u201cConstitutional Carry\u201d for all FFP holders subject to the approval of individual property owners whose premises are used by the public.<\/p>\n

8)\u00a0 Clearly define what are \u201cnon-regulated weapons<\/u>\u201d :\u00a0 rimfire firearms of .22 caliber or less, single- or double-barrel handguns and rifles, revolvers, pump action, lever action and bolt action rifles and shotguns, muzzle or breech loading firearms, and shotguns with a capacity of five rounds or less.<\/p>\n

9)\u00a0 Establish a National Buy Back Program to allow voluntary<\/u> turn in (with no questions asked) to the government for purchase at established fair market value rates, of any regulated weapons by anyone who does not wish to comply or cannot comply with the provisions of the New NFA. All regulated weapons that are turned in must be destroyed unless a documented historical provenance is established.<\/p>\n

10) Prescribe standard criminal penalties for violations of the New NFA on a graduated scale which would also include suspension\/revocation of the FFP for established periods.\u00a0 All taxes associated with obtaining the FFP and fines paid due to enforcement of the the New NFA should be relegated to the National Buy Back Program.<\/p>\n

And finally, set a future date, such a January 1 of the next year, for implementation of the New NFA to allow time for public education on the law and time for all firearms owners and firearm manufacturers to become compliant.<\/p>\n

But…enough is enough.\u00a0<\/strong> We all need the courage to do something!<\/p>\n

And make no mistake, it is not a question of whether or not the steps listed in the essay will eventually be taken…it is simply a question of WHEN.<\/p>\n

Now?\u00a0 Or years from now after hundreds more mass shootings finally force action.<\/p>\n

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Question:\u00a0 “I came across a quote in a Sherlock Holmes book recently that I think you will appreciate because it speaks to his independence in the way he thinks, acts and investigates that is polar opposite of the many “officials” he worked with and around. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 “I am no martinet, I am not bound by legal duty, by political machination, or by petty\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 jurisdiction.” <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When I think about the foolish people you have encountered in government jobs, I am sure they wince at the thought of you because you are bound by the duty to do what is right and reasonable, which is not the government way.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 I am at a loss on how to respond to this very nice note from a professional colleague…and humbled…so just let me say, “Thank you.”<\/p>\n

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Question:\u00a0 “Chief \u2014 A grave site marked \u201cUnknown\u201d in Hawaii holds the remains of 85 sailors from the USS Arizona killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks. Now survivors and descendants of those killed in Pearl Harbor need help urging the U.S. government to use DNA technology to finally identify these sailors.\u00a0I welcome your thoughts on this.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 Of course these “Unknowns” should be exhumed and identified using modern DNA technology.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the controlling government agency for action on these cases is the infamous Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), a clone of the scandal ridden and now defunct Joint POW\/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).\u00a0 In my opinion, neither the JPAC or DPAA Laboratory could identify a ham sandwich in less than a decade and they must rely on the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) to resolve almost all of the cases referred to them.\u00a0 In 2011 and 2012, while a member of the Department of Defense (DoD), I did not make many friends at the JPAC Laboratory by suggesting that we should implement an “operational pause” in our largely fruitless field search missions and unproductive forensic examinations and concentrate on obtaining DNA samples from the families of missing American servicemen and servicewomen from World War II before the family linage became extinct due to the natural aging process.\u00a0 The JPAC Laboratory referred to DNA as “voodoo science” and the window of opportunity to solve thousands of cases probably closed forever.\u00a0 Now, the question is whether or not the Department of Defense can find enough families of the USS Arizona<\/em> kids to identify them through DNA comparison.\u00a0 If DoD depends on DPAA to now locate and obtain the DNA samples of family members of the USS Arizona<\/em> missing, after they ignored my suggestions ten years ago, then the answer is “not a snowball’s chance in Texas in July.”\u00a0 After all, the family of USS Arizona<\/em> crewman, Seaman 1st Class Earl Leroy Morrison, is still waiting on action based on an investigation I completed at DoD on 25 April 2012 which identified his exact burial location as “Unknown X-51” in the Punchbowl Cemetery.\u00a0 For more information click on this link to listen to NO HOME FOR HEROES podcast Episode 7:\u00a0 Shaking the Tree Searching for Seaman Elm<\/a>)\u00a0 He was buried there on 14 June 1949 and there S1C Morrison still lays as an “Unknown” in Section Q, Grave Number 1147 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl):<\/p>\n

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Question:\u00a0 “Where did we go wrong in policing America?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 Many Police Chiefs who read this analysis will cringe.\u00a0 But most street Police Officers will affirm its validity.\u00a0 \u00a0While the concept has many merits, I believe that “Community Policing” has led to the lost of respect for our profession in the eyes of many citizens we serve.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s a shocker.\u00a0 As a Police Chief, I accept leadership accountability for what we tried to accomplish and my share of the responsibility for what went wrong all across America.<\/p>\n

Dallas once practiced a style of policing known as \u201cBeat Responsibility.\u201d\u00a0 Officers were charged with taking care of and protecting citizens within a specific geographic area assigned to each officer.\u00a0 An officer\u2019s performance was evaluated based on reported crimes on his or her \u201cbeat.\u201d Our fundamental duty was to enforce the law and keep the peace.\u00a0 To do that, society granted us powers that were extraordinary: the power to arrest and the power to require a person\u2019s compliance with our orders.\u00a0 But it was the respect by the community for our powers that was the key.<\/p>\n

We carefully exercised our powers with judgment and restraint. \u00a0Above all, we did the right thing.\u00a0 Citizens surveyed during that era perennially voted the Dallas Police Department as the single most highly respected agency in city government.\u00a0 We were held up as superheroes imbued by law with special powers to guard the thin blue line between good and evil.<\/p>\n

Then things began to change.\u00a0 \u201cBeat Responsibility\u201d morphed into something called \u201cCommunity Policing.\u201d\u00a0 Our initial steps into “Community Policing” in Dallas were educational.\u00a0 We added news reporters to our recruit classes as full time students and we created the Citizens Police Academy to show others how we really did our jobs.\u00a0 The Police Channel debuted on local cable TV and dozens of other really creative educational ideas were implemented.<\/p>\n

As a Police Chief, I adopted the \u201cCommunity Policing\u201d concept in other cities across America and we implemented the philosophy with all our energies.\u00a0 Our business cards included the definition of “Community Policing” on the back: \u201cTreating everyone with dignity, courtesy, and respect while utilizing all available resources to solve problems.\u201d\u00a0 No one in their right mind argues that police should not treat everyone with dignity, courtesy, and respect.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we took this noble concept too far in adding the belief that our special powers could somehow solve societal problems.<\/p>\n

And therein lies where we first began to go wrong in American policing.\u00a0 The police stopped being strictly law enforcement officers and peace keepers and became something totally different.\u00a0 We played hoops at the neighborhood park, passed out ice cream at birthday parties, and embarrassed ourselves break dancing with gang members.\u00a0 Our dignity was sacrificed on the altar of “Community Policing” and we lost the basis of the special powers granted us: the respect of the citizenry we were charged with protecting.<\/p>\n

We weren\u2019t seen as super heroes anymore.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t Superman.\u00a0 We were Clark Kent.<\/p>\n

Community Policing became our Kryptonite.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Police Chiefs stopped focusing on their officers and began focusing on writing ever more complicated policies or seeking technology to address every problem.\u00a0 Ever so slowly, we stopped being respected \u201cPolice Officers\u201d and became \u201cCops.\u201d We weren\u2019t special anymore.\u00a0 We were just like the mailman, the used car salesman, or the neighborhood grocer.\u00a0 And, even worse, inside policing, we began see ourselves in the same light.<\/p>\n

Away went the respected uniform symbols of authority, including our polished badges, to be replaced with embroidered golf shirts, shorts, and baseball caps worn backwards.\u00a0 Away went the requirement for a college education to be replaced with a GED.\u00a0 Away went patrol units deployed geographically based on\u00a0 a scientific analysis of crime locations and call load activity to be replaced with bicycles.\u00a0 Away went the emphasis on rapid response to citizen needs for law enforcement and peacekeeping duties to be replaced with large \u201cCommunity Policing Units\u201d, who were not responsible for answering any 911 calls for service.<\/p>\n

And away went the unquestioned power of the police to say \u201cStop\u201d or \u201cShow me your hands\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re under arrest.\u201d\u00a0 Disrespect to officers and non-compliance with police authority has now become the norm in America.\u00a0 What is the one common theme you watch unfold on our body cameras every day?\u00a0 A lack of compliance for commands given by officers.\u00a0 When someone absolutely refuses to comply with an officer\u2019s lawful authority we now have two basic choices:\u00a0 Use force or just walk away and say \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I don\u2019t know what I was thinking.\u00a0 Of course you don\u2019t want to be arrested.\u00a0 Never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why? \u00a0Because who follows orders of a mailman or a salesman or a grocer?\u00a0 These occupations have no special powers to control the actions of others.\u00a0 \u00a0Respect for the police who DO have these powers has eroded beyond all recognition.<\/p>\n

We thought we could improve our effectiveness by allowing everyone to become familiar with us. \u00a0We were wrong.\u00a0 An ancient Aesop proverb dictates that familiarity breeds contempt.\u00a0 Over time, the respect we had earned was replaced with what you see today: contempt for the police as individuals, contempt for our profession, and contempt for the powers granted us under the law.<\/p>\n

To repeat: We aren’t seen as superheroes anymore.\u00a0 We changed from being Superman to just being a mild mannered reporter of crimes like Clark Kent.<\/p>\n

Community Policing became our Kryptonite.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sadly, we were led astray by Police Chiefs like me who thought \u201cCommunity Policing\u201d would result in something different than what it ultimately became.\u00a0 That is where we went wrong.<\/p>\n

So how do we right the wrongs that were done by adopting an impossible policing philosophy and our complicity in accepting responsibility for resolving\u00a0 complex major societal maladies that had nothing to do with our original duties of law enforcement and peacekeeping?\u00a0 \u00a0Perhaps it is as simple as getting back to the basics.\u00a0 Perhaps.<\/p>\n

**************************************************************<\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0 “The Dallas Police Chief appears to be on her way out.\u00a0 Are you interested in the job?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 I go through this flirtatious dance with the City of Dallas or the executive search firms they hire about every twenty-seven months, which is the average tenure of a major city police chief.\u00a0 The previous chief is now gone and the City has chosen another out of town chief to lead the DPD.\u00a0 To answer your question, my leadership philosophy is well known.\u00a0 I have repeatedly maintained that there would be no improvements in the organizational effectiveness of the Dallas Police Department until both the City leadership and the Police command staff learn to “focus on their people.”\u00a0 People do the job.\u00a0 Not systems, not processes, not policies, and not more expensive studies by so-called experts who have no real idea how to implement the practical principles of supervision and command.\u00a0 So, save the 300,000 taxpayer dollars\u00a0 the current Dallas administration is considering spending for another study about how to fix things in the police department and the one million taxpayer dollars to develop a computerized flagging system to identify “problem officers.”\u00a0 Listen up to the answer for free:\u00a0 “Focus on your people, focus on your people!, focus on your people!!”\u00a0 Say that 1.3 million times and communicate this strategy to the 1.3 million citizens who live and work in Dallas and maybe this novel idea will finally sink in.\u00a0 The bottom line is that no Dallas Police Chief in the past thirty years has been able to apply that simple leadership truth.\u00a0 Until Dallas seeks to appoint a Chief who really understands what it\u00a0 takes to lead, inspire, motivate, inform and train the men and women of the Dallas Police Department and has this kind of experience specific to the organization; the City of Dallas can\u00a0 count me out.<\/p>\n

****************************************************************<\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0 “What are you most proud of in your law enforcement career?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 The answer to this question has absolutely nothing to do with medals or awards or any of that other hero stuff.\u00a0 In fact, I am most proud of something\u00a0 for which I have no right to claim any\u00a0 credit.\u00a0 It’s simple:\u00a0 no man or woman under my command ever lost his or her life in the line of duty.\u00a0 Before I first became a supervisor\u00a0 and later began rising thru the ranks, I did lose friends who were killed in the line of duty around me .\u00a0 A lot.\u00a0 Twenty-one in sixteen years.\u00a0 The phrase “not on my watch” was a grim determination and focus of my police leadership philosophy.\u00a0 Every minute, every hour, every day.<\/p>\n

Here’s my honor roll of police officer friends loved as family and lost during my time in Dallas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Badge #1181<\/td>\nDonald P. Tucker, Sr.<\/td>\nThursday, December 13, 1973<\/td>\nAge 40<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2831<\/td>\nLeslie G. Lane. Jr.<\/td>\nSaturday, March 2, 1974<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3660<\/td>\nDuane Hallum<\/td>\nThursday, August 21, 1975<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3532<\/td>\nAlvin E. Moore<\/td>\nSaturday, November 13, 1976<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3641<\/td>\nRobert E. Wood<\/td>\nSunday, November 28, 1976<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4162<\/td>\nJohn T. McCarthy<\/td>\nWednesday, February 25, 1981<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4210<\/td>\nCharles J. Maltese, Jr.<\/td>\nFriday, July 31, 1981<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4545<\/td>\nJohn R. Pasco<\/td>\nSunday, January 16, 1983<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1773<\/td>\nCarl J. Norris<\/td>\nWednesday, March 2, 1983<\/td>\n43<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4264<\/td>\nRonald D. Baker<\/td>\nMonday, May 2, 1983<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1599<\/td>\nRobert L. Cormier<\/td>\nTuesday, July 24, 1984<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R7868<\/td>\nJames C. Taylor<\/td>\nTuesday, July 24, 1984<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4641<\/td>\nThomas L. Harris<\/td>\nSaturday, July 20, 1985<\/td>\n37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4500<\/td>\nGary R. Blair<\/td>\nThursday, March 20, 1986<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4949<\/td>\nJames A. Joe<\/td>\nThursday, January 14, 1988<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5231<\/td>\nJohn G. Chase<\/td>\nSaturday, January 23, 1988<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5508<\/td>\nGary D. McCarthy<\/td>\nFriday, February 26, 1988<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4994<\/td>\nWalter L. Williams<\/td>\nTuesday, August 2, 1988<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3166<\/td>\nLawrence R. Cadena, Sr.<\/td>\nTuesday, December 13, 1988<\/td>\n43<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5580<\/td>\nLisa L. Sandel<\/td>\nFriday, January 13, 1989<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5626<\/td>\nMark L. Fleming<\/td>\nSaturday, January 14, 1989<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The heroes above were not under my command when they died but I was wearing the same uniform at the time.\u00a0 In a few cases, I was at the scene and saw things that I would just as soon erase from my memory.<\/p>\n

Everyone who has ever been a police officer has had “police dreams.”\u00a0 I once saw my lost friends in my dreams regularly.\u00a0 They were always frozen in time.\u00a0 They never aged a day in my dreams.\u00a0 Now decades have passed and police dreams don’t haunt me anymore.\u00a0 I have stopped yelling in my dreams: “Don’t stand in front of the door, Don!” and “Watch his hands, Al!” and “Wear your vest, Robert!” and “Chip, listen to me for once; pay attention to the traffic!” and “Slow down, Tommy!”<\/p>\n

So if I became your supervisor or commander or chief and I yelled the same kind of things while we were working together, you can blame me for raising my voice to you.\u00a0 But you should credit the guys and gals above for being able to go home to your family at the end of each shift.<\/p>\n

And, that is what I am most proud of in my police career.<\/p>\n

***********************************************************<\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0 “Chief, I found an old newspaper clipping about a baseball game played at Arlington Stadium in 1986.\u00a0 Are you the same Rick Stone mentioned in the article?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 Actually, two baseball games were played at Arlington Stadium on July 30, 1986, then the major league home to the Texas Rangers.\u00a0 Official attendance for the games was 15,632 who braved 109 degree heat to watch the games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Baltimore Orioles future “Hall of Famer” Cal Ripken, Jr. hit a homerun in Game 2.\u00a0 Rangers’ catcher, Don Slaught, hit a home run of his own in the 11th inning of Game 2 to provide Texas with a 5 to 3 win.\u00a0 Rangers’ shortstop, Scott Fletcher, and Rangers’ center fielder, Reuben Sierra, each stole a base in Game 2.\u00a0 A pinch runner in the 7th inning of Game 1 also stole a base becoming one of only three players that day to successfully swipe second base in the sweltering 109 degree heat.<\/p>\n

It would be the pinch runner’s only professional career appearance in a major league stadium.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I think you have correctly identified the player.<\/p>\n

****************************************************************<\/p>\n

Question: “I have managed with your help in tracking down where my uncle\u2019s remains might have been buried as an “Unknown” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.\u00a0 The Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has his dental, they have my DNA, they have an X-Ray and circumstantial evidence. Now how long will I wait for him to be identified?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Foundation:\u00a0 Eleven years from receipt of remains in the DPAA Laboratory to identification is the AVERAGE<\/strong> time, according to their own internal study.<\/p>\n

*****************************************************************<\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0 “What is the worst policy at the Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) that hurts MIA families?”\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Foundation:\u00a0 \u00a0MIA families tell us that their biggest complaint about DPAA is that the agency refuses to release any specific information about a MIA’s recovery at the time of the agency’s first public announcement of an official identification.\u00a0 \u00a0While one family is correctly thrilled to first learn their family member has been identified, the family is not initially told any specific details about the recovery.\u00a0 DPAA’s policy is to await the conclusion of a meeting with the identified MIA’s family before they provide ANY details of the recovery to anyone.\u00a0 This policy looks good on paper but the meeting may be months, years, or even NEVER before it occurs.\u00a0 At the same time, hundreds of other family members whose MIA may have been a candidate for the same set of remains that were identified are left to agonize completely in the dark by DPAA.<\/p>\n

Here’s some examples on how the current DPAA policy works in real life:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0In March 2017, DPAA announced that PFC Jack Fox had been accounted for as an “Unknown.”\u00a0 To this day, DPAA refuses to release exactly which “Unknown” was identified as PFC Fox!\u00a0 Did all the members of PFC Fox’s family die before a meeting could be scheduled?\u00a0 We don’t know.\u00a0 What we do know is that there are currently 371 other<\/strong> MIA families whose own MIA’s are candidates to be the “Unknown” identified as PFC Fox, whichever one he was.\u00a0 The families tell us they want to know if their own missing hero can be eliminated from the list of possible matches.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0 In March 2019, DPAA quietly posted on their web site that Captain Edward Walker\u00a0 had been identified as\u00a0 “Unknowns” who were recovered from an American military cemetery in 2017.\u00a0 The problem is that Captain Walker’s remains had been misidentified in 1946 and these remains were buried in his family plot in Tennessee.\u00a0 Whose remains were buried as Captain Walker in 1946?\u00a0 We don’t know.\u00a0 In response to a Foundation request under the Freedom of Information Act,\u00a0 DPAA illegally refused to release any information about Captain Walker’s case.\u00a0 What we do know is that a total of 1,090 families of American servicemen are awaiting these answers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    ****************************************************************<\/p>\n

    Question:\u00a0 “What happened to the guy who claimed he was affiliated with one of the Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) paid contractors who was charged with theft of government materials from the National Archives?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Answer by Foundation:\u00a0 He pled guilty in Federal Court and was convicted of misdemeanor theft.\u00a0 He was sentenced to 18 months supervised probation for the theft conviction and fined $5,000.\u00a0 According to media reports, the convicted thief and his wife have been banned from the National Archives.\u00a0 A “non-profit” corporate contractor with whom he claimed affiliation has now been paid over $12 million dollars by DPAA.<\/p>\n

    HISTORIAN, RESEARCH, & ANALYST AT HISTORY FLIGHT, Inc. \u2013 By Linkedin\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

    VIRGINIA MAN SENTENCED FOR STEALING WWII DOG TAGS FROM NATIONAL ARCHIVES<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Claims to be historian for DPAA Contractor History Flight, Inc. \u2013 By David Aaro, Fox News, January 23, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n

    **************************************************************<\/p>\n

    Question:\u00a0 “Where does the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation get its MIA research materials?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Answer by Foundation:\u00a0 Our Foundation’s research is based on unclassified documents we have lawfully obtained through hundreds of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to various government agencies, two successful Federal civil lawsuits to obtain public records, information provided to us by family members and other researchers, and online research of public records.\u00a0 Our Foundation’s investigators also do on site research at the National Archives and the National Personnel Records Center where we must pay the Federal government from our limited funds for copies of the materials.<\/p>\n

    \n
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    *****************************************************************************************************<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    As always, thank you for your support!\u00a0 Don’t hesitate to contact us by using the “Leave A Reply” form below by entering your Name, Email Address, and any question or request that the Foundation can help you with!<\/h6>\n
    \n
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    <\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Copyright (C) 2012-2025 Chief Rick Stone & Family Charitable Foundation. All Rights Reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Comments on Current Events and Questions to the Foundation Question:\u00a0 “The Dallas Police Chief job is vacant again. Are you interested?” Answer by Chief Stone:\u00a0 As I said the last time the DPD job was open, I go through this flirtatious dance with the City of Dallas or the executive search firms they hire about … Continue reading ““Ask the Chief” Forum”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-126497","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/126497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126497"}],"version-history":[{"count":80,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/126497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129597,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/126497\/revisions\/129597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}