Standing Down

For the past fourteen years, I have been engaged in a nearly continuous state of war. On one front were the drug dealers who encroached upon my property, putting me in physical danger from their violent behavior as well as subjecting me to legal liability for their activities. On the other front was a police department which for too long refused to help me with this problem, while simultaneously holding me accountable for it.

In my determination to defend myself, I have been forced at times to act in an uncivilized manner. I was pushed to the edged, and I did what I had to do to keep from going over. Some observers may feel that I have gone too far, but I know that I only did what was absolutely necessary. However, I believe that the flurry of activities has caused me to lose sight of my goals and to be slow in recognizing and adapting to the dramatic improvements which have recently taken place.

An examination of human history shows that, once mobilized for action, it is difficult for people to reverse course and far too easy for them to continue fighting even after the battle has been won. Being mindful of this, I now realize that the cost of pressing my campaign further would outweigh the benefits for myself as well as for others who I hold in high regard. And so, rather than continue fighting to the point where I would ultimately become the tyrant that I opposed, I choose instead to stand down.

I have certainly made mistakes along the way, but I offer no apologies for my actions. Both the drug dealers and the Fort Wayne Police Department attacked me, and my position was entirely one of self-defense. I regret that I may have irritated some individuals who themselves did no harm to me but, having aligned themselves with cowards, they must rightfully share in the scorn that is due for the irresponsible actions of their comrades.

Specifically regarding my comments about FWPD, I regret that my anger towards a few bad officers had to be feltby the rest. But it is they who have chosen the corporate identity. And while I realize that some may feel the personal nature of my recent posts was inappropriate, I did this because I wanted every officer to remember it the next time a citizen asks for their help. If they decide to just ignore that person, or if they choose to follow a leadership that orders them to do so, I want them to remember that sometimes there is a price to pay for such a lack of integrity.

My journal of observations from this neighborhood spans fourteen years and includes nearly a hundred pages of concisely written notes. It contains the names of over forty individual Fort Wayne police officers (nearly ten percent of the entire department), who’s ranks range from patrol officers to members of the Command Staff. My effort to understand this department has not been a casual or superficial endeavor, and I believe that qualifies me to give the following opinion.

I have been disarmed by the FWPD four times. Once, I actually lunged at the officer (in an excited, but non-aggressive manner) with my weapon visibly tucked into my front waistband. Another time, I was standing at the window of a car speaking with one officer when another officer noticed my weapon peaking out of my back pocket. There have been other occasions as well (when I was not noticeably armed) in which I acted in a defiant manner towards the police. The simple fact that I have never been thrown to the ground or shot by any of these officers reinforces my belief that the majority of them are able to quickly differentiate between a person who poses an actual threat, and one who is simply agitated.

Additionally, on many occasions I have seen these officers apply their discretion in a very magnanimous way. I have witnessed them at times practically begging a person not to force their hand, giving them far more than a reasonable chance to avoid arrest. The totality of my experiences and observations shows me that the main goal of most FWPD officers is not to bully others or even to make arrests, but rather to bring peace to the neighborhoods that they patrol.

The most important attribute for someone who is authorized to use deadly force in the commission of their duties is self-control. People who can not stand on the line without allowing their anger, fear or other emotions to pull them over the line should not be cops or soldiers. Such persons pose a threat to civilians as well as their comrades. And in this respect, my experience leads me to conclude that the vast majority of FWPD officers are true professionals.

Obviously, I have also seen some bad policing here. Whether the individuals in question were bad cops or just good cops having a bad moment I can never know for certain. What I do know is that a few officers have confided in me that they believe that there are some ‘bad apples’ among them, and that there are problems with the way their department is run. And this begs the question of exactly what those good cops are doing about it.

I would have really liked to close this blog by paraphrasing President Clinton to say “Whatever is wrong with FWPD can be fixed by whatever is right with FWPD. Unfortunately, the evidence I have seen leaves me unable to form such a positive conclusion.

As a final note, I would like to thank the many members of our local blogosphere and Michael Summers, of The Fort Wayne Reader, for their help in publicizing my plight. I know that both the police and the drug dealers have been reading my blog, and I think that has had a positive impact on the situation here. Considering the extreme complacency of our mainstream media, without your help my voice would probably have never been heard.

Phillip Marx

A Concession

One of the main goals of this blog was to circumvent the communication barriers which the FWPD Command Staff has erected between the citizens and the officers who actually do the hard work of keeping them safe. It was an attempt to speak directly to the many individual officers of the department. One of them, Officer ‘Rice’, responded to a recent post. And judging by the many officer’s Facebook pages which have been changed, deleted or blocked from public view in the past few days, it appears that others have heard me as well.

In recognition of this development, and in hopes that they will continue to listen long enough for me to make my final post, I have removed the names and photos of the FWPD officers that I previously published on this blog. I am still working on that final post, and hope to have it completed soon.

A Message For Officer Rice

Officer ‘Rice’

Do you really think that I could come up with as complete a list as this, and forget the one person who's name appears in my journal more than any other single officer? If you will recall, you once told me that you would rather not have your name published. I was just trying to show that I listened.

To be honest, I really didn't think you or anyone else at the department even read this blog anymore. I figured by this point I was just shouting at the wind. But since I know that you are reading now, I will break with my original plan to ceaselessly agitate your department for the next week and cut to the chase. The title which I already had planned for my last post is “Standing Down,” and it does recognize much of the sentiment which you expressed in your comment. I still have to adjust it a bit, but I will try to post it as soon as possible.

I will make no more posts on this blog until then, and it will be my final post before closing this blog permanently. Until that time, this blog is closed to comments. I sincerely hope that you will read that final post, and if you wish to leave a comment at that time I will allow you to have the final say in the matter. You and the many other good police officers within your department deserve that much.

So, although I can understand if you have the urge to run me over with your squad car for my inflammatory comments, I would suggest that you look at the silly flag I am currently flying from my house and realize that very few people really take me seriously, not even myself.

And lest there be any doubt about the matter, my threat to post personal information was completely hollow. If you will look at the photos I posted, in addition to ‘shielding’ the faces of your fellow officers, I also completely blocked out any images of children and spouses before saving them to my files. If you need an explanation for why I felt it necessary to give a final shout before walking away, you'll need to read my final post.

Merry Christmas!

House For Sale

Working for a living is awful tiring. And if I were to actually engage in the consulting services I mentioned on the last post, there would be other hazards as well. Maybe it would be easier to just sell the house and leave. Three years ago, one of the guys here offered me $15,000 and I turned him down. It was too soon after the fire-bombs were thrown, and I would have felt like I was running away. With hindsight though, I can now see that it would have been a good deal to make.

In the past three years, I have put a lot of time and money into the house. Although I know that what I spent in the past is really irrelevant to what I can expect to get for it today, I’d still like to get a decent price. But people aren’t going to pay a lot just because a house looks pretty. In this tough economy everybody demands real value. And then it occurred to me, all the improvements I have made here in recent years might actually appeal to a certain group of people.

My home has a very defensive nature to it now, and I’m thinking that it would be the perfect place to put a police sub-station after they move out of Creighton Ave. Of course, if they’re not interested, I can think of a few others who might be. So I made up this little flyer to hand out.

Note: This post is satirical in nature and should not be construed as an actual offer to sell a house or as an enticement for people to sell candy or any other goods.

FWPD Blues

I realize that most police officers prefer not to be put under the public spotlight. While some people see this as proof that they have something bad to hide, I actually disagree. Even the best of police officers would rather not be bothered by unwarranted publicity because it distracts their attention away from the performance of their duties. There is also the well founded concern that the criminals they chase may use information obtained from such publicity to unduly harass the police. But making sure the citizens feel comfortable with those who they have chosen to place in positions of such power is a necessity. When the people’s demand for pertinent information is not met, they will start to search for themselves.

I have compiled a list of current and former FWPD employees. While it is far from complete, and I expect it contains some errors, it will suffice as a basic template for the first stage in my new campaign. I am currently in the process of creating a profile for each of these individuals. These files will include information obtained from newspapers, police incident reports, court rulings, my personal experience, as well as other sources. My main intention is to make available to the public any information which relates to these individuals in their professional capacity as employees of the Fort Wayne Police Department, but I will not stop there.

It is perhaps unfortunate that my own search has uncovered many details that probably are not really pertinent. But the Fort Wayne Police Department’s habit of being overly secretive has caused me to respond by being overly inquisitive. I know where many of these officers live, what they look like, which (police) car they drive, where and when they graduated from school, their preferred dating habits, their extracurricular activities, who they are friends with, their political affiliations, and much more. While a great deal of the information I have garnered is probably not appropriate to share publicly, that is no longer my concern.

A state of war involves two parties who are involved in a continual series of over-reactions. Whatever events transpired to cause FWPD to view the citizens as their enemy occurred long before I arrived in this town. But I have been stricken many times by their wrath since then. It is time for me to strike back now. Since they refuse to tell the public what we deserve to know, I will respond by telling things that the public probably does not need to know. More information on this will be made available soon.

Click here to see a list of Fort Wayne police officers and other employees of the FWPD

Cops On Facebook

The internet has changed the way we deal with information. While the credibility of on-line sources may be more difficult to judge than printed sources, the fact is that information is much more accessible than in the past. And this change came about because sometimes even the most obscure details of our everyday lives are now archived and shared with the entire world. Some of these details were placed there by ourselves, some by others, sometimes without our consent and perhaps even without our knowledge. Particularly troublesome, when dealing with sensitive issues, is the fact that we usually don’t know who is viewing this information, or how they intend to use it.

People sometimes place information on what they believe is a secure location. But I have found that many search engines find ways to break through the locks, taking you directly to specific pages which the site administrator mistakenly thought would require entry through the pass coded home page. And the electronic imprint is very durable. Some things leave echoes which can be seen long after they have been deleted. The fact is, once our information is placed on the internet, we have usually lost control of it forever.

Each individual must determine for themselves what their desired privacy threshold will be. On my own blog, I have posted my name, address, e-mail, photos of my house, a map of my neighborhood, and photos of myself. And while I have been questioned by many people about the wisdom of doing this, my justification was quite simple. Anyone who would seek to harm me for what I’ve said here would most likely be either a drug dealer, or a cop. And since they already know who I am and where I’m at, I have nothing to lose.

It is this same frame of mind (thinking that there may be people who want to harm you) that I would suggest police officers use when determining their own privacy threshold. I know that most police officers take great pride in what they do. And I expect that they would be greatly offended if I were to suggest that they should alter their lifestyle in any way to accommodate their criminal adversaries. But remember, you guys kill people for a living, and that’s bound to make at least a few enemies, so perhaps you ought to rethink whether pasting your photo on Facebook is really a good idea.

I know the police are aware that criminals are internet savvy, because they have sometimes used information found there to prosecute them. But do the local police understand how connected the local criminals are? Remember the young man who was murdered in December of last year, the same young man who made his money standing on the corner in front of my home? After his funeral, it was revealed that he had a Myspace page with several photos of him and his friends. I also know that people in this neighborhood have been reading my blog.

The point I am trying to make to every single Fort Wayne police officer is this. It really is a small world after all. Do you actually want these guys to see photos of you, your families, your homes, your vacation spots, etc? On Facebook alone, I have discovered the photos of over one hundred current Fort Wayne police officers. Many others have been found on other locations. I know that at least a couple of the photos I have are of undercover vice & narcotics officers, which makes it seem particularly odd that they would want to publicly advertise their identity.

I expect that most of these officers only set up their pages in order to communicate with their family, friends and co-workers. In fact, many of them appear to have purposely not advertised the fact that they work for FWPD. But if I can figure it out, so can others. So if you’re a Fort Wayne police officer, and you don’t want everybody to know too much about your business, you might start by restricting what information you place on web-sites like Facebook.

Click here to see some photos of Fort Wayne cops on Facebook.

The Sheriff Is (Not) In Town

My experiences from living in this neighborhood have come to inform my opinion on many subjects other than just FWPD. For example, I’ve heard Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries speaking about some of the 911 consolidation proposals lately. But before you understand my views about this, you’ll need to see Sheriff Fries as he looks from the streets of crack town.

First of all, I remember many years ago Sheriff Joe Squadrito talked for a while about bringing his officers inside the city to get the crime epidemic under control. He never came through on that promise though, and it wasn’t because the situation improved. So I guess old Joey proved that he really was a politician after all.

In 2006, I decided to give Sheriff Jim Herman a chance to show his true colors. On October 18, I called ACSD to ask if they would help do the job that FWPD was unwilling to do here. I spoke with a woman who identified herself only as Melissa. She gave me a bunch of bullshit about respecting jurisdictions and boundaries, meaning they were too cowardly to step on FWPD’s toes. She did tell me that she would pass my information on to someone else within her department and get back to me. In November, I also sent a letter directly to Sheriff Herman, explaining the situation here and again asking for his department’s help. I received no reply to the letter and never heard back from Melissa or anyone else about my phone call.

I’ve never sent a letter or called the department since Fries took over in 2007, but I expect that would be a waste of time anyway. I do see county officers down here on occasion. They never seem to pay any attention to the drug dealers standing on the corner though. I’m told the only reason the Sheriff comes to these parts of the county is to serve warrants. So it appears to me that the department has been pretty consistent through at least the past three administrations. They come for the money, but they’re unwilling to do the hard work that really needs to be done.

When I hear Kenny bitching now about how some of the plans for 911 would end up killing people, my thoughts are that his statements are a bit incomplete. I think Ken Fries is truly passionate about his belief that taking 911 control away from him will hurt people, and I also think that Sheriff Fries does a lot better job of policing than Chief York does. But I suppose it’s easy to do a job when you’re only doing half of it. The fact of the matter is that Fries appears to have no more intention of exercising his full duties than any of his predecessors did. I really don’t think Ken Fries cares whether changes to 911 adversely affect city residents, just those in the rest of the county.

So here’s my thoughts about Sheriff Ken Fries today. I think he should resign as Sheriff, since he isn’t actually doing the job. Then, I think he should get involved in the East Allen County consolidation efforts. Once we officially divide Allen County into two separate cities, Ken Fries should then seek to be appointed as Chief of Police for everyone outside of the city of Fort Wayne. After all, that is in fact the job he currently does, he just has the added benefit right now of charging me taxes for not protecting me.

My next post, “What cops really think of us,” focuses on my recent experience with one particularly fucked-up Allen county officer, although I think his attitude is symptomatic of a lot of cops.