If I told you that Ice Cube’s philosophy on law enforcement was somewhat close to common sense, you would likely be questioning my sanity. After listening to his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, I was so surprised by the former NWA rapper (F— The Police) that I had to listen again.
At one point in the interview, Carlson asked Ice Cube what his view was on the police.
When he replied “It’s the same,” it was not a surprise but his detailed account of modern day policing was.
Don’t get me wrong, Cube was not 100% on point because he is viewing police encounters as a citizen with limited information on the context but much of what he said is exactly why I have been on the road teaching “Seconds To Survival” for many years.
In fact, without knowing it, Ice Cube told Carlson what I believe every cop should know and do.
GO HOME AT NIGHT
“I think cops have a ‘win and make it home’ philosophy. Win whatever battles you have on the street, make it home at night. And that’s actually the most important thing.”
Going home at night is indeed the most important thing but that is also a philosophy that some officers are somewhat hesitant to ensure. I hear too many fears about being the next online sensation rather than being buried six feet under.
“Everything else, people’s rights, doing things the right way, being totally fair and square all the time and not being a little aggressive, all that comes second to win the encounter, make it home at night. And you can’t really fault somebody for thinking that way as a police officer. But that’s the philosophy. So everything else comes second to that.”
To say that law enforcement doesn’t care about citizen rights is not accurate. No police officer wants the scrutiny both criminal and civil that can come with that but once again, he is viewing right and wrong from a lens that the police officer may not have at the time.
Graham v. Connor (1989) makes a clear case that law enforcement is judged based on objective reasonableness along with the fact that “a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation.”
Remarkably, Ice Cube didn’t discuss race or racism but made a compelling case to protect the rights of citizens while ensuring that law enforcement does whatever they can to protect themself.
It’s a strange feeling to agree with Ice Cube but for the majority of his comments, I do.
Every law enforcement professional should make it their top priority to go home at night.
