Features Features Features
6
Features
November 2016 | Prowler
Features
Q&A
The People v. the Police Local police officers, their children face everyday risk by associate editor Johnny Nguyen Guns, police officers and dead black males. All the channels spew out headlines like factory machines and junior Becca Galindo sighs, switching off the TV. Wishing tensions between the police and citizens across the country would relieve, her mind starts to worry about one specific person: her mother, Sergeant Linda Galindo. Across town, Sergeant Linda Galindo walks up to the entrance of Hernandez Middle School. She’s not here for any business; she just wants to pick up her son. Nonetheless, she notices the other parents’ stares. Some smile, others frown, but as Linda walks by her observers, she overhears one particular conversation between two women. Linda’s only within listening range for a split second, maybe less, but she can pick out one sentence with certainty. “I’m scared of her.” Linda can only wonder how scary she looks to middle schoolers, and then, teenagers in general. Assuring herself that she’s done everything she can to keep her daughter safe and to be the best parent possible for her daughter Becca, Linda pushes the right door open, and walks into the school. “I recognize the tension and its existence,” Linda said. “Most police officers are trying to do good. Most of us are not out there trying to violate people’s rights, but just as regular citizens, mistakes are made.” For Linda and Becca, the conflicts between police officers and regular citizens concern both of them about each other, whether Becca could
be caught up in a traffic stop gone wrong or if Linda might not come home unscatched from work. There’s real danger for both of them, and their daily life has changed because of that. “I wouldn't say I'm stricter but I'm more involved,” Linda said. “I've experienced a lot of different things throughout my law enforcement career, and I feel I should prepare my kids for what to expect in the world when they leave the security of my home. I tend to be harsh, when 'dealing' or punishing my kids, but children are a reflection of their parents, and I don't want my kids out there acting messy.” From giving advice about relationships to urging against going out at night, Linda’s worry about her own children leads her to take precautions other parents have probably never thought of. But for her, these are necessary to feel secure. “When it comes to being cautious, I am,” Linda said. “I have tracking devices on their phones because I worry that they’ll be kidnapped or raped. Becca is driving and I’m always worried she is going to crash or something. I worry that I’m too strict and Becca or her brother will rebel, but I try to have open communication with them, so they aren’t scared of me.” Becca and her brother stand on the receiving end of their mother’s cautionary attitude, experiencing daily warnings or always having to remember some sort of restriction wherever they go. “My mom’s really strict and she doesn’t really let me go out anywhere, unless she knows
who I’m going out with,” Becca said. “She always thinks I’m going to get raped or killed or something. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t go anywhere that I’ve never been before. [She tells me] stuff like that.” Despite sometimes feeling overwhelmed, though, she knows the warnings are for her own safety with everything going on across the country, as stories about a newly killed citizens continue to pop up. Even so, according to Becca, her mother’s warnings can sometimes be unwarranted. “I think some of [the warnings] are random like she’s just trying to control everything because she doesn’t want anything bad to happen,” Becca said. “I think most of them are okay, I guess.” Although Linda gives out most of the warnings, there's just as much worry for her own safety as there is for her kids. Both Becca and her mother worry about life on the job and the possible dangers Linda faces. "[I worried] all the time," Becca said. "I used to, she just promoted right now, so now she just stays in her office all the time. But for a while, she’d go out for a while and do cop stuff and it was just scary because you see stuff on the TV. It’s kind of scary, and she doesn’t really like it either." Another growing problem for Becca is the concern of police brutality in today's society, and although Becca personally has experience around police officers, she still understands the possibility of being harmed or being the victim of a police officer using more force than
Police, Violence Statistics
Junior Becca Galindo
photo courtesy of Linda Galindo
necessary. "Usually people are really scared of cops, you know, when you’re driving and then you see a cop. But I’m not, I just drive," Becca said. "It doesn't really bother me when I see one anymore, which is weird I think, because everyone is so scared of them. I don’t [think cops are bad], I mean some of them could be." For the two of them, they hope the future will be one where neither has to walk in fear of
their daily lives. They hope that the tensions in today's society will resolve themselves peacefully. "I think [police brutality] exists and it needs to stop because I just don’t understand how someone could do that to innocent people or people that don’t deserve it," Becca said. "I guess [my mom] thinks that I look at her badly now that there’s a lot of brutality going on, but I don’t, I just want to talk about it. I try to bring it up to her, just to talk about it openly."
18
29
infographic and illustrations by Parker Shepard some vectors designed by Freepik
1,152 2015 1 person 8 hours
were killed by police
in
, calculating out to
be about every
.
Out of all these cases,
97% did not end in charges against a police officer for misconduct.
were killed by police in
Austin
last year.
84%
of police officers witnessed fellow police officers using more
force
than necessary on the job.
Do you think officers should wear body cameras?
"Yes, because of the brutality stuff and everything and I feel like it would get the story straight."
30%
18 29
Linda Galindo
Are you in favor of the Texas Open Carry Bill for Concealed Handgun Holders?
"I don't think it should be clearly visible because I don't know if everyone's okay with that. Maybe they feel uncomfortable or something."
41 officers 2015 were killed on-duty in
7
Highway Patrol Sergeant
Should marijuana be decriminalized and legalized?
About of those killed by police officers in 2015 were between the ages of and
17 people
Junior, mother differ in opinions on current issues, police practices
"I think it should be legalized, just because, I think there's been stuff where it actually helps people. I think it could help people."
In an old photo, Sergeant Linda Galindo hugs her daughter, Becca, after receiving her commission. However, now both of them are concerned about each other's safety as conflicts between police officers and citizens are becoming more and more common. "I do hope for some change," Linda said. "I fear for the troopers that work with me. They never know when they will catch someone having a bad day."
November 2016 | Prowler
“Legalizing marijuana would bring some relief to the correctional facilities. I don’t think people understand the effects it has on perception or judgement.” “Citizens of Texas are free to carry their weapon with the use of their open carry license.”
“That is up to the officer. The road troopers have audio/video cameras in their patrol cars that usually work well but body cameras would be additional footage that could be useful.”
1/19 officers
are injured or get an illness on the job.
.
.
14 100,000 1.5 times out of every
52% blind eye
of police officers said it is not unusual for a police officer
to turn a conduct of other officers.
to improper
police officers commit suicide.
That's the national average in the United States.
1/3
of activeduty and retired officers suffer from post-traumatic stress.
Sources: Dallas News CopCrisis University of Buffalo FBI 2015 Crime Statistics Sociology Toolbox
Mapping Police Violence The Badge of Life
Features
November 2016 | Prowler
Features
Q&A
The People v. the Police Local police officers, their children face everyday risk by associate editor Johnny Nguyen Guns, police officers and dead black males. All the channels spew out headlines like factory machines and junior Becca Galindo sighs, switching off the TV. Wishing tensions between the police and citizens across the country would relieve, her mind starts to worry about one specific person: her mother, Sergeant Linda Galindo. Across town, Sergeant Linda Galindo walks up to the entrance of Hernandez Middle School. She’s not here for any business; she just wants to pick up her son. Nonetheless, she notices the other parents’ stares. Some smile, others frown, but as Linda walks by her observers, she overhears one particular conversation between two women. Linda’s only within listening range for a split second, maybe less, but she can pick out one sentence with certainty. “I’m scared of her.” Linda can only wonder how scary she looks to middle schoolers, and then, teenagers in general. Assuring herself that she’s done everything she can to keep her daughter safe and to be the best parent possible for her daughter Becca, Linda pushes the right door open, and walks into the school. “I recognize the tension and its existence,” Linda said. “Most police officers are trying to do good. Most of us are not out there trying to violate people’s rights, but just as regular citizens, mistakes are made.” For Linda and Becca, the conflicts between police officers and regular citizens concern both of them about each other, whether Becca could
be caught up in a traffic stop gone wrong or if Linda might not come home unscatched from work. There’s real danger for both of them, and their daily life has changed because of that. “I wouldn't say I'm stricter but I'm more involved,” Linda said. “I've experienced a lot of different things throughout my law enforcement career, and I feel I should prepare my kids for what to expect in the world when they leave the security of my home. I tend to be harsh, when 'dealing' or punishing my kids, but children are a reflection of their parents, and I don't want my kids out there acting messy.” From giving advice about relationships to urging against going out at night, Linda’s worry about her own children leads her to take precautions other parents have probably never thought of. But for her, these are necessary to feel secure. “When it comes to being cautious, I am,” Linda said. “I have tracking devices on their phones because I worry that they’ll be kidnapped or raped. Becca is driving and I’m always worried she is going to crash or something. I worry that I’m too strict and Becca or her brother will rebel, but I try to have open communication with them, so they aren’t scared of me.” Becca and her brother stand on the receiving end of their mother’s cautionary attitude, experiencing daily warnings or always having to remember some sort of restriction wherever they go. “My mom’s really strict and she doesn’t really let me go out anywhere, unless she knows
who I’m going out with,” Becca said. “She always thinks I’m going to get raped or killed or something. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t go anywhere that I’ve never been before. [She tells me] stuff like that.” Despite sometimes feeling overwhelmed, though, she knows the warnings are for her own safety with everything going on across the country, as stories about a newly killed citizens continue to pop up. Even so, according to Becca, her mother’s warnings can sometimes be unwarranted. “I think some of [the warnings] are random like she’s just trying to control everything because she doesn’t want anything bad to happen,” Becca said. “I think most of them are okay, I guess.” Although Linda gives out most of the warnings, there's just as much worry for her own safety as there is for her kids. Both Becca and her mother worry about life on the job and the possible dangers Linda faces. "[I worried] all the time," Becca said. "I used to, she just promoted right now, so now she just stays in her office all the time. But for a while, she’d go out for a while and do cop stuff and it was just scary because you see stuff on the TV. It’s kind of scary, and she doesn’t really like it either." Another growing problem for Becca is the concern of police brutality in today's society, and although Becca personally has experience around police officers, she still understands the possibility of being harmed or being the victim of a police officer using more force than
Police, Violence Statistics
Junior Becca Galindo
photo courtesy of Linda Galindo
necessary. "Usually people are really scared of cops, you know, when you’re driving and then you see a cop. But I’m not, I just drive," Becca said. "It doesn't really bother me when I see one anymore, which is weird I think, because everyone is so scared of them. I don’t [think cops are bad], I mean some of them could be." For the two of them, they hope the future will be one where neither has to walk in fear of
their daily lives. They hope that the tensions in today's society will resolve themselves peacefully. "I think [police brutality] exists and it needs to stop because I just don’t understand how someone could do that to innocent people or people that don’t deserve it," Becca said. "I guess [my mom] thinks that I look at her badly now that there’s a lot of brutality going on, but I don’t, I just want to talk about it. I try to bring it up to her, just to talk about it openly."
18
29
infographic and illustrations by Parker Shepard some vectors designed by Freepik
1,152 2015 1 person 8 hours
were killed by police
in
, calculating out to
be about every
.
Out of all these cases,
97% did not end in charges against a police officer for misconduct.
were killed by police in
Austin
last year.
84%
of police officers witnessed fellow police officers using more
force
than necessary on the job.
Do you think officers should wear body cameras?
"Yes, because of the brutality stuff and everything and I feel like it would get the story straight."
30%
18 29
Linda Galindo
Are you in favor of the Texas Open Carry Bill for Concealed Handgun Holders?
"I don't think it should be clearly visible because I don't know if everyone's okay with that. Maybe they feel uncomfortable or something."
41 officers 2015 were killed on-duty in
7
Highway Patrol Sergeant
Should marijuana be decriminalized and legalized?
About of those killed by police officers in 2015 were between the ages of and
17 people
Junior, mother differ in opinions on current issues, police practices
"I think it should be legalized, just because, I think there's been stuff where it actually helps people. I think it could help people."
In an old photo, Sergeant Linda Galindo hugs her daughter, Becca, after receiving her commission. However, now both of them are concerned about each other's safety as conflicts between police officers and citizens are becoming more and more common. "I do hope for some change," Linda said. "I fear for the troopers that work with me. They never know when they will catch someone having a bad day."
November 2016 | Prowler
“Legalizing marijuana would bring some relief to the correctional facilities. I don’t think people understand the effects it has on perception or judgement.” “Citizens of Texas are free to carry their weapon with the use of their open carry license.”
“That is up to the officer. The road troopers have audio/video cameras in their patrol cars that usually work well but body cameras would be additional footage that could be useful.”
1/19 officers
are injured or get an illness on the job.
.
.
14 100,000 1.5 times out of every
52% blind eye
of police officers said it is not unusual for a police officer
to turn a conduct of other officers.
to improper
police officers commit suicide.
That's the national average in the United States.
1/3
of activeduty and retired officers suffer from post-traumatic stress.
Sources: Dallas News CopCrisis University of Buffalo FBI 2015 Crime Statistics Sociology Toolbox
Mapping Police Violence The Badge of Life
