As a good friend to law enforcement, who has worked for many years to support law and order and criminal justice, I am reaching out to the police community. We have seen terrible travesties of justice over the past several months in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City (NYC), and Cleveland, Ohio. People have been understandably disturbed and distressed by the events, and the view in the minds that some in police that they are “above” the very law that they are paid to enforce.

To those outside the law enforcement community, you cannot imagine how grim and dark their world can sometimes be. They see the worst of the worst every day. Their lives are not just dotted with reports and deadlines, they are strewn with human body parts, murdered children, and every disgusting travesty you can imagine. Even a desk job in law enforcement requires a strong stomach, and often the patience of Job.

But recently, we have also seen too many embarrassing police individuals using excessive force on minor issues or crimes, as well as on protesters. We have seen police individuals pulling guns on protesting individuals, and gassing children. We have seen individuals who should, at most, have been given a ticket for a minor crime, treated with excessive police force resulting in their deaths. To anyone who loves the police, and who loves law enforcement, we must all know that this is wrong. Last Saturday, I joined my brothers and sisters in a march on Washington DC to call for improved police training, and a rigorous defense of the civil and Constitutional rights for black Americans and all Americans.

Today, in New York City, there was a tragic murder of two police officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, from a disturbed individual, who was a career criminal, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, with a long history of criminal offenses. Mr. Brinsley’s criminal actions were heinous, despicable, cowardly, and any such criminal would deserve the fullest punishment of the law, had he not killed himself.

As we do for all Americans, our hearts and prayers must go out to the families of these slain police officers, and God only knows, how tragic to be murdered especially during this holiday season. We pray for them, we pray for peace for them, and we pray for justice to ensure their loved one’s murder is fully prosecuted according to the law. This is the point – our call for actions must be according to the law. That is what patriotic Americans do in defense of their Constitution.

This is also a vow that all NYC police officers make in their oath of duties – to support the Constitution of the United States. This is not a choice when it is convenient; it is a mandate. So we must also find the actions to promote conflict morally and ethically repugnant by those individuals within police organizations calling for actions in defiance of law enforcement, in defiance of our Constitution, and seeking to promote conflict with the American people. We find such actions to be a slur against law enforcement and everything it represents.

Too often, we have seen firebrands within police unions, and we have seen police faced with masses of protesters using extreme force or calling for extreme actions. In Ferguson, Missouri, the nation and the world was shocked and dismayed to see military-style over-reaction by police officers against protesters, including shooting a Christian pastor trying to keep the peace in the stomach with rubber bullets causing serious physical damage. In Oakland, California, we have seen photographs of an undercover police officer pulling a gun on a reporter and on a protester on a bicycle.

Today, after the tragic murder of the two New York City Police Department (NYPD) police officers, the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) of the NYPD have used this tragic murders of these police officers to attack the Mayor of NYC, Bill de Blasio.  On Twitter, the NYPD SBA states that “The blood of 2 executed police officers is on the hands of Mayor de Blasio.”  The NYPD needs to understand that Mayor de Blasio is not a career criminal.  The NYPD needs to understand Mayor de Blasio is not a murderer, who must be prosecuted.

Furthermore, the NYPD and police departments across this great nation must understand that their mission of law enforcement is respected by the people of this nation, as well as their sacrifices. This mission and respect does not give the right of extremists and firebrands within police departments the power to believe they can declare “war” on the American people, and act with impunity to do as they will, rather than as the law demands. The New York Times, various news media, and Twitter, are reporting that a NYPD Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) has been issuing troubling statements likely to incite more trouble.

Americans have seen too many troubling firebrand comments from the NYPD PBA’s president Patrick Lynch, including vulgar comments about the Mayor on Thursday, and veiled threats in directing police to be less responsive. Patrick Lynch has a penchant for holding confrontational press conferences, where instead of calling for law enforcement, he is focused on bitter anger against Mayor de Blasio and states the mayor has been “throwing New York City police officers under the bus.”

We don’t need more out of control anger; we need deliberate respect for the law and public safety. I have seen Patrick Lynch repeatedly on television, and his cringe-worthy comments should embarrass and shame anyone who loves law enforcement.  He needs to understand the message he is sending that law enforcement needs to have a different standard of “law” than the rest of us. That is troubling and it is wrong.

Double-standards are the very cancer which undermines the equality and liberty, which are the basis for both of our American and our universal rights. I have also seen, directly on the NYPD PBA web site, the circulated comments by this same NYPD PBA calling for the New York City Mayor to be denied to have a right to present at the funerals of these police officers. Under the circumstances, with too frequent excessive actions and threats by police figures and by even armed police in crowds, Americans are becoming increasingly troubled by the idea that some extremists within the police believe they have the right to declare a “war” on Americans.

As one who has dedicated many years of my professional life and who respects law enforcement, I can only urge all those in law enforcement to remember their mission, their duty, and responsibility. I can also remind those extremists who shame the mission of the police – to remember that if there ever was a war between the police and the American people, we all know who will win that war.

Such frequent firebrand and threatening language by police figures is not in the interest of law enforcement, public safety, and common sense. I would urge all those in police organizations to get those inciting such violence to be removed from office as quickly as possible; they are not looking out for the interests of either the police or the American people. We need police organizations and police leaders to make positive, constructive statement regarding law enforcement, law and order, and maintaining public safety. In this sad and combustible environment, we have seen the New York Times report tonight that someone has obtained a copy of a NYPD PBA memorandum with even more extreme comments.

I can only believe and pray that this is a hoax and is in no way representative of the actual views of the NYPD BPA. However, numerous New York City media organizations are reporting on this alleged memo.

Whether it is true or not, the idea that so many will readily BELIEVE it is true – demonstrates the real issue for too many police organization in regaining the trust and confidence of the American people.

This is unfair to hard-working police officers who sacrifice their careers, and as we saw tonight even their lives, to enforce the law. Responsible police leaders must challenge firebrands and extremists within police organizations. They cannot stay silent[ while such incitement is done. Tonight’s New York Times reports that a NYPD BPA memorandum is calling for two units for every call, based on an expectation of police being “executed on a regular basis.” The alleged memorandum concludes that “[the] mayors hands are literally dripping with our blood because of his words actions and polices and we have, for the first time in a number of years, become a ‘wartime’ police department. We will act accordingly.”

Again, I believe and pray that this alleged NYPD PBA memo repeatedly reported by NYC media will turn out to be a hoax, although this was published by a journalist who claims he has police sources to prove this is genuine. Police officers around the nation must be concerned about such counterproductive messages with the perception that our police are planning a “war” against the American people, and do not care about Constitutional and civil rights. Police should also denounce the extremist comments by other police and political organizations which seek to attack political views and protests which call for equal protection under the law. In fact, such equal protection under the law is very goal of law enforcement individuals everywhere and in every capacity. We all share the responsibility for public safety, for respect for the law, and to work to ensure the law in our nation and our world is enforced through proper and responsible means.

This responsibility begins first with a consistent respect for all of our human rights, including the equality and liberty of our citizens, in the United States of America and around the world.

Update: The NYPD PBA has told the press that “P.B.A. spokesman Al O’Leary said in an email his union did not send the memo,” and that is thus far the extent of their denial of such extremist remarks, which are minimal and deeply troubling.   Sadly, we have also seen former NY Governor Pataki blame the NYC Mayor for the murders by this criminal, with Mr. Pataki ignoring his vow to support the U.S. Constitution, which is the real basis behind such objections in abusive behavior against American citizens.