Seattle uses micro community policing plans to engage its residents in 57 neighborhoods throughout the city, resulting in an 8-fold increase in proactive problem solving, according to the latest episode of “What’s New in Blue” from the COPS Office, available here as a 6-minute video. The emphasis is on addressing residents’ top 3 priorities in […]
Demetrick Pennie, Police Sergeant Concerned with Social Media Safety
Since 1999, Demetrick Pennie has served as a law enforcement officer in the Dallas Police Department. In addition to his day to day duties, Demetrick Pennie is a nationally recognized law enforcement advocate, with his views being covered by such outlets as Law360, Fox News, The Blue Magazine, and The Hill. Among his primary advocacy initiatives is raising awareness for the dangers that social media pose to law enforcement and the community.
On a 2018 episode of the Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Interviews podcast, Mr. Pennie highlighted the lack of responsibility shown by social media companies when it comes to the mass dissemination of materials that celebrate, promote, or condone violence toward police officers. He used the example of a video of the murder of a police officer in the Middle East which he had discovered. The video had been shared more than 5,000 times. When he contacted the social media companies in charge of the platforms on which the video was being shared, they told him it did not break their terms and conditions and they would not take it down. During the interview, he went on to say he is not against free speech, but social media companies need to reevaluate their algorithms to improve police and public safety.
Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation Hosts Police Survivors’ Dinner
Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation
Image: dallasfof.org
With law enforcement experience spanning nearly two decades, Dallas Police Sergeant Demetrick Pennie is a dedicated advocate in his field. In late 2018, Demetrick Pennie worked with the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation in hosting the 4th Annual Police Survivors’ Dinner.
Held at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, the event brought together police survivor families and the law enforcement and business community and included a U.S. Army Ranger as keynote speaker. Having lost a leg in combat, the speaker emphasized a “never quit” message and detailed the hardships that those in uniform experience on the battlefield.
With 18 families honored, those who attended also stayed at the resort and partook in a special dinner, as well as various musical and ice sculpture events. The aim was to provide hope and comradeship to those who had suffered through extreme trauma and loss.
In addition, the event served as a toy drive, with more than a hundred items collected by the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation for distribution to the Cancer Center at Children’s Hospital.
Reemergent Challenges Facing U.S. Patriot Act and Civil Liberties
With a U.S. Army background, Demetrick Pennie serves as a Dallas Police sergeant and is a strong advocate of the “rule of law” and of officers making decisions that reflect regulations, rather than emotions. In a November 2018 article published in The Blue Magazine, “Upholding the Legacy of 9/11,” Demetrick Pennie brought focus to the way in which those attacks exposed the homeland security infrastructure’s “implicit vulnerabilities.”
Following the attacks, the U.S. Patriot Act was established as a way of streamlining the way in which intelligence agencies coordinate activities. In particular, it allowed for less restricted communications surveillance. In addition, those who enabled or carried out terrorism faced more severe penalties and law enforcement agencies were given more robust resources for uncovering money laundering and financial counterfeiting schemes that enabled terrorism.
From the outset, civil liberties groups were active in challenging U.S. Patriot Act provisions at a constitutional level, and this caused provisions that fit the category of “intrusive surveillance” to be shut down. Despite the fact that the remainder of the policy was widely accepted at the time, controversy has reemerged surrounding the Patriot Act.
With terrorists not abiding by the same rules as established society and government, the rise of social media has placed new enforcement challenges on the plates of American law enforcement. As Sergeant Pennie describes it, new vulnerabilities must be addressed in a way that go beyond “political tribalism” and provide a distortion-free view of what civil liberties truly entail.
Demetrick Pennie 