What follows is an exclusive interview conducted by AFP’s James Edwards with retired police officer Jim Lancia, author of Downtown White Police: Demonizing the Alpha Cop, Glorifying Thugs, and Militarizing Law Enforcement. Lancia’s book is a warning, he says, about the “corruption of authentic street law enforcement. “ He says, “This country is getting ugly, and it’s going to get uglier unless we have an extreme course correction.” Let us know if you agree or disagree with Lancia.—Ed.
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American Free Press: You were only 18 years old when you were hired by the Bridgeport Police Department in Connecticut and patrolled one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America during the height of the crack epidemic in the 1980s. What are the things you remember most when looking back on your career?
Jim Lancia: I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I appreciated the camaraderie, the action, the danger, and the sense of contributing to society by fighting violent crime. In my view, violent crime represents a significant existential threat to the well-being of all Americans.
AFP: You once carried out seven felony arrests in a single week and executed search warrants with only a billy club and a six-shooter. How has policing changed since your time on the beat, and what has happened to the archetypal alpha cop?
Lancia: I had the unique experience of working in some of the most violent areas in the United States. One particular housing project was rated as the No. 1 most violent in the nation by FBI crime statistics. Felony arrests were frequent because my patrols took place in urban war zones. However, we managed to do our jobs without acting like military occupying forces, even though we were essentially fighting a war by any definition.
In my book, I define the “alpha cop” as an officer who fulfills his duty regardless of the dangers involved. Unfortunately, many officers in large police departments are shirkers and pretenders. What has happened? It’s easy to wear the uniform and pretend to be a cop, but the real alpha cops are often demonized as racist and viewed as obsolete relics of America’s past.
AFP: You have the experience and insight that journalists, politicians, attorneys, race hucksters, and even politically enslaved police spokespersons can never have. Generally speaking, what was your reaction to watching the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots after George Floyd’s death, in Minneapolis and nationwide?
Lancia: The civil unrest associated with BLM protests resulted from weakened police departments, officers kneeling, retreating, designating certain areas as no-go zones, and permitting lawlessness to prevail. This troubling conduct by police and their failure to uphold their duty would not have been tolerated 30 years ago.
AFP: We all watched the footage of the ICE officer shooting activist Renee Good, which also occurred in Minneapolis. As a trained law enforcement officer, what is your opinion about what happened that day?
Lancia: I discussed this in detail during my recent interview on your radio program. I never like to judge another law enforcement officer’s actions, but, in my view, it could have been handled without lethal force. From some angles, it looks like he wasn’t hit by the car.
He’s claiming internal injuries, and, if he does have internal injuries, then his claim might be validated. But it’s ultimately going to come down to where it’s going to be tried and what kind of jury they have.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have stood in front of a car with other officers telling her to move. They took too long to control the situation. If you want someone to get out of a car and they don’t comply, just break the window and drag them out.
I know that sounds brutal, but it would have saved her life and prevented the injuries the officer is claiming. I dragged drunks out of cars. I’ve taken them right out of the window, but you need a strong guy to do that. But that’s why you need to pick the right guy for the job.
AFP: Since that day, there have been numerous videos that can be found on social media showing ICE officers being surrounded by gangs of Somalians and other “protestors” and forced to retreat. What is it like for you to see that?
Lancia: There can be no retreat. You face the threat and deal with it. Surely, being surrounded by menacing thugs who outnumber you is more dangerous than an unarmed woman in a vehicle. This situation seems like selective enforcement.
I have a story to share. I arrested a drug dealer who was planning to assassinate another drug dealer in the projects. After a chase, I managed to save the life of the targeted dealer.
I was alone during this pursuit and ran through the entire area until I finally caught up with the suspect. I knocked him down and arrested him, but while I was securing him in handcuffs, a crowd of 50 to 60 people surrounded me, throwing bricks and yelling threats like “kill the white cop!” They wanted to take my prisoner away from me, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I pulled out my weapon and warned them, “You better back off, or I will use this.” And they kept their distance until backup arrived. In situations like this, you can defend yourself. Cops don’t run away. They don’t kneel or back down, and there are no “no-go” zones. This country is emasculated, and so is law enforcement.
I did my job, and they don’t like officers like me anymore. But that’s how you handle a situation. You don’t run away from 50 Somalians. That’s how you lose control of a situation. I would rather die than run.
AFP: If you were advising the Trump administration on how to arrest the situation, so to speak, what would your recommendations be?
Lancia: Well, if I had carte blanche to do something, I would reverse the Hart-Celler Act, the Immigration Act of 1965, first. Then I would arrest all the people involved in allowing this recent immigration invasion. Everybody involved in that would be brought to trial for allowing this.
But Minneapolis is out of control. ICE has got to get back to going after the gangs, and these Somali fraudsters should all be arrested and deported.
If these ICE guys went after violent people and hardcore criminals, they’d be looked at as heroes. But they’re often going after soft targets. We in the law enforcement community don’t respect that. That’s why I was in elite units, because I wanted to go after the really bad, violent guys. And I loved it. And that’s what you need. You need guys who are willing to go after the violent criminals and overpower them.
Also, law enforcement personnel need to do their jobs and then leave the scene. Once an arrest is made, they should move on rather than linger and wait for the crowd to disperse. Urban cops know this.
This lack of proper procedure is concerning. Officers seem unsure how to do their jobs, and it’s clear they aren’t receiving the guidance they need from their superiors.
AFP: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are openly supporting the criminal actors in their city and state, which is fomenting an atmosphere of lawlessness and violence. There is footage online of the Minneapolis police, including Chief Brian O’Hara, who defended the anti-ICE rioters, being chased by protestors. Would you like to comment on that?
Lancia: If all elected officials obeyed and enforced existing laws, we would not be in this perilous situation. If Trump really wanted to take action, these mayors could be arrested for interfering, but he won’t do it.
I’ve always said that I’ve worked with many three-letter agencies—such as the ATF, DEA, and FBI. They would request my assistance when they had warrants, and we would go after the bad guys.
However, we could never refuse to back them up simply because we didn’t like them or disagreed with their politics. If they had a legal warrant or a valid reason, we had to support their efforts. We had to fulfill that obligation.
If there were no ulterior motives from Donald Trump or anyone else, and the only aim was to remove illegal aliens and improve America, I’d support him invoking the Insurrection Act. Minnesota could serve as an example or testing ground for this, but you’ve got to make big-time arrests, including high-profile people.
If the Trump folks really want to remove illegal immigrants and are facing pushback from the governor and the mayor, then I believe they should take decisive action to set an example and effectively address the situation. That’s how you handle it, and then everyone else will start falling in line.
But Trump is all over the place. He overpromises and under-delivers in these situations. He also needs to get off the Zion train, by the way.
AFP: If topics like this are of interest to our readers, and I’m sure that they are, more information can be found in your book. Give us a plug.
Lancia: My book will reveal the final days of real cops, genuine policing, and what law enforcement has devolved into today. Every American is negatively impacted by this corruption of authentic street law enforcement. This country is getting ugly, and it’s going to get uglier unless we have an extreme course correction.
James Edwards is the outspoken host of The Political Cesspool, one of America’s most potent talk radio programs. He has made numerous television guest appearances and his work as a political commentator over the past two decades has been the subject of articles in hundreds of print publications and media broadcasts around the world. Visit ThePoliticalCesspool.org for more info.
Jim Lancia’s book, Downtown White Police: Demonizing the Alpha Cop, Glorifying Thugs, and Militarizing Law Enforcement, is available for purchase on Amazon.
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