When Did This Become Acceptable in Law Enforcement?
I have a serious question for the people responsible for hiring police officers in America.
What exactly are we looking for when we decide someone deserves to wear a badge, carry a gun, and exercise authority over the public?
Because after reviewing a series of social media posts attributed to a South Dakota police officer identified as Tia Rossler, I am once again questioning whether some agencies have completely lost sight of what professionalism in law enforcement is supposed to mean.
I’m not talking about an officer having a personality. I’m not suggesting police officers shouldn’t enjoy social media, have fun, or express themselves.
I’m talking about judgment. Maturity. Emotional restraint. Professional conduct.
I’m talking about the qualities that separate someone who wants to be a police officer from someone who has earned the responsibility of being one.
And when I see the material I discussed in today’s Cop Talk LIVE episode, my question isn’t limited to the officer herself.
I want to know who hired her, what standards were applied, and what law enforcement leadership considers acceptable behavior.
The Social Media Posts That Started My Concerns
In my video, I examined several TikTok posts attributed to Rossler, including content that appears to show her wearing a police uniform.
One particular post, reportedly published August 26, immediately caught my attention.
The caption reads:
“No better feeling than knowing you’re hated by many, but no one has the balls to do anything about it.”
Now, I want you to think about that statement in the context of someone who has been entrusted with police authority.
What exactly is the message?
Is it supposed to be intimidating? Is it supposed to demonstrate confidence? Is it simply an immature attempt at getting attention?
I don’t know what she intended, and I’m not going to pretend that I do.
But I know what I think about a police officer publicly associating herself with that kind of message.
It’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and it raises legitimate questions about judgment.
Police officers deal with people who hate them. People who insult them. People who challenge their authority.
That is part of the profession.
The answer to that criticism cannot be an attitude suggesting that nobody has the courage to do anything about it.
An officer’s authority is not a personal weapon against people who dislike her.
A Police Officer Talking About a “Treason List”?
Another post I discussed referenced Kanye West’s purported “treason list,” with Roesler reportedly expressing interest in creating one of her own.
Again, context matters. A social media joke is not proof of an actual threat.
But I’m not evaluating this as a comedian reviewing somebody’s material.
I’m evaluating it as a retired police officer and defensive tactics instructor who understands the importance of judgment, emotional control, and public confidence.
What message does that send when a person entrusted with government authority publicly entertains the idea of keeping a list of people who have supposedly wronged her?
Maybe she meant absolutely nothing serious by it.
That doesn’t make it a professional decision.
You don’t get to demand public respect for the badge while dismissing every concern about how you represent it.
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Emotional Maturity Is Not Optional in Police Work
Several other posts I examined involved personal frustration, blocking people who annoy her, and expressions of emotional distress.
Let me make an important distinction.
I don’t believe that experiencing emotional struggles automatically makes someone unfit to serve in law enforcement.
Police officers are human beings. They experience trauma, grief, anxiety, frustration, and personal hardship like everyone else.
Seeking help isn’t a weakness.
But emotional regulation, sound decision-making, and the ability to separate personal feelings from professional responsibilities are absolutely essential.
When I see someone publicly expressing hostility toward people who annoy or dislike them, I naturally begin thinking about how that attitude could translate into a difficult police encounter.
What happens when a citizen refuses to cooperate voluntarily?
What happens when someone records an officer?
What happens when a citizen calls an officer incompetent, challenges an instruction, or exercises a constitutional right?
These are questions about professional temperament, not accusations that Roesler has unlawfully arrested anyone or violated someone’s rights.
I have not presented evidence establishing that she has done those things.
My concern is whether the attitude displayed in these posts reflects the maturity we should expect from someone exercising police authority.
Personal Trauma Deserves Compassion, Not Professional Assumptions
One of the posts I discussed reportedly referenced a childhood experience involving police taking Roesler to school because her father was intoxicated.
I don’t dismiss that experience.
And I don’t believe someone’s difficult childhood should automatically disqualify them from becoming a police officer.
In fact, personal adversity can sometimes produce extraordinary compassion, resilience, and understanding.
But it is also reasonable to ask whether police officers are adequately prepared to handle situations that may remind them of painful personal experiences.
That’s a training and professional-development question.
It’s not a diagnosis. It’s not proof of bias. And it’s certainly not grounds to assume that someone will mistreat a citizen.
My concern is that officers must be capable of recognizing personal emotional responses and maintaining objective, professional judgment.
That expectation applies to every police officer, regardless of background.
Dancing About Traumatic Calls Isn’t My Idea of Professionalism
Another post raised a different concern.
The content reportedly referenced difficult police experiences, including performing CPR and responding to suicide-related emergencies, while presenting those experiences through a dancing or entertainment-oriented video.
I understand that police officers use humor to deal with stress.
I’ve worked in law enforcement. I understand that coping with disturbing incidents is not always pretty, and the public doesn’t always understand how officers process what they experience.
But there is a difference between privately decompressing with coworkers and turning serious incidents into social media entertainment.
A person experiencing a medical emergency isn’t content.
A family dealing with a suicide-related crisis isn’t a punchline.
And an officer’s responsibility to treat traumatic events with dignity shouldn’t disappear when a camera turns on.
I’m not claiming the video proves Roesler mistreated anyone during an actual emergency.
I’m saying that the public-facing presentation of those experiences matters.
The badge represents something much larger than the person wearing it.
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What Did the Hiring Authorities Actually Review?
This is where my concerns become bigger than one individual.
In my video, I examined public records associated with the City of Worthing, South Dakota, and a previous social media post attributed to the Turner County Sheriff’s Office.
The Worthing City Commission’s August 10, 2026, meeting records document acceptance of the verbal resignation of a part-time police officer named Tia Roesler, effective August 7, 2026.
The spelling differs from the name used in my video summary, and that discrepancy needs to be resolved before treating the records as conclusive identification.
The minutes do not establish any connection between the resignation and the social media activity.
I also discussed a May 1, 2024, Turner County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post reportedly showing the officer speaking to a driver’s education class.
Assuming these records and posts concern the same individual, I want to know what professional standards were applied throughout her employment.
Did the hiring agencies review publicly available social media activity?
What expectations did they establish for officers posting in uniform?
Were supervisors aware of the content?
And what guidance, if any, did the officer receive about representing law enforcement publicly?
I am not claiming that these agencies ignored warnings, violated hiring requirements, or knowingly approved inappropriate content.
I don’t have verified evidence establishing those conclusions.
But I believe these are fair questions for agencies entrusted with the public’s safety.
Police Officers Must Be Capable of Policing Themselves
This is one of the biggest problems I see in modern American law enforcement.
Too many conversations about accountability begin only after somebody files a complaint, a video goes viral, or a police encounter becomes a public controversy.
Why?
Why are we waiting for things to go wrong before we examine the professional standards of the people wearing the uniform?
Law enforcement should be capable of regulating itself.
Supervisors should establish expectations.
Field training officers should reinforce those expectations.
Police executives should evaluate conduct based on professionalism, judgment, and competence rather than popularity or public-relations appeal.
And individual officers should understand that wearing a badge carries responsibilities that extend beyond making arrests and answering calls.
As America’s FTO, I believe the standard must be higher.
Not because police officers are expected to be perfect.
But because police officers possess authority that ordinary citizens do not.
The ability to detain someone, use lawful force, and restrict another person’s freedom demands exceptional restraint and maturity.
A badge is not a personality accessory. It is a public trust.
My Final Assessment: Who Is Protecting the Standards?
I don’t need to establish that Tia Rossler committed a crime to criticize the social media content I reviewed.
I don’t need to prove that she violated departmental policy to question whether her public presentation reflects the professionalism I expect from law enforcement.
And I don’t need to personally dislike someone to believe their judgment deserves scrutiny.
My position is straightforward.
The material I examined raises serious concerns about maturity, professional presentation, and the standards agencies should establish for officers representing their departments.
Whether the posts violated any specific employment policy requires additional evidence. Whether Rossler performed her actual duties competently is a separate question that these posts alone cannot answer.
But the public absolutely has a right to question the professional image of those who exercise government authority.
That includes people who support law enforcement and people who regularly criticize it.
If you believe policing should be better, then demand better.
Ask lawful, respectful questions of public officials. Request transparency about professional standards. Hold leadership accountable for the expectations it sets.
And stop accepting the idea that receiving a badge automatically means someone has demonstrated the judgment necessary to deserve it.
Police officers don’t get to demand accountability from everyone else while treating their own professional standards as optional.
That is why I continue having these conversations.
Not because I want law enforcement to fail.
Because I believe the profession can and must do better.
Watch My Full Reaction: Who Hired Her?!
In my complete Cop Talk LIVE episode, I examine the social media posts, discuss the public employment records, and explain why I believe this case raises important questions about police professionalism, hiring standards, and leadership accountability.
CLICK HERE to get your copy of
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