Importance of police funding

Amid all the recent protests and demonstrations over the last several weeks have come calls for defunding police departments across the state and around the nation.

Among my first thoughts were these people can’t be really serious. They were, are and will continue to be it appears.

These people believe defunding police departments is the proper thing to do. The municipal entities that cave in to what these protesters and demonstrators are clamoring for are making a big mistake. I believe.

Defunding police departments is not going to make communities safer. Eliminating police officers will only lead to adverse impacts for those citizens who need them.

It will lead to slower response times, it will put officers in more danger because there will be fewer police to assist the one assigned to the call who arrives first and makes the initial contact.

These men and women sitting on the municipal boards and councils making these kinds of decisions should be taking the long view. Especially those communities experiencing growth.

Defunding a police department is not a progressive move. It’s regressive at best.

One of the more sensible statements I’ve heard over the past few weeks came from a pastor of a church in Oklahoma City. The pastor was against defunding police departments, stating that it was not going to lead to safer communities.

The pastor pointed out that all it would lead to is more lawlessness, fewer police to respond to calls and that vigilante groups would begin springing up and taking things into their own hands.

Another person commented that it would lead to seeing what he termed “more professional criminals” in the communities.

During my 53 years in the newspaper business, I’ve been fortunate and have had the privilege of riding with law enforcement officers from various agencies. I’ve been with them when they’ve encountered some dangerous situations.

But I can honestly say I have never been scared nor feared for my life during any of those ride alongs with them.

The other day I saw where a councilwoman in a nearby community made comments after that city council had voted to cut police positions from the budget. She made a statement that cutting one patrol position could allow hiring two drug counselors instead.

When a person calls 911 in that community and has a police emergency, are the two drug counselors going to respond?

I don’t think so.

Maybe some of these people sitting on municipal councils and board should ride along with officers for a shift. It might shed a new light on what police really do and see what they often encounter.

The dangers of being a law enforcement officer are never going to go away. If anything, they only will worsen.

Especially in this world today with the times we are facing.