LETTER: Police need support
Police need support
Recently the Observer-Reporter published an opinion piece about police needing training not weaponry. Some valid points, but it seemed to suggest that the police are not engaging correctly in any confrontation, with no mention of the opposition they face.
When police hear defund and even abolish their brothers, how can they not feel disrespected? Many are retiring early and others are quitting in droves. Even new applicants are leaving the academy without finishing. Reason? Why put up with that abuse? Their aggressors are more emboldened than ever before. The men in blue are spat upon and vulgar invectives are screamed to their face. Containers of paint, bleach, urine and feces are hurled at them. They are cowardly attacked from behind and even ambushed, sometimes causing death. Even the media fails to stand up for them.
I have a nephew in law enforcement, and I feel strongly about this. They need as much protection, whatever that entails, as we can give them. In large cities, to wear a badge is to wear a bull’s eye. Thank God, that is not happening around here.
When people see and hear that police are losing numbers and that all crime is going through the roof, is it any wonder why they are arming themselves? Don’t criticize them for wanting protection for themselves and family.
If the author feels that police need more training, perhaps he can offer what training is needed for these hate-filled predators roaming the streets. And who is responsible for that?
Robert BonAnno
Washington