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Letter to the Editor. By Matt Gilland, Hart.
As I read your story titled, “Local police experiencing backlash of national negativity, especially last weekend,” I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by our community. The law enforcement officials in our area have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. To tell a police officer that their presence is bad for business, during a routine traffic stop, is absolutely disgusting, and I feel that their attitude is what is really bad for business.
To generalize anything because of a few bad incidents is wrong. Not all gun owners kill people, not all pitbulls attack, and not all police officers are brutal. To treat our local police force as the villain, because of something that happened far away from home, is very wrong. It feels as if the police can not do anything right.
I read another story online titled, “Police: Driver in fatal police chase a parole absconder,” in which the news source had originally titled, “Neighbors ask why after Detroit police chase deaths.” The story talks about a police chase that lasted no more than 70 seconds, in which the driver of a Camaro ran down children after beginning to flee from the police. In the story, the family begins to blame the police, even though the chase wasn’t very long, and the fleeing driver is the one that jumped the curb.
Treating the police like this, reflects onto the children. If we treat the police this way, our children see this, and will feel similarly for no reason. What happens when you get into a car accident, and you are unconscious, and a police officer approaches the car and your child has a panic attack because of the approaching police officer? The cops in our area have given us no reason to distrust them, we shouldn’t be placing distrust for the cops in the kids either.
The local police have taken an oath to protect and serve the citizens of our area, and they do that. Don’t treat them horrible for a crime that they didn’t commit.
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