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Opinion: If police cannot serve and protect, all safety and security at risk, West Potsdam man says

Posted 9/14/20

To the Editor: In response to Opinion: Black versus blue lives is illusion created by Trump, says Massena woman : I kind of had to laugh. Definition of defund; transitive verb: to withdraw funding …

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Opinion: If police cannot serve and protect, all safety and security at risk, West Potsdam man says

Posted

To the Editor:

In response to Opinion: Black versus blue lives is illusion created by Trump, says Massena woman: I kind of had to laugh.

Definition of defund; transitive verb: to withdraw funding from per Merriam Webster dictionary. The author's point was to take money away from the police and give it to social services and mental health counseling programs to free up the police to handle crimes.

She gives specific examples such as a domestic or lecturing the kid who got drunk. I guess she wants the alcohol/drug counselor to be called. But who is going to call them? The defunded money may mean less police presence on the roadway so that kid instead of being stop for DWI, runs over the neighbor's child.

I also do not know many domestic violence counselors are up at 3 a.m. to be called out to handle the husband/wife domestic. I am pretty sure no counselor wants to try and separate them. What will the counselor do in this situation.

This morning on the news, a Police Chief reported that the legislative body enacted a law stating police personnel may not use shields to protect themselves. It costs a lot less to not by the shields than to purchase them.

I suggest that they use the elected officials as their shields for the next protest. Other legislative bodies have taken away the use of batons and Tasers, but have not given the officers anything to defend themselves with except for hand-to-hand tactics and their service weapon.

I find it odd that Former Vice-President Biden talks about a reallocation of funds, not defunding the police, has not given up his Secret Service detail, or to have them replaced with counselors in case there is an issue.

Police officers are being injured, shot at and killed at an alarming rate.

If they are not there to serve and protect, all our safety and securities are at risk. One of the main functions of government is to observe the Constitution of the United States, whose concepts are copied verbatim into State Constitutions, "defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

The function of government is to provide for "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" and if there is not Safety those three government obligations cannot be fulfilled.

Scott E Niles

West Potsdam