The anti-police wave that has swept our country is a national disgrace, made worse by a mainstream media that seems to have completely forgotten the investigative principles of real journalism.
A long time ago in the 1780s when James Madison was tinkering with balance of power ideas for a constitution, he and his fellow founders rejected democracy early on as too much like mob rule, choosing instead a republic with elected representatives to be the cooler heads to think things through, a rational buffer between passions of the man on the street and our government.
But the founders could not foresee a gaggle of programming-hungry TV news channels needing to fill 24/7. Now America has given birth to its own modern version of mob rule by TV, with the latest hot tidbit repeated a thousand times, building toward a crescendo of electronic lynching.
Anti-police rhetoric has been a perfect example as cameras sought out the loudest aggrieved voices, with TV reporters uninterested in digging deeper for perspective and giving nary a thought that the few tough cases of police accused of excessive force should be decided in the judicial system, not in the street by the TV-viewing mob.
So what does this mean to police officers we count on to protect and serve? Thugs have been encouraged and some officers have been attacked, some killed. Young people who should learn to be partners with police are getting mixed signals at best.
Officers now need to watch their back more carefully, even on routine stops but especially in neighborhoods historically requiring intense policing because of concentrated crime. Police morale, retention and recruiting suffer.
To counter this insanity, I and a few friends have established Police Appreciation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit, to do two things in Peachtree City. See the image nearby of the window decal we had made to express our support of Peachtree City police officers.
We also are accepting tax-deductible contributions with all proceeds going to the Peachtree City Police Department as a gift from citizens to express our appreciation for them.
You can pick up a decal, and make a tax deductible contribution if you like, at Mimi’s, 303 Kelly Dr., at Dividend Drive in Peachtree City.
You can also contact me, Wayne Franz, Mike King, Terry Ernst, Wayne King, John Harrell, Skip Ragan or Scott Bradshaw, and any of us will welcome your joining us to let our police officers know we have their back.
Meanwhile, if you would like to start your own effort to support your local police in your town, contact me and I’d be happy to share what we have done to save you some startup time.
In a rational world, a community supports its police officers as they chase the criminal element. But these days you can’t expect rational when you turn on TV news.
[Terry Garlock occasionally contributes a column to The Citizen. His email is terry@garlock1.com.]
