A Peachtree City K-9 officer introduced kids to his dog at the Oct. 9 “Faith and Blue” event at Drake Field, where everyone got a close-up look at law enforcement vehicles, along with Halloween goodies. Photo/Ben Nelms.
A little rain could not keep throngs of parents and their kids decked out in Halloween costumes from attending the “Faith and Blue” event held Oct. 9 at Drake Field in Peachtree City.
The event, a combination “trunk or treat” and “touch a truck,” had kids receiving Halloween goodies from Peachtree City police and firefighters and getting a close-up look at all kinds of public safety vehicles.
The event also provided an opportunity for open dialogue between the community and officers.
Commenting on the purpose for the event, organizers said communities are stronger and safer when residents and law enforcement professionals can relate as ordinary people with shared values, hopes and dreams.
Safe Kids Fayette representatives were also present at the event with car seat and bike helmet information.
OK Henry…
Communities are safer when the members work together to police themselves.
You have been selected by the community to patrol your area from 2300 to 0700 for two weeks. Unfortunately, due to defunding, you’ll have no partner and because of politics you’ll have no sidearm.
During your shift, you receive a call at 0300 about a vehicle randomly shooting at houses and autos. You engage in a pursuit and the perps stop. You can’t see them or their weapons in the car as the windows have excessive tint. So tell us, how do you take charge in this real life scenario? How do you protect both the community and yourself?
Cyclist raises a very good question of how to maintain control of the situation he describes…I’m going to suggest:
– Wrapping your body in bubble wrap.
-Approach the car backward with arms in the air
-Be polite and ask the perfs to be nice in our community and not discharge fire arms
-Warn them that no one gets a Starbucks gift card if they are impolite
-Ask then to leave their guns at the library next time they visit PTC
– Offer some personal life coach sessions.
This is an incredibly exaggerated example. PTC averages 18 violent crimes a year and I can say with almost complete certainty that there has never been a drive by shooting in PTC. Drive by shootings are pretty much exclusively a result of gangs or drug dealers targeting each other. No one just shoots randomly at houses. If I was on patrol and it did happen I would go to the scene of the crime and give first aid to anyone injured, because they would have sped off immediately and high speed chases are needlessly dangerous. Once EMTs arrive I would talk to the neighbors and get a description of the car or better yet, video if someone had cameras. Send that report to the state police so they know who to be on the lookout for, and let the professionals do their job. Neighborhood watches are not vigilante justice groups. Once my neighborhood is not longer directly threatened, I’m not going to go try to bring them to justice myself. That’s how you end up with angry mobs lynching people. The primary purpose of a neighborhood watch is to take care of the members of the neighborhood, organizing mutual aid for people that need it and trying to help people rather than arrest them.
Oh Henry,
Neighborhood watches….,…to police themselves.
So you’re advocating neighborhood watch groups to replace sworn city/county LEOs?
Send that report to the state police so they…..
So the state police (in Georgia that is the Georgia State Patrol) now becomes the first level of law enforcement; correct? You do know there is only about thousand troopers on the force? I’m curious, in your design are these troopers armed?
…let the professionals do their job.
PTC already has a group of professional men and women who are sworn to protect and enforce the laws of the community and state? These are the individuals that have to confront the scenario I noted. It seems to me you have a dislike for these individuals who can pay the ultimate price in performing their duties in protecting you and the community.
…vigilante justice groups,…lynchings…
Why are you acknowledging lynchings and vigilantism in your post?
Yes, there would be state police and areas would police themselves so no need for local police. Easier to have proper oversight of police when it’s centralized. The state police have to armed, because ideally they would only be called in in cases like the drive by shooting and all traffic stops and stuff would be handled by the unarmed neighborhood watch. I have a dislike of people being judge, jury, and executioner. It’s like any other job, there’s risk of dying. Cops aren’t special just because they’re public servants, if they don’t want to get shot at they should go be a cop in Canada or find another job. I bring up vigilantism because it’s a real concern. It’s entirely possible for someone to go to far, so we need to keep that in mind and shut it down before it happens.
Henry for Mayor!!! – -not here – please, we have already had all the comedy we need out of the 3 mayors before Vanessa but just imagine the thought process and how that would translate into a political leadership position.
I guess that’s how we get people like the mayor of Portland, but you would think the vetting process of a political campaign would keep these people out of power. Maybe they lie about their true beliefs and then jump into murky decision-making after getting elected.
Not Henry though – he’s actually being honest and serious (I think) which troubles me as I have come to believe he was or is an engineer – good at math, logical thought, follower of rules, etc. but I’m not seeing that with some of these silly police ideas. Maybe I’m wrong and he’s just twisting our tails to get a reaction. He is right about the lack of serious crime in PTC, but how long after disbanding or diminishing police presence do you think it will take before some thug has a newspaper article about that read to him by his only literate friend and he decides to visit us and rob somebody, maybe even a nice home invasion. Wouldn’t work too well on our street (80% armed), but some anti-second amendment dreamer might be chosen and that could turn out really bad.
Hey Robert W,
Did you see who’s running against Ted Wheeler?
In my travels, I remember Portland as very nice city. Unfortunately, it has descended into what we see today.
I will give Ted Wheeler a little credit as he stated the violent protesters are helping in the re-election of Trump.
I’m a firm believer in the 2nd amendment. I lean left but I’m no communist, however I do have to say that Marx was onto something when he said “Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempts to disarm the people must be stopped, by force if necessary.” However, guns should be used only in self defense and never to enforce your will on other people. Which is one of the reason I don’t like cops they can pretty much force you to do anything under threat of getting shot, and most of the time they face no repercussions for shooting people. Take the case of Breonna Taylor, Kentucky is a castle doctrine state. The cops executing a no-knock warrant should have expected that they might get shot at. I don’t know about you but if someone smashed open my door in the middle of the night, I would try to defend myself. If they cops announced themselves Breonna would probably be alive today.
Hi Henry
Research “Mrs. Kravitz” from the “Bewitched” TV series and also “Barney Fife” from “Andy Griffith Show” and tell us the range of obligation and authority you envision having have as a “Neighborhood Monitor”.
It could be everything from becoming a nosey voyeuristic political re education director all the way to “can I put my bullet in my gun Andy ?” deputy.
All of this discussion about layering and stratification for the sake of interpreting and dealing with the law and public safety confounds the issue of what law and enforcement are all about.
I get your ideas and points, I also wonder about how all this would function.
There wouldn’t be a “Neighborhood Monitor” as you put it. The point of disbanding the police is that we move away from a hierarchical structure of power and more toward one where everyone has equal say. In my fictional neighborhood/city there is no mayor or city council to get mad at as everything is decided by direct democracy. Basically you look out for your neighbors, if they need help you help them out and if you need help they help you out.
Direct Democracy. No police, no mayor, no council. I guess water, sewer, public works and recreation are still ok in your magic city.
So how does direct democracy work? If our neighborhood needs funds and somebody proposes robbing a liquor store, I assume we vote on that. Yes vote we use our protected and personally owned guns to pull it off.
A no vote means we don’t do it, look for other funding techniques and execute the person who suggested robbery. Is that about it?
Communities are safer when there aren’t armed cops shooting people. Communities are safer when the members work together to police themselves.