In an opinion piece published in the Times-Call on Nov. 13 titled “Abuse of police authority,” Ralph Josephsohn attempted to make the case that some law enforcement officers (LEO’s) nefariously abuse their authority. The rhetoric and broad brush he used to state his opinion was exceedingly harsh and judgmental and worthy of a substantive response.
Generally speaking, the abuse of authority is not exclusive to any one particular career endeavor which grants individuals some level of power and control over the constituents to which it is called to serve. Doctors, dentists, teachers, clergy, lawyers, counselors, executives, politicians and so on are all positions of authority of which there have been countless instances of abuse. A quick Google search of allegations against teachers who have had sex with students would generate pages of criminal cases. Despite this harsh reality, we still hold the institution of education, and its educators, in high regard. It is understood that the actions of a few should not malign an entire institution.
Mr. Josephsohn laid out several reasons why he believes LEO’s are prone to abuse of authority. His reference to the terms “biases and prejudices” is likely what he considers the root cause of the alleged abuses. He also did not mince words when referring to public outrage in the face of “unconscionable police brutality which implicates racial profiling.” I surmise that he, like many others, got caught up in the contagion and subsequent proliferation of bias and prejudice toward LEO’s that followed the death of George Floyd. A recently released documentary sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding his death: https://www.thefallofminneapolis.com/.
Following the riots of 2020, social justice warriors inflamed the public discourse on racism, creating false flags toward an entire race of Americans. Whiteness, white rage, unconscious bias, microaggressions, diversity, equity, inclusion are all terms that since have been planted into our lexicon to establish the lie that white America is systemically racist. Social justice-engineered changes to public safety policy have made it more difficult for law enforcement to do their job at taking, and keeping, dangerous criminals off the streets. The repeal of qualified immunity has hindered the work of police officers for fear of incrimination. Ill-conceived bail reforms have also been instituted. These soft-on-crime initiatives have provided dangerous criminals a free pass to return to the streets to commit crime with abandon, due to the lack of deterrence that the justice system was intended to provide. The result has been the widespread wave of crime we are currently experiencing, which is endangering the lives of Americans all across our nation. Murder, looting, gang violence, carjacking and other forms of violent crime are on a steep trajectory in both metropolitan and suburban areas. Colorado is not exempt, ranking in the top 5 states for carjacking and bank robberies.
The undeserving negative spotlight placed on the law enforcement community has caused many police departments to be unable to meet minimum staffing levels. This is due to forced reductions in department budgets, an increase in police officer retirements, and compounded by the fact that candidate recruitment is down, causing undue burden on police officers, resulting in fatigue and burnout. Remember, crime is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year enterprise. Also, 911 response times have increased, while some police departments have been forced to only respond to 911 calls where a violent crime is being committed.
Let’s stop advancing an agenda that vilifies the very people that we call when crime or an emergency situation is on our doorstep. The undeserving criticism is exaggerated and irresponsible. May I suggest that rather, we consider exchanging the criticism for a little gratitude. As I also do for veterans, please consider thanking a first responder the next time you see one in our community. Remember that police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians all serve in a capacity that puts their own lives at risk, to protect ours. Aside from the danger of their occupations, please also note that first responders have a higher rate of suicide than the general population, with firefighters at 72% higher, law enforcement officers at 54%, and emergency medical technicians at 24%.
George Tristan is a Longmont resident, Marine Corps veteran and aerospace engineer.