In modern America, it’s become acceptable to go with the flow of defunding the police. Doing so is biased, illogical, and most importantly has dire consequences. I’ll note up front that as a retired law enforcement officer that has worked internal affairs cases, the police like the rest of us are not perfect. When you consider the number of officers versus the number that commit criminal misconduct though, the latter is a very small number. As a personal note, we’re blessed here in Jefferson County to have had great Sheriffs such as David Hobbs and now Mac McNeill. It’s easy for some to forget our police officers are the same ones that go to church with us, buy their groceries with us, and whose kids go to school with ours.
The bias involved here is the assumption because a very small number of police officers are involved in criminal misconduct, ALL police should be defunded. To use an on-point example, the overwhelming majority of black males killed in these United States are killed by other black males. It would be just as biased and wrong to put into prison ALL black males due to the criminal misconduct of a few.
The logic behind law enforcement is that it for the most part removes the conflict from citizens vs citizens. In situations such as car crashes and domestic disputes, the police serve as a neutral third party. Removing this third party, or even using some type of citizen alternative would fail. Why? Because there will always be situations where despite what is said, defensive force must be used. The Bible is clear about this principle in government. In Romans 13:4, Paul wrote about obedience to government. He noted for those doing harm, the government servant has a sword for a reason. Consider also the street-level instances made so popular in the media are but a portion of what our valuable law enforcement officers do every day. As a few examples, they search for missing children. They investigate burglaries and recover stolen property. Similarly, they investigate murders and bring the killers to justice. In the Old Testament, without the equivalent of police, a murder victim could be avenged by one of their relatives.
To see the dire consequences without our police officers, one need look no further than Portland. Riots with violence against people (to include our police) and property damage have taken place there for nearly 3 months. I suppose it would be nice to be so well off that you can just go and hang out in the streets every night. No business will want to locate in such an area, nor will any rational human wish to live there. Community support of law enforcement is vital. In a scene from the 1962 Western “Lawman”, the town Marshal reminds the citizens that he is not the law- they are. In that instance, no one wanted to serve on a jury out of fear. The principle is the same- unless the community supports their police, there is no point in having police.
The above leads me to conclude we should trade the “u” in defunding with an “e”, and be defending the police. It’s been said all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Similarly, all it will take for anarchy to prevail is for good people to do nothing. One important way to do something positive is to cast an informed vote. The difference today is very clear- there is Mr. Biden, who as a key policy example thinks no one at a church should have a gun to defend others- instead, they should rely upon law enforcement. Now while he gives lip service to supporting our police, his party is the one supporting those who demand our police be defunded. Ironically, Mr. Biden like every other high-profile politician has 24/7 police protection. While I do not personally like President Trump, he does support our police. For that and several other reasons he has earned my vote this fall. Finally, if a police officer walks in to where you are, instead of saying “I didn’t do it” how about saying “Thanks for serving”?
Paul Henry