Police Ensure Peace

by Jennifer Haupert, wife of a police sergeant

At present a few far left organizations want to be heard. They have acted out in ways which defeat the singular purpose they aspire to achieve – Respect! What about the other BLM? This is the alter ego to Black Lives Matter; this is Blue Lives Matter! I remain at a loss, for as I see it, ALL lives matter and always have.

What about the new tactics this leftist group has begun to utilize in our cities, the brutalization of police families? It happens. Actually, it has always happened yet more subtly. It is now becoming so terrifying, police families are insisting their police spouse park anywhere besides in the driveway or near the family home, as most had been required to do. This to avoid becoming targets for anti-law enforcement groups with unknown intentions.

The police cruisers were formerly used to encourage availability and community support. Now, masked thugs are cruising around neighborhoods in search of that police cruiser. Several police spouses have reported their children being threatened, insulted, and worse. These once safe neighborhoods are in danger as are our American freedoms.

At present, two cases are being heard for police brutality and murder. Take a moment if you will, do real research, not just review biased media sources, actually pull the toxicology, the arrest history, and the previous resisting and endangering the lives of these police officers. One would easily determine the whole picture at least tantamount the missing details not reported in years. Sadly, those who fund the media impose a narrative other than truth. This missing information pertains to the actions of said police. In each of these two cases, the officers followed departmental protocol. They were forced to protect themselves or perhaps not return to their family at the end of the shift. In both cases, these officers were dispatched to the scene. They did not self-seek out this perpetrator. This cannot be equated to premeditated murder. For heavens sake, officers are not serial killers. Therefore, they should not be criminalized equally as intended murderers. They would not have known of, nor encountered these men in their personal lives. If not dispatched, they would not have fulfilled their lawful duty to enforce the Law. Yet, to be tried as murderers who intend to kill is a dangerous precedent!

The instigators behind this kind of ideology and tactics know very well how destroying the police could impact society. These are the beginnings of thwarting the security and success of our American society which is based on the rule of law. Promote chaos, divide a country, weaken America and something could happen. History has shown what happens to weakened societies – they are overthrown.

I understand, people can resent the police at times. Folks do not agree they should have been pulled over for speeding, drunk driving, or arrested for public intoxication. These cited individuals certainly do not tend toward accountably yet, their choices to break such rules deny a peaceful, safe community.

A personal account may help. My family has been approached countless times in public, at restaurants, at our home by individuals asking who owns the police cruiser in our driveway. They have shouted to my little children in our front yard, “f’n pigs,” “loser PoPo” or worse. Many dangerous encounters have transpired from former arrestees. My children have even seen chalk drawings mocking their police parent with statements such as “bug-eyed cop”. We actually laughed at that one, for when those sun glasses are on, it is indeed a little buggy. Yet, in all earnestness, who raises a child to form contempt or disrespect for the police (People)? Who is the first to come to their aid later on when called?

This form of hatred begins at home. It begins from a place of ignorance or irresponsibility. It is the drunken abuser parent who was arrested for beating up their spouse in front of their children. Then, when the incident the offending party commits results in an arrest, they opt to hate the police for their own poor judgment. Most certainly do not look at themselves in the mirror and think, “This is my fault, I must be better!” So, the dialog begins. “This or that COP/PIG was bad or evil for costing our family so much money, they should have butt out!” The child then begins the contempt for police! Yet, the officer didn’t ask to come to their home to enforce the Law, they were called to! They were usually called by the victim or a neighbor and then the next step is they were instructed to attend the scene of the incident. Officers obey their instruction.

Sadly, this is a singular group of people who have always been hated and isn’t it wrong to hate? It is as wrong to hate police as it is to hate for race, creed, etc.

So, what happens when the vast majority of police determine they are not represented by their leadership, mayor, governor, senator, congress person, and/or President? Well, their pay certainly isn’t an enticement. These officers tend to work for below the national wage average. So, low pay, no support, community hatred, terrible shift hours (four days on, two off), and now the new threat of murderous intent of physical violence upon themselves and perhaps their family (these officers must wear a badge with their last name on it). A sensible determination will result in a dramatic decline in new-hire police officers, and a reduction in Police from the workforce as a whole. And, wearing a name on a badge enables criminals who are quasi-determined to find their home address, at present and in most states.

Without a sufficiently staffed police force, crime will increase, fear will be commonplace and bam, our American Freedom is gone. This could take less than five years for this kind of change to transpire. “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true!” Aesop’s Fables 260 B.C.
It is time for a reform. Police are a different breed of individual. Different was once a good thing. These Officers, while not perfect, and human, seldom disgrace their uniform. They intend to “Serve and Protect” their communities, therefore, let’s “protect the protectors!”

Certainly, many departments would welcome science-based stratagem to effectively and safely ensure an officer can hold a dangerous criminal without the likelihood of death. Not one officer wants to kill a person on their shift. Definitely, reallocate a non-police entity to handle calls which may be better served by a clinical social worker, such as mental illness calls. Yet, do not misunderstand that sometimes calls from mentally ill tend to become violent and most social workers are not willing nor prepared to be subject to physical violence. Most definitely, redirect parents who wish to have police parent their child to another entity all together as this is quite a frequent call these days. Make a reform, perhaps it has been long over-due. There is seldom and argument from an officer on this topic.

In July 2015, with the support of many unnamed, Senators, Congress persons, Representatives, and Governors, along with their ever diligent and extremely important staff, an alteration to an existing bill in our State was made to ensure the home addresses of police officers remain private as well as those who helped formulate this bill, received 99% approval. This Bill became Law. This Law includes County Tax data bases, as well as internet data bases which commonly list individuals home addresses of just about everyone. This Law has helped to provide a little bit of security for the families of police. This is not without work for each police family. To receive an address removal, one must write the likes of address data bases to ask that they abide the Law, and in most cases, it is a respected wish. Not one police family should be at risk for harm or exploitation because their spouse or parent opted to abide their vocation to become a Law Enforcers. Nor, should any representative from our community be subject to harm as a result of private addresses exposed to those with malintent as in the horrifying, sad case of Judge Esther Salas. We are so sorry for her loss.

I encourage law enforcement officers in every state to begin the process of protecting police and their families first by asking to have their names removed from their badge, replace it with a number. Then have police home addresses protected as private by passing a law in your State. I wish you all the best in your efforts.

Without our, “Front Lines” of support and protection, America will not be free as we once were. Many are called to Law Enforcement as a vocation………………For, “Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall be called the children of God.” — Matthew 5:9