I am now retired, after living and working in several large cities in several states over the past 50 years. I have done my fair share of traveling around the U.S. Everywhere I have been, I have had the chance to view communities during workdays and weekends, during daytime and nighttime. I have always been impressed with the wonderful hospitality of Americans everywhere. In particular, I have been impressed with the courtesy, knowledge, professionalism and dedication to duty of the many policemen who grace our towns and communities.
Every now and then, I see reports in the news of police officers who have, in one way or another, misbehaved. It’s really too bad when something like that happens; but then, I recall that the U.S. is a nation of more than 320 million people, and somewhere, here and there, in all walks of life, there are bound to be those who misbehave, and who forget about the “social contract” that makes our wonderful nation function so well.
Therefore, when I hear of people referring to police as “pigs,” or folks suggesting that we “defund” the police, I truly wonder if I am living in some kind of alternate reality. Maybe I am the exception to the rule, but it is my experience that in all the communities in which I have lived and worked, the police are among the most respected members of society — and for good reason. I shudder to imagine how our neighborhoods might function if there were no local police forces to enforce the laws of our land. Nope, in my 77 years on the planet, I have yet to personally behold a bad cop, and I don’t expect to come across one anytime soon.
— Stephan Paliwoda
Anchorage
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